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orbenn comments on POSITION: Design and Write Rationality Curriculum - Less Wrong
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I do forget not everybody works in computing.
I have been continuously weirded out by how people in our circles seem to take for granted ridiculous salaries during what's supposed to be an economic recession.
I think the Bay Area factor is warping things as well in this case. When I read thomblake's first comment about $3k a month being volunteer-level pay, my first reaction was "$36k a year is practically for volunteers? Are you shitting me? That must be more than most PhD students make!" When he followed up by mentioning it was about what rent might cost in the Bay Area, the penny dropped and I thought "ohhh, right, Bay Area, say no more".
Even outside of the Bay Area an experienced software engineer can easily make 3 times that amount.
In the Bay Area... well, my very first job out of college -- in 1989, with a Master's in computer science -- paid $40K a year; adjusting for inflation, that is the equivalent of $76K a year now.
I expect so, but I doubt the Rationality Org is necessarily looking for experienced software engineers. Going by the skills EY listed, even a cartoonist with a knack for PowerPoint might be just who they're looking for, even if they have no degree & no job experience. Were it not for the Bay Area factor, $36k/year would likely be a great salary for them.
This.
Seeing people scoff about how easy it is to make a near six figure income is extremely off-putting.
Keep in mind that SIAI is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the cost of living (and thus salaries in general) tend to be higher. I just did a quick Google search and found that in this area, an entry-level police officer can make six figures plus benefits (and eventually pension), so such incomes aren't really outside the realm of normal possibility.
That being said, I think the offered salary is reasonable, especially given the interesting and important nature of the work being done, and will likely apply for the position.
How important is it for SIAI to be located where it is? (I know that proximity to the tech industry is relevant, but how relevant, exactly?)
I don't work for SIAI and don't have special knowledge relating to this-- that said, I do know that SIAI has at least considered locating some operations in other areas (and I believe did not always inhabit its current premises), so presumably there has been some analysis of this behind the scenes.
Charities benefit a lot from being in a city, I think. GiveWell, known for its numeric focus, relocated to Mumbai India for 3 months and found it a valuable experience, but they returned to their NYC digs and not, say, Appalachia. Similarly, the Wikimedia Foundation moved to SF from Florida the moment it could.
It seems logical that fundraising would be substantially easier in cities, especially major hubs like NYC or SF, which tend to represent large-scale concentrations of wealth.
Good to know.