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American vs. Ukrainian Programmers: Pros and Cons

Let's delve into the specifics of hiring either American or Ukrainian Software developers to get deeper into the pros and cons

12 July 2023

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It is not surprising, but for the prosperity of their own business or the success of a project, businessmen recruit the best of the best into their teams. They expect to get the most out of an employee and, in the end, get the best product on the market. One of the best programmers in the global job market has always been American and Ukrainian programmers and, in this article, we will find out what exactly makes them the best and that each side has its pros and cons. Hiring a Ukrainian or an American developer has always been a good decision. Still, in this article, we will delve into the specifics of each in more detail and analyze the strengths of both sides.

From the very beginning of this article, please note that we will not compare entire nationalities, but will talk about the features of each side in the field of programming and software development. It can be as well as the characteristics of education, culture, salary ratio, and more, which will allow foreign business owners to choose for themselves what kind of worker they want to hire.

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EDUCATION IS EVERYTHING (EVERYTHING STARTS WITH EDUCATION)

Whoever says that today's education does not make much sense, statistics and experience suggest that education for each person is a very valuable knowledge base, which then helps him all his life in, literally, all its areas. It is for this reason that education is placed at the head of most skills when applying for a job.

In general, both Americans and Ukrainians have the so-called cult of education, because it is very honorable to get an education in the USA or Ukraine. And even though not all Ukrainian universities can compete with American ones, the level of education is similar in many ways, and in some cases even outstrips American colleagues. For the most part, this is due to the huge number of additional courses that Ukrainian programmers take to improve their skills. And in general, in recent years, Ukraine has literally been filled with IT courses that train specialists in various fields, even according to American standards.

Going a little into the statistics, we noticed that in 2021 in Ukraine, out of 1200 institutions of higher education, more than three hundred trained IT specialists of various levels and qualifications. This shows that the trend and course of the young generation of Ukraine and the whole country as a whole are being built towards the IT sphere and development in it. Many young Ukrainians now have ambitions to become qualified mobile app developers.

the number of IT related univercities in Ukrain

THE DIFFERENCE IN PRICING POLICY

In this section, we will raise the age-old question of value for money, which worries all businessmen who choose their employees. It will not be a secret for anyone if we say that Ukraine has a completely different price order than the United States. And, of course, salaries and the cost of almost any service also sometimes differ several times.

Many notes that the prices for work in Ukraine are one of the main pluses and advantages over programmers from Europe or the USA. But of course, relatively low prices have absolutely no effect on the quality of the product, because Ukrainian programmers are famous for their responsible approach to work and diligence in general. Quality is at the head of everything here, and since the prices for work in Ukraine are small, Ukrainian developers have one of the best price/quality ratios.

Further in the article, we will more than once show the main economic issues on real numbers and compare how much it costs to hire a Ukrainian developer in comparison with an American one.

pros and cons of American vs Ukrainian developers

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WORK AS A PROGRAMMER IN THE USA, OR WHY DO EXPECTATIONS NOT ALWAYS EXCEED REALITY?

Most of us have heard the phrase “Western countries are countries of opportunity” more than once, especially for programmers. But if everything sounds so beautiful, then why do not all programmers reach the heights that they dream about so much?

Let's start with the pleasant and probably the most interesting - with salaries. The average annual earnings of a programmer in the United States is literally one of the best among many countries - according to statistics at the end of 2022, it amounted to more than $80,000 in net profit. If you are a beginner, your starting salary for the year will be about $62,000, including various annual bonuses.

But let's not forget that all these numbers are quite subjective because a lot of things depend on various factors, such as the company in which you work, the level of your knowledge and qualifications, length of service, employment level, and much more.

A high salary can really bribe many, but let's also consider the other side of the coin. The competition in the USA is quite high, and it is much easier to say goodbye to people at work than, for example, when hiring It developers from Ukraine. This tells us that, in general, Americans work harder, because in order to keep their place for a long time, it is worth making a lot of effort. By the way, in the US there is also a larger percentage of people who work on weekends.

In addition, if we correlate the figures with the real standard of living, it turns out that such a salary is only a comfortable income for an American, and not “mountains of gold”, because accommodation, food, transport, and taxes are generally higher than in the EU countries and Ukraine, including number, and are quite comparable to the salary.

By the way, if you sum up this section, there are really a lot of opportunities in the USA, and the salary level will not give you a reason to worry about the future and will provide comfortable living conditions, but do not forget that it is challenging to reach the top, because the percentage of competition is really high.

THE LIFE OF A PROGRAMMER IN UKRAINE

The Ukrainian IT market is not yet as crowded as the market, for example, in Western countries, where there is a high level of competition for the same place. Even if you are just starting your way as a programmer, there will always be a job for you.

The pandemic and quarantine also made their own adjustments, increasing the shortage of personnel in this market, because they stimulated businesses around the world to invest in the digitalization of processes and services. Ukraine was also not an exception - there was more work in the Ukrainian IT market: there was a sudden request for new technologies and thus new places for developers and programmers appeared.

Speaking of pleasant things, the salary of a Ukrainian programmer depends on his qualifications and competence. According to IT market experts, the average salary level for young professionals in Ukraine ranges from $300 to $1,200. A programmer in the position of Middle earns an average of $2,000, and a Senior programmer - from $3,500 to $7,000.

For comparison, wages in the US and Canada range from $4,000 to $7,000. That is, the salaries of Ukrainian programmers today are the same as those of specialists from Europe and are approaching salaries in Western Europe with the prospect of reaching the level of income in the United States. But is it only about salary? Many IT specialists are concerned not only with the numbers on the accounts but also have personal aspirations and ambitions. Here, of course, it is worth mentioning the purposefulness of Ukrainian programmers and the desire for a constant “upgrade” of their own skills and qualities.

Ukrainian programmers are also appreciated in other countries. They are often called to Germany, Israel, Great Britain, and the USA. In many other countries, hiring a Ukrainian software developer is also considered a very good solution.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS (CONCLUSION)

First of all, every employer needs an experienced and well-educated developer who will cope with all his duties and, moreover, learn new things to improve himself. Ukrainian and American programmers are just that - the best of the best in the labor market. It is most likely not very correct to choose which ones are better and more correct to hire, and the whole choice will already fall on the shoulders of employers who, after reading our article, have learned more about Ukrainian and American developers, their differences and similarities, features and strengths.

The choice is yours and, as experienced employers and business owners, you know how much depends on the right decision. We thank you for reading our article and we hope that it was interesting and useful for you or your business.

If you have any questions or have an idea about hiring a team of professional developers in Ukraine, we would be glad to fuel your business idea with our services: contact.us@gointeractive.co