Hey Everyone! I just realized it’s been 30 years since I moved to Portland. Wow, that feels like a lifetime ago.
In 1996, I graduated from UCSB and moved up to Portland to start a job at Intel. It was a golden era for us (me and Intel). The internet was ramping up, and it was a great time to be a young engineer. All my college friends were able to secure jobs relatively easily. Ahh, what I would give to be 22 again! Life was so much fun when I was young.
It’s a very different story in the age of AI. The job market for recent college grads seems much tighter and more competitive than ever. My son doesn’t even want to study Computer Science because he heard it’s so difficult to get an entry-level position.
The cost of living is also far higher today than it was in 1996. My first apartment cost just $550 a month. I could comfortably afford a one-bedroom apartment on my RCG salary. Even so, because I grew up without much money, I remained frugal. I lived alone for only one year before taking on roommates again to save money.
Today, I’m sharing our 30-year ho...
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