Am I missing out in my 20s living in South Bay instead of SF?

3 points by fishmeat 211 days ago | 7 comments

I've been living in South Bay for work (tech/AI) and family/relative (cheap rent, lower cost of living, convenience). I want to eventually settle down and get my own house in the Bay because my family lives here but torn between living and working in SF short term vs South Bay.

SF pros:

- Bigger AI scene, younger people, more cool network and job opportunities at the frontier of AI

SF cons:

- Low WLB, 996 culture, most likely I get paid in paper money, low safety, higher cost, further from family, traffic and parking sucks, SFH prices are insane.

South Bay pros:

- Very good WLB and family first culture, a lot safer neighborhoods, still in Bay Area, decent selection of AI opportunities, lower cost, close to family.

South Bay cons:

- Less young people, further from the heart of AI, more stable Big Tech opportunities also mean slower career and network growth, traffic sucks, SFH are also pricey.

Anyone with experience in both areas can comment? Is my FOMO justified?

k310 211 days ago |

I lived in the South Bay and East Bay a total of 30 years (wow)

I had jobs in Sunnyvale and Palo Alto and when I got a Berkeley job, moved to the east bay. During my stay there, I had jobs in Berkeley, San Francisco, and Pleasanton (Sun had a nice office there).

I later joined a startup whose CEO kept moving the office every time he moved his home. Count that as a mistake.

But from the east bay, I BART'ed to both Berkeley and San Francisco, which beat the daylights out of commuting by auto.

Having a family, SF was never an option. Now that I'm retired, I might just wait for the "AI-Pocalypse" and move to SF. (yeah, beware of that. Those billions have not produced revenue, and who knows if they ever will?)

fishmeat 211 days ago | |

How would you compare the tech job options in East Bay vs South Bay? What about working hours?

> But from the east bay, I BART'ed to both Berkeley and San Francisco, which beat the daylights out of commuting by auto.

Would you say this is more true for hybrid arrangement or also for full RTO?

k310 211 days ago | | |

At the time, companies were moving to Pleasanton etc. but later pulled back or cancelled. Tech had barely begun to take over SF from south bay roots. And WFH was only for a consulting gig I had in Campbell 32 miles away.

I'd have to ask my son in law about current conditions, and I'll pass this thread along to him for comment.

East Bay homes were more affordable than either SF or SB.

I can't say why the apparent migration was to SF and not eastward. While working at the Sun office in Pleasanton, it was a reverse commute, only hampered by sun angles. But we visited customers, so it was a split between flex office (with Sunrays) and NorCal travel.

Passing this along. Kids live in the East Bay.

zippyman55 211 days ago |

Work closer to home is my advice. I spent way too much time doing long commutes and the lack of time to exercise and also eat right gets you later. South Bay is way more affordable, and more stable companies. Its easier to visit SF on your own schedule. Also, South Bay has lots of other places to visit, drop over the hill to Santa Cruz, Monterey, as well as Napa and San Francisco. If the is an AI-Pocalypse, SF will be hit hard.

brianhama 211 days ago |

I prefer living in the South Bay, but almost all my friends prefer living in SF. I tried living in SF for one year and came running back to Palo Alto. I’d say, just try it.

andsoitis 211 days ago |

Just move to SF and try it out. If it turns out it isn’t for you you can just move out again.

sema4hacker 211 days ago |

AI is a bubble. Don't count on it for anything.

Let's assume you work 8 hrs/day, sleep 8 hrs/day, and do everything else in the remaining 8 hrs/day. So work is half your waking hours. Decide which is more important to you: the 8 hrs of work or the 8 hrs of everything else, and choose your location accordingly.

You're never going to be with fewer obligations and responsibilities than in your 20's, so now is the best time to experiment. When I was in my 20's, my job and location changed every 2 to 3 years, so anything I decided didn't turn out to be permanent anyway.

Don't overthink it, and do what makes you happy.