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Comment by thesethings | Hacker News Reader

Pretend the salary is the same in both places, and judge the decision just on the experience factor. (I say this because for a variety of reasons, you could make that much money in the States as a reasonably curious, skilled person. You read Hacker News after all :D You know all about salary ranges, entrepreneurship, affiliate programs, Parrot Books, and Adsense. I'm not saying we all make 200K, we just all know about opportunities... :D ).

So... unless it's desperate, debt or any kind of financial incentive is probably a bad reason to pick any job under such unique conditions. That said, if the experience is compelling, then listen to that part of your heart.

Good luck. Let us know what you choose.

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"Pretend the salary is the same in both places, and judge the decision just on the experience factor. I say this because for a variety of reasons, you could make that much money in the States as a reasonably curious, skilled person."

200K for one year in Iraq might actually be significantly more than 200K for one year in California, for instance, depending on cost of living. I can't imagine actually buying anything in Iraq would cost much (or be that compelling of an option), so if room and board is either cheap or included with the job, you might save a lot of the 200K.

You bring up a great point, possible differences in expenses. I bet you're right, it's not just a normal gig/set-up.

That said, I don't change my main idea or advice: To remove the compensation as a reason to do this.

It's such a unique job (to put it mildly). And the fact that if one is undergoing extreme conditions either way, one can greatly increase their income with other strategies, I still think this should be a non-financial decision, and purely a lifestyle/values/learning/risk one.

one can greatly increase their income with other strategies

Of course those "other strategies" have a different risk profile. You might be right about not considering income, but then you should also ignore risks. All of them.

If I were in the same position, I would go for it ... or something vaguely similar (like, say, Kwajalein radar support). But then, I never was a party animal.

200k in iraq is 200k in your bank account when you come back. 200k in the US has to pay for your life.

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