I’m a transplant into Bellevue for a few years now and didn’t know how it look like before. I move from Seattle to Bellevue and actually liked it a lot.

No longer getting parking tickets since parking is usually free. Quiet and peaceful. Feels safer too for a female.

Rent is not cheap but it’s a nice place to live in.

Most PM roles in Google needs Masters from the JD. And I couldn’t pass the screening stage without the Master despite having 10 years of experience. I only started to get call back after I had my Master.

However, my partner who is newly graduated with Master’s without experience, got the call back and went through interview right after graduation with Google.

So I think it’s important to have the paper qualification based on my own experiences.

Usually they gain experience through summer internships. Most of them will do 2-3 summers of internships to get an return offer at the last year of their school.

I did the path you have described. Gained experience and take Master later. It actually put me at a disadvantage as most of the roles that I want to move into requires a Master or MBA. Experience is important but it screens me out right from the start when master is a preferred requirement.

Masters first if you want to be competitive. Most of the resumes I receive for tech here has Masters degree.