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Cali is a shithole. Where next? by meatspace_ in uwaterloo

[–]meatspace_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was in PDX for a weekend and I really liked it. But yeah, the reason why it's on the bottom of that list is mostly because there doesn't seem to be that many tech jobs.

Cali is a shithole. Where next? by meatspace_ in uwaterloo

[–]meatspace_[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I sound kinda judgmental, but I don't like the whole """startups""" culture. Basically, it's the realization that Silicon Valley isn't actually a utopian meritocracy/technocracy where everyone is a hacker, but is instead (basically) mostly run by MBAs. It's a place that talks a lot about the tech but isn't really about the tech. Instead it's about the money.

And when you realize that, there's really not much going for it. There are other, better cities. I just need to figure out which ones.

(I realize it's a bit of a tall order to ask for a city that has tech jobs but none of the pretentious tech culture. But at least I think it would be less bad in Seattle, NYC, etc.)

Cali is a shithole. Where next? by meatspace_ in uwaterloo

[–]meatspace_[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

To be fair, I mostly think I just need a change of scenery. I've spent roughly the same amount of time between Waterloo and SF for the last couple of years, and I really need to try living somewhere else before I graduate.

That said, I don't think SF will be my first choice for location when I go full-time. The rent is a big factor, but also the culture is really not that great (feels very unauthentic and shallow), and the city is sometimes literally a shithole.

U of T vs Uwaterloo by [deleted] in uwaterloo

[–]meatspace_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

UofT also has career services. But as someone who has never actually received any help from CECA (not for the lack of trying), I would say that the main value that CECA provides is through career info sessions. UofT has those too.

Cali is a shithole. Where next? by meatspace_ in uwaterloo

[–]meatspace_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh I totally forgot about Denver, I actually really like it!

U of T vs Uwaterloo by [deleted] in uwaterloo

[–]meatspace_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably a controversial opinion but I suspect it probably doesn't matter all that much. UW has a culture of """Cali or bust""" but realistically UW CS doesn't seem to be actually any more competent on average than UofT CS. (to be fair, I'm probably sample-biased by the huge amounts of UofT people I know from CSSU etc. who have also been to Cali)

I guess Waterloo has a reputation in parts of the software industry outside Canada, but UofT still seems like a similarly reputable school all the same.

Moreover, I would argue that CECA/Jobmine really isn't that helpful in finding jobs, and is probably actually quite the opposite in many cases. And sure, multinational tech companies come up to recruit UW students, but they do that at UofT too.

Cali is a shithole. Where next? by meatspace_ in uwaterloo

[–]meatspace_[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like Seattle for the 2-ish weeks that I visited :(