Relocating from the Bay Area

[u/throwaway10015982]

I graduated a few months ago and I sorta just gave up immediately for a long list of reasons, but I'm honestly kinda sick of being extremely broke all of the time. Is it going to be easier for shit tier new grads in highly competitive areas to relocate somewhere not as in demand to get their first job? I was born and raised in the Bay Area and even though there is a lot I don't like about it, I'd honestly rather not leave but it seems completely unrealistic to get any sort of work here unless you are a literal prodigy or unusually hard working, which I am not. I don't have particularly high standards or expectations for anything at all in life and I've changed my mind on relocating.

Essentially, my real question is, how does applying for jobs out of state work exactly? Will they even consider someone from several thousands of miles away or are they going to favor locals? Are you going to have to fly out? Is relocation assistance enough to leave an expensive area like the Bay with zero money saved up? I'm going to expire as a new grad in a few months so I might as well try to get something, even if it's like in the middle of nowhere. It doesn't seem worth it to apply anywhere in the Bay Area since the competition is completely insane.

[u/Unique-Image4518]

Yes. And you can always come back. I am also shit tier. I got into Google in another country, then transferred back to the bay. There is much less competition in other countries. And it's so much easier to find a job now with Google on my resume.

You also get to travel :)

[u/NewChameleon → u/Unique-Image4518]

umm I feel like there's much more to your story than you posted

I got into Google in another country

so, I assume you have work authorization in that country already then?

then transferred back to the bay.

so, that means your manager in non-US was okay with you transferring to US office under L-1 visa? or maybe you did team transfer entirely and your new manager was okay with accepting you?

[u/anemisto → u/NewChameleon]

Some of us have multiple passports.

[u/NewChameleon → u/anemisto]

figured

[u/Unique-Image4518 → u/NewChameleon]

I'm a US citizen. I applied to a country they were hiring aggressively in. Google handled my work visa and gave me relocation assistance.

A couple years later, I did an internal transfer to another team in the US. Google gave me relocation assistance again. I don't need a visa to work in the US.

It happens more than you think. About 10% or the people i interviewed were looking to transfer from the US to another country.

The downside is that the salary in that country is about 1/3 what you can get in the bay area. But it was worth it for me in the long run.

[u/poopindoopinscoopin → u/Unique-Image4518]

Were there any issues regarding the language barrier when working in another country (assuming you didn't speak the language of the country)? I always assumed they'd want to hire someone in the country rather than hire and move someone from another country. How did you know they were hiring in that country aggressively?

[u/Unique-Image4518 → u/poopindoopinscoopin]

There sort of was a language barrier. They spoke their language amongst themselves, but always English when I or other English speakers were around. The company mandated English first. They actually sponsored free English classes for them, but not classes for me to learn their native language.

I'm sure Google would rather hire someone in that country, but that country didn't have a strong software engineering candidate pool. In other words, I didn't go to India. And I knew they were hiring aggressively by all the open positions I saw there compared to in the bay area

I'm a self taught engineer, and it was hard for me to find a good job in the bay area. I could not compete with all the brilliant engineers here. So I uprooted my life to get my foot in the door.

[u/abandoned_idol]

I'd recommend blindly applying to some Bay Area jobs, and some non-Bay jobs.

You basically hedge your chances by applying both as a local AND a non-local.

The most important trait for a job applicant is stubborness. Apply for the sake of being rejected, apply a 100 times. Apply.

Yes, it's time. Yes, it's a waste. Yes, ideally you'd only apply once, but the recruiters are fickle, you don't get to apply only once (regrettably).

And don't worry, if you become a non-new grad, you won't become unemployable, take it from someone who was unemployed 4 years and employed for 1 year (not at graduation). I'm not a genius nor have good work ethic, I'm human. Pour enough time and applications at it, and it spits an opportunity.

And best of luck, ideally you'll get a job offer before you have any need to undergo any of that icky "character development". I know how awful it feels to be unemployed.

And ask for advice whenever you feel like it (you're doing great at this), worst case scenario, you get to vent! That's what I did back when I hated myself.

[u/kevinossia]

Will they even consider someone from several thousands of miles away or are they going to favor
locals?

If you're the best candidate they find, they will favor you over the locals.

Are you going to have to fly out?

Most interviews tend to be virtual these days to avoid the cost and ceremony of flying people out.

Is relocation assistance enough to leave an expensive area like the Bay with zero money saved up?

Depends. Relocation assistance can sometimes be several thousand dollars, which is usually plenty to cover your costs. Depends on the company and location, though.

It doesn't seem worth it to apply anywhere in the Bay Area since the competition is completely insane.

The Bay Area also has far more openings than any other locale so moving elsewhere isn't necessarily going to make your life easier.