[ashraful]

Really? $6k per year in the UK seems a bit too low. Thats what a junior programmer in Bangladesh (where I live) makes.

I always assumed that salaries for programmers (even without any academic degrees) would be much higher in first-world nations.

[shanelja]

Unfortunately it's my first job as a programmer (though not by any measure my first job) so I have to settle for less than what others get to get in to the business and make myself more credible and hire-able. I have adapted well though and I have the hope that things will be better soon.

[lumberjack]

Actually I'm surprised he got employed without a degree. From anecdotal experience, in the UK a degree is expected for most programming jobs; the rest will require formal qualifications of other means.

[shanelja]

It wasn't easy, I went through a lot of rejection before I finally found this job.