Joined Facebook pre-IPO and still can't make it in the bay area

1

I found this pretty interesting

FTFA:
“My point with this is not to be a sob story, but to tell you that for a lower-mid-range worker, sometimes your dream job can’t make up for the cost of living in the Bay Area. It can easily work for a single 20- or 30-something with no family and a few roommates, and they can prosper greatly from it if they’re able to save responsibly. Especially for those that have basic needs that can be simply attended to by a company’s excellent benefits packages that include meals, laundry, and transportation. But for a person with a family of four who has a certain lifestyle that they want to try to maintain (a nice-ish $40,000 car, the ability to go out once a month and leave the kids with a sitter, a house that wasn’t last remodeled in ’70s, etc.), it can be difficult.”

You could blame him for wasting money on a fancy car. You could also blame him for wanting to live in a house that is up-to-date (a rarity in the bay area). However, I think the point is that he can get all of that (and more) by just moving elsewhere. Why suffer in the valley when you can thrive in the desert of arizona?

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This was added to another thread. Housing was still pretty low in 2012. Instead of cashing out for a down payment, he started to cash out to pay rent. Cashing out equity to cover monthly bills is crazy. If the stock goes down or your grants get smaller, then you’re screwed.

It’ll be interesting how his career fairs long-term. In my experience, the satellite offices are usually the hardest hit when layoffs occur. It doesn’t sound like he cares about advancement, so maybe it is better to leave.

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Yeah, I just noticed that and replied in the other thread. Sorry for the dup.