How can I leave Seattle without screwing my career?

I grew up in eastern wa, BS EE, MS CS, first 3 years teaching CS at a state school and currently a patent examiner. I'm mid excited about the job b/c I expect to learn cool stuff, and because I realize my resume isn't competitive, especially in this job market.

That said, I'm also self-aware that I can't afford to live in Seattle with this job. I'm still applying and hoping to get a better role, and trying to build users for a consumer web startup. We're default alive on AWS credits, MVP built&passed first 20 users test, the challenge is the chicken//egg problem of all online communities.

I have been reading this board for like a decade. This is all the stuff I think is cool. I don't feel like I've found it in Seattle; this seems like a very 9-5 town where most who still have jobs want to recreate after work. And power to them! If I was making that money, living in this city, and had been since graduating from my BS I would feel the same. That said, I can't afford this, and want to have some dry powder to pursue the theoretical better opportunity that I hope is in my future.

I don't want to fully leave WA because all the people who care about me live here, and I've been close enough to the edge to realize how important it is to be in driving distance of someone who cares about you. Does anyone have a recommendation on how I can lower my cost of living, and ideally find some builders?

4 points | by tomhanks_clone 10 days ago

3 comments

  • icsa 10 days ago
    I know plenty of people who live in Washington and work for Seattle firms without living in Seattle. Many live in much cheaper places like the Peninsula, south toward Tacoma, or up north in Snohomish county.

    They work remotely or hybrid. In some cases, companies like Microsoft will transport you in a very nice coach bus - with excellent wifi so that you can work during the commute.

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    • tomhanks_clone 10 days ago
      I'm glad to hear that landing a SEA job doesn't require living in SEA; my question is how to network with a SEA firm from outside given that my resume is proving to be noncompetitive on paper.
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      • icsa 9 days ago
        What feedback have you received, regarding your resume? Which kinds of roles are you trying to secure?
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        • tomhanks_clone 8 days ago
          DataEng or SWE roles--feedback is implicit via silence; Have you ever gotten feedback from a company on even an interview, let alone just an application? That's unheard of to me
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          • icsa 8 days ago
            Yes. However, it is uncommon.

            I have been a Data Engineer, SWE, CTO, and a professional technical interviewer.

            If you're willing to post your email address, I'm happy to send you a message, receive and review your resume, and do a brief assessment to determine what you might change to land a role in Seattle.

            N.B. I have worked in Seattle since the dotcom era and have seen many of the market changes that have accurred in the city.

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            • tomhanks_clone 8 days ago
              On reflection, the operative sentence of what is essentially my resume as a post is "ideally meet some builders", and that's what's driving my hesitance to relocate.
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    • b20000 10 days ago
      companies should pay you more instead of asking you to commute
  • toast0 10 days ago
    Do you need to commute to Seattle every day or maybe once a week or once a month? Things get less expensive the less feasible a daily commute is.

    Look in all directions, North South East West. Lots of options...

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    • tomhanks_clone 10 days ago
      This is definitely the simple answer. When I say "screw my career", I mean in terms of networking. Looking just at my commute needs, I could move to Kansas and just bank cash--I work for Virginia and will be full remote for as long as I keep the role.

      That said, I'm concerned that moving to Mars would seriously hinder my ability to network into a job. I think I'm qualified, but I'm not a new grad anymore, and my 3 years of teaching are not competitive on paper with 3 years of pre-layoff MSFT.