After reading the article on LinkedIn “What´s eating Silicon Valley? By Andrew Yang I noticed how much it hit close to home with my own experiences. His perspective is very much in key of what I experienced back then and still occurring in the Valley right now.
For many, Silicon Valley has an image of greatness and a sense of wealth. The best technologies in the world were and are created there. However, it is its own little big bubble. Where youth with aggressive intelligent ambition is very much accepted, networking is very important yet there is a big lack of “social skills” for the most part.
I first moved to Silicon Valley straight out of Manhattan. To be blunt, a "Culture Shock" at it´s best. For starters, the social scene is very different. Being single in Manhattan is like an episode of “Sex and the City”. Being single in San Jose (I moved because of my then boyfriend who became my then husband…) well is nicknamed “Men Jose” for the ratio of men to women. That was just the beginning. You don´t see the smart and savvy “Go Getters” of Wall Street, but those gentle smart students who were loners in school when you were growing up suddenly become hipsters without changing their persona. Being extremely smart was very much accepted and lauded. Engineering degrees with very complicated minors (I am just your average Business/Economics Student). These students live to decipher the Square Root of Something. Commodity and casualness were the dress code combined with its attitude. Being a Fashion statement was not important.
As a city, San Jose- Now headquarters to Silicon Valley has evolved in to a major city. Due to the wealth of the 80, 90 and mostly 2000, I was able to see the evolution and transition of the city. Culturally is still growing, because as Andrew Yang said, there is not much diversity. There might be people from all over the world, yet they all think and act in a very much same pattern. (As Lawyers think one way, Doctors think 3D, Engineers have their ways as well). Granted, I am talking about my own experiences. I hopped on a plane from Manhattan and into San Jose. I came from a place that you went to the most chic places on any given night, to the park the next day, the museum the next and then eating in restaurants with well renowned chefs. All of the places were of extreme calibers. As you age and depending on your exposure you intellect grows in different ways.
One unique characteristic of Silicon Valley is the diversity of ethic backgrounds. In some cultures, education is considered and regarded in a higher level than social and financial standards. Hence, creating an aggressive competitiveness academically among students. Ironically, sometimes the pressure of this was coming from the parents. I am not demeaning some schools, but in some institutions, it was the student´s academic competitiveness that made the school better not the teachers that taught. Some schools were notorious for having several students acquire a perfect SAT score.
Child rearing goes to a different level. Children are exposed to the highest level of technology gadgets. It is very common for them to have them. Again, my same dilemma surges – “Social Skills”. Most of these gadgets make a person very autonomous; there is no need to be neither physical nor social. Is up to us, the parents to create the environment that we are used to and see best fit.
Now, to the most important aspect of Silicon Valley is the work force. Self-starters who have evolve their business into large corporations in a shorter period of time than most. Where youth does not necessarily means inexperience. Aggressive assertiveness is done in a subtle way. Finally, owning your own business is key and common.
You should also read Andrew Yang´s blog, my reason to pen my thoughts down. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-eating-silicon-valley-andrew-yang? My comments to him where: Having lived, owned a business and raised children in Silicon Valley for over 20 years, I do relate to your article. It is a self-starter town-city (yes, when I first moved there it was a town with no Skylines) with a lot of opportunities to those who dare to be entrepreneurial. It is a great place for business owners, (you are seen in a different light) and a very expensive place for a regular employee. My children were fortunate enough to attend very good schools, yet among their peers having even ok grades was not "cool". (Due to the mix of ethic backgrounds among students there is a lot of academic competitiveness). Social skills are very unique to the Valley. Even though it is a conglomerate of extremely smart people, there is a difference between being "academia", "intellectual", "culturally knowledgeable" and "worldly". Their common bond is "entrepreneurial wealth”. (That is how most of them acquired their money). Since then, I have moved to even a bigger city with a lot of cultural diversity. My children have moved out as well. However, we all cherish our experience there and what we have learned. Experiences make us the person we are now and dictate what we will be in the future.
We are open to sharing your experiences and comments. This blog is based on one´s perception and not a generalization.
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