Silicon Valley rent too high? Google workers live in campus parking lots (San Jose: how much, buy)

[beb0p]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Living in a van down by the river is what happens when one fails miserably in life, not when one gains a dream job.

Surely, you can tell the difference between:

1. Living in a van down by the river.

VS

2. Living in a van on a campus with free food, gym, shower, entertainment, and steps from your cubicle?

.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by beb0p

Surely, you can tell the difference between:

1. Living in a van down by the river.

VS

2. Living in a van on a campus with free food, gym, shower, entertainment, and steps from your cubicle?

.

Sure...until you revisit what the interiors of some of those cars (turned bedrooms) look like. Don't even have a pot to **** in. I've known those who make the same argument for saving money by living in tents in the woods or homeless shelters. Not a pretty picture.

[beb0p]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Sure...until you revisit what the interiors of some of those cars (turned bedrooms) look like. Don't even have a pot to **** in. I've known those who make the same argument for saving money by living in tents in the woods or homeless shelters. Not a pretty picture.

... And that's why in the article, one Google worker who lasted a year is considered amazing... and he did it on a dare.

Let's not confuse a few employed people pushing the limit with the homeless who really had to leave on the street.

[ragnarkar]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Living in a van down by the river is what happens when one fails miserably in life, not when one gains a dream job.

Or retired in their 30s, like Jacob from Earlyretirementextreme.

[Fargobound]

Wait till this spring when the big market correction hits, while Google as been doing well a lot of other "tech" companies are living off of well crafted press release after release to keep their stock from cratering. How many times can you have negative EPS before the money and hope exits?

[kanhawk]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Could not disagree more. Living in a van by the river, or on a boat IN the river, is transcendence out of the suffering of the vacuous, pointless, material plain.

I like PI Jim Rockford's response to that kind of thinking:

LiveLeak.com - Jim Rockford Lays Into an Occupy Wall Street Type Liberal

[bizkitgto]

The cost of living in the bay area is ridiculous. SV companies WILL lose good people as a result no doubt, as I'm sure the brain drain is already happening. Companies should strongly consider building apartment buildings on their campus' for employees (and charge minimum fees to break-even on construction and maintenance costs) or outright build new apartments in the surrounding communities and rent them out to their staff. SV companies already own the land - its exactly what big oil does when people are subject to working in remote locations where employees are fly in-fly out.....take notice from the oil co's and start building little communities.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by kanhawk

I like PI Jim Rockford's response to that kind of thinking:

LiveLeak.com - Jim Rockford Lays Into an Occupy Wall Street Type Liberal

Jim Rockford? The fictional tee-vee P.I. who lives in a shabby trailer as a squatter in beach restaurant parking lot? That Jim Rockford? Commenting on responsible, mature lifestyle? Sure. Good call. Because his fictional opinion validates living a consumer-oriented lifestyle that clings mindlessly to the present path of materialism that is using up the planet's resources at near double the rate our earth can sustain for human survival.

Excellent reference.

[user_id]

When you're young, spend at lot of time at work, spend your free time out in the city.....really what point is there in spending a much of money for your own place? Its just basically a place to sleep at that point.

In the US homes have become one of people's primary status symbol, so what is at issue here is that there are some people that make enough to play the game but are opting-out. That bothers some people...apparently.

I make much more than these google kids and I wouldn't mind living in a RV if I was single, etc.

[neutrino78x]

$100k is more than enough to rent a room in an apartment for $800 a month or so in San Jose/Silicon Valley.

The reason they're in the parking lot is because Google is cool enough to let them, not because it is the only thing they can afford.