It’s hard not to think “Silicon Valley—but by the Bay” when San Francisco enters the conversation. This makes sense, as the San Francisco Bay Area has the largest concentration of high-tech companies in the U.S. at 387,000 technology-specific jobs. San Francisco also leads the way with the highest average tech salary in the nation and is clearly the hub for tech innovation.
San Francisco got its spectacular start with the gold rush in the 1880s, and fast on the miner’s heels was the start of the tech rush. Beginning with the invention of the adding machine right around the same time as prestigious Stanford University was created in the late 1890s, the City by the Bay was already an epicenter for technological inventions evidenced by the engineering marvel, The Golden Gate Bridge. Technical creativity continued as the city proudly hosted the World’s Fair of 1939, a showcase of an innovative technological era anchored in San Francisco.
The biggest step that established San Francisco as the epicenter of the tech world began long before the world knew how technology would change the landscape. In 1911, a small company named Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine Company was acquired by a fresh face in tech from the East Coast: International Business Machines, best known as IBM. At the same time that visitors were marveling at inventions at the World’s Fair, high tech was getting rolling at a record pace as other tech corporations started joining IBM.
The history of technology in San Francisco is important to understand how a city was the original birthplace that spawned the biggest moniker in tech: Silicon Valley. While the Golden Gate Bridge was considered the epitome of modern engineering, quiet beginnings in San Francisco included two students, William Hewlett and David Packard, who were working with oscilloscopes, physicists were becoming Nobel Prize winners, and the creation of an all-electronic TV broadcast occurred—all before 1945. Along with a myriad of other technology shooting stars over the following decades, the invention of silicon transistors emerged, forever changing the electronic landscape.
In 1956, a company named Shockley Semiconductor Labs became the first to make transistors out of silicon and made its home in the Bay Area. At that point, San Francisco had already built its reputation as a global tech leader, but the lightning-fast evolution of the silicon chip eclipsed the 1840’s gold rush as the reason to flock to the area. San Francisco has never slowed its pace in the tech world, and today is home to business legends including Uber, Lyft, Visa, Airbnb, Levi Strauss, Yelp, and X (formerly known as Twitter), just to drop a few names.
Stanford University has been one of the biggest reasons San Francisco first became tech-attractive and why digital dominance is still evident in the Bay Area. Technological research and innovation is Stanford's claim to fame, with clout-ridden stories such as the first 100 Google users being Stanford students. A few ground-breaking tech giants have sprouted from Stanford soil such as Google, Sun Microsystems, Yahoo!, Cisco, and Intuit.
Along with cutting-edge technology entities, especially software, which are still the face of San Francisco, other primary sources for income include manufacturing, aerospace, and electronics throughout the peninsula. San Francisco is the location for thirty-eight members of the Fortune 500 and tens of thousands of successful startups.
Illustrious careers in technology are born and bred in San Francisco, not only within the doors of legendary companies but especially with an influx of startups. Focused on Growth Marketing, Data Analytics, AI, Automation, and advancements in software, San Francisco is a mecca for a steady flow of tech talent. The Bay Area remains America’s gold mine for tech startup incubation with daily reports listed on Built In San Francisco. Packed within only 49 square miles are 5,347 startups that have emerged in a few short years, all of which need qualified tech professionals.
Established sectors in the city that rely on technology include manufacturing and finance. Principal industries within manufacturing in San Francisco are in apparel and other textile products, food processing, and shipbuilding, all reliant on an array of technical expertise. In FinTech, Stripe is the ruler of the field of online payment processing and is headquartered in San Francisco. As the most valuable FinTech in the United States, with a $95 billion valuation, it is also the second-most important startup globally, eclipsed only by TikTok owner ByteDance. Although it is categorized in neither FinTech nor manufacturing, ByteDance can be an exhilarating environment in the uber-fast-moving digital world, with one of its major headquarters located in San Francisco.
Those who have a tech career in San Francisco enjoy a strong community with 68,000 workers in the tech/information sector, comprising 13% of private-sector jobs. This translates to roughly $9.2 billion in wages or 22% of the total earnings across all industries in the Golden Gate City. Partly because of its nickname namesake, tourism plays a prominent role in keeping San Francisco's infrastructure strong and is just one more example of where techies can look for a fun career.
San Francisco has far more reasons to be loved than the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. The overwhelming charm of the city is due to a myriad of things that no guidebook has room to include. The red trolley cars that make the city instantly identifiable clang their way up and down the infamously famous steep, curvy streets, and only the brave test their brakes on Filbert Street with a 31.5% grade. Other gutsy adventures include visiting Alcatraz Island, home to a prison so harsh that inmates were willing to try to escape in the freezing, shark-infested waters that surrounded it.
Many professionals choose to live in surrounding areas, taking advantage of San Francisco's award-winning public transportation system known by its acronym, BART. The Bay Area Rapid Transit System is a heavy-rail elevated and subway public transportation system with 50 stations along six routes for a total of 131 miles. An amazing engineering feat is that it is built around deep waterways and steep hills; the train can reach speeds of 81 miles per hour and still be known as one of the smoothest rides a person can find in a metropolitan area. Although tech salaries are sky-high in San Francisco, the cost of living is higher than in some other cities, so evening out the difference by using smart options such as BART makes living in the area easier.
Average salaries for tech professionals in San Francisco can range from $134,000 for a role as a Digital Designer to far above $155,000 for Software Engineers. Other roles with high average salaries include Product Managers, who average $140,000 per year, and Data Scientists, with earnings of about $160,000 per year.
In innovative technology-rich San Francisco, extraordinarily high salaries across all tech sectors make acquiring the skills it takes to enter a career in tech a wise investment. There are an amazing amount of technology bootcamps and classes in the Bay Area to choose from. More than 300 of the best course offerings from area schools provide in-person, live online, and on-demand course options. Schools are located in downtown San Francisco and all around the Bay Area, easily accessible by using BART. For tech students, schools cover a vast array of subjects in technology, including Design, Digital Marketing, Data-related training, Coding, Business, Web Development, and IT. Two schools, Certstaffix and ONLC, hold classes in a computer lab, pre-loaded with the latest equipment and software, led by a live, off-site instructor. Noble Desktop, the creator of this tool, has compiled an extensive list of the top schools and the subjects they offer.
San Francisco has six locations to choose from to take in-person and hybrid bootcamps and courses in Graphic Design. Those wanting to pursue a design career have more than enough options to learn anything they’d like about the field, and many schools also offer live, online, and on-demand options. Types of programs that can be found include bootcamps/immersives, certificates, and classes, ranging from six hours to twelve weeks in length. Topics across the graphic design spectrum are Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Visual Design, and UX Design. Schools in the metropolitan area that offer in-person and online Graphic Design courses are Sonic, AcademyX, Berkeley Boot Camps, Bay Area Video Coalition, and General Assembly. Additionally, ONLC and Certstaffix hold classes in computer labs with equipment preloaded with the latest software and a live, offsite instructor.
Schools that offer Data Science classes and bootcamps in San Francisco include training locations that provide twenty-six excellent in-person and live online courses. Schools are located in the downtown area, making it possible to find a spot that fits with busy schedules. Courses range from three hours to 72 weeks, including bootcamps, which dive deeply into hands-on instruction in this fast-growing field. Subjects within the realm of Data Science include Python, SQL, Machine Learning, and R. The schools that offer a range of data science courses include Berkeley Boot Camps, Sonic, Metis, Flatiron School, Data Science Dojo, Coding Dojo, Galvanize, Holberton, and General Assembly. There is one other school that offers a hybrid option in a computer lab with a live, remote instructor, Certstaffix.
For in-person and hybrid Web Development bootcamps and classes in San Francisco, students can choose from over 40 classes provided by General Assembly, Holberton, Flatiron School, App Academy, Hack Reactor, Hackbright, Galvanize, Academy X, Learnit, and the Bay Area Video Coalition. All schools are located downtown, making it convenient to find a training center that fits students’ needs. Another school, Certstaffix, offers live instruction in a state-of-the-art computer lab with a live, off-site instructor.
There are more than 83 options presented by ten highly-ranked schools to choose from for in-person, live online, and on-demand coding classes and bootcamps in San Francisco. These training centers offer live, online courses and provide a way for students to take classes from wherever they choose and are close to major thoroughfares. Schools in the Bay Area that are easily accessible for busy professionals include General Assembly, First Step Coding, Coding Dojo, Berkeley Boot Camps, Galvanize, Holberton, Metis, Flatiron, App Academy, Data Science Dojo, Learnit, Hackbright, Academy X, and Sonic. Two other schools, Certstaffix and ONLC, hold their coding classes in a dedicated computer lab, with instruction from a live, remote instructor. All courses take students through the learning process step-by-step and provide object-based experiential learning experiences.
Students can find coding-related options in Web Development, Data Science, Computer Science, iOS Development, Front-end Development, Back-end Development, Python, JavaScript, Java, SQL, HTML & CSS, and PHP & MySQL. Offerings range from comprehensive and immersive bootcamps to extensive information certificates and classes. Most courses are also available live and online and offer a variety of times and lengths. For more extensive programs, financial assistance is often available.
Those looking for in-person Web Design bootcamps and classes in San Francisco can choose from fifty courses at six schools around the heart of the city center. Topics within web design include Front-end Web Development, Visual Design, UX Design, WordPress, HTML & CSS, JavaScript & jQuery, Sketch, and Adobe XD. Courses include bootcamps and hands-on classes, ranging from three hours to twelve weeks, and are offered in-person, live online, and via on-demand sessions. Schools that offer web design courses include New Horizons, General Assembly, and American Graphics Institute. Two other schools, Certstaffix and ONLC, hold courses in dedicated computer labs, led in real-time by off-site instructors.
Attending an in-person Digital Marketing bootcamp or class in forward-thinking San Francisco is a wise investment to get ahead of the competition in the booming digital world. Schools in the city offer live, online classes, as well as on-demand sessions. Students can choose to take face-to-face courses at General Assembly, Boot Camp Digital, Berkeley Boot Camps, Miami Ad School, Academy X, Sonic Training, and the Bay Area Video Coalition. More classes can be found with Certstaffix and ONLC, two schools that hold courses in a computer lab with a live, remote instructor leading the class. Subjects students can choose from include Google Analytics, Google Ads, SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, and ecommerce.
San Francisco is an excellent place to learn Python skills in a bootcamp or in-person class. Four highly-rated schools offer face-to-face and live online classes in convenient locations for busy professionals both downtown and within minutes outside of the city center. Top schools include General Assembly, Berkeley Boot Camps, Academy X, and Learnit. Two other schools, ONLC and Certstaffix, provide classes in a computer lab with pre-loaded professional-level software and are led by a live, offsite instructor. Python is essential for most careers in technology, and certain professions require knowledge in specific syntaxes of the language. Instruction in Python for all levels and career-related topics can be found throughout the schools listed and offered live online, as well as on-demand.
Students can choose from twenty-three in-person Video Editing classes or bootcamps in San Francisco at the Bay Area Coalition and Academy X in traditional classrooms or at Certstaffix, which holds classes in a computer lab led by a live offsite instructor. Video editing classes are fast-paced, hands-on learning experiences that range from two to ten days. General areas of study in video editing include motion graphics, Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Final Cut Pro.
In-person and live online UX Design classes and bootcamps in San Francisco are offered by Sonic, Berkeley Boot Camps, and General Assembly. Each location is in the city center and offers classes that are important to every professional in the field of design, including Sketch, Adobe XD, and UX design research. Additional courses are presented by Noble Desktop, the creator of this tool, in live, online sessions. These schools offer comprehensive overviews of the user experience (UX) and place particular emphasis on Sketch and Adobe XD.
Students have a choice of twenty-nine unique in-person and live online Excel bootcamps and classes throughout the Bay Area. All Excel sessions range from three hours to three days and are provided by prominent schools such as Ledet Training, General Assembly, and New Horizons. Two different schools, ONLC and Certstaffix, hold Excel classes in dedicated computer labs led by an offsite instructor. The critical need for Excel skills stretches into most areas of a professional career, so essential general and specific classes in the software are available face-to-face, live and online, or on-demand.
In tech-focused San Francisco, it’s essential to keep your team up-to-date with the latest developments in technology. That’s why Noble Desktop, the creator of this tool, provides onsite corporate training in technology. An expert Noble Desktop instructor will arrange a session in a vast array of technical subjects and can provide training at your location. Additionally, a live session can be arranged via a video conferencing platform such as Zoom.
If it is easier for individual employees to attend a class on their own schedule, vouchers can be obtained for them to attend an open enrollment session. There is a discount on the purchase of multiple vouchers. Contact Noble Desktop to arrange a tailored training session for your workplace and employees.