Uh - remote? I've spent most of my professional life working from home.
With some extra effort, you can earn an SV salary but live in an area that has a very un-SV cost of living.
Traffic isn't an issue either.
You can network remotely. You can build companies remotely. You can even find investors remotely.
A few people are doing this already. More and more will in future.
(Are we really supposed to believe it's always better to build Internet companies in meatspace? Hmmm.)
I know there are downsides to remote working. Guess what? There are epic, catastrophic downsides to working in SV meatspace too.
I'm looking forward to the day a few decades from now when what's left of SV gets turned into a museum, while the rest of the planet gets on with doing cool fun stuff... elsewhere.
Do you really think working remotely is anywhere nearly as stable as working as a doctor? I'm asking honestly. If I were convinced that it were, I'd consider that path. But most companies I've been involved with have clearly preferred developers to actively be part of the office (I guess I need to actively seek out the exceptions), and the areas I would like to live in aren't necessarily ones I'd want to find myself unemployed in (due to lack of technology companies -- I'd either have to find another remote job or uproot my whole life).
I'm also not confident at all on the longevity of most software companies. Part of me does not feel comfortable growing roots somewhere while working for a company that I don't expect to survive the course of even my own career, with very few other local options to fall back on.
Also, for what it's worth, I really do enjoy physically being around coworkers and interacting with people. The lack of interaction is one of the things that bothers me with software development. I think, if I worked remotely, I'd have to start a family just to keep myself feeling connected to the world.
Honest question: how does one get started working remotely? I understand that it's easy to keep finding remote work once you've already done a few remote gigs. But how do you break in?
Either you apply to a remote job - there are plenty here on the monthly "who's hiring" threads. Or you get your current company to allow it as part of negotiations. An annual review makes a good setting - ask for a big raise, then offer working from home as an alternative (it'll save me money on my commute, so I won't need the increase).
With some extra effort, you can earn an SV salary but live in an area that has a very un-SV cost of living.
Traffic isn't an issue either.
You can network remotely. You can build companies remotely. You can even find investors remotely.
A few people are doing this already. More and more will in future.
(Are we really supposed to believe it's always better to build Internet companies in meatspace? Hmmm.)
I know there are downsides to remote working. Guess what? There are epic, catastrophic downsides to working in SV meatspace too.
I'm looking forward to the day a few decades from now when what's left of SV gets turned into a museum, while the rest of the planet gets on with doing cool fun stuff... elsewhere.