Culture Matters In Career Decisions
Recently I saw someone post a job in a Seattle-specific technical community I belong to — in Atlanta. And another a week or so ago on LinkedIn. Companies in several southern states are having a very difficult time attracting tech talent. The Bay (SFO), Seattle, and Boston are the largest cities with significant tech talent (there are other areas that are growing but I’ll get to that in a minute.)
But here’s the thing: technology tends to flourish in environments that value innovation, diversity of staff, and — yes — fairly liberal social cultures. So states that may have tech hubs — like Austin, Atlanta, and Research Triangle — are suffering because of regressive politics. I’m starting to notice it more and more.
People that are born/raised in those areas are less likely to leave, and there are some excellent schools (tech programs, specifically) in those geographies, so “home grown” talent is probably less of an issue. But with the politics and legislation that have been targeting minorities (BIPOC, LGBTQI, immigrants) lately, attracting talent is going to be a problem for them. The tech industry has a long history of supporting diversity in all its forms, and right now repressive laws are not going to be attractive to allies any more than it is to diverse populations.
This is one of the reasons large employers are starting to use their financial clout to push back against regressive politics. I think we will see more of that as time goes on.
When a person accepts a new job, especially if they have a family, relocation is a huge undertaking. It is about more than just the school system and activities for kids — it’s about the values and ethics they will be exposed to, and even the level of danger for their spouse/partner/children and themselves. Just a suggestion to review *all* the factors when you are looking at a job offer. (I personally cannot imagine a better place to live than the Puget Sound, but that is definitely a personal choice.)
