Growing remote oppurtunities do mitigate that, but the number of companies trying to "modernize" their infrastructure is... depressing.
The workplace culture is different too. If you're in the rust belt, your managers over age 50 came from manufacturing lines and were taught that they need to literally see you looking like you're working all the time and they'll use phrases like "extract value from human capital". They'll want you to beg and plead for permission to use your PTO, but then put in your performance review that you're getting a 1% instead of a 2% raise for excessive time off utilization. My friend's telecom workplace just announced that their holiday bonus is that they may wear jeans on Fridays all 2022.
It's good to hear that you'd give local grads a chance though, thanks.
To your point about getting jobs at SpaceX and Amazon you have to leave the Midwest but that’s only after you graduate from Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue, Northwestern, Wisconsin, or any of the other schools these companies regularly recruit at. Have friends and colleagues at all of them. You’d be surprised.
Small sample size, so maybe there are idiotic companies and managers out there, but they’re probably not as common as you suggest.
Also, I prefer working for a company that has demonstrated and tangible real-world value. Not every problem in the world is an algorithm away from being solved.
Of course there are lots of shitty legacy companies here that would be awful to work for, but those companies exist everywhere
Pretty sure we were talking about tech jobs in the midwest (rust belt incl.). Its not a tech startup, but its sure a tech job.
And overall I'd say pay, benefits, and labor practices are often worse as well. Even if you don't work for some old economy company - not all are as bad as the above post suggests btw - hustle culture is often the norm. But without the six figure West Coast salary, and often less/no equity.
Not to mention that if you're dissatisfied, job hopping is a lot harder to do when there are only maybe a dozen companies in town - not all of which have your tech stack. Less of an issue now with remote.
Even accounting for cost of living differences you can make more on the West Coast, and be in a more competitive job market that allows you to switch jobs easily if you want more pay or are tired of your current employer. The Midwest can still work out great for many people though! Maybe you want a big house, or you have family close by, or you want a leadership role that you'd never get in a million years at your big coastal employer, etc...
If Ohio State is Midwest then so is CMU... And surely those places hire like gangbusters out of UIUC, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
>> And surely those places hire like gangbusters out of UIUC, Wisconsin, and Michigan
;-)
But I appreciate the dig xD