jmasterx, so that means I should refuse the offer?

The only thing which was appeasing was the salary but if I can earn more in Development job then I think I shouldn't join it because I will have to learn the software which I'm probably not going to like and working with it is going to be boring.

What are your thoughts on it?

That's not universal, mind you. That's probably closer to accurate in major cities, where the cost of living is insane. I live in Northern Ontario where the population is quite a lot less, and though housing is still somewhat pricey, it's not quite as pricey as down South, and the other costs of living are much less.

About 5 years ago I was offered a job in Toronto for a CAD$50,000 salary. That was after I already had ~7 years experience as a full stack developer. It just made zero sense. The cost of living, and the inconvenience of having to commute so far and live in such congestion and pollution, just made that CAD$50,000 sound more like CAD$20,000. Living down South would have been horrible. I don't know how people do it. And I was already making about CAD$45,000 up North with much cheaper expenses and much more space/freedom/clear air, but it still took me 7 years to get to that CAD$45,000!

I started out making CAD$10/hr the summer before I graduated (though technically I had graduated with a 2 year diploma, but not the 3 year diploma) (2006). After graduation I started at CAD$12/hr with the same company (I didn't work during school) (that was only about CAD$25,000 for the year, but I was living with my parents who were also paying for my vehicle so I was still saving good amounts of money). The first few years I received routine CAD$2/hr raises about every year or two. As the company grew, people started getting hired on par with where I was closer to $16/hr or $18/hr, but it was still quite low. Around CAD$35,000 per year. Even now after 12 years I'm still under CAD$70k per year.

So sure, in a major city where the costs of living are insane you might start around CAD$50,000, but it is probably equivalent to $30,000 outside of those regions. Some people convince themselves that it's worth a 2 hour commute every day to live around so many people in such unfavourable conditions, but those people are insane. They would have to pay me upwards of CAD$90,000 for me to consider living down there, and I would consider that a poor salary.

Opportunities do exist to make that kind of money up where I am. Where you can actually have a house, and a pretty big lawn, and your commute is still only 10 minutes to anywhere in the city. I'm also able to get into the USA in only 10 minutes (assuming no lineup at the border) accessing basic shopping opportunities, and something between 2 and 4 hours of driving I can access great American shopping opportunities. I can also access clean lakes and forests in only 10 minutes, and if I drive for a couple of hours I can access rich unadulterated nature.

So take that CAD$90,000 "average" with a grain of salt. jmasterx's profile says he lives in Montreal, Quebec, which is one of the biggest cities in Canada. I imagine the cost of living is insane there too. Which means CAD$90,000 wouldn't go as far you might think it does.

If you're currently living in a major city then I agree you should want more than CAD$40,000 per year to start, but then again India isn't Canada so it might not be possible. One problem that Indians would have that Canadians don't is that there is a lot more competition, and if every other guy is willing to start at CAD$40,000/year then you might too to be competitive with them.

If you're not too attached to India then you could consider a move to somewhere else. Your English seems pretty good already, at least written. Assuming you can speak it adequately and slowly enough for Westerners to understand you (which is probably required for most good paying tech jobs in India anyway) then you could consider moving to Australia, the UK, the US, or Canada too.

I think you're making a good choice. Keep your options open, keep trying, and you'll find something better suited for you.

Working a job you don't like is not good for you. It saps your mental and emotional strength.

I trust you'll find something better soon enough. Best of luck, Doc!

2 contrary points.

- You can enjoy LOTS of things about a job even if it doesn't sound fun on paper. e.g. Say you "hate" PHP, but you find out that every line of code you write ends up saving lives and you can mathematically prove how many you've saved. That's pretty damn cool.

- However, working a job that you fundamentally hate, will eat your soul.

There are so many factors and we all choose to weigh which factors are most important, differently per person, so no one can really give you a clear answer. Just rules of thumb.

God, I made $25,000 USD a year for three years at my job. It was so stupid for me to accept that. I was easily in the top-5 of talent at my company. Ugh.