Krakow - The Silicone Valley of Europe
There is only one true Silicon Valley in the world - the one situated in San Francisco. It is not only a residence of the world’s most powerful and renowned IT companies, it’s the fulcrum of global IT development, the place to meet distinguished computer geniuses and the best-selling pop culture symbol. Silicon Valley may never be outmatched, but each part of the world introduces competitors, especially during the recent years of avalanchine advancement of informational technologies. The proud nominee from Europe is Krakow - the seemingly old-fashioned city which, in fact, has quite a few aces up its sleeve. Don’t let the looks of this bohemian capital trick you into thinking that it has nothing to do with IT. It is true that medieval streets, packed with ancient catholiс churches are not the first thing to expect from a next Silicon Valley. Indeed, Krakow has a reputation of a popular tourist destination, but there is much more to it, if you know where to look.
Scratch the surface, and you will find the brilliant possibilities that Krakow gives to IT professionals. During the last decades, an IT community in Krakow has grown significantly, becoming extremely well-structured and robust. Instead of luring the talents out of Europe, the important IT companies have started to settle in, opening their offices right at the talent source. Krakow hosts the offices of such giants, as Google, Motorola, IBM, Fujitsu, CapGemini and Sabre - and these are just a few names from the list of more than 300 companies. Krakow presents huge opportunities for all ranges of IT - from web development to game design, combined with a variety of job offers in finance, communication, and content creation services.
The idea that Krakow should become the European Silicon Valley has been in the air for quite a while and with each year it’s getting more and more believable. Krakow deserves to be called the Silicone Valley of Europe due to many reasons, the most important of which is an extremely large talent pool with a steady supply of graduates in computer science, business, and finance. Not only Krakow provides its citizens with excellent education, but it also hosts thousands of ambitious emigrants. These young professionals create a progressive and multilingual community - the perfect environment to nurture innovation.
Setting up an office in Poland is also very cost-effective. In general, the wages of white-collar employees are lower comparing to the other countries in the European Union. The economy is strong and steady, providing a safe environment to run a business. This, combined with lucrative prices of rent, makes Krakow an excellent choice for foreign investors, and this tendency is going to run on for years to come. Here and there, you can see construction works of future office buildings. There are, of course, cheaper places to run a business - take India, for example. Still, none of the cheaper locations offer as many additional benefits as Krakow does.
Last, but not least, Krakow is simply a nice and cozy place to live, great for people of all ages and interests. The city is very green, has a modern, well-developed infrastructure, and offers a huge variety of recreational options. Regardless being a popular tourist destination, the city is neither crammed, nor raucous. The people of Krakow are very open-minded and welcoming to foreigners, and most of them know English on the communicative level, which also contributes to fruitful collaboration.
Krakow has been awarded the title of the best outsourcing city in Europe, but that’s only the beginning. Judging from the tendencies, the best is yet to come. If you are an IT enthusiast looking for a job, take a closer look, because Krakow is steadily getting closer to becoming the next Silicon Valley.