As a Software Engineer, Do I Move to the East Coast From San Francisco? What’s the Difference?

Are you thinking about moving from San Francisco to the East Coast to pursue your career in software engineering? If so, know that there are several aspects that need your attention, and they don’t limit just to your salary. If you plan to make this move, it is best that you determine its pros and cons well in advance.

Where Do You Plan to Go?

Making the decision becomes considerably simpler if you already have a job offer. In case you don’t, you need to identify your options ahead of time. This is because software engineers tend to serve distinct sectors across different East Coast cities.

• Most software engineering jobs in New York relate to servicing the finance industry, which includes names such as Citadel, Jane Street Capital, and Goldman Sachs.
• Jobs in Washington D.C. are mostly government-based.
• Hartford’s software engineers largely cater to the insurance sector.
• In Greenwich, they are typically found working around hedge funds.

What you can notice here is that while software engineering jobs in San Francisco revolve around technology, technology serves as an add-on feature in cities along the East Coast.

The Money

How much money you stand to earn and save as a software engineer might depend on the city to which you move. In a list of 21 cities that find favor with software engineers, Seattle and San Jose take the top two spots when it comes to real earrings. This accounts for income and expenses, while paying due attention to the cost of living. For example, gas is more expensive along the West Coast, and so is the typical cost of home ownership. Washington D.C., Boston, and New York find themselves at the bottom of the list.

When it comes to highest paying salaries, San Francisco takes the lead, followed by San Jose, and New York comes third.

The Weather

Weather across both coasts can vary significantly because of what the Atlantic and Pacific oceans bring. If you’re in New York, you can expect long and very cold winters followed by blazingly hot summers. You can experience all four seasons here in all their glory, with fall making way for some beautiful landscapes.

Weather along the West Coast is typically milder. For instance, South California is warm and sunny almost all through the year, whereas even the northern part does not get very cold in the winters. If you go further north on the West Coast, you’ll experience no more than the occasional snowstorm.

Recreation

The West Coast offers great diversity when it comes to taking a break. You get to choose from a plethora of beaches, driving routes, national parks, and hiking spots. While the East Coast is mainly mountainous, it still has some great national parks.

The Other Differences

Here are some other differences that might warrant your attention in case you plan to move eastward.

• The West Coast is more politically liberal than the East Coast.
• New York City beats San Francisco when it comes to public transportation.
• The West Coast is better at recycling its waste.
• The East Coast is typically more fast-paced than the leisurely West Coast.
• Cities in the east are more compact than their western counterparts — think New York.
• If New York has theatre and fashion, San Francisco is famous for its music and museums.

Conclusion

You can make the most of moving to the East Coast from San Francisco if you know exactly what you’re after. However, determining just how your move might affect your future prospects is crucial. Switching back from a government-based tech job that involves little innovation to a completely tech-based company later in life might not be easy, after all.