Ask HN: Some advice on accepting a job in SF | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Some advice on accepting a job in SF

4 pointslettergram10 comments

In a couple of months I am graduating with a degree in CS, and I have several job offers in SF.

However, after reviewing the rent prices how are you guys doing it? I have a girlfriend and we plan to get married when we graduate, so I am just looking for an apartment for two people, and our cat, 550 - 800 square feet.

Yet, to rent an apartment in a half decent neighborhood or within driving/transit range of my employer is still $2,500 to $3,200 minimum. That's with a 20 - 45 minute commute, and for an apartment building built in the 40's - 70's.

What is this madness?

My offers in SF are for a base salary between $95k - $110k, so clearly I can survive (pretty comfortably), but it limits my savings and I have a school loan (which is $1000+ per month).

I also have other offers around the country ranging from $85k - $100k, but they are more corporate oriented and don't come with some of the nice perks or room for growth/improvement.

Is there some trick I don't know about when moving to SF?

Welcome to the Bay Area. Move to Oakland near a BART station or Alameda if you have a car and want to save money - it's a quick drive to West Oakland BART or the ferry terminal.

In SF I like the Inner or Outer Richmond since it's a quick express bus ride downtown via the 1 on California St and there are good restaurants around. I still occasionally see 2BRs with parking in Outer Richmond for $3400 on Craigslist which is a good deal in this market for SF. I also think Brisbane, CA is underrated depending on your commute and goals. There is a Caltrain stop pretty near. Email me if you have any questions about the area or whatever and I'll buy you a coffee when you get out here.

I can say that if you move here with your skill set you will very probably never want for work and can quickly earn more in a few years or sooner.

Is there much crime in/on Alameda? The prices look great, so unless there is some major draw back, I would probably go there. After looking at it, I could take the ferry or BART from Alameda right to where I would work within 40 minutes which is fine for me.

Thanks for pointing me in that direction!

Nah, not compared to Oakland or SF. It is starting to get more developed but still a bit sleepy. Park street has become pretty built up. Less going on near the webster side but closer to West Oakland BART (any train to SF) and a little bit cheaper probably.

The major drawback is access.

On the west side of Alameda, where I rented a 2BR house for a little under $1500/month, has a ferry terminal and a cramped tunnel. Great if you have a car, want to take the ferry into SF every day, or don't mind the bus.

I worked in downtown Oakland and most of my coworkers lived in west Alameda.

The east side has a few well-maintained, very bike-friendly bridges, but they lead to the East Oakland.

Live in the East Bay. Use BART, Casual Carpool, or AC Transit Transbay buses.

http://sfcasualcarpool.com/

Good candidate locations: in Oakland near Rockridge (safe, nice area & easy commute) or Berkeley (college-town feel). That will usually give ~45m commute (one-way). You can get a place for $1400-$1600 there.

Your alternative is mass-transit. If your work is in reasonable proximity to BART, Caltrain, or a Ferry, then check out where that mass transit leads to and see if you can afford to live there near a station and if you can stand the commute. For BART, Albany, North Berkeley, Rockridge, and El Cerrito are pretty nice places to live. For Ferries, check out Alameda.

Pick your job based on whether the work will be interesting. Perks are just monetary compensation where you get no say in how it is spent. Consider what it would cost to match the perks in terms of out-of-pocket spending, and whether or not you would actually spend the money if it was coming from your pocket.

When evaluating non-SF offers, do consider the value of a short commute, a traffic-free commute, and proximity (or lack thereof) to things you like to do.

I'm also considering a job offer there right now. I'm currently living in Austin with a 5 minute commute to my office. About 10% of my income goes to my mortgage. I just can't imagine how much they will have to pay me to make this worth it.

>Some advice on accepting a job in SF...

Think of SFO as your real-life Grad School. Plan to stay 2-3 years grinding it out, build your professional network, gain experience, see how the other half lives.

Then move back to the Heartland-- raise your family! You'll have tons more options for work/life balance.

Daly City. Westlake Village Apartments. You can get a crummy but livable apartment reasonably close to BART for ~$1800.

nope - expect to spend most of your earnings for the priveledge ;-)

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