Friend is considering a Groupon new grad offer and has option for Seattle or Chicago. Which is better for career growth and learning? tc: 0 I'm in college
Why does anyone want to work at Groupon?!?!?
Wht does anyone want to work at first republic?
Well Groupon has ok-ish tech salaries and you work in problem domains that are transferable to other high TC companies. Meanwhile a boring bank doesn’t offer any of these?? Jk could you send me a referral for *double checks google search* First Republic Bank
Can’t say much about the growth and learning within the company, but having moved to Chicago from NYC area recently, it’s super affordable with a ton of opportunities beyond any one company. The people are Midwest-friendly too, which is a nice change of pace. Moved here on the second coldest day on record (-55° F), though. Something to consider haha
Where did you settle down? That must’ve been a hell of a time.
I’m from northern IL like an hour north of Chicago. Haven’t been there for the last few winters but a bit skeptical it was negative 55 out. Coldest I’ve experienced in 12 years living like 45 minutes north of the city was maybeeeee negative 25. Still cold as hell I’ll give you that. With the wind chill people say it “feels” that cold but naw.
Seattle is the fastest growing city in the United States. From a world traveler, Chicago is my favorite city in the world, and I've been to many of the "world's best": NYC, London, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Lima, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Toronto, etc. Etc. None of them have anything on Chicago in my opinion. Anything you desire, you can find it in Chicago. One of the best metro systems in the world. CLEAN. Friendly. World class Michelin starred food. It's everything.
In none of the aspects you've mentioned is Chicago on the level of Tokyo.
Asia and Africa are the only continents I haven't been to, so I can't speak for Tokyo. I will say culturally I prefer friendly Midwesterners to people who won't even speak on the train. Then there's the racism to consider.
Previously worked at Groupon. Not the best work environment. Market is trending away from the platform and the purse strings are tight in the office. Don’t expect benefits like you would find in other tech companies
I work at Groupon Seattle and think it’s a great option to get your foot in the door. I would choose Seattle if you’re looking to work in Tech (more opportunity in this city). Also Seattle is a great place to live!
Chicago. The winters can really suck and seem to go on forever, but overall it's a great city. It's more affordable than Seattle, housing isn't as tight. Even though it doesn't have the tech footprint of Seattle, there are a lot of large companies who are almost always hiring for tech roles so there is mobility if your friend decides Groupon isn't for them. That's in addition to everything bandito said. I've only been to half the cities mentioned but feel the same about Chicago's place among them.
Groupon is headquartered in Chicago, so you might want to consider that as well
Chicago
I like Seattle as a city much better.
Have you lived in Chicago
I lived in neither city.