Re: FLASH: salary in sf

[Remik]

I'm replying to you via private email - there's been so many responses on

the list that I didn't think to add to it...


I was in your position last year, moving to California.  San Francisco was

my #1 city on the list, and I spent a good 2 weeks in SF driving around,

looking for a house.  I left throughly disappointed - $2000-2500/month would

only afford me an old 2 bedroom house/townhouse in a bad neighborhood - abut

1000 sq foot place.  I literally would start looking and driving at 8am and

drive till 11pm, with short breakes for lunch and dinner.  I subscribed to

two rental agencies services and was buying papers with classifieds daily,

and still couldn't find anything that I would enjoy and be able to call

home.  Now, my standards are not that of a "must have" 5 star hotel with

5000 sq foot house, but anywhere else I used to live, one could get a very

nice, new or virtually new, 3-4 bedroom house in a brand new neighborhood

for under $2000 - no problem.  So this was quite a shock to me - a similar

house in SF area can easily be about $10K/month!!


Anyways, long story short, I moved to Sacramento, about 90 minutes east of

SF.  Quiet city, not exactly San Francisco, but real estate prices were much

more reasonable - 5 bedroom brand new house for $1400/month.  I lived there

for a year now, and am right in the middle of moving to San Diego now.  Got

a new house in the most beautiful neighbourhood, right on a golf course (#9

hole is my back yard), with perfect view, 2700 sq feet, 4 bedrooms - all for

only $2200/month.


Now I don't know whether you are absolutely set on SF and what your standard

of living is, so all this may not apply to you.  Personally, *I* prefer nice

quiet(er) areas with new houses and lots of room around, vs San Francisco's

"spacious 2 bedroom apartments" (read: 625 sq feet total!!).  If you are

just starting in this field, SF may be a fantastic experience - I really

like that city and I used to visit often from Sacramento.  If you don't mind

a little smaller place with couple roommates to split the astronomical cost

of living and enjoy going out a lot (kind of tough to spend all your time at

home when your home is all of 600 sq feet!), then SF may be perfect.  And

there is definitely a lot of different computer companies out there, so

finding a job shouldn't be an issue - assuming you have the skills.

Competition is quite high for the better jobs, but it takes time to get to

the level where you can call your own price.  If you know what you are doing

and are looking for entry level to mid-level positions, the good news is

there's a shortage of qualified people...


If you are looking for a more "reasonable" housing costs...  I'd look

elsewhere.  San Francisco is not cheap by any stretch of imagination - it

was recently voted as more expensive than Manhattan, NY.


Good luck, whatever you decide...  Let me know how things end up :-)


Remik



----- Original Message -----

From: "Olga Nunes" <

olgaonespire [dot] com

>

To: <

flasherchinwag [dot] com

>

Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2000 5:22 PM

Subject: FLASH: salary in sf



> For those of you that live in SF-- I've asked this q before but lost the

> email that had the answer. :)

>

> If I work in San Fran for 50K doing flash development and web design, will

I

> be homeless?

>

> Is 65K/yr more reasonable?  The job is in Santa Clara but I would be

living

> in SF as close to Golden Gate park as I could get.

>

> Please respond asap-- I'm supposed to get back to a job with my wage.

> ;)  -- thanks!

> Olga

>

>

> flasher is generously supported by...

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>      flashforward2000 and the Flash(tm) Film Festival

>  July 24-26, 2000, NEW YORK CITY, Hammerstein Ballroom

>                   www.flashforward2000.com

>    Produced by United Digital Artists and lynda.com

>  Sponsored by Macromedia, Adobe Systems, Fusion, Inc, AtomFilms,

>            shockwave.com and Electric Rain.

>  1.877.4.FLASH.4  or (1.805.640.6679 outside the US and Canada)

>  Register before June 30 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

>

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email helpchinwag [dot] com

flasher is generously supported by...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     flashforward2000 and the Flash(tm) Film Festival

 July 24-26, 2000, NEW YORK CITY, Hammerstein Ballroom

                  www.flashforward2000.com

   Produced by United Digital Artists and lynda.com

 Sponsored by Macromedia, Adobe Systems, Fusion, Inc, AtomFilms,

           shockwave.com and Electric Rain.

 1.877.4.FLASH.4  or (1.805.640.6679 outside the US and Canada)

 Register before June 30 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email

helpchinwag [dot] com