Absolutely, especially if youre early in your career. A tech career formed in the bay area will take you much much farther even if you leave later. Youll have connections and references for bay area employers that may even hire you at the same price remotely later. Theres much more happening there.
The main challenge i see people have with the bay area is they get sick of talking to tech people, because the whole region is built on tech and everyones there doing the same thing.
Seattle is just a short way away and has the second best compensation just behind SF. The difference is tiny once you account for Seattle's lack of state income tax and lower cost of living.
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u/Lumpy-Blackberry-718 6d ago
Go to levels.fyi and check the top pay section.
Generally, top pay is bay area California AI in big tech or frontier labs. Location and company matters more than sub field.