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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.

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.