How to make your move to Silicon Valley a success story; From finding appropriate accommodation, career connections, outdoor escapes, services, downtown scene and schooling for the kids.
You’re probably a start up entrepreneur, a venture capitalist, or even a Google engineer or Facebook social media strategist and you’ve either just launched a new operation or being invited to be part of an expanding one. But there’s only one problem- you have to now figure out how to make your move to Silicon Valley, the epicentre of high tech, a smooth one.
Needless to say, your network, partnerships and contacts will accelerate dramatically once you settle into California’s Silicon Valley- except there is an initial hurdle – how exactly does one coordinate and finesse a successful move to Silicon Valley?
Finding accommodating in Silicon Valley
Finding suitable accommodation in San Jose will probably be one of the biggest immediate challenges for anyone moving to take on their new uber role at Silicon Valley. Those headhunted by tech companies are often lucky enough tot have their own accommodation set up. But for many others, finding the right home — never mind the ever rising expense of living in Silicon Valley and nearby San Francisco — a very challenging one.
San Jose is one of the largest cities in California with plenty of accommodation options of all kinds available. Nevertheless with the influx of new high income earners all moving to the area and its proximity to Silicon Valley, property prices and rents in San Jose are expected to remain high.
Of course there options, for living within close proximity to Silicon Valley without necessarily having to pay through the roof prices that San Jose central would command- as exhibited by an array of choices available at nearby Campbell apartments.
Of course for nature enthusiasts they might prefer living and renting and making the drive in from such as Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Mountain view, Palo Alto and Santa Clara.
Meeting other tech entrepreneurs and start up VC’s
So now you are living in the San Jose area and looking to garner that extra funding or new job offer- and intuitively you know it’s probably going to happen by meeting people in your field – except you just haven’t figured out how to meet those people.
A common way to meet other future success stories in Silicon Valley is to network through friends, colleagues or to take advantage of programs specifically set up to invite future entrepreneurs or tech wizards to share their vision.
Should I cook for myself or have someone deliver for me?
Anywhere in the world that might be a silly question, but in a city like Silicon Valley, time is money and money is time and while it’s true cooking for oneself and doing one’s own household chores does save money- it comes at the cost of you getting out there and networking, devising the next million dollar strategy or solving the latest work snafus.
Not to fear, in Silicon Valley there is no shortage of services at a tech wizard’s disposal, whether it’s having home cooked meals delivered to your door. The upshot is, if Silicon Valley is full of people brainstorming algorithm solutions for complex software or service issues, don’t under estimate the abundance of clever solutions available at your doorstep to help you better navigate your new home. Or maybe just start riding your own electric scooter like every other Silicon Valley executive.
Where to play in Silicon Valley
Work hard? Now get ready to play hard too (but not too much). While Silicon Valley is a hotbed of tech bravado it’s also a haven for weekend get aways, hiking, taking in the wineries of nearby Napa and Sonoma, giant redwoods and a rugged coastline.
And then there’s an abundance of delicious choices for visiting chic downtown eateries and drinking holes in San Jose.
Figuring out where to send your children to school
It’s no secret the quality of education of schooling in the Silicon Valley area is of the highest caliber in the nation, – it has to be as it continues to churn out future super stars. Nevertheless, the dream to success isn’t cheap and even if you can get your kids into a good public school in the area, don’t be surprised when you are being hit up to donate to keep the level of academic rigor up to par.
There are of course other options available too. The East Coast is full of prestigious private schools that will cost you an arm and a leg to attend. Not to be outdone, prestigious private schools in the Bay Area are now approaching similar tuition levels as East Coast Schools. But if your kids are to stand the chance of success why hold back- here is a list of top schools in the Silicon Valley area to send the future tech masters of the universe.
