Sort of Off topic, We are seeing alot of the engineers (software types mostly) who don't already own homes (this is in North L.A. area), leave for Bigger San Jose firms. You Engineering types Down in SD seeing this as well. I guess there is no advantage anymore to staying down here at the moment.

.. Tech is back in the bay area. I've been getting calls from headhunters offering positions. Talked to a few of them, got a few offers for the hell of it,..Found out all are all well funded startups that offered 20-30k more than what I make down here, and the current company I work for isn't exactly paying shabby. If i didn't have a family to consider, I'd move back there because I really miss the rush. Now, the hires are different now. It seems like they're looking for more higher level engineer types (architects/designers/system folks), because most of the grunt work is oversees, but that's just what I've been seeing.

The issue is that most of the tech industries here in SD are big companies with limited growth..And things move slow here. I guess working at these big bloated companies means you'll be content to see at most a 2-3% raise, and see a promotion if the guy above you dies or gets fired, because there's not much lateral or upward movement among companies here. Fortunately, I work for a company that is decent (non-defense/non-telco), so it's alright (for now)….