I don't understand why a software developer would live in San Francisco unless they are making at least $50k more than what they could be earning in a low-cost state such as Texas (well, $50k assumes someone new starting out, can live in a small place, don't have a family, can't live with family, etc...a lot of assumptions). Otherwise, cost of living is just too high. The only benefit to being there is that it's easy to get a new job in case you don't like your current job so people don't get locked in and can move around a lot. They also work for start-ups and hope to become millionaires once their company goes public.
@ET180 People are drawn to the power centers of their industries. If you wanted to do finance, would you go to NY or LA? Same reason why people choose to go to the Bay Area for tech. Austin is a rising location for tech, however.
No, I probably wouldn't necessarily. I'd consider primarily how interested I am in the given job which is dependent on many factors combined with how much I can earn by doing the job (also considering cost of living). But generally to build a career, the jobs that pay the most are also the jobs that are most impressive on the resume (some exceptions in politics...many D.C. jobs don't pay that great, but lead to higher earning potential after) and will help one get an even better next job. I mentioned that there are more opportunities for software engineers in San Francisco, but starting out, there are many jobs that lead to the same career path in other places too.
Because there is an echo system for tech and related jobs in the Bay area and a successful person can leverage this to their advantage...
Sorry, what do you mean by "echo system"? Googling it led me to some wikipedia page for a Russian band.
Oh, I was thinking along the lines of echo-chamber. You might be right. There's certainly more options there than other cities, but I think for a career, experience / previous responsibilities and skills are most important for landing the next job...that's just my speculation though, I don't know for sure.
The starting salary is good, but the emphasis is on *starting* (and *salary*). If an engineer is good, in 3-5 years they can move into another position with a significantly higher salary. They also can start to get perks (such as Options, 401k Matching, which can add up over time). Tech companies also tend to offer other good perks (health care, dental care). And if they move into a startup after 5 years, they can get a much higher salary, plus sign-up bonus. And of course, as mentioned: Working in the bay area gets you a lot of networking to move into other positions of interest (and not just places that pay better, but projects that are actually interesting to work on). An engineer can look at doubling their salary in 10 years if they are good at what they do and have the skills in demand.