_progger_

I know people who work in IBs and are treated well. There is more then one you know. Sales still make more money then devs in Google but you could think the opposite based on their marketing. Maybe working in IB is more honest. You are not trying to "change the world" by working on some small feature in another smartphone OS or something like that.

>> If you are that good with Javascript - jump on the node.js bus rather than Ruby or C#.

Everyone knows JS - it will be much harder to compete in future. Better learn an old ERP system that gets updated and has a decent market :).

...studying liberal arts.

LOL, did you mean in-breeding within a limited pool? We are talking about UK high class, right?

I am receiving letters from recruiters every day. Salaries rarely exceed 55-60k. Why should I bother if I am already getting that? And that's a mainstream enterprise skill set. Also your recruiters are likely to filter out people you might like. Did you tell them that github repo trumps a degree?

No offence, but Bethnal Green looks like an ethnic ghetto. Is it getting better further to the south?

It is not a sellers' market just yet but hopefully will be. £50-60k is slowly coming back to pre 2008, but the pound was stronger back then.

Ruby is not mainstream at all. Also my guess is that most decent experienced Ruby devs are already on at least 50-60k - why switch? Another thing I noticed is that London start-ups are a bit shy when it comes to offering stock options. So the recipe is something like 70k + 1-2% stock options and ideally a bonus (doesn't have to be a huge one 5-10%). It's a market - if you can't get something at given price it doesn't mean it is not present/not for sale.

Yes, you need to use your best judgement. I would spend at least a year at each place depending how good it is. I think changing 4-5 jobs before you turn 30 is good enough, would've looked weirder when you are 40. It should come across as normal during interviews as well. How do you know you are doing what you really want/should be doing if you did not try multiple things? How do you know if a small/mid/large company is your favourite environment? Have a story/plan and have some achievements at each place, always leave on good terms. PS: contractors move around at least once a year on average and it is considered normal (unfair).

You are underpaid :(.

Is that 130 on top of 80? Are you doing trading systems / algo trading?

Also there is a risk of being fired with a one week notice and not being able to find next gig for a couple of month. So 400 is not a lot, it is just an adequate minimum for London.

Prices are generally higher now. How much were you spending on commute?

Unions ain't gonna happen. Not accepting low salaries could be a start.

Barely, if your lifestyle is western (can't leave in bad area), you like to have holidays abroad and what to save some money as well.

Front office rather?

Indeed. It's a shame to see that they manage to hire some young talented people. I'd rather go to Google. Better experience regardless of future path.

Started on 30k progressed to 60k in London. People who stay in one place for more than 1-2 years without decent raises do a bad favour to everyone except for employers. Do move around and get what you deserve along with varied experience! Companies do shell out on contractors when there is a need and can keep them for years. I think it is some sort of misrepresentation that leads people to think that it is OK to pay less then 50k to a decent dev in London.