https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌍" title="Earth globe europe-africa" aria-label="Emoji: Earth globe europe-africa">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💸" title="Money with wings" aria-label="Emoji: Money with wings">hello everyone talking about remote work salaries. sharing this in hopes it& #39;ll bring clarity to designers (especially recent grads https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👋" title="Waving hand" aria-label="Emoji: Waving hand">) learning about what it means to have a salary adjusted based on your location.

i work as a senior product designer, both in my current role & past. both companies are remote and pay in USD. i am based in toronto, my currency is CAD.

*note the CAD has been weak for years which means any USD salary is multiplied by roughly ~1.32. people like me benefit.

here is a side by side comparison of my remote design jobs. company 1 paid a localized salary while company 2 did not.

USD Salaries:
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="1️⃣" title="Keycap digit one" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit one"> 2018-19: 56k
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="2️⃣" title="Keycap digit two" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit two"> 2020: $125k

CAD Salaries:
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="1️⃣" title="Keycap digit one" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit one"> 2018-19: 80k
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="2️⃣" title="Keycap digit two" aria-label="Emoji: Keycap digit two"> 2020: $168k

i am not saying company 1 paid poorly. they paid industry standard for the city i lived in. i had a great time at this job.

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚨" title="Police cars revolving light" aria-label="Emoji: Police cars revolving light"> moral of the story here: depending on a company& #39;s agenda, paying people locally can be an excuse to afford cheap labor. watch out for this.

i& #39;ve been talking to students and they& #39;re scared, worried, frustrated and forced to learn what remote working *truly* means all while wrapping up their school year.

not only do they have to throw themselves at jobs in hopes teams are set up to bring on new talent...

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🚩" title="Triangular flag on post" aria-label="Emoji: Triangular flag on post"> they have to learn the financials behind what they& #39;re getting into if it& #39;s crossborder. becoming an international contractor post grad isn& #39;t the easiest task. it& #39;s a lot... too much if you ask me!

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✨" title="Sparkles" aria-label="Emoji: Sparkles">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌱" title="Seedling" aria-label="Emoji: Seedling"> if you& #39;re a recent grad or someone new to the design industry and need to vent or ask questions, talk to me. i& #39;m all ears and numbers in hopes of bringing clarity to you.