Great info, thanks!

To start, just wanted to add my perspective on starting your career in this new pandemic environment. I started my career in STEM in 2019. I was a few months in when the pandemic hit. I was in my mid-20s and married however, I did want to say that it took a lot of time establishing myself in my role and being visible in a virtual environment. It took a year to truly even know my team and partners. As a consultant, think about how important visibility is to you and what your job defines that as. For me, it’s going in 1-2x a week but for others, 1-2x a month. You could easily commute to Boston if their in-office requirements aren’t too demanding and you can establish virtual ways of working to keep yourself engaged. Just something to think about. You can also see if HR or a buddy can provide guidance on what other new hires are doing and if there are any in-person events for training or onboarding. Is there any groups you could join to stay in the loop? We used Yammer and Teams at my job.

Anyway, it looks like you may be leaning toward Stamford for cost of living purposes. I think it’s fine but it’s pricier than I would like though better than Boston. Rents are high and places to live are limited but I’m hoping things improve in the new year. It’s very competitive.

I don’t have a night life but I do know younger people who have a fun one here. It can just be limited. Downtown is kind of quiet and the pandemic didn’t seem to help. You can certainly hit up NYC easily on the weekends, we even go during the week. I personally enjoy Norwalk but it depends on who you are and where you’re from. If you can tour your areas of interest, I recommend doing so.