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The smartest thing would be to start in Bay Area, and then transfer to Seattle at the same pay rate.
by timothycrosley 10y ago
The smartest thing would be to start in Bay Area, and then transfer to Seattle at the same pay rate.
- balls187 10y agoBecause Seattle companies don't understand cost of living?
- timothycrosley 10y agoBecause you're working for the same company, in the Seattle office. Additionally, a lot of the difference is from income taxes that you no longer pay - something that companies take into account when making the initial offer, but not generally when doing transfers.
- balls187 10y agoIf you got a boost from transferring from San Fran to Seattle, overtime it would even out during merit pay-raises. Companies that are large enough to support development offices in both Seattle and Bay Area, are large enough to have a very formalized process for raises, which take into account your current pay vs the local market rate for that position.
- timothycrosley 10y agoFrom what I've heard from friends at big companies, the primary variable in the merit process is your current Salary - it does take the other things into account, but almost never enough to make as much of a difference as your current Salary. That's why people stress that it's so important to negotiate your starting salary higher, and not expect to get paid better once in the company.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- stephencanon 10y agoIf you are going to transfer somewhere at the same pay rate, transfer somewhere cheaper and nicer than Seattle. Lots of options (I'm partial to northern New England, personally, as I like having proper winter).
- DarkTree 10y agoI miss true seasons. Hoping to make it back East in the future. Any recommendations for NE other than Boston (which I like)?
- nkassis 10y agoNashua has a lot of tech companies if you would be ok with a smaller urban area close enough to Boston to enjoy the city too. Personally I just moved from Seattle to Boston. I'm conflicted on the two places. I really liked the outdoors areas in Seattle, commute was shorter and rent was also cheaper. But Boston has a lot of cool things too, food better, more interesting activities todo (other than outdoors but you can find it NH) and cycling infrastructure is poor compared to Seattle. I'm not native of either place (from Montreal) so my experience is based on a few years of living in both. Boston isn't exactly better in terms of winter sunlight that's for sure. Both are grayish in winters but summers are great (less humid in Seattle). What did it for me is proximity to family. Being in the same timezone is huge. Cool fact I learned recently, Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH area has one lowest unemployment rate for any metro area at 2.6%.
- Apocryphon 10y agoIsn't Montreal marginally a tech city?
- nkassis 10y agoThe problem is salary for tech workers in Montreal are way lower than other NE cities. 5 hour south and you make 2-3 times the salary you could make in Montreal (from personal experience) but cost of living does match that increase. You are better off net in the US. I know a few people that spent time working in the US and returned to Montreal with a good amount of savings which lets them live very comfortably.
- logfromblammo 10y agoI would encourage everyone considering Seattle to research the tectonic stresses in the Pacific northwest (US). I'll get you started: "Cascadia megathrust".
- xenihn 10y agoI know someone who bought a house near Seattle, and they've accepted that they're pretty much guaranteed to die if they're home at the time that it hits due to the home being built on a hill.
- timothycrosley 10y agoYes because the bay area doesn't have earthquakes... Honestly, you are much less likely to die in Seattle's only real weather threat, then the myriad of unsafe conditions in other parts of the country.