Hacker News Reader

Comment by Mizza | Hacker News Reader

If you're well credentialed, tech-smart, greedy, and morally bankrupt, it's probably more lucrative to work for Google than the NSA.

View on HN

Yep. GCHQ was recruiting on our CS course and the starting pay they offered was within £30-35k range. Working for literally any IT company in the region would pay more.

(obviously there are perks working for the government that the private industry cannot match, so for some people lower pay is acceptable)

Don't forget the (massive) tax benefits as government employee. To get the same net amount at the end of the month, in Germany you would have to make several thousand € more per year in the private sector.

In the end, you are still right but it's still a factor.

> Don't forget the (massive) tax benefits as government employee.

I’m lost, what are those in the UK?

Not only that, but the senior technical role they hire for, Lead Software Engineer, maxes out at £56,984. I know a handful of people who've gone from GCHQ to my company, and they seem satisfied with forgoing the government pension in exchange for tripling their salary.

where in the uk can i make 170k as a software engineer? or even 110k?

The City as a contractor

I think the problem is that the civil service / defence industry think that technical "boffins" are some sort of cheery working class NCO who will work for tuppence ha'penny. the type who be played in the films by Normal Wisdom or George Formby

"mr Oldfield, that Kims a wrong un - I saw him taking money from the from the orphans fund"

M " I know lad I know"

Only a career average DB pension now though :-(

> If you're well credentialed, tech-smart, greedy, and morally bankrupt, it's probably more lucrative to work for Google than the NSA.

Can confirm.

Went to MIT for EECS. Lots of us went to Google or trading companies.

It's probably more lucrative to work for the NSA then Google.

Its still a govt. organization and pay scales are capped.

I'm (still, despite the downvoting) suggesting one which I believe to offer a better route to gain experience, then the other which it seems everyone agrees generally pays better but perhaps more so in experienced roles.

Why do you think that? It's typically more lucrative to work private.

Then, not than.

NSA *and then

Not in good faith, at least.

NSA has very low pay compared to any private company.

You'd be surprised at how low some private companies pay. I've gotten some shockingly low salary offers.

The NSA does not negotiate salaries. You are assigned a pay grade. I don't think you can compare an offer unless it is the final offer before you make a decision.

That's why I suggested then working for a private company.

No it's not

Reply on news.ycombinator.com