

Ask HN: Would the Bay Area be benefical? - moco85

A little about myself:<p>- Been programming for ~4 years
- Self taught
- Wife and one child
- Only ever worked telecommute
- I'm in my late twenties
- Canadian<p>I'm wondering if moving somewhere like the Bay Area would be beneficial for my career. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
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subrat_rout
Rent is high and house price is absurd in SF Bay area. But there is a reason
for this. You know supply and demand theory. If you want to put up for a
longer commute then you can rent a relatively cheaper place in east bay or
North bay and travel by BART. So it is not only the price. It is the tech
community you will get and friends/connections you make.

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rms
Salaries and standards for programmers are way higher here than anywhere else.

One way of framing it, is asking if you were already living in the Bay Area,
would be willing to take a $40-$70k/year pay cut to move home to be closer to
friends, family, and more affordable housing?

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moco85
Does the cost of living versus increased salaries come out in the green, when
it's all said and done?

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OafTobark
Depends on how much your cost of living is currently but in my own experience,
its probably more expensive overall to be in the Bay. Not only has cost of
living hiked in recent years, but also to consider one of the highest sales
tax, etc... And everything is in general more expensive for the equivalent
elsewhere.

I still think its a great place to be but you really have to decide if you
love being here or not. Its definitely a unique culture.

~~~
moco85
Any advice for getting a taste of that culture before moving there?

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OafTobark
Unfortunately outside of a long vacation visit, its really hard to get a first
hand feel for this. Before I moved to the SF several years back, I came to
visit and living here vs visiting (for a week) was a day and night contrast.
You might feel some of it but you won't really be immerse in it unless you
spend some time here.

Everything is vastly different. Mindset, behaviors, the people, the way things
work, etc.. Its incredibly hard to explain to others outside of the cliche
everyone states. Its one of those things that is best felt personally to see
if the way things here best fits YOU.

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alokhar
I've been thinking the same thing lately. I go to university in Vancouver
right now, its not very easy to meet people who are truly passionate about
hacking - its just not the vibe out here. Vancouver is about being a weekend
warrior.

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sixQuarks
What do you want to be doing? Do you still want to work from home, or do you
want to be part of a startup or larger company?

~~~
moco85
I'm interested in working with a startup or established company but I would
prefer to work in house.

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unholycrab
Yes.

