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San Francisco Bay Area

United States · North America

The centre of the software industry and of startup funding. The concentration of people who have built things at scale is the actual product here.

Who this suits, and who it doesn’t

Suits you if you want to be at the centre of the software industry and can tolerate expense and visa uncertainty for it. Look elsewhere if you need a predictable immigration ladder. Canada offers one; this doesn't.

The catch, and the way in

The catch

Costs are extreme, and the H-1B work visa is a lottery you can lose repeatedly.

The way in

For most people from outside, the path is a US degree first, or contributing remotely to open source and startups until someone sponsors you.

Living there

What living here is actually like

Sprawling and car-dependent outside San Francisco itself, with a mild climate and a professional culture that talks about work more than anywhere else on this list. The concentration of people who have built things at scale is the actual product, and it shows in how easily conversations turn into introductions. Visible inequality on the streets is stark and startling to newcomers.

How the money works

Salaries are the highest in the world for software work and the cost of housing consumes an extraordinary share of them; people routinely share accommodation years into their careers. The honest arithmetic is that saving here is possible but far less automatic than the headline numbers suggest. Equity, not salary, is what has historically made the difference.Described in shape rather than figures on purpose: rents and salaries move every year and we cannot keep numbers true, but what is expensive and what quietly eats income stays true for far longer.

The language you actually need

English only, and specifically a fluent, confident, informal register: much of how opportunity moves here is through conversation and referral rather than formal application, which puts a premium on being comfortable talking to strangers.

The work that clusters here

The kinds of work San Francisco Bay Area is a route into, each with what it actually involves, and what the catch is.

Who is named here

Not a ranking and not in order of merit. These are the places a subject is actually studied and taught at in this city, so you have something to search for.

  • Stanford University

    • Computer Science
    • Engineering
    • Business & Economics

    Degrees taught in English

  • University of California, Berkeley

    • Computer Science
    • Engineering
    • Natural Sciences

    Degrees taught in English

Language of teaching moves within a cycle, so check it on the university’s own page for your own entry year.