US-Centric: With a CS degree: SF or Seattle or wherever I could find a FAANG/MS type highly regarded big tech company to recruit me to, since the entry level

US-Centric: With a CS degree: SF or Seattle or wherever I could find a FAANG/MS type highly regarded big tech company to recruit me to, since the entry level market is soft among startups and a lot of non-tech BigCos seem to be a path to stagnation (based on my experience interviewing candidates from such backgrounds). Software developer without a CS degree: best chance of being hired is probably at a startup or agency. I’d go somewhere with a startup scene but lower CoL than SF or NY. Probably Seattle or Austin. Other fields: follow the jobs. To break into publishing, New York. Film, LA. Anything that’s not specific to an industry (say, marketing), I’d probably find somewhere with moderate CoL that’s undergoing an economic boom. Then consider moving somewhere with higher CoL but also higher salaries once you’re established - since if you can save the same percentage of your salary you’ll save more total dollars and reach financial targets faster.