Seek suggestions on cities that have a low COL, along with job opportunities
I am a consultant at eBay in the Bay Area, and have absolutely no chance of getting converted to a full time employee, especially in light of recent layoffs. I am looking to move to a city/place that has a low cost of living where I would like to be able to buy a house without becoming house poor. I make just about enough to pay my rent on one bedroom apartment right now. My fiancee is keen on Dallas, but I have been looking at job market, and I hope that I am wrong, but with the exception of Capital One, and Sams Club, most of the companies looking for a job are software consultancy companies. I am hoping that I can get recommendations for cities in which there are opportunities for a backend engineer like me. I have programmed the most in Java, and Python in my career. I have a knowledge of cloud computing paradigms, as well as big data technologies such as Hadoop/Spark, and Kafka but I would not count myself as an expert in either. What I am hoping from "Blind"ers are suggestion on the following 1. Cities that have both a cost of living, and have been job opportunities as SWE 2. Referrals, if any to the aforementioned positions. Thank you! #COL #OutsideBayArea
Austin
Which companies are hiring in Austin right now?
Boston, if you can handle cold weather. Austin, but house prices have sky rocketed recently. Atlanta, if you can handle bit of a commute. Dallas, if you can find the right role.
I am curious to know your opinion about Boston with a low COL? Everyone says that Boston rent and houses are expensive AF
I have heard that Boston is expensive. Would you say that the suburbs are less expensive? if yes, how is the commute like?
We have alot of roles moving to Dallas. Goldman also has a presence in Irving, TX
What kind of skills are they looking for?
Atlanta is starting to get a lot of satellite tech offices. Chicago is pretty cheap for a big city. I am looking at those two as well as Nashville
search another thread for best place to raise family. Hundreds of comments on good cities with low COL and good comments on housing, schools, etc.
Get a remote job then move to wherever suits you. Easier said than done though.
Baltimore, DC, Philly all have decent job prospects and lower COL found in nearby suburbs. Lots of six figure SWE opportunities.
@OP I'd highly recommend changing jobs and getting full time SWE experience in Silicon Valley before leaving the area. You'll be able to negotiate a better compensation package in the new city that would take you years to get (if at all) otherwise.
It is not about total compensation. Rather, it is about being afford to live in a place. A house in the Bay Area will cost at least 800 K and up. But you could buy a house in a low COL cities at least half the price.
Sure. But are you smart enough to see that you'll get the same compensation when you leave the Bay because companies in other cities are willing to pay a premium for Silicon Valley talent? This has been documented by Hired.com and others. You could leave the Bay now with the same pay in the new city, or get a new job in the Bay with a $30k raise, and leave to the new city 1-2 years later with that pay. That $30k raise would require years of work (and possibly promotions) in the new city, without having earned it in Silicon Valley. The exception is if you work for non-FAANG in Silicon Valley and join FAANG (or similar) in the new city. Buying a house can wait. You have the rest of your life to do that, and the housing market is due for a dip anyway.
TC?
I am a consultant, so I don't get RSUs. Base: 140K Bonus: Upto 10 % of base. RSUs - 0 (Company does not issue RSUs)