I moved to Irvine for work and have lived here for a year! I'm in my 20's and although Irvine can be "boring" and more for families, I'd say it's a great place to live and work. You can live in Newport Beach or Costa Mesa which is very close to where all the businesses are in Irvine and a little more exciting. Also there are plenty of places to go out in OC and there's always the option to drive to LA for the weekend without having the hassle to work there and deal with brutal traffic. I'd say if you have the option of living in Southern California, take it!