

Ask HN: Pros and Cons of Living/Working in a technology backwater - avalore

This is a question for those of you that don't live in a major city, or anywhere that has a population remotely clued up.<p>I live in an area in the UK that I can only describe as a 'technology backwater'. I see a few iPhones around (but I would guess most people struggle to use them), I've never seen an Android phone here although I do see a lot of £10 pay&#38;go specials. I can count the number of 'decent' developers in the area on one hand.<p>A few people have tried running different types of meetups, etc... but, at most, 5 people have ever turned up.<p>One the one hand, it's easy to differentiate yourself from the rest, get freelance work, etc. It's kind of an easy gig.<p>On the other hand, there's no one to chat to, challenge yourself, or use for motivation to improve. It makes it difficult to 'talk shop' with anyone... the closest you get is "how can I get a website setup?", which as you can imagine gets boring pretty quickly.<p>The same can be said for business issues.<p>Does anyone else have a similar experience? How do you deal with it?
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richtofen
@avalore: What, if I may ask, is stopping you from getting the hell out of
there? I have faced similar experiences,albeit far back in history, and in a
non-technocratic context, and managed to overcome them. In fact, I once again
feel the urge to move on, and am faced with questions similar to yours.
Nothing beats being in a thriving, vibrant intellectual live environment - not
even being wired in to the Nobel Corps -and yet being top-dog of nowhere.
Pardon the bluntness - it is not intended to discourage or discredit. However,
calling a spade a spade has always been a good starting point for me. Cheers!

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avalore
Be as blunt as you like, I don't mind.

A few reasons I guess. 1) Cost. Because it's such a backwater it's incredibly
cheap. I can still get a lot done here and communicate with others online...
but I guess that's only good for so long. Face to face is so much better.

2) I guess, if I'm honest, fear of not being good enough. I make good money
here but worry that I wouldn't if I went somewhere else where there are much
more talented developers. Maybe it's justified, maybe it's not. I guess I
won't know unless I try.

Thanks

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mattmillr
_I guess I won't know unless I try._

Speaking from my recent experience, having moved from a Texas town with about
350 people to New York City a few months ago, I had some of the same concerns.
In my case, I took a slight 'cost of living vs. salary' hit, but the increased
opportunity more than makes up for that.

As for your second point, unless you're lazy, competition is a good thing.
Being around better developers should challenge you, and you'll get better
yourself. If that's what you're looking for, I'd encourage you to go for it.

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olliesaunders
_Does anyone else have a similar experience? How do you deal with it?_

Move. No joke. There no substitute for a place where there are actual
opportunities. I'm going to Edinburgh.

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RiderOfGiraffes
I can't help directly with your specific question, but you might like to email
me and see if we can meetup sometime.

