Written by James Shellie, originally posted on Business Casual TV.
Not in Chicago Anymore
So let’s set the scene: A 22 year old Illinois native working in the greatest city in the world gets called to work at one of, if not the most desirable company in the world. The only catch? He needs to move his entire life in the matter of two weeks into the heart of Silicon Valley. Upon his arrival, he notices that these weren’t the cornfields he was used to. California natives never leave, the horror stories of housing costs were very real, and rain in the Bay Area equates to the end of the world. Welcome to the last year of my life.
In just about two weeks, I’ll have lived in Silicon Valley for one year and it’s a huge shift from what I was used to growing up and working in the midwest my entire life. While the topics below don’t totally encompass what to expect if you decide to make the trek out West, they give a relatively good idea of what to immediately expect once you get here.
The Job Market in the Valley
Everything you think about the Valley is true when it comes to the job market. The heavyweights of the tech world mix with the unicorns of the startup world to build the products and services of the future. This isn’t the insurance, finance, and healthcare dominated market I was used to and that was perfectly fine by me.
As a recruiter, I get the rare opportunity to hear from both experienced candidates that bounce around your Facebooks and Amazons of the world every two years as well as the hungry entrepreneurs looking to disrupt any industry you can think of. Everyone’s driven to change the world and you can tell.
With that in mind, be prepared. After 6 months of working in the Valley, you’ll get more emails and LinkedIn messages about opportunities than you ever thought you would. While it sounds great at first, it can be a bit of information overload. I quickly learned that working in the Valley meant keeping an ear to the ground, staying agile, and always on the lookout for the next big opportunity. Every job you could want is here; the Valley is made for dreamers.
The Traffic is just as bad
Growing up near Chicago, you think you’ve seen the worst traffic there is but oh no. Imagine I-355 during rush hour and multiply that by 1000.
Your commute will kill you if you’re not prepared. Expect to wait 45 minutes in bumper to bumper traffic to go 5 miles and don’t expect it to get any better once you’re off the highway. It doesn’t help that public transportation is almost non-existent. Never did I think I’d look back longingly to the days of riding the Metra into Chicago everyday.
Luckily, more and more companies are offering perks for carpooling, ridesharing credits (*cough* Lyft *cough), and/or shuttle service to and from work so definitely take advantage if you can. You’ll save money and your sanity in the process.
Learning to Hike
Now I know what you’re thinking: “Learn to hike? I hike all the time James!” Well let me go ahead and stop you there. Your day trips to Starved Rock don’t compare to the hiking people do out here.
I should’ve gotten the memo when I saw multiple hiking specific stores while walking around downtown Palo Alto one day but I figured I’d be fine. Boy was I wrong. After my first 8 mile trek up a mountain, through a waterfall, and into a cave, I nearly passed out on my way back to the car. True story.
“But James, what does hiking have to do with business?” I’ll explain. Hiking hobby for a majority of Valley natives and long term transplants. You’ll inevitably get asked about your favorite spots or a group of coworkers will be planning a weekend trip to hike their favorite trails. It’s an awesome way to bond with your colleagues, get in shape, and start to feel more at home. So take some time, scope out a few spots, and buy some hiking shoes. You’ll thank me later.
Silicon Valley is probably the farthest thing from the “traditional” midwestern lifestyle that I was used to and there’s still a ton that I’m learning (such as how Californians can incorporate quinoa and kale into everything they eat…). But ultimately, the Bay has opened the door for me to chase my dreams, interact with a ton of different people and cultures, and try to change the world. What more could a kid from small town Illinois ask for?
