[quote=AN]BG, you’re hilarious. Comparing a place that would take you 40-60 minutes commute to a place that’s 10-15 minutes from high paying job centers? You should be comparing those bay area places to Temecula if you what to compare apple to apple (i.e. commute time).
I would pick MM over Mt. View any day, purely because of the schools. I’m not sure if $300k is even enough for me to maintain my life style in the bay area. It might end up having to be $400-500k. I expect to have the same living standard when I compare different cities. I don’t care how old an area is. I don’t care if there are a billion jobs in the bay. It doesn’t do me any good if I have to downgrade my living standard. That is what I mean when I expect to be paid $x in order to make me move. Which is why I’m still in SD instead of moving to the bay. I’m sure if I really wanted to, I could find a job up there pretty easily. But why would I want to, when I get better weather here and a much better living standard? I would only want to sacrifice my weather if I can get a better living standard. If I have to sacrifice both weather and living standard, why would I would to another nondescript suburb? I would shoot myself after 1 month if I have to commute 30+ minutes to work. My limit for a sane commute is 20 minutes with no traffic or 10 minutes with traffic. Life is way too short to put yourself through hell. Especially when the working life span of a tech worker is pretty short.
I would also pick Carmel Valley/La Jolla/Del Mar/RSF over Cupertino too. For $3M, I rather have an enclave in RSF or a house with ocean view in La Jolla/Del Mar over a nondescript tract home in Cupertino. But that’s just me.[/quote]
You wouldn’t have a 40-60 min commute if you bought a WWII box in Northern SM County (San Bruno Millbrae, Belmont, Redwood City …. even East Palo Alto) for $700-$900K and moved in, enabling you to eventually position yourself for that $300K salary level you were posting about.
It ain’t going to happen in SD, AN.
I understand all the reasons you cited for wanting to remain in SD earning a (forever) lowered salary. You even forgot to mention your nearby family members to help you with your kid(s). That’s huge!
But, there you have it. Your “peers” in SV have the potential to eventually make 2-3 times your salary but they have to make certain sacrifices to do so. (Namely, remain in smaller, older living quarters and live with relatively high winds for years if they want to be relatively close to work.) You’ve made the choice to stay in your hometown which happens to be in a region with the best climate in America and are willing to pay the price to do so. The price you’re paying is giving up a big portion of your lifetime salary and upward mobility. Fair enough?
I told my kids to NEVER move back to SD for a job and to strive to get themselves established/entrenched where they are (elsewhere in CA where the job opportunities are more plentiful and much higher paying). They know where to find me on TK and X-mas 🙂 I already know and fully understand exactly what SD is and is not and paid the price myself in spades to remain here (and continue to pay the price). Those days are numbered, though.
