Matt Asay in CNET asks, "Where will all the Techies go?". Silicon Valley is just now feeling the effects of the economic downturn. With fewer jobs for all those programmers, where will they land after their layoff?

Let's hope it's DC. I'll concede the obvious reaction: DC is not conducive to a Northern Californian lifestyle. At all. And if that lifestyle matters more to you than your job, you'll be hard to convince.*

But if you love your Valley job and want to pick up where you left off, I think DC might be the answer. The only difference is that your job may be more rewarding: your country will likely never again be in the dire need that it is now, and that need coincides with the government's slow but sure migration to a more Web-like IT infrastructure:

• The government is now run by people who "get it," and for that reason, we can expect the government to rely more and more on actual IT firms for IT instead of bombmakers.
• As a sign that that's happening, Google just opened its second DC office. This one is in Reston Town Center, a big departure from the bland corporate park atmosphere of other Northern Virginia tech offices.
• Such a cultural change may cause a broader technological awakening in DC. The GOP has already caught on, recently publishing an API.

If you're a coder looking for a meaningful job in DC, check out TransparencyJobs.com.

*I put myself in this category, preferring the higher rent of NYC to the greater job opportunities of DC.

Thanks to Ellen Miller