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Why I Chose New York

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Re: Why I Chose New York

#131

Post by gruseom »

nick_dm wrote: post #119
gruseom wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah. I think the answer there is: fuck those companies. The sooner we start new ones that get this right, the fewer their days are numbered. But you may have missed my point by a couple degrees. It wasn't that companies should look at initiative and aptitude directly. It's that those are the things that drive you to acquire the skills that make you good. Then you can prove that you're good. How exactly to prove you'…

Thanks for the reply. I get your point that the initiative and aptitude are the starting point, but as you mentioned, looking for "proof" of ability is very tricky, particularly for people without much experience. Of course had I known I would be unemployed for 6+ months at the offset I could have planned a project that ticked lots of boxes (Django frontend, NumpPy, SQLAlchemy, PyMongo etc. etc.). I love the idea of…

There is one way in which you are at an advantage. You're gaining domain knowledge, and a programmer with domain knowledge has definitely leveled up. Assuming of course that you would enjoy writing software for said domain.

Re: Why I Chose New York

#132

Post by velshin »

tstegart wrote: post #80
DanBC wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the example of a $2000 apartment which is an insane amount to pay for housing. For cultural comparisons here's what you get in Central London for similar prices. (No adjustments for cost of living.) ( http://www.findaproperty.com/to-rent/central-london/properti... )

And here is what you find for apartments in small/medium town Wisconsin: http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/search/apa?query=cedarburg&#...

Did Google open a Milwaukee dev office?

It's irrelevant if the midwest is cheaper. The tech centers have the jobs and the higher rents. (SF, Boston, NYC, Seattle, Austin, NC)

Re: Why I Chose New York

#133

Post by prgibbons »

MyNewAccount wrote: post #116
prgibbons wrote: post #71

Try Vegas. You can get a luxury 1 bedroom high rise condo on the strip for $1,500/month. Off strip a great 1 bedroom is $800-900 and it comes with an attached garage. The entire Vegas valley is only about 20 miles in diameter so you are never far from anywhere. Commute times are short and off strip, traffic is not bad at all. $65,000 in Vegas buys you the same quality of life as $100,000 in SF.

" buys you the same quality of life" I guess you don't factor weather into quality of life.

112F feels great.... in the pool.

That said, NY is really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter. I've been to SF and the weather seems too cold and gloomy (50 and overcast in August!!!!)

Re: Why I Chose New York

#134

Post by velshin »

potatolicious wrote: post #97
ljlolel wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You say it's cheaper, then use the example of a $2000 apartment which is an insane amount to pay for housing. Then you (correctly) note that the cheap places are actually really far (and annoying) commutes. BART stations are much cleaner than NYC subway stations, I find the trips much more pleasant. Your startup could also be in SF (not MV) saving you the commute, have you thought about that? Eating fast food Good, h…

Disclaimer: I live in SF, not NYC, but I disagree with your post. > "$2000 apartment which is an insane amount to pay for housing." SF is at the same level now. A solid 1BR in the city proper (as opposed to say, out in Outer Richmond) will easily hit $2000. And beyond. New construction (SOMA) would be closer to $3-4K. This is in the same range as what both dev_jim and cletus claim. > "BART stations are much cleaner t…

I've lived in SF and Tokyo and spent time in NYC. @potatolicious is spot on with this post. NYC streets and subway cars are, generally, cleaner than the equivalent in SF. Crime's lower (per capita, not totals) in NYC than SF too. You also don't witness as much derelicts and gang bangers on an evening stroll down a NYC street as you do in SF.

@cletus was right about the job scene though. Most tech companies HQ are in SF and there's a wealth of jobs. NYC's tech scene is still up and coming. As we've seen with Austin , Seattle, and NC/Research Triangle, "up and coming" can last for a long, long time.

Re: Why I Chose New York

#136

Post by eli_gottlieb »

simonsarris wrote: post #28

I have a feeling my own "Why I Chose New Hampshire" would not have the same traction on HN, though it would bear some similarity to this post. Maybe I should write it anyway. I live in an 1840's house that I love. I walk seven minutes to main street (and work) every day. I live a mere hour from the mountains, the ocean, boston, minutes from country. I don't have any wants, I just like programming and reading and maki…

So how do you have a programming job in New Hampshire? This description is how I feel about Western Massachusetts.

Re: Why I Chose New York

#137

Post by eli_gottlieb »

carguy1983 wrote: post #16
jellicle wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With a quarter of the young population out of work, nevertheless the idea that it's "impossible to find talent" continues. It's like a new blacksmith coming into town and complaining that there aren't any trained blacksmiths for him to hire, while staring at 50 strong farmboys who are holding up "will work for food" signs. If only there was some way of teaching people new skills... but alas, no such thing exists.

> With a quarter of the young population out of work Yeah, well.. those are the untalented ones. Not everyone can do every job. Especially in technology. Sorry. It's hard to find good auto mechanics, too. And electricians, and true salespeople. And anything that requires skills and talent and practice and learning. This is really just a perennial truism, not anything specific to today.

There are plenty of good software people out of work. Hello, nice to meet you! Life is weird, and hiring is a very difficult process for both sides.

Re: Why I Chose New York

#138

Post by jvm »

dev_jim wrote: post #77
cletus wrote: post #45

My previous team was split between Mountain View and New York. We'd travel back and forth. Don't get me wrong: I love the Bay Area. The weather for one thing is simply heaven. We'd often get into debates about this. My argument is that it is cheaper to live in New York than the Bay Area. The main reason for this is that almost anywhere you live in the Bay Area you will have a car. Between car payment, insurance, gas…

I live in Manhattan (formerly in the Village and now in TriBeCa) and I think you are exaggerating/cherry picking the lack of costs in NYC. Sure, you can find a few $2,000 1BRs here and there in Manhattan, but they are rare, tiny, and not all that nice. The average 1BR in the neighborhoods surrounding your office is more than 3k. New construction is more than $4k. In the nice areas of Brooklyn you are paying almost as…

Nice, new construction 1Brs in Williamsburg are $2500, going rate. Great area. I'm really happy I moved here.

Re: Why I Chose New York

#139

Post by jvm »

jrockway wrote: post #90

Don't forget about how expensive housing is in NYC. If you want to live in Manhattan and have ever lived anywhere else, to get an apartment that vaguely resembles what you consider an apartment, you're going to be paying $3000 a month. Recently, it seems, Brooklyn has realized that it is not very far away from Manhattan and the rents have gone up to match. In Chicago, I lived in a brand new building, downtown, and ha…

Brooklyn Heights is literally the most expensive neighborhood in Brooklyn, which probably means it's the most expensive neighborhood in NYC outside Manhattan. If you cared about money you should not have moved there.

Re: Why I Chose New York

#140

Post by jrockway »

jvm wrote: post #139
jrockway wrote: post #90

Don't forget about how expensive housing is in NYC. If you want to live in Manhattan and have ever lived anywhere else, to get an apartment that vaguely resembles what you consider an apartment, you're going to be paying $3000 a month. Recently, it seems, Brooklyn has realized that it is not very far away from Manhattan and the rents have gone up to match. In Chicago, I lived in a brand new building, downtown, and ha…

Brooklyn Heights is literally the most expensive neighborhood in Brooklyn, which probably means it's the most expensive neighborhood in NYC outside Manhattan. If you cared about money you should not have moved there.

Yes, it's pretty expensive, though DUMBO is more expensive. But you can get a lot farther out in Brooklyn without saving much money. Williamsburg, Park Slope, Ft. Greene, Carroll Gardens, Downtown Brooklyn all seem about as expensive as Brooklyn Heights, while being farther away from Manhattan and without as much subway coverage. My thought is: if you want to spend less than $2000 for a one-bedroom and live in a nice neighborhood with subway service less than a half-mile away, it doesn't matter where you live. It's not going to happen.
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