I am deciding between a bunch of schools around the Bay Area. I have read from multiple people that going to school in the location you want to work in is better overall. However, if I go to school in Sacramento/Chico/Santa Cruz, and then decide to move back home to work in San Jose/San Francisco, would it really affect my job prospects that much?
Those are in the same region. The advice you are thinking about is for places much further apart such as the Bay Area vs. Chicago.
My son is a recent Chico grad. Lots of SV headquartered companies interview on-campus. The same is true of Sac State so, not really. Lots of people commute from SC to SJ every day so, of course the same is true there too. Being really local (like SJSU or SF State) makes internships easier to come by and manage while you are still a student.
The reason for the recommendation is that employers in a given area are more likely to know about well respected regional schools where they might not recognize a similarly good university located on the other coast. As a longtime Bay Area resident, when a resume from a Chico grad comes across my desk, I immediately think good things.
Since your family lives in the Bay Area, you will still have access to summer internships in the area, even if you are going to school somewhere else. Same goes for setting up interviews over spring or winter break when you’re close to graduation.
You’ll be fine!! Good luck.
You think Chico to San Jose is all that far? Like, you couldn’t get there for an interview? It’s 3 hours by car. Santa Cruz is 90 minutes from SF, 45 min from SJ. They’re all nearly the same dot on a US map.