I moved to the Bay Area for my career. Should you too?

It’s May 13th, 2018. It’s not just an ordinary day; it’s Mother’s Day, a day where we celebrate our mothers (or motherly figures) in our lives for all they’ve done for us.

But this Mother’s Day is different. A few weeks before, I received an offer to work in the Bay area in my dream industry. I contemplated for the next few days in deciding what to do. Should I go for the experience? How would I meet people? How often could I visit my family?

After several days of deliberating, I decided to take the offer to move from sunny Los Angeles to Silicon Valley, a place close yet far from home, but it would set the precedent for my future in the tech industry. As I packed my bags and loaded my car on that Mother’s Day, I looked back at my family in tears, especially my mom, but I knew they were proud. They were proud of not only the hard work I put in for these opportunities, but how I helped others land them as well. After that day I promised them that I’d return better than I was.

Fast forward to today, I’ve had the privilege of living in the Bay. It’s been quite an experience; I would be lying if I said it was a smooth ride. This year has had its ups and downs. There have been so many positives, whether it is in regards to my career, networking with others, creating my own career consulting/speaker series, being involved, and more. However, the sun isn’t always shining on the other side of the mountain, and there are always different perspectives depending on one’s experience.

You’re probably asking yourself: Should I move to the Bay for my career? If you’ve ever thought about it, here is my suggestions from my experience:

• If you’re young/early on in your career, try it out!: Why do I say this? Because making a move to the Bay area where the opportunities, especially in tech and startups, are endless, it will set your career on a path of growth and potential. If you’re still early on in your career, the opportunities in the Bay can help you develop the skills you need to move back to your hometown or into another field of interest. For me, I had recently graduated from college the year before, but the opportunity correlated directly with my goals in which I wanted to work in the tech industry. It was a decision I had to make considering it was early on in my career, and I’m thankful that I went with that choice.
• Take it as a challenge to face uncomfortability: When I chose to move to the Bay, I was worried and unsure of what would happen; I didn’t know many others except from school and felt like I wouldn’t fit in. However, through networking and connecting with others, whether it was old friends or new connections, I was able to adjust fairly well. There are always different events going on: Networking Sessions, Professional Talks, and Happy Hours, you name it. By attending these events, you’re able to adjust comfortability to where you are and who you are aspiring to be.

• Any experience is what you make of it: Your experience in the Bay area or any other location you are considering truly depends on what you make of it. You can be sitting at home being lazy/unproductive (I’ve been a victim of this), or you can go out and make the best out of your experience. For example, I try to have the best experience not only at work but on other activities that correlate with my passions. I’ve had the privilege of hosting 2 Talks at Google/Fireside Chats, speaking internationally at the largest IT Forum in the MENA region, hosting a talk at LinkedIn regarding my career journey, 16 workshops/events in the past 4 months for the #JWowSpeakerSeries, and open up my own career consulting called Wonsulting which mission is to turn underdogs into winners. By being productive and proactive, you can have the best experience possible wherever you go.

• Sacrifice for your short and long-term goals: If you’re looking to gain the experiences necessary to translate to your goals, then the Bay area is right for you! Especially if you’re young and trying to figure out what you want to do in your career, I’d recommend finding that niche in a new environment, whether it is in the Bay or another location. What I recommend is either creating a vision board or a pros/cons list before making the move. If the pros outweigh the cons, you should definitely take the opportunity. For me, I decided to move to the Bay because my goals were to continue my career in tech and eventually either move back down for family or gain the experience necessary to translate it to my long-term goal in strategy/operations. Sacrifice now, and you’ll prosper later.

• There are high living expenses but also high compensation: “But the Bay area has high living expenses!”. This is one of the statements that most people make when considering the move to the Bay; however, despite “high” living expenses, your compensation should increase when living here. For example, a salary of $50,000 in Boston should increase to $83,893 in San Francisco, California (Bestplaces.net). Also, you should consider if the company you are working for has exclusive benefits which correlate with cost of living, whether it is regarding free food, gym membership, PTO, health benefits, and more.
• Transparency and flexibility: If you want to visit family or friends living in another location/area, be transparent with your manager/company. Ask if you can work from home some days or take some time off. Throughout my time working in the Bay, I’ve been transparent with my manager(s) regarding my career consulting workshops/events for Wonsulting and visiting family which has allowed me some days to work in SoCal or at home. If you can work at a company that will allow flexibility and values transparency while supporting your goals, then you will settle right in.
• Growth, potential, and support when in the correct environment: If you work at a company that wants you to grow and develop your skills in your desired field, then that is a hard opportunity to pass up. Many companies in the Bay area want you to fulfill your potential and support you along the way whether it is in regards to your career or personal life. Through their benefits, you’ll be able to do the things you’ve always wanted to do and gain the skills necessary to become successful.

Now you're probably asking: how do I get to the Bay area? Here is my advice:

• Network online: I'd recommend networking online with professionals who are in the different industries that you are interested in. One of the best platforms to do this is through LinkedIn, especially sending personalized invites to professionals who are 1) in your desired field of interest, 2) alumni from your university/school, and 3) organizations you are involved with. By targeting with these individuals, you will have a better chance of connecting with them and getting your foot in the door. If you'd like to see how to send personalized invites, refer to my post here:

• Attend networking events/information sessions: When I was in school and also as a professional, I would attend various networking sessions, information sessions, and career fairs, whether it was through ALPFA or other organizations. I'd recommend attending these events in your area not only in-person but online as well. For example, numerous companies have information sessions online where they talk about what they look for in candidates and what positions they are hiring for. You can also find different events online through Eventbrite.com and other websites.
• Have phone chats/informational interviews: Let's say you attend the networking events/information sessions and receive a professional's contact information, whether that is through a business card or LinkedIn. It's very important to follow-up with these professionals to not only maintain rapport but establish a relationship that could lead to you gaining a mentor or a career. Ask the professional for a phone chat in the next few weeks so you can learn more about what they do on a day-to-day and how they got into their respective career. If you'd like to see how I structure my phone chats, see my post here:

• Do your research and gain relevant skills: The reason why it is important to have phone chats/information interviews is to not only establish a stronger relationships with professionals but to learn more about what they do and see if it correlates with what you want to do. We can learn so much from reading online from reviews and job descriptions, but if you are able to learn directly from a professional who is in the respective industry you are interested in, then you are able to learn which skills are needed for that specific position. For example, Excel and SQL are two skills that are utilized with Operations Analyst roles. If you can't learn these skills at work, take classes relating to the skills through LinkedIn Learning, YouTube, or even Groupon.

All in all, moving to a new location can be difficult, challenging, and also nerve-wrecking; however, through new experiences, we are exposed to different environments where we adjust and grow as individuals professionally and personally. If you’re looking for a new experience that is rewarding, remember this: we only have one life to live so we have to live it the best we can. Why not make the best of those experiences, right?

JonathanWordsofWisdom.com | Wonsulting.com | #JWoW

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Jonathan Javier is a graduate from the University of California, Riverside. He has worked at prestigious companies including Snapchat, Boeing, and currently at Google. He is also the ALPFA Nationals Program Lead and works on a ton of different initiatives including #JWoW and #WeeklyWordsofWisdom. In total, he has led over 32 Career Development workshops, creating his own speaker series called #JWoWSpeakerSeries with over 16 speaker engagements already this year. He is passionate about making a difference in his community, especially the underdogs in today's society which correlates with his career consulting firm, Wonsulting, mission statement.

Speaker Inquiries: Wonsulting@gmail.com