The thing is though...It doesn't have to pay near as well. It's less about the amount you are paid...and more about the cost of living. If I left Illinois and took a job in Florida doing the same thing I'm doing in Illinois...I'd take a pretty decent pay cut in the process. But the cost of living in Florida...is much less than where I am now. Despite making less money in Florida, I could probably live my life even better there than I do in Illinois, simply because Illinois taxes the crap out of everything. My dollar would get me farther in Florida than it will in Illinois. I make $120k a year in Illinois. If I did the same job in Florida...I would be making $87k. When taxes are all said and done...$87k in Florida would probably get me farther than $120k in Illinois.If you can find any other place that will pay you anywhere near as well...
The key to Silicon Valley is too live well below ones means (think ramen and sleeping on couches), until one can save enough cash from that 6 figure starting salary to move far away and buy that big house on 10 acres in some other state (not CA). I know several engineers who did well on that plan. But that lifestyle choice is certainly not for everybody.