Let People Move to Jobs
jefftk.com
Let People Move to Jobs
1–10 of 314 posts
Re: Let People Move to Jobs
#2> People expected telecommuting to change this, but even though we have many technical tools that make remote work far more practical than it was even ten years ago, physically being in the same place as your coworkers remains extremely valuable.
Not for software development. I'm sure there are plenty of industries where this is true. Software just isn't one of them. In fact, I'd argue the opposite for most software companies. They suffer from poor work and poor working conditions due to locating everyone in one location.
Re: Let People Move to Jobs
#3> People expected telecommuting to change this, but even though we have many technical tools that make remote work far more practical than it was even ten years ago, physically being in the same place as your coworkers remains extremely valuable. Not for software development. I'm sure there are plenty of industries where this is true. Software just isn't one of them. In fact, I'd argue the opposite for most software…
I'm happy to work for a company that embraces remote work, but it's undeniably more efficient and, for most people, fulfilling on a personal level to have a high-bandwidth face-to-face conversation--and "the wifi hiccuped, what did you say?", as happens here and without exception everywhere else I've been, isn't that.
Re: Let People Move to Jobs
#4The author made a blind guess that 80% of Google would quit If they moved HQ without any actual evidence.
If Google opened up a new large office in a place like Kansas City with no salary cut and a strong internet presence and some other tech companies (ICE exchange for example), I bet enough Google employees would want to move there to make it worthwhile. Cheaper cost of living, better schools, better for families etc. plus alternatives If you get tired of working at Google but probably not since your lifestyle would be so much better than the Bay Area.
I know a lot of people that are very sick of the Bay Area, especially those with kids.
Re: Let People Move to Jobs
#5The author made a blind guess that 80% of Google would quit If they moved HQ without any actual evidence. If Google opened up a new large office in a place like Kansas City with no salary cut and a strong internet presence and some other tech companies (ICE exchange for example), I bet enough Google employees would want to move there to make it worthwhile. Cheaper cost of living, better schools, better for families e…
With no salary cuts would be amazing. So long as the policy is transparent for new hires in the new market, you would only need to grandfather people those that make the move.
There are tons of places I’d move to easily if I could keep my current SF salary.
Re: Let People Move to Jobs
#6The housing costs of some second/third/worse tier city are almost completely meaningless. Unless the job gave me a 10 year contract with a golden parachute or something. It doesn't matter if you can make the numbers work once, what matters is that you will almost certainly job hop 3 - 5 times, so you need to be in an area dense with employers to make that viable without having to move your life/family every time. Even if you never wind up changing jobs, the fact that you could matters, you're not completely fucked if things go south with one company. They don't own you (as much).
Re: Let People Move to Jobs
#7> People expected telecommuting to change this, but even though we have many technical tools that make remote work far more practical than it was even ten years ago, physically being in the same place as your coworkers remains extremely valuable. Not for software development. I'm sure there are plenty of industries where this is true. Software just isn't one of them. In fact, I'd argue the opposite for most software…
I'm happy to work for a company that embraces remote work, but it's undeniably more efficient and, for most people, fulfilling on a personal level to have a high-bandwidth face-to-face conversation--and "the wifi hiccuped, what did you say?", as happens here and without exception everywhere else I've been, isn't that.
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Re: Let People Move to Jobs
#8> even though we have many technical tools that make remote work far more practical than it was even ten years ago, physically being in the same place as your coworkers remains extremely valuable.
I've seen this artificially enforced by executives who refuse to engage in a discussion about remote work. There are a lot of them, and until they feel comfortable managing remotely, remote workers can't flourish. So it's nothing to do with the nature or quality of remote work. We just don't have enough truly remote friendly execs.
Re: Let People Move to Jobs
#9> People expected telecommuting to change this, but even though we have many technical tools that make remote work far more practical than it was even ten years ago, physically being in the same place as your coworkers remains extremely valuable. Not for software development. I'm sure there are plenty of industries where this is true. Software just isn't one of them. In fact, I'd argue the opposite for most software…
I'm happy to work for a company that embraces remote work, but it's undeniably more efficient and, for most people, fulfilling on a personal level to have a high-bandwidth face-to-face conversation--and "the wifi hiccuped, what did you say?", as happens here and without exception everywhere else I've been, isn't that.
> undeniably more efficient
No. It's debatable. Many believe remote work is undeniably more efficient and the fulfillment you feel from high bandwidth conversations is a delusion.
Re: Let People Move to Jobs
#10The housing costs of some second/third/worse tier city are almost completely meaningless. Unless the job gave me a 10 year contract with a golden parachute or something. It doesn't matter if you can make the numbers work once, what matters is that you will almost certainly job hop 3 - 5 times, so you need to be in an area dense with employers to make that viable without having to move your life/family every time. Eve…
It seems to me that you're coming from a perspective where you don't have any roots at the time of your first job. I think it might be good to step back and realize while that may describe a lot of people who go off to college some place and then take a job anywhere, surely there are millions for whom it's not true. And 5-10 years in, if you are unmarried and change your mind, you can't necessarily make it work then for a number of reasons, including that in a hot tech area, you're already old and therefore useless.