5 Dark Side of Silicon Valley

When you think about technology, one place that comes to mind will be "Silicon Valley".  For those of you that have never heard of the place, it is located in the south bay of San Francisco.

The word silicon is referring to the existence of many factories producing silicon chips in the area. Nowadays, Silicon Valley is considered the hotspot of many well-known technology companies in the world.

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Some of the companies that have headquarters here include Apple, Tesla, Adobe Systems, eBay, and even Facebook.

Not just that, but Silicon Valley is the place for thousands of start-up companies up until 2013, and there is an estimated quarter of a million workers here working for the tech industry. It is considered heaven for many techs fans out there and working here is definitely an achievement to be proud of.

With all the positivity being laid out, things are not always what it seems. Many out there do not know some of the darkest secrets of Silicon Valley and some of them might even shock you. Here are some of the stories being told by the people who grew up, stayed, and even work in Silicon Valley.

1. Competition starts at a very young age

Since most of the parents that worked here have been living in a very competitive scene, it also means that they have high hopes for their children doing the same thing and are even more successful than their friends. Usually, their kids will be sent to join various classes such as swimming lessons and even learn how to play music.

If that's not enough, the parents will also make sure that their kids get their education as early as possible so that they will be more prepared to sit for SAT exams once they get into high school. This is considered one of the requirements in the US before going to college.

2. Surrounded by those that are arrogant

It seems the pressure to be perfect has escalated and it seems that only those that have furthered their studies at the most prestigious college or universities are considered worthy to be looked up to. Not to mention that everyone will be boasting about how their parents have a Ph.D.

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Considering that Silicon Valley is the center of the most advanced technology globally, people who don't work in the field will also be looked down on. Most people here believe in a myth in which technology is everything in their life.

3. Existence of many fake mentors

With many startups appearing like mushrooms in this region, this has not stopped the appearance of so-called "trusted" mentors. But the reality is definitely not what it seems as these fake mentors will always have a hidden agenda. They will only be interested in getting a piece of the pie of the ownership of the start-up company and earning passively.

To make things worse, these fake mentors will also try to be the mentors of many startups at one time. The strategy is pretty simple as they will make you famous just like what you see on Instagram and you in the end will get the fame and glory.

So be sure to get the right mentor to guide you to success.

4. No time for FamilyBalancing between working time and family is definitely hard to achieve especially if you are working in Silicon Valley. Not just that but their children will also have a tight schedule from morning until night time. This includes additional classes after school which in time will turn you into a robot.

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Most of the kids that grew up in Silicon Valley were also not used to long summer breaks since they will fill up that time learning skills in the summer camps.

5. Contaminated and Toxic environment

Since Silicon Valley is the place where semiconductor chips are being made, then the issue with contamination is going to be a very serious problem here. Aside from that, it is also classified as Superfund since the level of toxicity is very high.

Superfund is a program in the United States where the government will give help and aid to the factories that are considered very toxic to conserve as well as clean up all the mess that has been made. On top of that, the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) also states that the air quality in some parts of Silicon Valley has a very high level of trichloroethylene(TCE) more than the permissible limits.

TCE is very dangerous mainly because it is carcinogenic and will increase the risk of many types of cancer. The Level of TCE in these regions starts to rise to this level during the high demands of semiconductors when Fairchild Semiconductor Coro., Intel Corp., Raytheon Co., and NEC electronics established their companies here.

Source:

• Huffington Post

• Business Insider

• Wikipedia

• Iluminasi 

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