DC Native Considering Job in Silicon Valley while Living in SF (San Jose: 2014, to rent)

[rich blackman]

Hello!

I browsed through the forums and got a good sense of what to expect and the board's willingness to help out. I am a 23 (soon to be 24) year old single male and was recently offered a position with Google and am inclined to accept however I'm concerned about living out in the bay area. I spent my whole life either in or living right outside of DC and couldn't imagine living far away from a major city. If I decide to accept the position I decided the only place I would want to live in is San Francisco (my two great loves in life are music and food). Unfortunately for me it seems as though I would have to take a pay cut (mid sixties to mid fifties) as part of the offer which is where things get a bit sticky. I'm used to being out every weekend, dining at the better DC restaurants, having a few too many drinks with friends, catching a show at the 9:30 Club, and being to the go-to person for weekend fun ideas. I realize that I won't be able to enjoy the same luxuries that I do back home but I'd appreciate guidance on the following:

Is it possible/worth it to live in the city with a mid 50s salary?
What kind of living accommodations could I realistically expect? (I've been looking at studios)
What types of neighborhoods would be best for me? (I'd really prefer to avoid Tenderloin)
Dating in DC blows, how does it compare in the bay area? (I'm hetero if it matters)
Would there be any point in bringing my car? (Part of the SF appeal is the fact that I'd be making use of Google's shuttles and could use that money elsewhere)

Sorry if this isn't coherent, it's late here and I'm exhausted.

Thanks!

[Ruth4Truth]

Why would you want to leave that lifestyle in DC? Why is the only offer you can get significantly less than what you're paid now?

Dating is way better around the Bay. No, you wouldn't need a car, though others may disagree. But it's definitely possible to live in the Bay Area without a car.

[Shadow Dude]

It sounds like the real value of your salary is better in DC then it would be out here. To answer your questions:

1.)Extremely hard, kiss goodbye to going out at night
2.)A studio, or a cardboard box
3.)Somewhere cheap, like the tenderloin.
4.)Dating is good here. Many lifestyles equals many different types of women.
5.)Yes, you'll come across multiple situations where having personal transportation is beneficial.

Contrary to what you may believe, just because it's called the SF Bay Area doesn't mean that SF is the only major city. Personally a more accurate name would be the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Bay Area but that's too wordy. There are three major cities in the Bay Area so you're never too far from a major city. Commuting from SF to Google is a pretty decent stretch down 101. I'd look elsewhere than SF to make your money go farther. You could rent an entire house in some cities around the Bay Area for what it costs to rent a studio in SF.

[cardinal2007]

Originally Posted by rich blackman

Hello!

Is it possible/worth it to live in the city with a mid 50s salary?
What kind of living accommodations could I realistically expect? (I've been looking at studios)
What types of neighborhoods would be best for me? (I'd really prefer to avoid Tenderloin)
Dating in DC blows, how does it compare in the bay area? (I'm hetero if it matters)
Would there be any point in bringing my car? (Part of the SF appeal is the fact that I'd be making use of Google's shuttles and could use that money elsewhere)

Sorry if this isn't coherent, it's late here and I'm exhausted.

Thanks!

1. At that salary, some people do it, but honestly I would say no, I would just live in one of the nearby suburbs and go to the city when you need to go to the city. Even with roommates, you would be lucky to have your share at less than $1100/mo

2. If you want to live by yourself, I would say you would be in a neighborhood known for it's crime, or for being way out of the way, one of the things about public transit here is that it takes almost as long to get from outer sunset to AT&T Park, as from Palo Alto to AT&T park, Muni is kind of slow. It would have to be a tiny studio, fairly outdated, if you live with roommates your options for places go up significantly, will probably have to split a 3bd or above though.

3. Depends on your tastes and trade-offs, personally I would go with the inner sunset if I had to pick, as a compromise between there being something to do, and the rents, but it really depends on how you value trade-offs, crime, possible need for a car sometimes, how long it takes to get to certain places using public transit, on a cab, how hard is it to get a cab, and so on.

4. Ouch man, all I can tell you is that dating in the Bay Area for straight males is more work, but I don't really have much experience, I'm bi, and I've have had very little luck getting dates with women. The DC area has single women outnumbering single men by significant margin, most of the Bay Area is the other way.

5. Depends on the neighborhood, but it would be a hassle in some ways in most neighborhoods.

Best of luck to you, I'm originally from the DC suburbs myself, Fairfax County.

[bobby_guz_man]

Umm...not to be offensive or anything...but Google is paying you in the mid-50's, salary-wise? That's pretty damn impossible. That's frankly too low for that company (even for fresh-out-of-school grads)....

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by bobby_guz_man

Umm...not to be offensive or anything...but Google is paying you in the mid-50's, salary-wise? That's pretty damn impossible. That's frankly too low for that company (even for fresh-out-of-school grads)....

Yeah.

I don't know anyone at Google(and I know a lot of people there) who make anywhere near that low.

That's way lower than the average salary in the San Jose Metro which is $94,000, highest in the entire country.

The latest salary data from the US Commerce Dept, Bureau of Labor Statistics:


Stay in DC, apparently what you do there is worth more in DC than in the Bay Area.

[skyao]

No not really. Google is known to be pay below market especially for non-engineers. Google takes advantage of the fact that alot of people want to work for them, especially non technical types..

For certain jobs at google that could be market. Think junior account managers, sales, operations, finance etc...

Originally Posted by bobby_guz_man

Umm...not to be offensive or anything...but Google is paying you in the mid-50's, salary-wise? That's pretty damn impossible. That's frankly too low for that company (even for fresh-out-of-school grads)....

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by skyao

No not really. Google is known to be pay below market especially for non-engineers. Google takes advantage of the fact that alot of people want to work for them, especially non technical types..

For certain jobs at google that could be market. Think junior account managers, sales, operations, finance etc...

Er,
Google Has The Highest Average Salaries In The Tech Industry: $141,000 - Business Insider

[galtor3]

Are you black male? Does demographics come into this decision?

[skyao]

again these are averages. Your article doesnt mean that people dont make $50K at google. The article also includes engineering and executive salaries. I bet if you segment these by age, level, and business segment you would see some employees get paid a lot less than others..

For example my cousin works as a paralegal at google. I dont think he makes anywhere close to $141,000 or else he wouldnt be living at home with his parents.

Have you ever worked at a major tech company? The reputation of google among the major tech companies is that their engineers could be paid more elsewhere (salary + stock) but choose google because of its reputation and brand. I am talking all in comp including stock options and restricted stock, where google is notoriously stingy.

I would argue that most of those google engineers could make more at other companies if they chose to leave. Google knows it has the reputation as a great place to work so it can underpay its engineers (who are top notch and from the best schools) relative to their demand. It's actually a very smart policy as those perks such as food, etc are miniscule compared to the extra time people spend at work.

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

Er,
Google Has The Highest Average Salaries In The Tech Industry: $141,000 - Business Insider