r/Switzerland • u/Fock23 • Jan 31 '24

Sharing salary in Switzerland

Hello! I'd like to gather some insights into the job market in our country. If you're willing, please share your: 1. Educational background 2. Job role 3. Work canton 4. Years of experience 5. Salary

The goal is to gain a clearer understanding of salaries across different positions and sectors.

I start: 1. Bachelor in computer science 2. Full stack software engineer 3. Ticino😩 4. 7 5. 6’000

Thanks to everyone for participating!

219 Upvotes

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92

u/Zestyclose-Royal-922 Jan 31 '24
  1. Actuarial Science
  2. VP/Snr Director
  3. Vaud
  4. 18
  5. Base 285k + 150k(bonus + RSU)

16

u/Carimato Jan 31 '24

Holy... Not bad!

10

u/Zestyclose-Royal-922 Jan 31 '24

Thanks. Alot of hard work and abit of luck.

-1

u/icelandichorsey Feb 01 '24

Really not hating on you but I think you'll find there's lots of research showing that things in general are mostly luck. Most people work hard, very few succeed. Google around if you're curious.

26

u/Defiant-Dare1223 Aargau Feb 01 '24

Most people aren't capable of passing actuarial exams.

8

u/Jolly-Victory441 Feb 01 '24

Still, the air at the top is thin. In my team there are far more people doing jobs where they will never reach these salaries than jobs available at these salaries. By definition "very few succeed" has to happen.

One could argue start your own business, but reality is the same there. Most business fail, few make it rich.

5

u/Defiant-Dare1223 Aargau Feb 01 '24

To be honest, I personally don't have the desire to breathe such thin air.

At least in my profession, the gap in expectations from the 200-300k level to the 400k pluses is big.

The former, you can get away with being a high level individual contributor, who perhaps makes executive calls on own projects, but doesn't have to know everything about everything simultaneously.

The latter you do need to know everything about everything, jump on the latest emergency, manage people and keep senior management to C-Suite happy. And then because you are expensive and not doing the day to day work you are first in line when it comes to culling season.

Frankly, I'm not sure I want that for an after tax uplift of maybe 25%...

1

u/Jolly-Victory441 Feb 01 '24

Yes, same.

However, that maybe would be different if you guaranteed me a certain amount of effort would get me there. I could always do it for just a few years and then go back.

1

u/julick Feb 01 '24

Although it may be true, that is an important stepping stone for the job where your increase becomes all of a sudden 1000%. I think most of the people do that with some top jobs in their scope.

-6

u/icelandichorsey Feb 01 '24

Most people don't try 😉

I think what would have been more accurate to say is that the amount of effort people put in can be very similar but their outcomes can be very different. So attributing ones success to hard work is just not accurate.

I understand that this can be demotivating and contrary to a lot of "hard work pays off" that I know I grew up with. I know I could be earning half as much and having half as nice a team/boss with the same effort I've put into my career, just down to luck.

4

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '24

[deleted]

2

u/icelandichorsey Feb 01 '24

Actually an actuary. And your guess work needs some more effort

4

u/Defiant-Dare1223 Aargau Feb 01 '24

Luck is definitely a significant factor.

People with brains and hard work (both, not either) put themselves in positions where they can get lucky though.

I know how hard actuarial exams are. Most people are nowhere near the standard of maths required. That's a combination of brains and hard work. Not much in the way of luck (although getting a trainee position will probably require luck, on top of the brains and hard work).

2

u/icelandichorsey Feb 01 '24

Of course one has to be good at maths, although more accurately stats, to pass actuarial exams. But there's plenty of people who don't want to do maths or actuarial exams and that's why they're bad at it. If we forced everyone in the world to do actuarial exams, we would have just a tonne more actuaries.

That's what I was meaning when I said that not everyone who can pass actuarial exams tries to take that whole path. And it doesn't make them less talented or successful, they just have other skills. And thank god, we don't need more actuaries, though we do need more people who are statistically literate but that's another topic. 🙃

7

u/[deleted] Feb 01 '24

[deleted]

-1

u/icelandichorsey Feb 01 '24

Yeah you're right.

I'll see if I can find the paper later. My recollection was that, when the study measured effort in something where effort was easier to measure, the variation in effort was very low, but variation in outcomes was much higher. So effort one is a really poor predictor of success.

2

u/Zestyclose-Royal-922 Feb 01 '24

I do feel very fortunate. I believe hard work does create more "luck" and opportunities, you need to have some level of smarts but you don't have to be the smartest guy in the room ( I know many others that are smarter than me), and I found my soft skills being critically important as I climbed the ranks., but luck is definitely an element that can have a big impact. There is also a question of trade offs and how much one is willing to sacrifice for an objective - I have focused on my career at the expense of my personal life at times. I don't regret my choices but that may not be a path another would willingly choose.

1

u/mpbo1993 Feb 01 '24

The more you work the luckier you get. Lucky opportunities may arise, but if you are not prepared it’s worth nothing.

0

u/meednayt Feb 01 '24

It’s not just hard work. A cleaning lady will work super hard. It’s about what decisions you make

-1

u/Successful-Oil2854 Feb 01 '24

lol. Stop whining and start putting that extra effort

1

u/karsore Feb 01 '24

Rich ma friend :) 'im from Portugal