WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA

[Anonymous]

If you had the opportunity to move to the Bay Area (around silicon valley) for an increase in longer term work opportunities, but would need to leave family help (one set of grandparents) behind, would you do it?

A few stats:
2 kids, school age
Spouse can move states with no impact on career, bay area could be a net benefit
Comp would get adjusted for new location, but no immediate promotion for the move. However, long term opportunities exist which don't in VA

Pros:
-Better outdoors lifestyle
-Better career opportunities
-Better weather

Cons:
-Leaving family and friends
-Higher housing costs and taxes

What did I miss? What would you do?

TIA

[Anonymous]

Op here. One more stat - $900k HHI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you had the opportunity to move to the Bay Area (around silicon valley) for an increase in longer term work opportunities, but would need to leave family help (one set of grandparents) behind, would you do it?

A few stats:
2 kids, school age
Spouse can move states with no impact on career, bay area could be a net benefit
Comp would get adjusted for new location, but no immediate promotion for the move. However, long term opportunities exist which don't in VA

Pros:
-Better outdoors lifestyle
-Better career opportunities
-Better weather

Cons:
-Leaving family and friends
-Higher housing costs and taxes

What did I miss? What would you do?

TIA

You forgot fires, earthquakes, higher cost of living

[Anonymous]

I’d be very hesitant for no salary increase and no promotion and leaving family. But depends on how big the career opportunity is…

[Anonymous]

I just did this same thing but to Seattle. We love it! Expensive but make more to offset. Net benefits to all in the family.

[Anonymous]

If you make $900k I think you should live wherever you want to live and not worry about needing an increase in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. One more stat - $900k HHI

I was going to say no ... but at that HHI yes I might. You will need to plan on private school, high food and fuel costs, smaller house for the money. Eldercare issues / travel costs related to the grandparents.
And yes, fire (including days of smoke from far away fires) and earthquake insurance or self insurance: when looking for housing, think about evacuation routes, fire-resistant construction, and also how reliable is your water source because drought - which has always been a consideration - is going to turn into a political issue.

I'm from the Bay Area and my family is there, so I have personal reasons to live there - but I live in VA, instead, because it offers me a better quality of life for my salary, which is much lower than yours. The fires scare me and the Bay Area has become more crowded, rich, and pretentious than when I was a kid there. You will need to keep an eye on your kids' mental health because their peers will be intense.

Also, if you move there and still call it Cali, they throw you back over the border to Nevada. That's just the rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just did this same thing but to Seattle. We love it! Expensive but make more to offset. Net benefits to all in the family.

OP here - thanks for your reply. Can you tell me more? Did you leave family behind? Have your kids enjoyed the move?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. One more stat - $900k HHI

I was going to say no ... but at that HHI yes I might. You will need to plan on private school, high food and fuel costs, smaller house for the money. Eldercare issues / travel costs related to the grandparents.
And yes, fire (including days of smoke from far away fires) and earthquake insurance or self insurance: when looking for housing, think about evacuation routes, fire-resistant construction, and also how reliable is your water source because drought - which has always been a consideration - is going to turn into a political issue.

I'm from the Bay Area and my family is there, so I have personal reasons to live there - but I live in VA, instead, because it offers me a better quality of life for my salary, which is much lower than yours. The fires scare me and the Bay Area has become more crowded, rich, and pretentious than when I was a kid there. You will need to keep an eye on your kids' mental health because their peers will be intense.

Also, if you move there and still call it Cali, they throw you back over the border to Nevada. That's just the rules.

OP here - hilarious on the Cali point, I deserved that.

Do you think the pressure cooker environment for kids is more than in the DMV? I worry about my kids here with the high amounts of wealth they are exposed to and high pressure at school.

Do you think you'll ever go back to the Bay Area?

[Anonymous]

To be honest earthquakes are what keeps me out of that area. They don’t hit often but when they do well. Fires are secondary. I have been thinking of moving there for years since grew up there but wouldn’t want my kids to go through a large earthquake like I did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you had the opportunity to move to the Bay Area (around silicon valley) for an increase in longer term work opportunities, but would need to leave family help (one set of grandparents) behind, would you do it?

A few stats:
2 kids, school age
Spouse can move states with no impact on career, bay area could be a net benefit
Comp would get adjusted for new location, but no immediate promotion for the move. However, long term opportunities exist which don't in VA

Pros:
-Better outdoors lifestyle
-Better career opportunities
-Better weather

Cons:
-Leaving family and friends
-Higher housing costs and taxes

What did I miss? What would you do?

TIA

Hey OP, we are in a similar situation as you and decided to make the move to Silicon Valley for better career trajectories. I think it’s a net positive, especially with your income. We have family in CA, and no one here in DMV so that played into our calculus. Leaving friends will be hard but that comes with any move. Bay Area is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful areas of the country, especially if you enjoy being outdoors as a family.

Our HHI is a little lower than yours, so private will not be an option. What area in the Penninsula are you looking at? We are trying to find an area with good publics but nothing too pressure cooker. Best of luck, curious where you land!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you had the opportunity to move to the Bay Area (around silicon valley) for an increase in longer term work opportunities, but would need to leave family help (one set of grandparents) behind, would you do it?

A few stats:
2 kids, school age
Spouse can move states with no impact on career, bay area could be a net benefit
Comp would get adjusted for new location, but no immediate promotion for the move. However, long term opportunities exist which don't in VA

Pros:
-Better outdoors lifestyle
-Better career opportunities
-Better weather

Cons:
-Leaving family and friends
-Higher housing costs and taxes

What did I miss? What would you do?

TIA

California schools really suck, especially compared to Virginia schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. One more stat - $900k HHI

I was going to say no ... but at that HHI yes I might. You will need to plan on private school, high food and fuel costs, smaller house for the money. Eldercare issues / travel costs related to the grandparents.
And yes, fire (including days of smoke from far away fires) and earthquake insurance or self insurance: when looking for housing, think about evacuation routes, fire-resistant construction, and also how reliable is your water source because drought - which has always been a consideration - is going to turn into a political issue.

I'm from the Bay Area and my family is there, so I have personal reasons to live there - but I live in VA, instead, because it offers me a better quality of life for my salary, which is much lower than yours. The fires scare me and the Bay Area has become more crowded, rich, and pretentious than when I was a kid there. You will need to keep an eye on your kids' mental health because their peers will be intense.

Also, if you move there and still call it Cali, they throw you back over the border to Nevada. That's just the rules.

OP here - hilarious on the Cali point, I deserved that.

Do you think the pressure cooker environment for kids is more than in the DMV? I worry about my kids here with the high amounts of wealth they are exposed to and high pressure at school.

Do you think you'll ever go back to the Bay Area?

The schools in California, even the "good" ones, are a mess. The quality is surprisingly sub par, especially given all of the tech talent there.

Northern California is so beautiful, but the schools are universally terrible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you had the opportunity to move to the Bay Area (around silicon valley) for an increase in longer term work opportunities, but would need to leave family help (one set of grandparents) behind, would you do it?

A few stats:
2 kids, school age
Spouse can move states with no impact on career, bay area could be a net benefit
Comp would get adjusted for new location, but no immediate promotion for the move. However, long term opportunities exist which don't in VA

Pros:
-Better outdoors lifestyle
-Better career opportunities
-Better weather

Cons:
-Leaving family and friends
-Higher housing costs and taxes

What did I miss? What would you do?

TIA

Hey OP, we are in a similar situation as you and decided to make the move to Silicon Valley for better career trajectories. I think it’s a net positive, especially with your income. We have family in CA, and no one here in DMV so that played into our calculus. Leaving friends will be hard but that comes with any move. Bay Area is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful areas of the country, especially if you enjoy being outdoors as a family.

Our HHI is a little lower than yours, so private will not be an option. What area in the Penninsula are you looking at? We are trying to find an area with good publics but nothing too pressure cooker. Best of luck, curious where you land!

OP here - looking at Los Altos/Palo Alto/Mountain View. We need to commute to Sunnyvale / Mountainview. Was looking at Burlingame, but might be too far?

[Anonymous]

I think this area has more pros than you realize but it’s difficult to quantify. If you are in tech maybe give it a try but realize it’s maybe not that different in day to day. There are probably differences in schools. Easier access to Hawaii is a plus!