I know this has been a topic of high contention and I have gone through several past Blind threads and blogs. I am trying to rationalize decision analytically. I hope this thread will help many new grads/ yuppies. About me: mid-20 single straight indian male, industrious machine learning engineer interested in startups (though I will stick with big tech until debt free) and big city life. My top priority is to pay off student debt, grow quickly in career so high TC / take-home is important. 2nd priority: Building friendships/ network. Also next couple years will be prime dating period in which i hope to find the one. My take: Seattle - 0 state tax, cheaper living but by the time i will buy housing it will be just as expensive, more greenery but gloomy weather, "seattle freeze" Bay Area - sunshine, startups, networking, eventful, liberal, big city so perhaps better infrastructure, expensive old houses, 1h+ commute, no greenery, outdoors I certainly feel there's significantly less infrastructure in Seattle than NYC, is that the case in Bay Area with rising income inequality? if there is anything wrong in my line of reasoning, please call me out what are some other things i should be considering but haven't i am trying to be in a place for next 4-5 years, not entire life
SFBA has definitely worse infrastructure than Seattle
Really?
Of course, as SFBA is at or beyond its carrying capacity. Power can get shutoff for days if winds are strong, highways are ground to pebbles by the constant flow of vehicles, traffic is terrible 7-10 then 3-7, government offices have long queues if you need some business done.
Networking for the startup scene is better in the Bay Area. Dating is bad in both places but I hear better in the Bay Area. Not sure why "infrastructure" matters one way or another. More people are concerned about things like traffic or needing to be car dependent.
Infra could mean public amenities. For example, if you want to play tennis I'm guessing there's a lot more outdoor public courts in Bay Area but in Seattle you would likely need indoor courts which are few and very expensive. Not an apples to apples comparison but just trying to give an example that could make quality of life difference
I wouldn't describe that as "infrastructure" but rather "tennis facilities" or more generally "sports facilities". OP should call out specifically what they're looking for. Seattle has some things in spades, others not so much.
Next couple years is prime dating for a woman. As a dude it gets easier in your 30s
Go to Seattle. SF Bay Area is pretty full up here, it’s hella expensive to live here, no one is committed to anything so it’s tough to make friends, dirtier than Seattle, you’ll have better mileage in Seattle.
what's the Seattle version of hella
What do you mean by "No one is committed to anything"?
You’ll make more $ in Seattle
no longer 0 state income tax in WA as of 2019, see your paystub. libtárds are CA’ing us.
If you really want to work at hard/interesting problems startups generally are not your best bet. Startups focus on getting an MVP product and on expectation you will earn more staying at FAANG.
Matters on the startup you join. The more well established ones will be working on the more interesting projects and focusing on improving efficiency, scale, new products, etc.
Founding engineers can break the bank, no? I should probably have clarified. I plan to stay in big tech for next 4 years for experience, debt and immigration reasons. But will do a startup in a heart beat when debt free and at low risk of immigration