Big tech, big water, big moves.
Puget Sound runs on cloud, aerospace, coffee and medicine. When the giants reshuffle, a lot of good people need a next move. That is exactly what Long Game is for.
It started with a soccer tournament.
My first time in Seattle, I was in high school, up for a BUSC soccer tournament. I loved it.
Since then I've come to know a lot more people there: a few college friends, people I've worked with, and people who got caught in the tech layoffs. I've driven through plenty of times, but I haven't spent nearly as much time there as I want to. That changes soon.
Seattle's companies are huge, but the circles are small. Who you know still opens the door.
The mountains and the water are a big part of the pull. And sometimes the best next move is to bet on yourself.
The Seattle career landscape.
The Seattle area means all of King County: Bellevue, Redmond, Renton and the rest. Big tech dominates the headlines, but aerospace, healthcare, retail and the university are just as large, and often steadier.
Amazon · Microsoft
Amazon is Seattle's largest employer. Microsoft has more than 50,000 Washington employees in Redmond and beyond.
Boeing and its suppliers
Engineering, manufacturing and program leadership roles across the region.
UW Medicine · Fred Hutch · Swedish
Clinical, research and operations careers, with the University of Washington among the region's largest employers.
Costco · Starbucks · REI
Headquarters roles in operations, supply chain, merchandising and corporate functions.
Layoff waves hit Seattle hard and fast. The people who land well treat the search like a project: clear story, short target list, warm intros.
Networking in Seattle, done the long way.
Show up more than once. The second visit is where the real conversations start.
Seattle AI Week (late October), the Tech BBQ Throwdown and member happy hours.Visit → Founders and buildersSeattle Tech Week
A week of events each July for builders, operators and founders.Visit → Monthly meetupNew Tech Seattle
Monthly demos and networking for the local tech community.Visit → Event calendarGeekWire Calendar
Meetups, conferences and startup events across the Pacific Northwest.Visit →
Cost of living and housing.
Seattle is one of the more expensive metros on the West Coast. Washington has no state income tax, which changes the math on an offer from out of state.
City, Eastside or further out along the light rail: where the job sits decides the commute, and the commute decides the neighborhood.
Numbers change fast, so we link the live sources instead of printing figures that go stale.
Where to clear your head.
Discovery Park
Bluffs, beach and forest trails inside the city.
Plan it →Mount Rainier
The big one, about two hours south.
Plan it →Olympic National Park
Rainforest, coast and mountains across the Sound.
Plan it →Basecamp Seattle on the map.
Coaching runs by video. When Coach Leighty is in town, in-person conversations happen over coffee or on a trail. Book a call first.
Protect it. Live it. Visit it.
Listed as local resources, not partners or sponsors. Something closed or missing? Email mike@longgamelife.live.
Your long game has its own map.
Every Basecamp starts with the same trail markers. Yours might need a fabric store, a card shop, a maker space, a climbing gym or a quiet place to write. Tell us what belongs on this page and Coach Leighty adds the ones that fit.
What's open right now.
Go see it for real.
Wildlife, landmarks, trees and flowers, night sky and tide pools. Find one, tap it, and it gets a stamp.
Bald eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalusWhere to lookYear-round around Discovery Park and the Sound.
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Great blue heron
Ardea herodiasWhere to lookStalking the shoreline and lakes all year.
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Steller's jay
Cyanocitta stelleriWhere to lookLoud, crested and blue in the evergreens.
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Pileated woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatusWhere to lookBig and red-crested, in older forest parks.
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Harbor seal
Phoca vitulinaWhere to lookHauled out on beaches and docks around the Sound.
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River otter
Lontra canadensisWhere to lookAlong shorelines and marinas, often mistaken for seals.
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Space Needle
Seattle CenterGetting thereBuilt for the 1962 World's Fair. Ride up for the view.
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Pike Place Market
Downtown waterfrontGetting thereWatch the fish throwers and find the bronze pig.
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Kerry Park
Queen Anne HillGetting thereThe postcard view: skyline, Space Needle, and Mount Rainier on clear days.
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Ballard Locks
BallardGetting thereWatch boats ride the locks. Salmon climb the fish ladder in summer.
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Discovery Park
MagnoliaGetting thereSeattle's biggest park, with bluffs, beaches and the West Point Lighthouse.
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Mount Rainier
About 2 hours southeastGetting thereThe giant volcano you see from the city. Paradise has summer wildflower meadows.
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Western redcedar
Thuja plicataWhere to lookGiant, soft-barked trees in Discovery Park and the Arboretum.
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Pacific madrone
Arbutus menziesiiWhere to lookPeeling red bark on bluffs above the water.
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Douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga menziesiiWhere to lookThe tall evergreen all over the city's parks.
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Coast rhododendron
Rhododendron macrophyllumWhere to lookWashington's state flower. Pink blooms in late spring.
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Salal
Gaultheria shallonWhere to lookShiny leaves with dark berries in late summer.
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Western sword fern
Polystichum munitumWhere to lookThe big fern carpeting the forest floor.
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Big Dipper and North Star
Ursa Major and PolarisWhere to lookFind the dipper, then follow the two stars at the end of its cup up to the North Star.
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Orion the Hunter
Winter constellationWhere to lookLook south after dark for three bright stars in a row: Orion's belt.
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Perseid meteors
Meteor shower, mid-August peakWhere to lookLie back after midnight around Aug 11 to 13. No telescope needed.
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Geminid meteors
Meteor shower, mid-December peakWhere to lookOften the year's best shower. Bundle up around Dec 13 to 14.
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Milky Way
Our home galaxyWhere to lookNeeds a moonless night away from town lights. Summer shows the brightest part. Clouds are the big hurdle. Discovery Park's open meadow is darker than downtown.
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Space Station flyover
International Space StationWhere to lookA bright, steady dot crossing the sky in a few minutes. NASA's Spot the Station app lists times.
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Ochre sea star
Pisaster ochraceusWhere to lookPurple and orange stars on rocks at Lincoln Park and Discovery Park.
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Aggregating anemone
Anthopleura elegantissimaWhere to lookSmall green anemones in crowded colonies. Look, don't poke.
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Purple shore crab
Hemigrapsus nudusWhere to lookSmall purple crabs under rocks. Look, then put every rock back gently.
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Moon snail
Neverita lewisiiWhere to lookHuge round snail plowing the sand at low tide.
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Leather star
Dermasterias imbricataWhere to lookSmooth, slippery sea star that smells a little like garlic.
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Pacific blue mussel
Mytilus trossulusWhere to lookSmall blue-black shells clinging to rocks and pilings.
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Never feed wildlife, stay on trail, and follow posted closures. Hours, permits and seasons change, so check before you go. Months are a guide. Photos from Wikimedia Commons under the free licenses shown. Stamps stay on this device only.
Everybody has a long game. Some of the best ones start after the layoff.
Between roles, eyeing the exit, or ready for something of your own: start with a free 20-minute call.
Or email mike@longgamelife.live