I’m on the opposite side of many folks responding. After spending the quarantine at home through the pandemic, I’m now looking at HCOL cities which headquarter big tech or startups (SF, NYC, Seattle, Austin). I’d love to spend time in a posh office again, meeting new people, getting drinks after work. Now, I have everything I need in one room: computer, weights, instruments, art supplies, dog, etc.
TBH, I’m crossing my fingers employers will prioritize folks willing to work in the office to compensate for my lack of pedigree in other hiring/HR attention areas.
All that stuff sounds great until you have kids, then you want to find ways to be home as much as possible. At least, that was my experience.
I was lucky - I bought a house in the suburbs of my hometown and moved back. Told my company I was moving out of Toronto during the second lockdown last year, they didn't even question it.
Now my biggest distraction is my 2yo running in because he doesn't understand that dad works, yet. Sometimes he might be having a tantrum in the kitchen/living room and it makes it a bit difficult to concentrate...nowhere near as bad as the constant barrage of irrelevant noise from an open office.
Actually, if you are willing to move to a lower cost upcoming satellite office location (like say Raleigh), your strategy might work better. Positions in those new offices are ramping up and they are specifically looking for people to fill those offices.
I think it depends on 2 important factors: age and the team. At early age you like to go out for drinks, later you may want to go home and rest or read or take a bicycle ride or spend time with the family. Also it depends a lot on the team you are in: I worked with teams where we spent a lot of time together outside business hours and I was in teams where I avoided even seeing most people, by no means spending any time together.
Cities are nice even with WFH to me. I don't care that much about the office, though it is easier to form bonds in person imho. I do care about having an active social life which is part of why I live in a city, and I'm very glad people are going out again generally and things are open with events happening (Seattle is where I'm at).
TBH, I’m crossing my fingers employers will prioritize folks willing to work in the office to compensate for my lack of pedigree in other hiring/HR attention areas.