Ask HN: Pros and Cons of Living/Working in a technology backwater | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Pros and Cons of Living/Working in a technology backwater

9 pointsavalore5 comments

This is a question for those of you that don't live in a major city, or anywhere that has a population remotely clued up.

I live in an area in the UK that I can only describe as a 'technology backwater'. I see a few iPhones around (but I would guess most people struggle to use them), I've never seen an Android phone here although I do see a lot of £10 pay&go specials. I can count the number of 'decent' developers in the area on one hand.

A few people have tried running different types of meetups, etc... but, at most, 5 people have ever turned up.

One the one hand, it's easy to differentiate yourself from the rest, get freelance work, etc. It's kind of an easy gig.

On the other hand, there's no one to chat to, challenge yourself, or use for motivation to improve. It makes it difficult to 'talk shop' with anyone... the closest you get is "how can I get a website setup?", which as you can imagine gets boring pretty quickly.

The same can be said for business issues.

Does anyone else have a similar experience? How do you deal with it?

@avalore: What, if I may ask, is stopping you from getting the hell out of there? I have faced similar experiences,albeit far back in history, and in a non-technocratic context, and managed to overcome them. In fact, I once again feel the urge to move on, and am faced with questions similar to yours. Nothing beats being in a thriving, vibrant intellectual live environment - not even being wired in to the Nobel Corps -and yet being top-dog of nowhere. Pardon the bluntness - it is not intended to discourage or discredit. However, calling a spade a spade has always been a good starting point for me. Cheers!

Be as blunt as you like, I don't mind.

A few reasons I guess. 1) Cost. Because it's such a backwater it's incredibly cheap. I can still get a lot done here and communicate with others online... but I guess that's only good for so long. Face to face is so much better.

2) I guess, if I'm honest, fear of not being good enough. I make good money here but worry that I wouldn't if I went somewhere else where there are much more talented developers. Maybe it's justified, maybe it's not. I guess I won't know unless I try.

Thanks

I guess I won't know unless I try.

Speaking from my recent experience, having moved from a Texas town with about 350 people to New York City a few months ago, I had some of the same concerns. In my case, I took a slight 'cost of living vs. salary' hit, but the increased opportunity more than makes up for that.

As for your second point, unless you're lazy, competition is a good thing. Being around better developers should challenge you, and you'll get better yourself. If that's what you're looking for, I'd encourage you to go for it.

Does anyone else have a similar experience? How do you deal with it?

Move. No joke. There no substitute for a place where there are actual opportunities. I'm going to Edinburgh.

I can't help directly with your specific question, but you might like to email me and see if we can meetup sometime.

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