Readit NewsI just reduce my own tomatoes if I need paste.
Ricky Jay talking about his childhood friend Persi: https://believermag.com/an-interview-with-ricky-jay/
Persi on Numberphile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxJubaijQbI
A great lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xit5LDwJVck
In my experience, the US is a place where little is given to you but you can get a lot. But you cannot take anything for granted. If you value vacation then you need to grill potential employers on that point and be willing to take a job that pays less. Most people value money so if you value something different you need to be proactive about getting it.
Your company at the end of the day doesn't care about you, those 5 weeks you could've spend on a trip doing a hike or just chill on the beach. That is what you'll remember later in life. That deadline you crushed, your boss enjoyed but won't be remembered in a few years, and if your "team needed you" comes up, your company overworks you and needs to hire additional staff.
The interesting thing is I used to try to force people who worked for me to take more time off and they would complain. I think in many ways it was the example I set, which was bad, of always working. It's a regret I honestly have. I'm also happy now that I am just an individual contributor. I don't have to try to change that culture anymore. I only need to change me.
This depends on the company, last startup I worked at gave me around 6 weeks of vacation per year not counting holidays. Of course I got paid less than FAANG but still better than Europe even without the equity.
>* Substantially cheaper and yet similar health, dental, and vision coverage
I have heard a lot of people in Europe (UK and Germany) complain about issues with getting health coverage for non life threatening issues unless they also had private insurance. No idea how many companies pay for that in Europe.
>* Less risk/stress associated with job security
My bank account is my job security. I don't think I ever was worried about job loss after a few years of building up savings.
The experience my friends have in the EU seems to be pretty good over all with healthcare. The US healthcare system give fantastic results at a phenomenal and often strange price. It's a trade-off I'm sure.
I agree that having savings helps. And I have quite a bit of savings. But I still wouldn't feel comfortable being laid off .
Over all I'm here in the US and I love it. But I'm pointing out that there is give and take to everywhere.
Also everyone keeps talking about working for FAANG but.... The vast majority of US engineers don't work for them.
Did working those extra weeks mean more value to you?
I'd say it's a cultural thing why we don't use it. Working hard and making big money is the dream. I'm not saying my company forces me to not take the vacation time. Heck they try to tell us all to use it more! (PTO is a liability on the books, FYI). But culturally, it's just not a priority (as in our countries culture, not the company itself). I realize it makes no sense. I need to make it more of a priority. My original point is my friends who are ex-pats on the EU seem to have a culture of using that time being more important than working.
Edit: I'm not sure why I'm being down voted. I'm mostly sharing what I see and feel. Your milage definitely may vary and I hope it does!
Getting 6 weeks of vacation instead of 3? I’d still rather take the extra $150k. Having to shell out $15k for healthcare each year? I’d still take the extra $150k.