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Does It Make Sense for Programmers to Move to the Bay Area?

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Re: Does It Make Sense for Programmers to Move to the Bay Area?

#471

Post by chrisper »

temp20160423 wrote: post #441
chrisper wrote: post #376

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But all the places you mentioned are at least 1.5 hours drive from San Jose. You can't expect me to drive 1.5 hours just to not have to sit at home every time I want to have some fun? I love day trips, but I don't want to have to to a day trip every weekend or every day I want to have some fun. Compare that to LA or San Diego where you don't have to drive far to have fun (nightlife for example) or awesome beaches. Al…

Sounds like you're simply living in the wrong place. Within 30 minutes, I can drive from SJ to a number of great hiking trails or take my road bike to some super fun hills. Of course the streets are empty after 9pm... people want to be able to get outside when the sun is up!

I guess that could be true. South San Jose seems to be much better.

Re: Does It Make Sense for Programmers to Move to the Bay Area?

#472

Post by samuraig »

I haven't seen anyone else make this point, but the other vicious cycle to consider is the 7-10 year downtown cycle that the Bay Area goes through (1991, 2000, 2008, 201?). When this happens, the tech companies gleefully (privately) and sadly (publicly) lay off all their middle-aged employees (many now with families), and many smaller companies just fold or get bought. Those people have to hunker down or sell their assets and get out (this was me, 1998-2013 worked/lived in BA).

Then 2 years later, it's all back to hiring and partying, but for recent college grads and twenty-somethings who are suckered into the cycle and are unaware of the history.

But I'm sure 2017 will be different...

Re: Does It Make Sense for Programmers to Move to the Bay Area?

#473

Post by amyjess »

I will never, ever move to NorCal.

I find the Silicon Valley tech industry degenerate, and I honestly have no desire to be part of it. I'd rather work a corporate job at a traditional company than have anything to do with SV. I'm not fond of the general non-tech atmosphere in NorCal either... the lack of quality Mexican food puts me off in a big way.

On top of that, NorCal is the most expensive part of the US. Even SoCal is considerably cheaper (and I'm honestly considering moving to SoCal when I have to flee Texas next year).

Re: Does It Make Sense for Programmers to Move to the Bay Area?

#474

Post by amyjess »

sbov wrote: post #27
michaelchisari wrote: post #5

I ended up in Los Angeles because, despite being an expensive city, rents were cheaper than the Bay Area, and the salaries being offered were equivalent. I have a great place in LA that would easily be 50% to double the price in the Bay. This wasn't the only reason but it was one of the biggest. Another reason being that I wanted to work in tech as it relates to media and content, and there were many more options to…

Same, but I bought a house. Just outside of LA there are cities with some of the best public schools in the state (and some the country), and you don't have to pay $1.5 million+ for a house in the district.

I'm seriously considering moving to the San Gabriel Valley for when I have to move next year. Specifically, I intend to rent a house.

Monterey Park is basically my ideal location, though I'm plenty willing to live in some of the other nearby suburbs. For example, I saw a really great house in Temple City listed on Zillow, and I came really close to asking for a transfer to my company's LA office because of it (and the only reason I didn't is because our LA office is at LAX, and I'm not looking forward to that commute... I'll have to change jobs or go remote if I want to live in the SGV).

Re: Does It Make Sense for Programmers to Move to the Bay Area?

#475

Post by amyjess »

beachstartup wrote: post #293
michaelchisari wrote: post #5

I ended up in Los Angeles because, despite being an expensive city, rents were cheaper than the Bay Area, and the salaries being offered were equivalent. I have a great place in LA that would easily be 50% to double the price in the Bay. This wasn't the only reason but it was one of the biggest. Another reason being that I wanted to work in tech as it relates to media and content, and there were many more options to…

for those who don't know, quality of life in LA is entirely dependent upon your commute. your life can either be the single best big-city experience in the country, or a hellish, dystopian nightmare that will send you into a suicidal depression. i'm not joking. if you move to LA, plan ahead.

My plan is to find a remote job to avoid having to commute, rent a house in the San Gabriel Valley, and then spend my free time enjoying delicious Asian and Mexican food.

Re: Does It Make Sense for Programmers to Move to the Bay Area?

#476

Post by freddyc »

Kluny wrote: post #425
freddyc wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a friend who moved from start-up to start-up every 12 months after his initial tranche of options vested. He knew how much cash he required to live (with a little buffer for emergencies) and then traded cash for more equity in his salary negotiations with a view to building a diversified portfolio via sweat equity. He did this for 5-6 years, and one of the companies has already exited with another looking likel…

That sounds smart! It would take a stern constitution to cope with such frequent changes, but it sounds like a decent way of diversifying if you can stick to the strategy.

Towards the end he did admit that he was overlooked for a number of roles because of the "flight risk" warnings on his resume, but the market was frothy enough that it didn't impact him too much given he was damn good at what he did and companies needed talent.

Re: Does It Make Sense for Programmers to Move to the Bay Area?

#477

Post by ivm »

robocat wrote: post #354
pmoriarty wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I considered moving to Portland, until I read about how a big earthquake would pretty much completely wipe it out: http://www.oregonlive.com/earthquakes/index.ssf/2015/07/the_...

I wouldn't worry tooo much about earthquakes in any country with good local building codes. Background: I am from Christchurch New Zealand; my parents live on top of the 2010 Canterbury earthquake, and my sister lives on top of the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. Avoid living or working in brick buildings (they fall apart). If worried, perhaps avoid high tsunami risk zones (that lack high ground, roads are less useful sinc…

Yep, I live in the city with the most powerful recorded earthquake (9.5) and not worried.

Re: Does It Make Sense for Programmers to Move to the Bay Area?

#478

Post by shawndumas »

linkregister wrote: post #419
shawndumas wrote: post #344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

not for the bay area; and really, that's the point...

I will unequivocally state that a total comp of $150k+ for a new grad is at the very least, the top 5% of software development salaries for that level of experience.

was the op a new grad? sorry, I missed that. yes, $150k for a ncg in the first year is high. but honestly not that high, and for a 2nd year... doable from my experience [1].

[1: I am an engineering manager at Google]

Re: Does It Make Sense for Programmers to Move to the Bay Area?

#479

Post by linkregister »

pdimitar wrote: post #420
linkregister wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if you have ever been to the Bay Area. It sounds like your entire conception of it is from HBO's Silicon Valley. Most developers in the Bay Area are working 9-10 hours per day, not 16. > Most of us Europeans strongly dislike touting. This is a Scandinavian trait, not universally European. It's not even universally Scandinavian. You're mad about something, but I can't figure it out. What is it?

Me being mad -- that's partially true. Mostly I am just sick and tired of the fake positive SF press coverage. It's so forced you can just smell the dollars spent to write the article. Or the lack of any personal life of those who praise their employer and job. Apologies for the mistake -- I mean "Most of us Eastern Europeans strongly dislike touting", by the way. It's a fact that I have never been to the Sillicon Va…

You're right, I don't have an industry-wide study of working hours, just going off of everyone I know who works in the Bay Area.

The notion that I or anyone else in the Bay Area is responsible for policing the free press's reporting on SF/SV is absurd.

Re: Does It Make Sense for Programmers to Move to the Bay Area?

#480

Post by Mz »

therealpeal wrote: post #375
Mz wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am having enormous difficulty parsing that comment. I have tried to just let it go, but I am failing at that, and I am seriously struggling to reply in a way that does not sound like snark. Could you clarify what you mean? Because it sounds like either you are saying "Culture only exists in tiny parts of certain places, no place else in the South Bay even has a culture" (which is utterly nonsensical) or maybe you a…

I think what he is saying is that the South Bay is completely without culture, unless you count strip malls and chain restaurants.

I thought the same thing of the first place I lived in my early twenties after moving away from my home town. Then my older sister came to visit and schooled me in how blind I was.

Culture is a human artifact and although it exists partly out there in the world we create, a big piece of it lives inside us and informs us of the proper way to interact with both other people and the spaces we share. Sometimes, people who decry the lack of culture of an area are telling you more about themselves than about the area.

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