[REMOTE] Entry Level, Where to Move?
Note: The company I am working for does not scale pay based on location I am wholly unsure of where to move. I am debating Chicago, but there doesn't seem to be a large tech presence there. Areas like NYC, Bay Area, Seattle, and Austin all come to mind. I'm curious about your guys' thoughts on some areas to consider with a pay like this. Factors I want to consider 1.) COL/Livability for my income 2.) Employability for next job (Job hopping) 3.) Social life 4.) Weather (not super important) PLEASE SAY WHY TC: 135k, 105k base 30k RSU for public company #Apple #Amazon #Google #Meta #Cruise #Rippling #Plaid #LinkedIn #Microsoft #Netflix #Airtable #Databricks #Figma #Stripe #Pinterest #Robinhood #SWE
coming from someone who’s lived in most of the cities you listed, i’d go with Chicago. diverse and social scene; great transit; amazing food; and imo the best cost city in the country for the quality of life it provides. you 100% can find solo apts for ~1,500. with roommate you can be even more central w/o breaking the bank and get the added benefit of having a connection/friend for your first year. yes you’re young & savings’ll compound- but i’d argue this is also the best time to make the social connections and experience what a large city has to offer while you have the energy, freedom, & zest. buy a good coat for the winter and you’ll be fine
My only concern with Chicago is the tech scene. I will be remote so I want to try and build out connections in tech since I won't have too many. Honestly I don't really know how much connections and things matter... I would enjoy Chicago though, the only other one I think I'm truly debating is Austin
the professional scene is dominated by business/consultant type vs swe in chicago. but it’s a big city w/ many companies- so you will definitely find tech connections if you try. austin’s tech scene felt more tech sales than swe oriented. or peddling random rinky dink startups or boring b2b monoliths. both cities are VERY different in feel, so you should visit to see which makes you happiest.
Frankly you won’t live comfortably with that TC in any of those cities, but I’d choose San Diego. It has a solid tech scene with Qualcomm and UCSD right in the same neighborhood. Looking inland there’s a big Sony presence. The military keeps tons of companies near by. Also I know weather doesn’t matter, but SD > Chicago for sure from November-> March
All of these central cities are so expensive, I make around the same amount and wish I could move somewhere a bit cheaper but can’t since I need to go to the office. Your base will be about 5k/mo after tax and rent in any of these will eat half of it unless you want roommates. Why move if you are remote? If you like where you’re at then I would just stay there. If you’re worried about job hopping then just move to the place your next job requires when you get it- since you haven’t settled somewhere if it’s not remote it’ll be less of a hassle to move when it is required.
I live in the middle of nowhere, and I would be able to save a TON, but I want to experience a city for a while.
Maybe first try to move to a lower COL city like wherever is closest by (Oklahoma city, Nashville, Charolette, just listing random cities in states that have a lot of nowhere lol) and then upgrading to something like NY or Cali once your income increases, only because since you’re entry, this is your best decade for retirement savings compound growth. Other recommendation I would give would be Jersey city - prices haven’t reached New York level yet, urban environment, don’t need a car, and super easy to get to NY and experience the ny lifestyle, restaurants, nightlife, etc. it’s basically the new Brooklyn and same distance wise.