how hard is it to return to the bay area after moving out for tech?

currently in the startup scene in the bay area. im thinking about checking out some other startup tech hubs (ie. seattle, austin, new york, silicon triangle, atlanta, and to some extent LA) for a little bit but i want to return to the bay eventually for grad school and my career, as i am a california native. how hard would it be to return to the bay area after leaving for a few years if you arent working for FAANG?