I disagree with your general point that more money == more stress. I switched from working for an EU company to working for a small US one (<100 employees) and it 2.5xed my income overnight (from $100k remote to $250k base remote). I would say my stress levels _decreased_ at this particular US company.
This was a combination of a few things
- The company was financially successful and this lack of financial pressure trickles down through the whole culture.
- The company was expertly managed. I believe the presence of a lot of tech companies is a great training ground for managers in the US. This made my day-to-day easier.
- The coding standards (and that of teammates) were higher and it was less frustrating to work with their codebase.
- Knowing that I was making that kind of money gave me a lot of inner calm because I knew that I would be able to build the kind of wealth that I could retire on. For example, my apartment cost $300,000 and I was getting $250,000 per year. That feels good.
- The company is always talking to me about whether I feel adequately compensated etc. and I was always made to feel I was valued and also that if the company does well, I will too (e.g. I got a random bonus of $100k for a project)
How did I find the job? Literally right here on HN in a Who's Hiring post.
FWIW I am more senior than OP (15 years' engineering experience)
This was a combination of a few things
- The company was financially successful and this lack of financial pressure trickles down through the whole culture.
- The company was expertly managed. I believe the presence of a lot of tech companies is a great training ground for managers in the US. This made my day-to-day easier.
- The coding standards (and that of teammates) were higher and it was less frustrating to work with their codebase.
- Knowing that I was making that kind of money gave me a lot of inner calm because I knew that I would be able to build the kind of wealth that I could retire on. For example, my apartment cost $300,000 and I was getting $250,000 per year. That feels good.
- The company is always talking to me about whether I feel adequately compensated etc. and I was always made to feel I was valued and also that if the company does well, I will too (e.g. I got a random bonus of $100k for a project)
How did I find the job? Literally right here on HN in a Who's Hiring post.
FWIW I am more senior than OP (15 years' engineering experience)