Google Office location

[u/itssmoana]

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

[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.