I lived in the Silicon Valley (Sunnyvale) for 2 years between 2000 and 2002.
I'd agree with most comments above but I guess it depends on your circumstances and what you want to do.
I went with my wife and two kids (aged 8 and 10 at the time) and in summary I'd say we enjoyed the place but the people were something else (see comments above).
At the weekends and holidays there is always loads to do and the fact that you can rely on the weather is a huge bonus (it doesn't really rain between April and November so camping and BBQ's are a good option).
In winter you can drive to Tahoe for a day's skiing or boarding. Yosemite is a fantastic place to visit, amazingly different in winter and summer. Its also a great base to explore further afield; we did Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Vegas, LA, San Diego and Hawaii (twice). SF itself is a lovely city with lots to see and do. Silicon Valley is around an hour or so south.
If you're interested in nightlife then there's not much outside of SF. We tended to stick with the ex-pats and 'English' pubs - the Americans don't really do drinking. When I went for a night out with them it would be pizza at 7.30 and back home by 9. Even the one wedding I went to was done before 10pm.
As for working conditions, again I'd agree with the above. I remember sitting through a marketing presentation at TiVo (to the entire staff) of 2 new TV adverts for the product. At the end everyone was whooping and hollering their approval (except me who thought the ads were crap). There does tend to be an almost evangelical zeal in some companies.
They also expect you to works longs hours with very few holidays (the 10 days quoted above is actually typical).
I definitely don't regret it and would do it again but I think 2 years is enough, in California at least. Hope that helps!
Oh and I was on a salary of > $100k - much more than a UK salary but much less than I was earning as a contractor in the UK.
I'd agree with most comments above but I guess it depends on your circumstances and what you want to do.
I went with my wife and two kids (aged 8 and 10 at the time) and in summary I'd say we enjoyed the place but the people were something else (see comments above).
At the weekends and holidays there is always loads to do and the fact that you can rely on the weather is a huge bonus (it doesn't really rain between April and November so camping and BBQ's are a good option).
In winter you can drive to Tahoe for a day's skiing or boarding. Yosemite is a fantastic place to visit, amazingly different in winter and summer. Its also a great base to explore further afield; we did Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Vegas, LA, San Diego and Hawaii (twice). SF itself is a lovely city with lots to see and do. Silicon Valley is around an hour or so south.
If you're interested in nightlife then there's not much outside of SF. We tended to stick with the ex-pats and 'English' pubs - the Americans don't really do drinking. When I went for a night out with them it would be pizza at 7.30 and back home by 9. Even the one wedding I went to was done before 10pm.
As for working conditions, again I'd agree with the above. I remember sitting through a marketing presentation at TiVo (to the entire staff) of 2 new TV adverts for the product. At the end everyone was whooping and hollering their approval (except me who thought the ads were crap). There does tend to be an almost evangelical zeal in some companies.
They also expect you to works longs hours with very few holidays (the 10 days quoted above is actually typical).
I definitely don't regret it and would do it again but I think 2 years is enough, in California at least. Hope that helps!
Oh and I was on a salary of > $100k - much more than a UK salary but much less than I was earning as a contractor in the UK.
Comment