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Austin COL is way better than Bay Area tho
I think the same argument holds for the Bay Area too tho, so would consider that a wash. I’d also guess that as you move away from the city centers, housing prices drop faster in Austin than in the Bay Area (I.e. Austin suburbs are cheaper than Palo Alto). Also, while housing is a big part of anyone’s budget, it’s worth noting that SF is measurably more expensive across other categories as well
Coach
Nobody at Dell has bad WLB that I ever met, so if someone is willing to pay you 230k there go for it. But depending on your long term goals, Google or oracle will probably do more for you for your next job.
Coach
Oh god they’re the next IBM 😳
Coach
Google so you can chill.
Mentor
230k in Austin is king money though
Coach
Relative to 240k in the bay 100%
Google for sure
230 in Austin
One thing to think about is if you take a job at Google, you’ll probably be in pretty good shape to find a great job in Austin (or any other lower CoL city) within a few years time. I think Google is worth it for the brand. It’s not like you won’t have enough money to do pretty much whatever you want.
Coach
If trends we’ve seen continue, I wouldn’t be shocked if Google and many others move their HQ to austin. I know Apple has all but done it.
Can you hire me at dell?!
Outside of location-
-Which culture you like more?
-which scope of work is more interesting to you
Dell is old ppl mature coming with boring culture and boring products. The offices are super drab.
Google isn’t the young fun place it used to be anymore but still aging more gracefully. It’s still like that company in Silicon Valley.
Personally would take Google—better learning opportunities and culture
Coach
Spot on take at Dell
Also Austin def if you are looking to start family in suburbs (can buy real house <1m). Prices are soaring now though. If single can go either way...depends on race. If white Austin is great but if East Asian/Indian Bay Area much better. Wash if Hispanic or AA.
OP, what level are you now? Do you have to pick between these two or can you keep interviewing? Keep in mind Texas has no state tax so your aftertax pay is the same even before accounting for cost of living
C2 at bcg (1.5 years post mba) - ready to leave and if it was either by itself, I would probably choose it as they’re both strategy in the tech industry.... just trying to decide if Google is work the lower effective pay for the network, resume, and future career growth, and better wlb or the or ther option with the better effective salary in a more relaxed city (but they’re constantly having layoffs and bad wlb for the team)
Interesting that dell is paying so much, they’re known to be pretty low for pay on the biz and engineering sides. 230k at that level is way above market for Austin. Must pay the Corp strategy folks real money and everyone else peanuts.
That being said outside of your immediate working group within the company talent is much much better at Google (top students at cal/UCLA, top range at Ivys/stanford) vs. Dell (the average students from local Texas schools). Bcg caliber or higher talent is all over biz and eng functions at Google, not so much at Dell. Google is known for pushing high talent on roles that dont need that caliber fwiw. Just another consideration from a culture perspective.
If you are open to either location then Choose the company that is the best cultural fit for you and where you believe you will thrive the most professionally.
I’ve looked at a bunch of career paths. Many people are successful in many different ways. It’s feasible that you get to a more senior position faster at Dell than Google and can then leverage that into something else
Regarding the job, it really comes down to what you are doing. What are you trying to learn in the next ~2 years and which job positions you best to do that?