Life In 19x19

I'm originally from a small town in Michigan, USA. I went to college and grad school there, and moved out to Silicon Valley in California. I work as a programmer.

Things are OK here, but it is really expensive to buy a house. I'm not interested in making huge amounts of money, and I kind of just want to find a place with cheaper real estate so we can "settle down".

I've heard that it's a tradeoff, though. If I move to a cheaper place, it might be harder to have an IT job compared to Silicon Valley, where there are a lot of tech jobs.

So what do you guys think? Are there any cool places with cheaper real estate, still having a lot of places to work?

I also considered going back to school for a phd, but doing that seems like it'd delay a house purchase, too...

I can go on the record to say that Florida sucks.

Michigan is beautiful and has a reasonable cost of living, but finding a job there right now is not easy. I'd move back if it weren't for the economy.

fwiffo wrote:I can go on the record to say that Florida sucks.

Michigan is beautiful and has a reasonable cost of living, but finding a job there right now is not easy. I'd move back if it weren't for the economy.

My experience is that every place is approximately the same.
Where prices are cheaper, salaries are less as well, so that events out. The average standard of living is comparable for the same kinds of jobs.

Question is: are there jobs for you everywhere? I dunno.
If there are, then the question is: where would you like to live?

Bantari wrote:If there are, then the question is: where would you like to live?

That is, indeed, the question... That, along with, "What do I want to do?"...

I guess I need to just think for awhile.

I can say, Texas is not a bad place, from the jobs-versus-cost perspective. It's certainly cheaper to live in than California, and Dallas is supposedly the second-largest technology corridor in the country. So there are a reasonable amount of jobs and living is cheaper. The downside is, Texas is wide, flat, and hot. There are some nice things here, but nobody really wants to come here for sightseeing or anything.

Are you asking US or worldwide?

No one has mentioned the Pacific Northwest yet: Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; or Vancouver, BC All are really nice places to live and at least Portland and Seattle have plenty of IT jobs. Myself I'd pick Vancouver and get out of this uncivilized country.

If you're talking about high costs of living and "settling down," you can cross NYC off the list.

My vote is Boulder, Colorado. Dallas can be okay. Austin maybe.

"The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there"

"As long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself."

Kirby wrote:
I also considered going back to school for a phd, but doing that seems like it'd delay a house purchase, too...

A PhD? That's a good way to _not_ get a job...

I work out of my home, so I have the advantage of being able to live anywhere. I have to admit, after many years of living in cities, it's great to live in the country.

Step # 1: Think of something clever to say to convince Kirby to move to Las Vegas

Step # 2: Hassle him for teaching games and Go lessons.

Step # 3: Shodan!

A Ph.D. opens some doors but closes other doors. You'd be overqualified for quite a number of jobs. From a jobs or financial perspective, I don't think Ph.D. is a good idea. However, if academia and research is your goal, then Ph.D. is often a prerequisite. In the end, it boils down to what you want to do.

I assume the discussion is U.S. centric. As I have yet to step onto U.S. soil except for transiting in airports (but will soon), I cannot comment on the best place to live. However, depending on what you mean by "good", I might want to second Vancouver.

gowan wrote:No one has mentioned the Pacific Northwest yet: Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; or Vancouver, BC All are really nice places to live and at least Portland and Seattle have plenty of IT jobs.

On the plus side, if you move to Seattle you can play at The Seattle Go Center six days a week . One the down side, you will be playing against all of the other unemployed programmers who live here .

There are a lot of tech jobs on th I5 corridor, but there are also a lot of people looking for tech jobs. I think cost of living and job opportunities for Seattle and Vancouver are probably comparable to the Valley. Portland cost of living is a bit less, but jobs are just as scarce.

I think you should decide just where you want to "settle down" and why, and then figure out what it will take to live there.

Kirby wrote:I'm originally from a small town in Michigan, USA. I went to college and grad school there, and moved out to Silicon Valley in California. I work as a programmer.

Things are OK here, but it is really expensive to buy a house. I'm not interested in making huge amounts of money, and I kind of just want to find a place with cheaper real estate so we can "settle down".

I've heard that it's a tradeoff, though. If I move to a cheaper place, it might be harder to have an IT job compared to Silicon Valley, where there are a lot of tech jobs.

So what do you guys think? Are there any cool places with cheaper real estate, still having a lot of places to work?

I also considered going back to school for a phd, but doing that seems like it'd delay a house purchase, too...

India. But you have to be quick...

tj86430 wrote:Are you asking US or worldwide?

I've lived mostly in the US, but I'm not necessarily limited to it. I spent a year in Japan, and enjoyed it a lot. I don't know how feasible it is for me to "settle down" there, though, considering that it might be harder to get a job.

However, I'm open to other countries, especially if I am mistaken about this.