Ask HN: Where should I move to maximize my career potential?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=531353

by ncarlson • 17 years ago

7 16 17 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Hi everyone,

I'm coming to a turning point in my life. I'll be graduating from university soon, and I'm looking forward to moving to a more hacker friendly city with brighter prospects. My question to the community here is... if you were in my position, which city would you choose?

Some background information: I'm a bit of a laggard in graduating, being that I'm 25. I spent two years abroad in Japan, and upon entering university, switched majors more than once. However, my time has been well spent, working on various software projects.

I live near Boulder right now, but I'm originally from Detroit. While the Boulder/Denver area is certainly in a better position than Detroit in terms of tech related jobs, I feel that there are better cities out there.

Here are some cities and locations I'm considering:

* Chicago

* New York

* SF Bay Area

* Seattle

* Boston

* Houston/Austin

From a lifestyle and interests standpoint, any of these cities are acceptable. However, my gut tells me that the SF Bay Area is where I should really be. Some of my tech proficiencies are a bit esoteric (read: Erlang). So I think that given the large concentration of tech related companies in the SF area, the probability of me finding a suitable job there would be greater than that in a different city. I could be totally wrong though.

What do you think?

Thanks for the help.

vaksel• 17 years ago

If you want to work with the web, SF Bay Area hands down. + its the shortest move for you

tokenadult• 17 years ago

http://paulgraham.com/startuphubs.html

Yes, I think the SF Bay Area is the credited response here.

earl• 17 years ago

I've lived and worked at startups in both NYC and SF. It isn't even a contest. The amount of startup activity, the character of the companies (ie are the founders left in charge or do you have to have a Harvard MBA to pass muster with the VCs), the ecosystem surrounding the companies, cheaper housing, the ability to move between companies (you mostly can't enforce non-competes in CA) -- come to SF. Oh, and the weather.

Paul Graham will give you the same answer in a much more detailed form -- go read it.

wdr1• 17 years ago

I'm from Chicago (and still consider it home), but without question, California is the place to be. I moved west 10 years ago and it's been a fun ride.

noodle• 17 years ago

if everything else is equal, SF bay area. if you have other considerations that do have sway beyond brazen careerism, then that might change things. or it might not.

anamax5• 17 years ago

While SV is a reasonable answer, why isn't Japan on your list?

ncarlson3• 17 years ago

Tokyo is on my list. But it seems to have taken a back seat for the moment.

Getting a working visa in Japan is rather difficult (unless your an English teacher or highly sought executive). The process basically boils down to a company deciding to sponsor a foreign applicant.

I had plans on moving to Japan on a 90 day tourist visa once I graduated. I would use those 90 days to pound the pavement of Tokyo looking for a job. Obviously, given this small window of opportunity, I'd need to make sure to have all my cards in order. My success would depend on the strength of my resume as well as the health of the job market in Tokyo.

At this point, neither are where I want them to be. In addition to that, I've only passed JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) Level 2. I need to pass Level 1 before I am considered fluent. Thankfully, most of the cities I'm considering moving to have not only thriving Japanese communities, but also proctor the JLPT once a year.

So yes, sometime in the future I would like to eventually move back to Tokyo. But at the moment I don't see that happening.

anamax5• 17 years ago

> I need to pass Level 1 before I am considered fluent.

Is being considered fluent important compared to being fluent enough to do what you need to do?

menloparkbum3• 17 years ago

If you aren't Japanese, Japan is not a good place to further your career.

anamax5• 17 years ago

One of my friends who has made it "biggest" in SV spent a couple of years working in Japan. He thinks that those years helped him a lot.

ncarlson3• 17 years ago

Why? I disagree.

If you go over there to teach English or engage in an unrelated job, sure, it's not a healthy career move. But there are plenty of large multinational companies working out of Tokyo.

Ask HN: Where should I move to maximize my career potential?

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