Best Colleges in San Jose

Questions About Going to College in San Jose

How are the career opportunities for college graduates in San Jose?

In San Jose companies keep growing and new businesses continue to start up like wildfire. The local region alone added 121,600 jobs in 2015*, and the city has managed to keep unemployment low at a rate of only 3.8%**. The work population is a mix of young newcomers and the highly experienced. With jobs catered toward employees seeking compensation averaging around $80,000, you could still hold onto the hope of being initiated into the “three commas club.” Some companies go above and beyond to offer more than the typical benefits package: free food, generous weeks of paid time off, in-office fitness centers, and flexibility. It looks like employees can still bring home the bacon and eat it at home too!

What major companies/industries are hiring what type of graduates/skills in San Jose? Growing industries?

In the case of San Jose, The West is truly the land of opportunity— especially if you just graduated or are graduating with a degree in software or computer engineering. Because San Jose has more than 6,500 tech companies and counting. Its people create more patents in the United States than any other city. There’s the established big shots, like Adobe, Cisco Systems, eBay, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and then there are startups on the rise, like DIY creative studio TechShop and software protection service provider Malwarebytes. Apple is even building on San Jose land, providing even more opportunities in the near future for recent graduates excited about working for a brand they carry in their pocket. If you’re not a computer engineer, don’t think you automatically have to turn into an Internet troll to get the gig. Tech companies need people of all skillsets (marketers, businesspeople, project managers). And beyond technology, medical research and treatment as well as education are growing industries. Look up San Jose State University or the Good Samaritan Hospital.

Is San Jose more of a college town or a great place to start a career and family? What communities are best?

If you can afford to live in San Jose — recent graduate, family of four, or even that 70-year-old guy who only owns robes and rooms with his four ferrets — come on in; the temperature is almost always fine. But unless you’re making the big bucks, you won’t be able to afford your mortgage or rent and wear that Apple Watch, too. The average rent comes in at about $1,800/month and the average home sells for $750,000*.

If rent isn’t a huge factor, young adults can shack up in a number of neighborhoods. South University neighborhood is close to downtown and San Jose State University, which means easy access to museums like the Tech Museum of Innovation and nightlife. SoFA, the downtown art and entertainment scene, offers galleries like the Institute of Contemporary Art, do-it-yourself-art at places like the Art Glass Institute, and countless cafes to take your laptop to and chill. The Historic District is full of refurbished apartments, walkable restaurants and entertainment, and convenient public transportation.

Families also have a home in San Jose, and they can rest assured that San Jose is one of the safest large cities in the U.S. But again, living here comes at a price. For around $600K to $1 million, families can join the Willow Glen district south of Downtown and enjoy small-town charm like coffee shops, boutiques, and unique homes that are far from cookie-cutter. And many families in the area actually venture to the city west of San Jose: Cupertino. Along with being known as the birthplace of Apple, Cupertino is renowned for excellent schools, so your kids can one day join the creators and problem-solvers in Silicon Valley.

What do the locals in San Jose like to do for fun?

You mean besides trying to recreate the plot of Spike Jonze’s Her? This city full of tech geeks actually has a lot of non-virtual experiences to offer. In Downtown, the Plaza de Cesar Chaves provides two acres for live music, festivals, fairs, food, and water fountains. Nearby, you’ll find the Dr. Martin Luther King Library, which is the largest library west of the Mississippi. You can join the green movement with many others by hopping on your bike and riding on one of the 50 miles of bike trails. And you can stop and smell the roses at the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden on a lunch break or when you’re just too tired of looking at a screen.

Though the city has a lot to do, the next time you get an invite to BYOD, just pack up your favorite gaming console and accept your friend’s basement as a city hotspot all on its own.

What’s the dating scene like in San Jose? Will I meet my perfect mate?

Never say never. But if you decide to ask Siri if you’re going to find your “geek god” or “geek goddess,” she very well might say “For you? Outlook not good.” According to a research study by online dating service Zoosk, San Jose ranked as the second least open-minded cities in America. Though there’s about three men to every woman, many singles believe there’s only one pixel for them in the screen that is San Jose. And that pixel better have just as good an education, job, and body as their date, or they might just get swiped left and stood up. Dates that do happen are informal, taking place at froyo shops or at the park. But many don’t happen. Some people are too socially awkward, having never dated before. Others are too busy spending 80 hours a week trying to become the next MOP (millionaire on paper) to spend time wooing a mate. They’d rather spend any free moments they have with buddies — to talk shop — or networking.