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I always feel like these articles are one sided - jobs and money. Those things make life easier but ultimately are not the things that make life worth living. T

I always feel like these articles are one sided - jobs and money. Those things make life easier but ultimately are not the things that make life worth living. This article hits on none of the reasons I moved here after several prior extended stays in the City. For what I want out of life, it absolutely made sense for me to move here - even with only $2K in cash, no job, and no place to live at first. I came here for the things you can't easily put a price on - like the weather, local arts, music, and culture. Also driving into the mountains, or down the coast of California. Chicago is no slouch for fun but cold days like this make me glad I'm not waiting for the 'L' outside anymore. SF weather is generally magical. Being in a top US city still gets me direct, reasonably priced, and frequently scheduled nonstop flights to family/friends in places like Chicago, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Seattle - not always attainable in some of these smaller tech hubs (like Portland, or Austin.) When people move here, there is a constant worry about how much money they will make or what company they work for - I didn't sweat it. Within a month after arriving, I landed a great career. I spent the last two years exploring other hobbies and interests, and nurturing healthy new friendships. Biggest tip I can give - It's nice to get to know people who've been around here for a while, they've seen it all before. Show an interest in your local community. Volunteer your time but branch out of tech. Get to know people here in all walks of life; show compassion You just may be liked enough by some old school San Franciscans that refer you to one of their friends; who rent you their old place (with parking and views on Twin Peaks) for $1200. It worked for me. San Francisco is not an expensive city because of tech alone, it's always been a bit on the expensive side; as there's no place in America like it. Of course this is my experience. I merely bring it up just as a reminder that there's so many things to focus on when decide whether or not moving here is worth it. The questions that guided me in my decision to move here were: What are my goals long-term? What made me decide to move here? What is my contribution to the local community and society - outside of working in tech? Will I ultimately grow as a person; both personally and professionally? Is there enough other activities around that will keep me from being bored that I'll enjoy? My $.02.

rconti 10y ago
Well, their entire goal was to determine whether or not it was affordable/made financial sense.. But as a fellow bay area resident, I can't disagree with you on quality of life. Holy crap, direct flights are critical. My family lives in San Diego now, and they have to multi-hop to go ANYWHERE. What a bloody nightmare. I fly nonstop out of SFO or SJC any time I travel. Last time I needed to take a connection, last week, was a total nightmare. Flight into Chicago delayed due to equipment problems, would have missed connecting flight, rebooked through Houston, THAT flight was delayed due to other issues, missed my connecting flight, spent hours waiting for rebooking and luggage and hotel vouchers. Just enough time to take a shuttle to the hotel, grab a crappy post-10-pm meal at the motel diner, sleep 6h, get up before daylight to catch ANOTHER flight, which finally got me there. You can tell I'm still not over the miserable experience of having to fly somewhere without a major hub.
seikatsu 10y ago
Hear-hear on "there's more to life than money", but would still argue many of the things you list ("weather, local arts, music, culture") can be quantified to far larger extent than most bother. Here's one attempt, as an appropriate illustration for the Bay Area: https://teleport.org/cities/san-francisco-bay-area/ https://teleport.org/cities/san-francisco-bay-area/ (skip the top for startups, worst for housing and unfold the leisure, culture and tolerance categories, for example).

rconti 10y ago

Well, their entire goal was to determine whether or not it was affordable/made financial sense.. But as a fellow bay area resident, I can't disagree with you on quality of life. Holy crap, direct flights are critical. My family lives in San Diego now, and they have to multi-hop to go ANYWHERE. What a bloody nightmare. I fly nonstop out of SFO or SJC any time I travel. Last time I needed to take a connection, last week, was a total nightmare. Flight into Chicago delayed due to equipment problems, would have missed connecting flight, rebooked through Houston, THAT flight was delayed due to other issues, missed my connecting flight, spent hours waiting for rebooking and luggage and hotel vouchers. Just enough time to take a shuttle to the hotel, grab a crappy post-10-pm meal at the motel diner, sleep 6h, get up before daylight to catch ANOTHER flight, which finally got me there. You can tell I'm still not over the miserable experience of having to fly somewhere without a major hub.

seikatsu 10y ago

Hear-hear on "there's more to life than money", but would still argue many of the things you list ("weather, local arts, music, culture") can be quantified to far larger extent than most bother. Here's one attempt, as an appropriate illustration for the Bay Area: https://teleport.org/cities/san-francisco-bay-area/ https://teleport.org/cities/san-francisco-bay-area/ (skip the top for startups, worst for housing and unfold the leisure, culture and tolerance categories, for example).