[LUAU] Top 10 Best / Worst Cities For Software Developer Pay

[Jim Thompson]

On Mar 19, 2007, at 10:16 AM, Stan Baptista wrote:

>> Why does Hawaii pay so little when the cost of living is so high?
>
> For better or worse the answer comes down to: Because it can. Also  
> called the "price of paradise".
>
> I asked this question when I came back home after being away for 30  
> years and making a living as a software engineer in the Boston  
> area. (Actually, if you search the archives of this forum, you'll  
> find that there was a fairly lengthy discussion about this a couple  
> of years ago.) It's the answer I was given consistently from many  
> sources. I didn't like it nor did I want to believe it. But  
> currently, I think it's accurate.
>
> Hawaii does not have a comprehensive approach to competing with  
> other technological centers. If it did, I think it's fair to say  
> that the overall COL index would be adjusted either in terms of  
> salaries or housing, or some combination.

Yet Lingle is making noise about getting Hawaii competitive, rather  
than watch the state economy hit the wall as the "housing  
development" express (fueled by the sub-prime mortgage market) hits  
the end of the tracks, quickly followed by the wheels coming off mid- 
flight.

I pointed out 18 months ago that 25% of the state economy is tourism,  
and another 22% is DoD-related.   A substantial fraction of the rest  
is development "boom" which is about to implode.   Nationwide, one in  
20 mortgages is overdue.

> It remains to be seen whether it ever will. Typical politicians'  
> solutions to this problem (like Act 221) are not sufficient.

Hawaii's software industry is so small that it lumps producing  
software in with nightclub acts and fishing charters.

> Hawaii-based companies can pay relatively suppressed wages because-- 
> so far--they find enough people willing to work here just because  
> they want to be in Hawaii.
>
> Basically, if you don't like it, don't let the door hit your butt  
> on your way to San Francisco (or, I guess, Houston;-)

<expletive> that noise.  I'm here and staying.  Who the <expletive>  
are you to dismiss me?

Jim