staying in pittsburgh

Life is really a drama, but yeah, it always is. It’s fun, it’s entertaining, but always believing in the volatility and transience of live, I’m really not surprise by its unpredictability. You know, I belong to everywhere, and I’m about to go anywhere.

Uber ATC called me yesterday, confirming to raise my base salary to 105k. The number meets my expectation. It’s similar to what Google Pittsburgh office offers to a new grad. A friend in Uber San Fransisco office reminds me that Pennsylvania’s income tax rate is only 3.1%, compared to 9.3% in California. The difference in the tax is enough to remove the surplus that I’ll earn in Bay Area, and considering the much cheaper cost of living in Pittsburgh, ATC actually gives me a better package. The over all compensation is not high though, but enough to live a decent life in Pittsburgh. In addition, the most compelling aspect of ATC is its cool projects. It’s like a startup inside a startup. A lot of things are happening there. A whole new picture of automatous vehicle is being drafted.

I’m still wary about making the decision. I told my friends about it, and cautiously posted it on social media. After I explained my reasoning, they all agreed with my thoughts. I also explained my concerns, but while saying it, I gradually resolved them. Everything seems to lead to the conclusion that Uber ATC is a better choice.

Sure, Pittsburgh is a cold, lonely place, but is it necessarily a bad thing? It’s not that cold that I will feel physically uncomfortable, and also other seasons in Pittsburgh is actually pretty nice. Also, there’re many people complain about Pittsburgh being a boring city, but in my experience, most of them aren’t even part of the city. They don’t know much history of Pittsburgh, they haven’t visited all the major places in Pittsburgh, and they don’t participate in the civil activities. It might be true that other cities offer more “fun”, and people who find Pittsburgh boring may find “fun” in other cities. But are they really going to be interested in other cities’ history, places and activities? I don’t know. For me, I’m deeply yet sadly aware that I’m not going to know every thing and every person in this world, so what should I do? “Dig it!” No matter where I am, what I’m looking at, whom I’m talking to. “Dig it!”

To be continued…