> There is a finite amount of these highly paid positions and far more qualified people.
Disagree - I think that the reality is that most of those in the US who are qualified are already living on the West coast. People underestimate the entry barriers to tech because they are already good at tech.
Salaries will fall as more Gen Z (grew up with tech) enter the labor market, but I'm already seeing higher offers in LCOL areas because the tech labor market remains tight in tech right now.
The real differentiation between west coast/{"non-traditional"|LCOL} areas seems to be around non-base compensation offerings.
I've got a friend who is a remote L6 solutions architect with AWS. His compensation is decidedly west coast: ~30% annual bonus and insane RSU grants, while his base is near or below mine. Stock offerings are atypical in the companies in many of these areas, and 30% bonus is unheard of for technical people.
So while LCOL areas may have better base comp, people expecting six figures worth of stock grants aren't going to bite.
Disagree - I think that the reality is that most of those in the US who are qualified are already living on the West coast. People underestimate the entry barriers to tech because they are already good at tech.
Salaries will fall as more Gen Z (grew up with tech) enter the labor market, but I'm already seeing higher offers in LCOL areas because the tech labor market remains tight in tech right now.