Seattle Banking Scene

I thought it was a more moderate COL city when compared to SF or NYC, with comparable job opportunities, and more rain. Was I misled? 

good if you like to do seafood industry coverage

All the best banks are concentrated in CHAZ.

Shit banking scene.

No state taxes, which is nice.

Hopefully you’re good at chess, solving the rubix cube and well versed in anime. 

Doesn’t Goldman have ibd there? I think I’ve seen it on their website but I never seen anybody talk about it on the site.

Maybe some stuff in chaz?

Have heard very good exits to ANTIFA out of there.

Know the city very well from having lived there many years ago.

I was told that it's become a ceaseless pool of shit humans. Friend told me how on UW's main campus you have antifa patrols walking around with white armbands a la Hitler youth blocking any speaker that might lean to the right. The private banking scene is (was) big at the time due to the Microsoft money and the eco-system it created. So PB is probably a good thing over there. I am sure you have some very niche tech M&A boutiques that might do somewhat well. Don't expect to relocate out of Seattle as your skill set will be very NW centric.

You can always live in the burbs and get stuck on 520 or I-90 although heard there is a toll there now. Our house cost us 250k in Bellevue years ago, now like everything else it's worth over a million. Most of my friends from high school have relocated outside of Bellevue as it became too expensive. Some moved to shit parts of Seattle. One acquaintance is running his own PE fund there. It's extremely insular, people tend to stay and their education level is quite low. In terms of openness or understanding of the outside world Seattle is shit.

For the positive side: there is tons of money in the area. Nature is beautiful. If you like skiing you'll have a blast. There are great high school in the expensive suburbs (I went to one of them). If you are good due to the lack of talent you will likely shine. I haven't been for over 15 years now so things have changed (except for a fly in and out for a wedding for my best friend there, all my other friends I just missed entirely their weddings as the place is too damn far from London).

If you are not from the North West you might struggle. My life would have been very different had I stayed back. Writing this post brings back good memories, but then times were simpler and the middle class didn't get crushed with 2008 and Obama's QE (prolonged by Trump). I remember great cocktail bars and happy hours in Seattle during my University days. All in all - I've answered your question regarding banking. Regarding the city - it's for you to see if you like it. All I heard were complaints about how things changed in Seattle - I haven't checked it.

Home to Starbuck's so drink up 

Proximity to Vancouver and Whistler, BC is a plus. Vancouver is probably the most beautiful city on earth and Whistler is Canada’s version of Aspen.

The music scene was awesome in the early '90s, before our addictions overcame us. Kurt and Chris and I jam all the time now -- hopefully it'll be a while until Eddie joins us.

Don't do heroin, kids.

...but seriously, if you want a breakdown of the finance scene in Seattle, shoot me a PM. I'd be glad to give you a rundown.

I don't think Seattle residents fully appreciate yet how much damage anti-fa has done to the city in the long term.  Before all this, it was a city that I would consider applying to for a job and definitely visiting at the very least. Now, I have zero interest in going there because of the hatred and intolerance. I've talked to other people who feel the same way. 

Not a good sign if people cringe when they hear your city's name.

Seattle is a pretty dope city, but I wouldn't want to live there as a banker. It's a tech city, finance isn't very existent, and grinding in a city where everyone works a 9-5 isn't really going to be enjoyable.

On the plus side, you have access to incredible nature (easily some of the best in the US), food and bar scene is pretty good, and I feel like its fairly affordable when compared to NYC SF LA etc (Chicago is only major city I'd say is cheaper). I spent the last 3 months in Seattle and loved it - yeah the SJW libtards are annoying but you don't have to be friends with them so I don't really see why that's even an issue (also those people are present everywhere on the west coast).

I go to a very liberal university - there are always groups of people that are normal. If u are a SJW libtard you will attract others who are also those people. If you are normal you most likely will naturally find yourself with normal people everywhere.

I don’t buy into the notion that any place is 100% filled with libtards. Ive been in some of the most liberal environments, but have always found myself with normal people.

Ted Bundy is from Seattle. Go Mariners!

As somebody who grew up around Seattle and now lives in the Bay Area, I don't view the two that differently in terms of how liberal they are. Sure, the Bay has a bigger finance scene but in general both are tech-dominated, left-leaning cities. People always ask me if I would be willing to move back to Seattle and my view is if you'd asked me 10 years ago then the answer would've been yes, but now I see it almost like an SF 2.0 where cost of living is skyrocketing and it's becoming more and more crowded. If you're into skiing though, Seattle is absolutely dope for access to the mountains.

“If you don’t want to move to Seattle because of the politics you must be RACIST and HOMOPHOBIC and TRANSPHOBIC!!!”.........

This is how a lot of your interactions will go unless you want to censor yourself in every social interaction and subscribe to leftist bullshit

Seattle native here. 

I don't know much or anything at all about the Seattle finance scene, but I can say that the people in Seattle (and Western Washington) are genuinely nice good people. Depending on how one looks at it, one negative (or positive) thing that I've noticed is that the people here are relatively content (complacent maybe?). There are no dreamers or go-getters here like there are in NYC or LA. People are happy with their lifestyle and the way of life here (no pretentious people). Overall, it's not a bad place to be for the short term (or long term) if you enjoy the outdoors and being around techy kind of people. As for the weather, it doesn't so much rain as it does drizzle. Biking here is also quite big. Whether it be mountain biking or road cycling, there will be bikes. Portland is also a great place to visit that's near Seattle (3 hour drive time) which has an even bigger biking scene. Do I see myself living here for the long term? Possibly. Can I see myself growing as a person here (in my 20's)? I don't think so because there are not that many ambitious people here. Can I see myself raising a family here? Yes, because it's progressive enough where my kids will likely be well-rounded individuals who don't judge others and have a global perspective in mind. All in all, the culture here is filled with kind people who love it here so much that they will probably never move out of Seattle. 

Grew up in Seattle and absolutely loved it there. Chill people– lots of Microsoft, Amazon, and other tech folks– and a generally pleasant culture. Something to do outdoors year-round, with easy access to hiking, skiing/snowboarding, and other activities. In spite of what some national news outlets suggest, it's not like the city's been overrun by Antifa or other liberal extremist groups (although the local government's handling of the CHAZ/CHOP nonsense was unacceptable and further worsened by the assistance of our socialist city councilwoman). Before COVID, there was plenty of nightlife (generally concentrated around Ballard and Capitol Hill), and rent is still slightly more affordable than SF/NY.

If you were looking to start a career in almost any field outside of finance, it would be a hard place to beat. The issue with banking there is that the reach of MM firms like Cascadia and Meridian Capital just doesn't extend that far outside of the PNW. I've two high school friends working as analysts there, and it seems the pay and WLB are solid. However, they're both the sort of people who are content staying there the rest of their lives. In no way is that a bad thing, but if you're looking for optionality or exposure to a broader set of clients, Seattle's probably not the best place.