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I disagree. I live and work in the Jacksonville, FL area and it’s both extremely affordable and abundant in jobs, both tech and otherwise. They can’t get enough

I disagree. I live and work in the Jacksonville, FL area and it’s both extremely affordable and abundant in jobs, both tech and otherwise. They can’t get enough qualified candidates to move here.

pishpash 8y ago
Do those plenty of jobs pay as well, adjusted for cost of living?
- twodave 8y ago
  That wasn’t the question posed by the article, but let’s just say I’m able to easily support a family of 6 and live in a 3400sqft colonial brick house on a half acre, and I’m under 35 yrs old. So while I might make a little more than half what typical FAANG engineers do, I get to work on IMO more exciting greenfield projects and live within minutes of the beach and 2 blocks from a river.
  - ojbyrne 8y ago
    The article does mention that actually, though its not the primary theme. "And low-skilled jobs in a city like San Francisco pay some of the highest wages in the country; the minimum wage here is twice what it is in much of America, a real benefit that weighs against the high housing costs."
    - AstralStorm 8y ago
      It is only relevant if you want to work such a job. Most people I know prefer something less back breaking and soul crushing. There is one other thing these communities lack - educational opportunities. Especially universities...
- toomuchtodo 8y ago
  Tampa, FL checking in. I make at the low end of total comp for a FAANG engineer ($150k-200k/year) in security, and we can afford for my wife to be a stay at home mom for two kids, 2600sq ft 4 bed 2.5 bath home with a pool and three car garage (~$250k), a part time nanny, a used Tesla, and frequent travel. It would be impossible for me to replicate this on the coasts.
  - alexthehurst 8y ago
    FANG as in Facebook/Amazon/Netflix/Google?
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
    - doughj3 8y ago
      Yes - and the second A (FAANG mentioned in a sibling comment tree) is Apple.
- asdfman123 8y ago
  31 year old Houstonian checking in. Just bought a nice 3 bedroom house in the heart of the city, and I'm not even making 6 figures. I could have bought it right out of college, probably, too.
- throwawaysea 8y ago
  Why do those jobs need to pay just as well? There are jobs available which provide folks with a sustainable life and the ability to thrive. To me, having the job you want, in the location you want, near friends you want to be near, with the pay you want, with housing you can afford, is a luxury. If you want a life that ticks all the boxes, you have to make yourself more competitive. But I don't believe anyone is entitled to getting the exact job or conditions they want, and they shouldn't expect cities to change to accommodate their list of demands.
toephu2 8y ago
I can't name one tech company off the top of my head that has setup shop in Jacksonville, FL. I can however name a dozen in the Bay Area or NYC. And half a dozen in Seattle.
- briandear 8y ago
  Hashrocket. One of the best Rails consultancies founded by the guy that literally wrote the book on Ruby on Rails. And plenty more.. https://angel.co/jacksonville https://angel.co/jacksonville Just because you can’t name one doesn’t mean there aren’t any.
- selimthegrim 8y ago
  CSX is there if you like railroads
- Clubber 8y ago
  web.com is in Jacksonville. It's a banking and healthcare hub as well. https://www.web.com/about-us/contact-us https://www.web.com/about-us/contact-us
Clubber 8y ago
Just about any medium city in Florida outside of Miami gives you a lot of bang for your buck, and no state income tax to boot. Jax, Tampa, Orlando are the big (medium) ones. I personally would like to live in a remote area in Tennessee or something where I can get 10, 20, 100 acres and just remote to work, but corporate America hasn't quite caught on to that yet.
trentmb 8y ago
Who's hiring? At the junior/entry level?
sjg007 8y ago
This is more about low income workers vs tech workers but I do agree that it applies to tech workers too. Also $150k is above the median for the Bay Area so... good job!

I disagree. I live and work in the Jacksonville, FL area and it’s both extremely affordable and abundant in jobs, both tech and otherwise. They can’t get enough qualified candidates to move here.

pishpash 8y ago

Do those plenty of jobs pay as well, adjusted for cost of living?

twodave 8y ago
That wasn’t the question posed by the article, but let’s just say I’m able to easily support a family of 6 and live in a 3400sqft colonial brick house on a half acre, and I’m under 35 yrs old. So while I might make a little more than half what typical FAANG engineers do, I get to work on IMO more exciting greenfield projects and live within minutes of the beach and 2 blocks from a river.
- ojbyrne 8y ago
  The article does mention that actually, though its not the primary theme. "And low-skilled jobs in a city like San Francisco pay some of the highest wages in the country; the minimum wage here is twice what it is in much of America, a real benefit that weighs against the high housing costs."
  - AstralStorm 8y ago
    It is only relevant if you want to work such a job. Most people I know prefer something less back breaking and soul crushing. There is one other thing these communities lack - educational opportunities. Especially universities...
toomuchtodo 8y ago
Tampa, FL checking in. I make at the low end of total comp for a FAANG engineer ($150k-200k/year) in security, and we can afford for my wife to be a stay at home mom for two kids, 2600sq ft 4 bed 2.5 bath home with a pool and three car garage (~$250k), a part time nanny, a used Tesla, and frequent travel. It would be impossible for me to replicate this on the coasts.
- alexthehurst 8y ago
  FANG as in Facebook/Amazon/Netflix/Google?
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - doughj3 8y ago
    Yes - and the second A (FAANG mentioned in a sibling comment tree) is Apple.
asdfman123 8y ago
31 year old Houstonian checking in. Just bought a nice 3 bedroom house in the heart of the city, and I'm not even making 6 figures. I could have bought it right out of college, probably, too.
throwawaysea 8y ago
Why do those jobs need to pay just as well? There are jobs available which provide folks with a sustainable life and the ability to thrive. To me, having the job you want, in the location you want, near friends you want to be near, with the pay you want, with housing you can afford, is a luxury. If you want a life that ticks all the boxes, you have to make yourself more competitive. But I don't believe anyone is entitled to getting the exact job or conditions they want, and they shouldn't expect cities to change to accommodate their list of demands.

toephu2 8y ago

I can't name one tech company off the top of my head that has setup shop in Jacksonville, FL. I can however name a dozen in the Bay Area or NYC. And half a dozen in Seattle.

briandear 8y ago
Hashrocket. One of the best Rails consultancies founded by the guy that literally wrote the book on Ruby on Rails. And plenty more.. https://angel.co/jacksonville https://angel.co/jacksonville Just because you can’t name one doesn’t mean there aren’t any.
selimthegrim 8y ago
CSX is there if you like railroads
Clubber 8y ago
web.com is in Jacksonville. It's a banking and healthcare hub as well. https://www.web.com/about-us/contact-us https://www.web.com/about-us/contact-us

Clubber 8y ago

Just about any medium city in Florida outside of Miami gives you a lot of bang for your buck, and no state income tax to boot. Jax, Tampa, Orlando are the big (medium) ones. I personally would like to live in a remote area in Tennessee or something where I can get 10, 20, 100 acres and just remote to work, but corporate America hasn't quite caught on to that yet.

trentmb 8y ago

Who's hiring? At the junior/entry level?

sjg007 8y ago

This is more about low income workers vs tech workers but I do agree that it applies to tech workers too. Also $150k is above the median for the Bay Area so... good job!