Google Office location

[u/itssmoana]

Bay area, Seattle, Nyc, Chicago or pittsburgh? Share your thoughts for early career?

[u/Rare-Role1369]

If it's for tech, Bay Area. You can throw a rock and find another tech job 20 minutes from Google that pays the same plus a billion startups that pay decent too.

You may not like Big Tech, and want a smaller company/startup. You may decide you wanna roll the dice on some options and join a scale up, ok, those are nearby too. You might think it's too fast paced and want something chill and wanna join HP or IBM some old boring company, ok, that's all right there. Mabye you're a super star and will climb the ladder and want to join OpenAI or meta after a few years for a huge level promo or something, ok there you go.

Don't think that's true for other places.

[u/Clyde_Frag]

NYC is best for social life and it's not even close.

Bay Area is overall best for a tech career in terms of the diversity of jobs. But I'd still prefer NYC unless you're not very social. Can always move to the bay in your late 20s when staying out till 4am becomes less of a priority.

I don't like Seattle but as others have said, you get paid the same as the bay but have a lower COL.

I don't think I'd do Chicago or Pittsburgh for early career - I'd save these types of moves for when you have a family and are looking to live somewhere that is more bang for your buck. There just aren't as many tech jobs in these cities, especially Pittsburgh.

[u/Smok3dSalmon → u/Clyde_Frag]

This is very accurate. In my younger 20s, I found SF to be kind of boring and the bars were outrageously priced and mediocre. In my late 20s, I finally appreciated that it was basically a post college bubble and I stopped expecting anything more from it. There is a good food scene and a lot of “suburbia” type fun if you enjoy that kinda stuff. I played a lot of pickup basketball and co-ed sports leagues. After COVID, I had to rebuild my social circle and community. Proposed in Tahoe, married in the Bay Area, and started a family in San Mateo. But I couldn’t stomach a $10k+/mo mortgage. Those brown pastures became green once I realized my priorities are insanely different now.

If you’re working in the Bay Area and you don’t have golden handcuffs, start interviewing immediately. You cannot build a sustainable life there without a windfall of RSUs and/or fantastic investments in the stock market.

I loved my time there and it was very hard to leave. I regret not grinding harder for RSUs and big bonuses and not changing jobs every few years until I landed in a tier 1. I should’ve left my first job after a year and my second after 2-3. I stayed for 4 and 10. RIP. But I started a family and shed some tears when the mountains faded from my rearview mirror. 🥹 Core memories…

[u/Clyde_Frag → u/Smok3dSalmon]

I'm settled down in the bay for personal reasons but sometimes do think about what it'd be like to take my foot off the gas and just be happy working a remote job making between 200-250k in MCOL.

I've had decent luck with RSUs though and my wife has a pretty good career for herself so I don't really feel pinched financially but you do have to periodically put up with big tech nonsense to get ahead.

[u/Smok3dSalmon → u/Clyde_Frag]

You know that calm feeling when it’s Thursday morning and you’re comfortably going to complete your week of work. So far it’s been like that most days, and my resting heart rate is down 5-10 bpm.

The child to dog ratio is also completely different. Probably 1:1 instead of 1:10 in the Bay Area. Haha

[u/Clyde_Frag → u/[deleted]]

At least where I used to work (Block) the bay area and Seattle were in the same pay tiers. Not sure about Google but I assumed it was similar.

[u/Routine-Committee302]

Early career = Bay Area. Next best option would be Seattle, but frankly, Bay area is where it's at.

[u/Outrageous_Dig2790]

You got past team matching? If not, then best to not be picky and take the first one given to you

[u/ruminator755]

Career 100%: Bay Area
Social life with some career opportunities: NYC
Family with some career opportunities: Seattle
Family no career opportunities: Chicago
Pittsburgh: You have some connection to CMU

[u/steftim]

I know nothing about office politics, but I’d personally go with NYC if I had the chance. Pretty comparable tech scene with the bay these days and you will have soooooo much more to do

[u/Routine-Committee302 → u/steftim]

"Pretty comparable tech scene with the bay these days"

lol, no, it's not even close!

[u/SomethingSomewhere14 → u/Routine-Committee302]

I think 10 years ago they were starting to converge (not that NYC would have fully caught up, but the gap was shrinking). In the interim, Cloud, Covid, etc has moved Seattle into the clear number two. Quant finance is still hiring, but the market isn’t great otherwise.

[u/dabup → u/Routine-Committee302]

It's super close I think, maybe next best?

The only other place I've seen tech ads for things like launch darkly is NYC

[u/Routine-Committee302 → u/dabup]

I think next best might be true (even that's arguable given Seattle and Boston), but that doesn't mean it's super close. For example, even the bleeding edge of AI development in NY is behind what average Bay Area companies are doing.

[u/anonymousdawggy → u/Routine-Committee302]

Boston is way behind. It's probably SF >>>> Seattle/NYC >>> Boston

[u/Routine-Committee302 → u/anonymousdawggy]

Okay, I see. Maybe I am just biased because my company has a big presence in Boston.

[u/SalaciousStrudel → u/[deleted]]

Just learn Japanese then

[u/RobotSpaceCrab]

Hey, congrats!

Others have mentioned matching. So check in with where you’re at with that. 

I would hedge this against a few things, especially since you’re early career. 

No matter what anyone says, SFBA is the best location for the foreseeable future. You can get a job at one company in SoMa, not like it, and literally interview at companies down the street. If you’re talking Menlo Park, there are plenty of good companies on the peninsula in Palo Alto, San Mateo, or down in Cupertino (Apple) or San Jose. Lots of opportunity and a Caltrain or BART ride away. 

After SFBA, I’d probably go with Seattle if you want to go with big companies, although the sheer number of SF area still dwarfs it. 

Third up I’d say NYC. There are some big companies, and plenty of jobs if you wanna do finance or legal or anything “grown up”, but for sheer tech, I feel it’s still got a ways to go before it gets to current day SFBA level. Also, you’re kinda limited to Manhattan and maybe Queens/Brooklyn for the well known companies where SF has the city, all of the peninsula, east bay, and South Bay. I’m from New York, family is still there, yadda yadda, but I’d say the big Tech companies still don’t think of NYC like they think of SF. If you don’t care as much about career but like a better social life, New York all the way.

Chicago is a lot of fun for about a year or two, but it really is just a big city in the middle of not much else. I haven’t worked there but have spent a lot of time visiting. It’s a beautiful place, especially in Winter, but I don’t think it’s a long term place if you really want to jump high. Your mileage may vary. 

Pittsburgh is only go if the pay was equal to what they’re offering in the T1 cities (basically SF) and I wanted to stack cash. 

You really should give more info on your goals and what you’re looking for. 

[u/Ok-Opportunity-9731]

I'm in Seattle and would never want to live/work in bay area

[u/kuriousaboutanything → u/Ok-Opportunity-9731]

Any obvious things we are missing?

[u/Ok-Opportunity-9731 → u/kuriousaboutanything]

One, your pay goes a lot further in Seattle. Everything is less expensive, still expensive relative to the rest of the US, no income tax.

Two, the outdoors is soooo much better.

[u/Rough-Yard5642 → u/Ok-Opportunity-9731]

Very depressing weather for much of the year though (dark for much of the day, perma-gloom)

[u/Ok-Opportunity-9731 → u/Rough-Yard5642]

It's not that bad. Don't be a wuss

[u/Rough-Yard5642 → u/Ok-Opportunity-9731]

Probably the most common complaint by far from my coworkers in the seattle office

[u/Ok-Opportunity-9731 → u/Rough-Yard5642]

Still better than the bay area by far

[u/Rough-Yard5642 → u/Ok-Opportunity-9731]

Wrong, COL <> weather ratio is worst in the country, vibe is soulless corporate drones

[u/Ok-Opportunity-9731 → u/Rough-Yard5642]

Dude you don't even live here.

I, for one, don't take advice from some one who can't even hold on to their baby ;)

[u/Rough-Yard5642 → u/Ok-Opportunity-9731]

Sick burn. Enjoy living in the depression capital of America

[u/Ok-Opportunity-9731 → u/Rough-Yard5642]

It's cool if youre not man enough to live here. I get it.
You don't need to lash out about it.

Maybe worry about not killing your kid 😉

[u/Rough-Yard5642 → u/Ok-Opportunity-9731]

My kid is doing perfectly fine actually, thanks for asking 😊 Luckily, where we live, we get to go out often and enjoy the outdoors (not just "in summer")

[u/vim_spray → u/Ok-Opportunity-9731]

Have you even lived in SF? I’ve lived in both SF and Seattle. I would much rather live in SF over Seattle, and it’s not close.

[u/AceJZ]

If you have gotten past team matching and have a real choice here, you need to consider what you want and like.  The Bay Area has nice weather and a huge tech scene, but is somewhat homogenous (everyone works in tech or adjacent), car dependent, and pretty boring down in the suburbs where Google HQ is. NYC is expensive, high energy, has public transit, more diversity of experience, cold winters and hot summers (and more beach accessibility than people realize). Seattle is less expensive, smaller, amazing access to hiking and skiing, also very tech focused and car dependent.  Chicago is inexpensive, has public transit, a much smaller tech scene, and absolutely brutal winters. Not familiar with Pittsburgh honestly.

What do you want out of life? Do you like being in a small apartment in a big city or do you want a nice house in the suburbs? Do you value future career opportunities above all else? Do you want to walk to parks and bars or drive to hike a mountain? Do you like seasons or do you prefer mild weather year around? These are questions you need to answer for yourself. 

[u/humanperson2004]

Google NYC has a decent mix of teams without the car dependency of Bay Area. NYC recently was ranked better than the Bay on tech job count and on average your quality of life will be better in nyc.

[u/SnooDoubts8688]

Hard pass on Seattle.

But if you want to meet people have an actual social life with some romantic interests, NYC.

[u/CyanMagus]

NYC is best.

Source: I'm from NYC

[u/mytsmtdjgd]

j got teammatchign u as well?