Hi all, Both my partner and I are in hardware field and have been living in San Diego for 6 yrs now. We are in our early 30s, We have no kid or own a house. I am currently a research scientist at ASML. I like my job a lot, the only downside is relatively low pay vs big tech and slow promotions. My partner has received an offer from Amazon in Redmond hardware team offering almost twice more salary. We are now contemplating moving to Seattle or stay in SD. Here is how i see it: San Diego Pros: Weather Familiarity with neighborhoods and having friends To me more relaxed vibe Cons: Limited Opportunities in hardware/big tech Less happening and suburb vibe- atleast where we live Bland food and cultural scene Seattle Pros: More job opportunities Better food/cultural scene No income tax Its new city we’ve never lived in and we may like it Cons: Weather Moving away from friends Houses and neighborhoods do not seem as nice of Southern California What do you think? Appreciate your feedback. My Own TC in SD: 150K Partner new offer: 250K #tech #seattle #amazon #sandiego
Move to Seattle based on your position.. only other company you might want to join is Illumina and their pay is also abysmal for the area. With your skill set I am sure you can find positions .... There are few energy startups in that area. I would though suggest take a job before you resign given the market.
160K is tad below livable wage in Seattle btw
I went to school in San Deigo, settled in Seattle. I still miss it over a decade into my career, but I wouldn't have seen the amount of career/TC growth back in SD. But is that really everything? At the same time I would have been miserable at work in the defense/gov tech sector down there.
Sounds right, the only difference is that I am lucky that I work outside gov/defense in SD.
Think where do you want to see yourself 5 years from now. It should help you decide.
If TC is what you care then Seattle will have more opportunities. But weather is a sucker and Seattle freeze is real so tread carefully the pros n cons
Made the exact same move . Here is what you are not accounting for DoorDash/uber eats : In San Diego , you can go pick up anytime . In Seattle , you get lazy because of having to wear 3 layers everytime you go pick up food . Coffee : believe it or not , you will spend a lot on this Suburbs : In San Diego , you will find parking far away but would be able to safely walk back to/fro where you parked . In Seattle , believe me , I am scared . Depression : believe it or not this is real . House prices : if you cannot afford in San Diego , the situation is the same here
Bahaha. No.
Where are you going to live? I assume not Seattle itself if your wife's office is in Redmond. Eastside can be pricey, but there are lots of options. I've lived in the Seattle/Eastside area my entire adult life and we often vacation in SD. Feel free to DM me, happy to answer all questions. Heck we can jump on a video call if you like.
We looked into Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond options online but the quality/appearance of houses seem far less appealing vs San Diego suburbs.
Maybe check out Sammamish and Issaquah. Issaquah has a direct bus route into downtown Seattle that's surprisingly fast (214 and 554).
Please don’t join Amazon , you will regret it. Mark my words