I'm a masters student pursuing an MS in Data Science. I currently have two offers, one in California with a startup and another with an established Fortune 500 company in Detroit. The Detroit offer is higher than the startup offer, and considering that the cost of living in Detroit is much lower, this is a really big deal. I'm gravitating towards taking the offer of the Detroit firm. The reason is two fold, one being the salary, and the other being the fact that I'll have a big company on my resume. This is going to be my first job (real full-time job).

My friend raised a concern that I would like to have more clarity on. As we all know, Detroit is by no means a tech center like California. He says that by taking the Detroit offer, I will close all opportunities to move to California later on due to the loss of contacts who can help me get a job. Is this really true? Will all windows of opportunities close just because I end up living in Detroit? Don't companies in other places also hire candidates from other states?