>The fact is that most in demand knowledge workers want to live in central urban areas.
That's definitely false. There are hot markets for "knowledge workers" in every American metro, and a hot virtual market that is more than happy to pay for talented developers no matter where they're located.
In local markets, salaries may be adjusted based on the cost of living, but in relative terms, valuable knowledge workers have a lot of opportunity and are compensated well for their work wherever they live.
You might be conflating "my classmates at the university" with "in-demand knowledge workers", but it's incorrect to assume that people who could match the profile of a recent graduate comprise the majority, or really even a substantial part, of the "desirable worker" market. Real-world experience is immensely valuable, and real-world experience is generally only found where age, the necessary corollary of experience, exists. That is frequently not urban centers.
I know a senior developer who, in his mid-50s, left behind the Seattle metro for a quiet life in the mountains of Idaho. As long as he had an internet connection, his clients were more than happy to keep him on board.
I've spent my entire career in metro areas of respectable size, but not the "urban centers" or tech hotspots that you're probably referring to. There are good (and bad) developers everywhere.
>No thank you, I'd much rather live in a small apartment with a 15 minute walkable commute.
That works while you have 1 -- maybe 2 -- inhabitants in your "small" (read: tiny) apartment. If you ever have kids, the impracticality of this plan will be immediately visible. This further suggests that you're constraining your view of "in demand knowledge workers" to the under-30 set. I suggest you get out more!
That's definitely false. There are hot markets for "knowledge workers" in every American metro, and a hot virtual market that is more than happy to pay for talented developers no matter where they're located.
In local markets, salaries may be adjusted based on the cost of living, but in relative terms, valuable knowledge workers have a lot of opportunity and are compensated well for their work wherever they live.
You might be conflating "my classmates at the university" with "in-demand knowledge workers", but it's incorrect to assume that people who could match the profile of a recent graduate comprise the majority, or really even a substantial part, of the "desirable worker" market. Real-world experience is immensely valuable, and real-world experience is generally only found where age, the necessary corollary of experience, exists. That is frequently not urban centers.
I know a senior developer who, in his mid-50s, left behind the Seattle metro for a quiet life in the mountains of Idaho. As long as he had an internet connection, his clients were more than happy to keep him on board.
I've spent my entire career in metro areas of respectable size, but not the "urban centers" or tech hotspots that you're probably referring to. There are good (and bad) developers everywhere.
>No thank you, I'd much rather live in a small apartment with a 15 minute walkable commute.
That works while you have 1 -- maybe 2 -- inhabitants in your "small" (read: tiny) apartment. If you ever have kids, the impracticality of this plan will be immediately visible. This further suggests that you're constraining your view of "in demand knowledge workers" to the under-30 set. I suggest you get out more!