I moved to North Carolina after graduate school to pursue a job at Lenovo. After a year, I am moving back to the bay area. Here’s what I learned living a year here.
-
Trees and greenery make you happy.
-
Corporate rotational programs differ. The most important thing in a rotational program is executive support. The ideal level of support is directly from the CEO. Next are COO/CTO, VP in profit center, and VP in core operations like engineering. Do not go to a rotational program solely sponsored by HR.
-
Industry matters, especially early in career.
-
Texas still has the best barbecue in the US.
-
To grow fast in your career, pick a company or department with a less defined structure and fast-growing business.
-
Skill, people, rewards - in that order.
-
Invest real estate in locations surrounded by great Universities.
-
If you are a decent person, adopting a dog will make you a better person.
-
Not everyone deserves dogs.
-
Understand motives to understand behaviors. For careers, some want to grow, and others want to keep their job, wait for their boss to retire, and work until they retire.
-
Having a new tight circle of friends who see each other often makes you content.
-
Forming a friendship circle is the most rewarding thing and is not as difficult as it sounds. It takes putting yourself out there first, making suggestions, and asking before Wednesday for the weekend plans.
-
Cast iron pan is good, but not as good as a quality non-stick pan with a thick bottom, long handle, and a lid.
-
Nespresso Classic coffee machine is great for coffee on a budget. The Vertuo line tastes great but has a less third-party coffee maker, and can cost 3x more expensive.
-
Living on the East Coast and working in Pacific time is not as bad as it sounds like. You will adapt very quickly.
-
Three characteristics in a restaurant to maintain its customer: convenient location, consistent taste, and lower than average price in the area.
-
Dog park is a happy place.
-
Living near the airport is underrated
-
Pollen season covers everything with green powder and can last for weeks
-
Dogwood tree is beautiful
-
Raising a puppy as a couple is a great test of the relationship
-
The bigger the cutting board the better
-
Daily gratitude and reflection journal sets default happiness level high
-
Don’t fool yourself. It means checking assumptions you make for being a lazy thinker.
-
Check if you need to go to the office before moving across the country.