Reverse Migration: Smaller cities are making bigger dreams come true for developers

Niraj Chauhan, 31, born and brought up in Anand, Gujarat, India, called the city life quits one fine day. A software developer by profession, he found life in Baroda to be expensive and exhausting. When he came across an opening in a software firm in Anand he immediately applied. His family was initially disappointed but just like him, his teenagers too fell in love with the place when they visited it.

If you are a developer, chances are that just like Niraj, you have savoured dreams to work in big metropolitan cities. And you might even be working in one. However, things are changing for the better. Career dreams are being fulfilled not just in bigger cities but in smaller ones as well. You might be in for a surprise as well when you compare the big savings of the smaller city as compared to that of the bigger ones.

Earlier, companies belonging to the same industry, established businesses in a specific city to make the most of the available resources. A classic example of this is the software companies making Bengaluru their headquarters. However, this led to a clutter in metropolitan cities. Gradually, the lure of the cities is reversing. All those things that made these cities attractive in earlier days have given them a bad reputation in the present times.

Faster Growth
When the world moves west, you need to move east. Software development is a competitive field. Most developers are moving to bigger cities to achieve their dreams. In such a scenario, if you choose a smaller city to establish your career, you will be in a big gain. Smaller cities lack intense competition, something quite common in bigger ones. Hence, the chances of boosting your career are relatively easy there.

Recognition
In smaller cities, the work that you will do as a software developer will be easily visible. This helps create word-of-mouth publicity, increasing your visibility in the industry over there. Smaller cities recognize the work of professionals and appreciate their contributions. Further, there is a lot of scope for work in smaller cities, which creates opportunities on a bigger scale. While bigger cities offer opportunities for lateral growth, smaller ones have the scope for vertical growth.

Work-life balance
Smaller cities are known for their peaceful life. Residents do not have to worry about the long hours of commuting and peak-hours traffic which is a given fact in the big city. Software developers can lay their hands on a rental property close to their office. This results in spending more time with family. A study states that people living in smaller cities devote time to hobbies and personal interests as compared to their city counterparts. Also, such people are more satisfied with their life.

Networking
It is difficult to make meaningful connections for software developers working in bigger cities. They are one more employee for most of the organisations. A stark contrast to this, smaller cities have a tight-knit community in offices. People work together and grow together, which is mostly impossible in bigger cities. The divide between management and employees is almost negligible in smaller city offices, which gives motivation and confidence to employees.

Proximity to Nature
Smaller cities have undisturbed and pristine areas that make lives easier. With rising traffic and increasing air pollutants, lives in bigger cities have resulted in lifestyle diseases like asthma, diabetes and the like. It is quite difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle due to fast-paced lives. The lack of greenery and vegetation has taken a toll on the health of people living in metros. Hence, software developers prefer living in smaller cities that are close to nature.

Smaller cities, Tier II cities, and towns have become an option for software developers to establish their careers. People are moving away from frantic city lives. While cheaper houses are one of the reasons, others are better networking, proximity to nature, and work-life balance, among many others.

Residential
Moving to a smaller city is one of the ways software developers can achieve the space that they crave. It is possible to live with parents and grandparents as such cities have bigger houses and low rentals. Rental is one of the biggest concerns for people in bigger cities.Smaller towns, on the other hand, offer expansive space wherein families get a lot of time to spend together. Further, lower costs of houses in a smaller town can make owning a home quite affordable. Monthly savings made in smaller cities can easily be splurged on personal interests, gadgets, and family vacations, among other things.

Cost of Living
The cost of living is likely to go down when software developers move to a smaller city. Expenses in larger cities tend to be on the higher side. This means that things like groceries, child care, taxes, healthcare, and others are more than that incurred in the smaller cities. Further, transportation costs too can be brought down in smaller cities by choosing a residential close to the office. Time, money, and effort can be saved easily by working in smaller towns.

Entertainment
Options for entertainment and amusement in bigger cities are very different from that of the smaller ones. Leisure in cities comprises watching movies, late-night parties at pubs, and socialising at malls. In stark contrast, leisure in smaller cities means watching plays, and road shows, spending time with friends, playing sports, picnics in forests, and the like. Each has its way of keeping people occupied. Sundays in smaller cities are more relaxed with fewer things to do.

Tight-knit Community
Bigger cities have all kinds of people belonging to diverse races, groups, ethnicities, etc. As a software developer, you might come across different kinds of people in a day’s job. However, smaller cities are known for their tight-knit communities that offer you an immersive experience. In bigger cities, it is often difficult to make a connection with a person you have known for decades. However, smaller cities embrace all kinds of people, respecting their backgrounds yet blending them into the colour of kindness and care.

The Road Ahead
Living in a small city has its share of perks and benefits. Life in such cities is very interesting due to various cultural activities and local events. Software developers have a lot to look forward to when they shift their base to smaller cities. They can thrive and grow in a community that not only accepts them but inspires them every other day.