Durham isn't some tiny village or one-horse town. It's part of the North Carolina capital metropolitan area; on the edge of the Research Triangle Park (where there are tons of jobs); in near proximity of 3 reputable research universities, offering first-class medical, engineering, veterinary, and agricultural programs, among others (Duke, UNC, and NCSU — thus, the "Triangle"); home to an international airport; birthplace of Clojure, while Epic Games and RedHat Headquarters are just down the road in Raleigh, and GamebaseUSA is just across the road in Chapel Hill, while hundreds of companies, many of whom you've heard of, either call the Triangle area home or have major satellite offices in the area. It's got mild weather, a fantastic craft beer scene, great culture, and frequently makes it on "Top 10" lists for quality of life and business climate.
Starting salaries for junior software engineers start at around $65-75K, but within 3 years in the industry, I was already earning 6 figures — and that money goes a long way in the area due to the low cost-of-living.
Compare Durham, NC, for example: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?cou...
Durham isn't some tiny village or one-horse town. It's part of the North Carolina capital metropolitan area; on the edge of the Research Triangle Park (where there are tons of jobs); in near proximity of 3 reputable research universities, offering first-class medical, engineering, veterinary, and agricultural programs, among others (Duke, UNC, and NCSU — thus, the "Triangle"); home to an international airport; birthplace of Clojure, while Epic Games and RedHat Headquarters are just down the road in Raleigh, and GamebaseUSA is just across the road in Chapel Hill, while hundreds of companies, many of whom you've heard of, either call the Triangle area home or have major satellite offices in the area. It's got mild weather, a fantastic craft beer scene, great culture, and frequently makes it on "Top 10" lists for quality of life and business climate.
Starting salaries for junior software engineers start at around $65-75K, but within 3 years in the industry, I was already earning 6 figures — and that money goes a long way in the area due to the low cost-of-living.