
Ask HN: I just got laid off for the first time. What advice do you have? - Osiris
My company is closing the office I work in (Denver).  They are opening up all of our positions, but based out of either Tempe, AZ, Sunnyvale, CA, or Kirkland, WA.<p>My options are to either apply for my own job and relocate to one of those offices, or look for a new job locally.<p>Does anyone have any experience living in or relocating to Kirkland or Sunnyvale that could give me an idea of what to expect if I were move?
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AnimalMuppet
You need to answer a bunch of questions (to yourself, even if not to us).

First and most important, how long is your runway? How soon do you have to
tell your company yes or no? Did you get any severance? How long can you stand
being out of work?

How well did you like your job? How much do you like Denver?

Do you prefer small towns or large cities? (I have a hard time thinking of any
two places more different from each other than Sunnyvale and Kirkland.)

If you go to Kirkland and get laid off there, you're almost certainly going to
have to move again to find your next job. Sunnyvale, probably not.

What is the probability that, if you apply for your job in Kirkland or
Sunnyvale, you'll get it?

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falsestprophet
_If you go to Kirkland and get laid off there, you 're almost certainly going
to have to move again to find your next job. Sunnyvale, probably not._

This is false. Kirkland is a suburb of Seattle, which is one of the principal
technology centers in the United States.

~~~
AnimalMuppet
Ah. My error, I was thinking of the Tri-Cities for some reason.

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jlarocco
It's hard to say without knowing what you did.

I'm a software engineer in Boulder, and IMO the job market in the
Denver/Boulder area is good enough that I wouldn't move to any of those cities
for a job.

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bwh2
Agreed. In case it helps anyone, I've previously compiled a non-exhaustive
list of mostly LAMP stack companies near Boulder:
[https://gist.github.com/brianhaveri/22fef960747e38a0a7b3](https://gist.github.com/brianhaveri/22fef960747e38a0a7b3)

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hkarthik
Your current job at the same salary won't go as far in either Kirkland or
Sunnyvale. So if you want to stick with the same company, try to negotiate a
cost of living increase. It likely won't be enough, but it will get you by
until you relocate and start looking around for another job in those cities.

Both cities are more expensive than Denver, and have a very different vibe. If
you like Denver and want to settle down there long term, my suggestion would
be to look for something in the Denver/Boulder area.

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brudgers
That sucks.

If the company is making you reapply for your job, it is a sign they are
trying to avoid paying for moving expenses. It's not even lip service to doing
anything for those laid off.

It can't hurt to apply, just to keep them happy while you look for something
else. If you might want to move and keep your options open. If you do move,
it's not.like you.owe them much if something else comes along. Management that
makes people reapply once has precedent for doing it again.

Good luck.

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jsonne
If you're looking to stay local check out
[http://builtincolorado.com/jobs](http://builtincolorado.com/jobs)

Also Sendgrid is constantly hiring more devs in Boulder and Denver.

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Osiris
We've been promised a relocation package but they haven't provided the
details. Since we have to apply for our jobs, the salary would be appropriate
for the location.

I know boulder has a good tech community but it's at least and hour and a half
commute for me (I love south of Denver). My local options would be limited to
the DTC area.

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ingend88
Sunnyvale would be pricey as the apartment rates have increased in last 3
years. Expect to see 30% jump in your total expenses moving from Denver. The
job market is fantastic here so if you decide to move, you will have
opportunities in future.

