Let's do this!
Every place I’ve ever lived has had a different pace. I spent my childhood in a small mountain town in Tahoe called Kings Beach. KB has a super chill, very laid back pace. Everyone is either a tourist or in love with the mountains and lake. I would say, the area provides a nice lifestyle, especially for those interested in the out doors and relaxing.
Just before starting high school we moved to Reno, NV. Close by, but much more reasonable cost of living. The pace in Reno is definitely more upbeat than KB. More people, more hustle. There’s some budding tech but most dev jobs are for defense or gaming.
In 2012 I moved my family to San Francisco to accelerate my career, meet people and enjoy the scene as a techie. SF is MUCH faster paced than any where I’ve experienced. People pile onto MUNI and Bart heading to work or meetups. It seems that everyone wants to start a company, and everyone definitely drinks coffee like they’ve co-founded 3. The cost of living in the bay is so high, it’s hustle or move.
Many people like me have recently moved to the bay for tech in some way or another. It feels like ‘the homeland’ of tech. Some complain about gentrification, which I don’t really have an opinion about. It is exciting to think that the iPhone I’m composing this post on, the iOS, the app and keyboard, the fitbit on my wrist, we’re all created by BUILDERS, Engineers, Devs, Designers just a few miles from me. That feeling is super motivating and empowering.
Today is the day. A friend of mine just told me a story: Running across the Golden Gate Bridge. On one of the pillars is a placard with the names of the engineers who contributed to the construction. Those men and women have their name in history. At the time they were masters of their craft, in a place and time where the Golden Gate Bridge was necessary and they did it. Today is the day for US engineers to put our name in the record books. Today is the day to build incredible things that will help billions of people.
The impact we can make is profound and lasting. Go out and change the world! One line of code at a time 🙂