The Bay Area is certainly a good market for software engineers. It's also probably the best place for start ups, if you're going that route. But don't let that

The Bay Area is certainly a good market for software engineers. It's also probably the best place for start ups, if you're going that route. But don't let that stop you from looking at alternatives. Especially outside of the US - it's refreshing living in a more civilized country (national health care -gasp-, and the list goes on). Switzerland is a beautiful place as well, and is one of the few successful direct democracies in the world. It would be an enlightening place to live for a while, I think. I've worked in Chicago and London, and grew up in Cali and New York. Personally I do really like San Fran, but the rest of the bay area is a bit of a dump IMO. It's suburbs, mega mansions, and strip malls.