Re: The Truth About Silicon Valley -- Stop the Floodgate!

[jarnopol <jarnopol -at- INTERACCESS -dot- COM>]

Maurice King wroter:
<snip>
>* Housing is exorbitant, but there are affordable places to the east and
>further out. The down side to the affordable housing, however, is that it
>usually means a killer commute, and everybody who addressed this issue said
>the same: commuting is a problem. However, many indicated willingness among
>many employers to permit telecommuting as a solution to the problem.

Welcome to the real world of urban living.  SF, LA, Chicago, Boston,
Minneapolis/St Paul, NY all have the same problems.

>* Food isn't so outrageously expensive, but restaurant dining is.

See above

>* If you're used to an extravagant life style, you'll go through your salary
in record time; there's nothing that different about this anywhere else,
however.

Again, see above.

>* The horror stories that I heard could easily be true for a person who gets
laid off and cannot find another job fairly quickly. Being without a source of
income is a great way to end up on the street.
>* Taxes are high.
>* Gasoline is painfully expensive.
>Several also mentioned that this very subject is now getting plenty of press
>in the San Francisco Chronicle:
<snip>

>This particular article indicated that many psychotherapists and doctors in
>the Bay area have reported that more and more persons are literally suffering
>from ailments related to the financial stress of living in an area in which
>the cost of living is increasing steadily with no respite in sight.
Apparently >the topic has spawned a series of articles, as this one is the
second in a >series.

I think that this can be said for any urban area.  If you spend more than you
earn, and lots of us do, eventually it's going to take its toll.

As for deciding to take or not to take a position in a geographic area with a
lot of high tech jobs, for me at least, there has to be more than just a job
there.  Is making $75K worth leaving friends and family behind?  If I can
afford a nice place to live, can I still afford frequent tickets to the
symphony?  There are tech writing jobs almost everywhere, not just in Silicon
Valley.  Find a city you want to live in or near, then start looking for jobs
there.  Life can be a series of compromises.  Find out what's important, what
your "bottom line" for happiness is and start from there.

Cheers!
jarnopol

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