Edit: by salary I meant total income including RSUs, the salary is also much better but obviously not 10x.
It looks like I am will be going with London, purely based on clarity of visa procedure. But my heart is torn about giving up on California.
I work as a self-employed IT Consultant, and I already make like top US salaries in Nordics. I will be moving my company to UK. Compensation-vise, I am fine either way.
I feel like, in London, I will miss the summer weather, mountanuous nature...and end up going for vacations down south in Europe to compensate. Whereas in Califorina, you live in the right climate & nature if you like that.
Would you say other advantages (public transport, european nice city arch., close to other european centers) in London weigh heavier than climate/nature part?
Have you a sense of which US visa you would qualify for? Most people don’t qualify for a US work visa from outside the US. Folks are often surprised to learn this. If you’re considering moving to the US the first step is to figure out what visa you could get, otherwise it will just be disappointment when you’ve invested in the idea of moving and then realized later it’s not possible legally.
Asking as a London-based dev who'd love to work in the US, how did the lifestyle differ? What did you like about London and DF, and what don't you like?
Living down in the Bay Area: - long uber (or car and no drinking) drive any time you want to go out in the city.
- lack of diversity in terms of what ppl do for living, almost everybody does something tech related and we are sadly rarely a party starter type :)
- high rent if you want a nice apartment or a house
- if you are single guy dating life is a real survival of the fittest here, not that it's impossible but it definitely puts you in more desperate mindset than most other places
San Francisco:
- Used to have to drive 40-50 min to work everyday but that's no longer the case due to covid
- To be honest for me it's just too dirty and dangerous. I originally came from Central Europe so even London was a bit gross with all the trash piles around restaurants etc. for me but SF is a whole another level. The things you see on the streets here take some time to get used too. I am a fairly large dude so I get to avoid allot of things but my girlfriend had mentally ill folks throw needles at her, chase her with a lighter trying to set her hair on fire. Not that you cannot have fun here but you eventually learn to Uber straight to your destination, no walking around just exploring like you would do in Europe.
What I loved about London and Europe in general is relative safety + public transport combo. No need to plan everything out, no need to worry if you gonna drive/how much you can drink, no need to be on guard several times a night when something weird happens around you.
Edit: Just so I am not only listing negatives. There is allot of cool things you can do here.
Skydiving, paragliding are super common in California and weather is great for those type of sports. Water sports like surfing, kite surfing. There is some beautiful nature around so if you like hiking you won't be bored for a while. Tahoe is close so in the winter you can go sking multiple times a year with only a 3-4 hour drive. Money you make here will allow you to travel more than any other place.