It bears mentioning that this "smart nerds are extremely scarce" perspective doesn't apply nearly as much outside of the SF/NYC/Boston areas.
Here in Orange County, for example, the job market for developers is fairly balanced.
Here in Orange County, for example, the job market for developers is fairly balanced.
Many of the developers I talk to in Ann Arbor, for example, are working on 2-3 projects in their spare time, and are constantly being asked to work on more. Ann Arbor isn't exactly one of the big 3 web dev cities, but it still is extremely competitive.