Ennui.
Cost of living is an issue, too.
But the biggest reason not to move to Silicon Valley is the size of the tech pond.
For many of us, perhaps it’s better to be happy as a top engineer, or a great sales executive, in a market that isn’t overloaded with top tech talent.
- You’ll never feel like you are the best, except maybe, if you really crush it, and even then, for relatively brief moments of time.
- You’ll always see founders, VCs, VPs, and more seemingly living a better life, in better start-ups, with more TechCrunch coverage, than you.
- You’ll see huge successes pop-up seemingly out of nowhere and wonder why it wasn’t you. How many folks worked at Instagram and WhatsApp, again??!
- You’ll kill yourself to get to the top and realize it’s just as competitive there as anywhere.
- Your kids will be surrounded by prodigies who have a perfect SAT score in 3d grade, are Olympic-grade athletes in 4th grade, and are interning at AirBnb by 5th grade. Or at least, it will seem like it.
- Most start-ups are constantly at the edge of failing. Even unicorns.
- Each quarter you have to hit a much, much bigger number than last quarter. Forever.
- You’ll finally get that 1% as a VP in a company that IPOs, and realize, it’s not even quite enough to buy the house you thought you wanted. A decamillionaire in Silicon Valley is like a millionaire in the real world.
The reason to come to SF and Silicon Valley in internet/tech is because it has the highest concentration of successful companies, infrastructure, and talent in the world (arguments about China aside).
If you need that, come here.
If you want it, come here.
Otherwise.
Maybe be a bigger fish in a smaller pond. In a much bigger house, too.
