3 ms·

Geographic limitations are a big deal. I'm in the same sort of position as the IBM'ers, in that my company is slowly farming out what used to be internal apps

by gozur88 11y ago

Geographic limitations are a big deal. I'm in the same sort of position as the IBM'ers, in that my company is slowly farming out what used to be internal apps to SaaS companies and moving the remaining jobs to a contractor in India. My family is local, and as I get older that's more and more important. If I have to leave town it's going to have a big impact on my happiness. So much so, in fact, that I may take a huge pay cut and work at, I dunno, Starbucks or something so I can stay local.

x0x0 11y ago
And before someone suggests moving to silly valley, consider doing so requires accepting a 98%+ chance you will never own a home unless you're willing to put up with a horrific commute. In most of sf/peninsula detached homes cost $1.5m+. And even a condo is difficult to afford on the salaries available. Home ownership for most of us requires a startup win giving you at least $0.5m after taxes plus you and your spouse both having good incomes. I like living in cities, but I can understand it's not everyone's cup of tea, particularly if you or your upstairs neighbors have kids. And all my friends with kids say the secret to happiness is having local grandparents. Or an au pair. Further, if you live in an economically depressed area, there's no guarantee you can easily or quickly sell your home. Family in CT a little over 2 hours outside of nyc had a house on the market for 8 months before it sold.
- tryitnow 11y ago
  Plus there's no guarantee that moving to the Bay Area will prevent similar problems. There's a boatload of reckless spending on developers and engineers right now. It's only a matter of time before financiers start pushing for headcount reductions.
  - jonesb6 11y ago
    I'll just leave this [1] here.. [1]: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcBl4edUMAASf7X.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcBl4edUMAASf7X.jpg:large
  - jonesb6 11y ago
    I'll just leave this [1] here.. [1]: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcBl4edUMAASf7X.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcBl4edUMAASf7X.jpg:large
wallflower 11y ago
> I may take a huge pay cut and work at, I dunno, Starbucks or something so I can stay local. This was a quick read, pretty illuminating to see how well the "family" at Starbucks treated a downsized mid-level exec and helped him. http://www.amazon.com/How-Starbucks-Saved-Life-Privilege/dp/1592404049 http://www.amazon.com/How-Starbucks-Saved-Life-Privilege/dp/...

by gozur88 11y ago

x0x0 11y ago

And before someone suggests moving to silly valley, consider doing so requires accepting a 98%+ chance you will never own a home unless you're willing to put up with a horrific commute. In most of sf/peninsula detached homes cost $1.5m+. And even a condo is difficult to afford on the salaries available. Home ownership for most of us requires a startup win giving you at least $0.5m after taxes plus you and your spouse both having good incomes. I like living in cities, but I can understand it's not everyone's cup of tea, particularly if you or your upstairs neighbors have kids. And all my friends with kids say the secret to happiness is having local grandparents. Or an au pair. Further, if you live in an economically depressed area, there's no guarantee you can easily or quickly sell your home. Family in CT a little over 2 hours outside of nyc had a house on the market for 8 months before it sold.

tryitnow 11y ago
Plus there's no guarantee that moving to the Bay Area will prevent similar problems. There's a boatload of reckless spending on developers and engineers right now. It's only a matter of time before financiers start pushing for headcount reductions.
- jonesb6 11y ago
  I'll just leave this [1] here.. [1]: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcBl4edUMAASf7X.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcBl4edUMAASf7X.jpg:large
- jonesb6 11y ago
  I'll just leave this [1] here.. [1]: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcBl4edUMAASf7X.jpg:large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcBl4edUMAASf7X.jpg:large

wallflower 11y ago

> I may take a huge pay cut and work at, I dunno, Starbucks or something so I can stay local. This was a quick read, pretty illuminating to see how well the "family" at Starbucks treated a downsized mid-level exec and helped him. http://www.amazon.com/How-Starbucks-Saved-Life-Privilege/dp/1592404049 http://www.amazon.com/How-Starbucks-Saved-Life-Privilege/dp/...