Hi folks contemplating between sites for new roles. please list pros and cons. I am tilting towards Austin becoz of affordablity
Unless you're already in the Bay Area, don't go there! 🙂
Austin 4 ever.
Well, sex ratio sucks in the bay area, if you are single, go to austin.
Until you get to Austin & realize most of the girls prefer southern guys. (let alone Asian/Indian guys)
Austin
Austin is hot like hell
Just moved to Austin a few months ago. Renting a 5 bed 4 bath home in a top school district in North Austin for $2800. Zillow shows it’s estimated price as $580k. Ordered Indian takeout food last night - chicken curry, paneer tikka masala, tandoori chicken, rice and naan - and paid $22. On my way there, I filled up my SUV tank for $24 ($1.65/gallon). After Covid is over, will be getting help with cleaning and cooking for $600 (10 hours a week at $14/hr). We used to pay $1000 ($25/hr) in Bay Area. You get the point by now about how affordable it is. Neighbors are super friendly. My neighborhood is 70% Indian techies, so not a lot of diversity. But this is the first time I’ve seen kids playing on the streets, and in the parks, without direct parental supervision. It’s amazing to see. I have never ever once seems so many people out and about in the streets just walking (after 6:30pm only, but still) My commute is going to be 30 mins in rush hour. Used to consider anything under 50 mins to be a great commute up in the Bay Area. With all of that out of the way, it is fckng hot! Like soul crushing hot. And it stays that way from May to September. So 5 months of crazy hot and 7 months of pretty good weather. These 5 months are hot enough to make we want to go back and pay the extra 13% in California taxes and spend 4x as much on housing. Lastly, I spent 10 years in the Bay Area and much as I complained about it when I was there, I miss it! The density was so much fun even though it made housing unaffordable. There are acres and acres of empty land around here. It’s like comparing Bangalore to a small city like Gurugram (formerly Gurgaon), or evening smaller actually. I recommend sharing more info on diff in offers, diff in levels etc so people can provide better inputs.
Cupertino is becoming a homeless camping ground
Saw a homeless colony near Cupertino border, scary
What is scary about homeless people to you all? You all TC obsessed jerks who happened to be in the right place and the right time - most of us don’t deserve what we make. And what we make has resulted in housing being so expensive that normal people (like teachers) who have the misfortune of losing a job get kicked out of their homes in a month or three. So chill and consider how you can help solve the problem (no, the startup you’re working at is not going to change the world, and the founder will fire you or make your options worthless if it’s in the best interest of their company- so get off your high horse).
Austin pros: cheap Cupertino pros: weather