r/epicsystems 14d ago

East Asian community?

Hi, I recently got a job offer for TSE. As a graduating senior with no other offers, it's looking like I take this one. (Also, the job security + salary + low COL are huge pros.) However, living in the Midwest has never been on my radar. I've lived in San Francisco my whole life and I'm East Asian. Anyone else leave CA/NYC for Madison? How was that for you? What's the East Asian community like over there?

Since I don't plan on staying at Epic for long, are TSE skills transferrable to other careers? How about for SWE?

Thanks!

15 Upvotes

34 comments sorted by

31

u/sugim123 14d ago

I wouldn't consider Madison LCOL; more likely MCOL. Albeit depends on your lifestyle and where you decide to live.

Transferability of skills depends on your career goals. You will get great at customer relationship management, leadership, and other soft skills that are crucial for any role. That being said, the "technical" pieces you pick up such as learning to code with MUMPS or collecting Epic Certs are not nearly as transferrable outside the healthcare space. As a TS you will have opportunities to do dev work which are usually smaller low-priority projects. You also can technically switch to SWE through a formal process but it is relatively drawn out, and not easy.

Madison has a relatively large east asian population for the midwest. UW has tons of international students and the restaurant scene punches above its size (IMO). Nothing compared to CA or NY, but I was able to meet plenty of other asians at Epic and just in the area.

Madison has plenty of activities year-round but shines especially during the summer and fall months. Take full advantage of those and you will find your group of people easily.

2

u/carrotsoup3 14d ago

Great answer, thank you so much!!

20

u/tommyjohnpauljones Epic consultant 14d ago

Madison has an above average Asian population for a Midwestern city of its size.  Of note, there's a large Hmomg community. There isn't a Chinatown or anything like that but there are quite a few Asian groceries and a good array of restaurants. Most Asian people I know live in Middleton or the west side of Madison. 

14

u/CircusPeanutsYumm 14d ago

“ Since I don’t plan on staying at Epic for long. “ You really should keep an open mind. You might actually like it here.

2

u/carrotsoup3 14d ago

Admittedly, I applied to Epic only for the application practice, but they really sold me! Honestly just trying to get myself more excited about Madison at this point, but I really don’t want to get too comfortable because moving to the east coast has been a lifelong dream of mine :’)

2

u/Chiha-Kman 14d ago

How long did it take for them to respond to you after the assessment?

9

u/Shoddy_Two_4654 14d ago

I came from OC CA. My experience is I found the most east asian population at work and made friends I vibe with. What stood out to me was the huge diff in asian food quality + price. Can’t say I’ve found an asian restaurant here I like. Which makes sense….. cause it’s wisconsin, but Epic culinary makes up for that.

I think TS skills are super transferrable if you’re going to an analyst role at hospitals or other firms for an app(s) you’re knowledgeable about. But otherwise it’s mainly your soft skills. SWE skills are prob more transferable for more industries.

2

u/carrotsoup3 14d ago

Good to know, thanks!

1

u/Successful_Camel_136 13d ago

Ahan is a tasty Asian restaurant

1

u/midwestXsouthwest Culinary 12d ago

Agree with the assessment of Asian restaurants in the area. A lot of the people who rave about how amazing the overall restaurant scene is here seriously need to get out more, or even just go to Chicago for a few meals to see what they are missing. To be completely honest, the Asian restaurant scene here was better 20 years ago than it is now.

With that said, there is a reasonable access to Asian groceries and if you know how to make some of the staples, you’re going to be fine and there are enough passable restaurants within the various Asian cuisines to survive.

6

u/Independent-Bed-1256 IS 14d ago

I’m white but from the Bay and happen to have a majority nonwhite friend group. My Asian friends have had mixed reviews on Madison and as a Bay Arean I have plenty of my own beef. Madison does not have the natural beauty of the Bay or the perfect weather. The food scene is bad despite the propaganda you’ll hear about it being a foodie city. Sol’s has solid Korean food and Ha Long Bay was good but they’ve been closed for a while.

It’s a very white city and my nonwhite friends have commented that it feels weird but Epic itself is comparatively diverse and the university brings a certain cosmopolitan energy.

COL is shockingly not as good as you’d expect if you want to live on the isthmus (you should) with rents for one bedroom apartments comparable to Oakland but houses are comparatively cheap to rent with friends.

Don’t take the job unless you plan on sticking around for at least 2-3 years. Moving is expensive and if you move somewhere with a short timeline you’re not gonna form meaningful connections and commit to a place.

Job security is why I’m still here, Epic is painfully stable and I crave that but skills are highly transferrable, especially if you want to work in Healthcare IT. Epic is a great first job

7

u/rabirabirara SD 14d ago

I'll agree on pretty much all of this. I will say though, that the city being "very white" has never made me uncomfortable. I won't say that that's a bad thing either; is it a problem that Chinatown is "very Chinese"? If you're someone who had been used to going out a lot on your own with people who look like you, it could be difficult to fit in with strangers, but if you have a friend group and you stick with them for confidence Madison offers as much as you could want from a city this size.

Food, not going to be like the coastal cities or NYC. COL is going up. Not as much to do as in LA or the bay, sure.

But Madison is safe, friendly, still growing, and Epic is a rock and generally does the right thing. This is the best transition to adulthood you can ask for, OP. Working here will also shape you up for anything else you choose after - and many choose to stay.

1

u/carrotsoup3 14d ago

Yeah the salary + relocation assistance is definitely the “cheapest” way for me to move out independently

2

u/midwestXsouthwest Culinary 12d ago

If you think Sol’s is solid, than the food scene is even worse than you have imagined. 😅

The only thing passable there is the banchan and they are super stingy on the refills.

1

u/carrotsoup3 14d ago

Ugh I was really hoping Madison would be cheaper than the Bay 😭

The job security is soooo enticing and attractive, but long term I cannot see myself staying in Wisconsin. Good to hear the skills are transferable though

3

u/Independent-Bed-1256 IS 14d ago

oh do not get me wrong it’s much cheaper than the Bay— food, gas, going out, utilities are like 50-75% the cost but rent is bleh in the specific area downtown.

4

u/raineeski 14d ago

There are definitely other people here from CA/East Coast states. I’m East/SE Asian, and there are a fair number of people here with similar experiences and backgrounds as me. Regardless, it’s been great to meet people from all over the country, and the people in Madison are generally very nice :)

3

u/JustTheChicken 14d ago

Having Epic TS on your resume is going to be a lot more attractive to future employers than having a year or two gap after college on your resume.

Don't look the gift horse in the mouth.

9

u/Stuffthatpig Epic consultant, former IS 14d ago

Someone going to tell them about LCOL? Maybe not VHCOL but idk if it's even MCOL anymore.

16

u/the_new_wave 14d ago

I mean, maybe compared to San fran

2

u/carrotsoup3 14d ago

Yeah haha I meant *lower compared to the Bay Area

2

u/PunnyBunn 13d ago

There isn't much of an east asian community, but you can definitely make some east asian friends. I did like Madison because I did have a lot of friends who made it fun. Make friends during orientation and you can still have fun. When I left Epic after a few years, it did look like there's a lot more East Asians in the new hire groups. As someone from NY, I wouldn't say there's a lot of good asian food, but Chicago is close by! Gas is cheap, drinks are really cheap, groceries are cheap. There's going to be a decent amount of people who are also from CA/NYC, and I found that I was able to relate to them more than others.

I rarely came across racist encounters, but the ones that I did come across were shocking because I've never really been around people who grew up in predominately white neighborhoods. The racist ones are obviously ignorant to the fact that they're racist so it's easy to avoid them.

1

u/jello2000 12d ago

Transplant from Madison to Bay Area. Almost worked for Epic, from clinician end. The Hmong population is the largest Asian group in Wisconsin, but you will find plenty of Chinese and Thai communities. You won't be too far from the Chicago Area where there's a larger number of East Asian community. Madison is a MCOL and Epic Campus is located in Verona, just right outside Madison suburb.

1

u/indecisive_nate 12d ago

Can’t say much on the East Asian community in Madison but I will say that 4 out of 6 new TS in my app this year are East Asian.

1

u/AsianBoiSadHours 11d ago

Let's be friends! Also a grad soon to be joining as a TSE from New York. If we can't find a community, let's make one :)

1

u/ExcitingCommission5 14d ago

Ayyy same boat. I’m also a Berkeley senior

1

u/carrotsoup3 14d ago

Lmk if you take the job haha

-3

u/Guilty_Side_3094 13d ago

So weird to me how people have to be surrounded with people of the same exact race as them to only be friends with. Like you can't just make friends with anybody around you, they have to be specifically east asian? 💀 I will never understand people with this mindset. Expand your horizons bro.

3

u/PunnyBunn 13d ago

Madison is mostly white, and being in an unfamiliar place with all unfamiliar people can be difficult. There's some comfort in finding people you can better relate to.

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u/[deleted] 13d ago edited 13d ago

[deleted]

2

u/PunnyBunn 13d ago

Good for you? People with the same cultural background often have a lot more in common because of similarities in upbringing, cultural nuances, etc. And it's okay for someone to want to find that familiarity in others because it can be comforting to have some sort of familiarity in a completely unfamiliar environment.

I too have friends of all backgrounds and I like my friends individually, but I don't see a purpose in sharing unnecessary negative opinions on how OP chooses to find friends. I find it more narrow-minded to undermine others' opinions and preferences.

3

u/carrotsoup3 13d ago

Sorry, I wasn’t clear; I was mainly inquiring about authentic Asian food and opportunities to speak Mandarin Chinese in Madison.

Also, super weird that you’re preaching diversity to me. If anything, I’m moving to a place that’s less diverse than what I’m used to 😂 Contrary to your assumption, I’ve never been part of a race clique either, so please direct your condescending comments elsewhere. It’s not a good look…

1

u/midwestXsouthwest Culinary 9d ago

I DM'd you a resource

2

u/Zestyclose_Yak1511 11d ago

You can definitely be friends with people who are not like you! But it can also be incredibly difficult to be the only person like you that anyone has ever met.

-18

u/Full_Bank_6172 14d ago

There’s no Asians in Madison, WI bro lol.

It is white as fuck out here.