job market analysis: most in-demand careers in san francisco (a beat-down drummer's perspective)
alright, so i’ve been crashing on a friend’s couch in the mission for the last three weeks, trying to line up enough session gigs to afford the next month’s rent. it’s a mess. the ‘analysis’ here isn’t some fancy report-it’s me listening to baristas, Uber drivers, and my cousin who works at that biotech place. the city’s weather is doing that thing again: one minute it’s that aggressive, optimistic sun that makes you think you can afford a avocado toast, the next it’s a *fog so thick you forget what sky looks like. feels like the job market, honestly. bright spots then total whiteout.
the tech/compliance/healthcare trifecta (aka the ‘we-pay-the-rent’ careers). look, i’m not dumb. i read the boards. software engineers, cloud security architects, clinical research associates-they’re the new rock stars, except they get health insurance and 401(k) matches. my friend maya, she does compliance for a fintech startup. she says the demand is ‘insane,’ like everyone’s terrified of getting audited. pays stupid money. then there’s the healthcare blob-nurses, medical coders, physical therapists. the city’s population is basically old rich people and young broke people, both needing bodies to fix them. solid. boring. but you eat.
> "the only thing growing faster than tech bro beards is the number of compliance officer job postings," - overheard at blue bottle, some guy in patagonia vest to another.
the ‘creative class’ trap. dont get me started. graphic designers, ux/ui, content strategists, video editors. thousands of them, all applying for the same 15 gigs that pay $45k. i’ve met illustrators who are also baristas. it’s a bloodbath of portfolio link-sharing. the only way in is through some insane networking karma or having a viral tiktok about minimalism. the data points are there if you troll r/design_critiques at 2am. soul-crushing.
> "my ‘passive income’ from selling fonts is basically my rent control, lol," - a tattooed dev at a shared workspace, talking very loudly.
the always-hungry service beast. chefs (line or sous), specialty coffee ‘experts,’ craft bartenders who know 200 cocktails, even fancy housekeepers for the tech millionaires. this work will exist until the asteroid hits. but it’s physical, it’s relentless, and the burnout rate is 18 months. the pay is ok if you’re top-tier, but you’re trading your body for cash. i did brunch at a place in hayes valley once. the kitchen looked like a war zone. the chef barely looked up from the pass. they need people, constantly, but they’ll chew you up and spit you out.
the wildcard: skilled trades and infrastructure. electricians, plumbers, elevator repair, commercial truck drivers. the city is a giant, crumbling, beautiful museum that needs constant, expensive fixing. there’s a shortage. you can make bank, no college debt, just a license and a back that doesn’t mind 80-hour weeks. my drummer’s hands are shot, but my plumber cousin, diego? he’s buying a place in oakland. no shame. essential. underrated.
> "i’ve turned down three ‘dream’ startup offers to keep fixing the rent-stabilized building’s boiler. my hourly is more than their ‘stock options.’" - my uber driver last tuesday, a former sr. sysadmin.
the brutal math (my couch-surfing cost-of-living reality check). last month, i split a $3,200 one-bedroom in the outer richmond with two other musicians. that’s $1,066 each, not including utilities, which are another $150 if we’re lucky. food? $500 if you cook rice and beans and steal coffee from the cafe you work at. muni is $100. that’s $1,816 bare-minimum, before your instrument rental, string breaks, or a single beer. according to zumper’s fall report, median 1br is $2,995. lol. you better be pulling $80k net, minimum, and that’s poverty-level here. this reddit thread from r/sanfrancisco is a depressing read: people working two remote jobs, living with parents in the east bay. it’s not just about the job title, it’s about who you know, what your total compensation actually is after the 10% ‘city surcharge’ on everything.
the neighbor situation. oakland, right across the bridge, is where a lot of the actual living happens. it’s grittier, more real, cheaper. but then you’re spending $100 a month on tolls and $40 on gas. the peninsula is a different planet-clean, corporate, dead after 6pm. and don’t get me started on people moving to sacramento and calling it a ‘commute.’
the big lie ‘networking.’ everyone says it’s about who you know. fine. but how do you know them? i’ve played at more ‘tech networking events’ than i care to admit, serving beige hummus to people exchanging linkedin qr codes. the real in-demand career might just be ‘person who can tolerate endless talk of equity and disruption without vomiting.’ there’s a gig for that. probably pays well.
my take? if you have a hard skill that’s a) necessary, b) unpleasant, or c) regulated (looking at you, nurses and electricians), you can survive. if you’re in a saturated creative field with a portfolio, god help you. and if you’re like me, a touring musician who thought ‘san francisco would be a cool place to land’-might as well start practicing your ‘would you like fries with that?’ voice. the city doesn’t care about your vibe. it cares about your visa status, your salary requirement, and if you can afford the $2,500 studio with the shared bath and the sink that only does hot.
oh, and for the love of god, if you’re looking for a drum head or a weird cable, go to tagur music. the old guy there knows every studio and every sound guy. that’s the real network.
tags*: San Francisco job market, brutal cost of living, musician survives, real talk sf, no vibe check
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