"all career advancement and social status is dependent on your position with the church" -- this is bullshit, at least in my experience.
I lived there 2012-2017, never had an issue with dating/making friends/getting promotions at work. There were of course many women that would only date mormon men, but the non-mormon population was big enough that I didn't think about it much.
I worked for multiple tech companies there, had plenty of non-mormon co-workers (and bosses!), and while people did talk about mormon things sometimes in social settings, it was never pushed on me, nor did anyone make a big deal that I wasn't mormon.
I should mention I lived in downtown SLC, which is arguably more liberal/secular, and I worked for companies both in and outside the city.
SLC makes all the difference. It's quite different elsewhere in the state. I've lived and worked in multiple locations and was happiest in SLC but housing prices are absolutely outrageous for what you get.
I lived there 2012-2017, never had an issue with dating/making friends/getting promotions at work. There were of course many women that would only date mormon men, but the non-mormon population was big enough that I didn't think about it much.
I worked for multiple tech companies there, had plenty of non-mormon co-workers (and bosses!), and while people did talk about mormon things sometimes in social settings, it was never pushed on me, nor did anyone make a big deal that I wasn't mormon.
I should mention I lived in downtown SLC, which is arguably more liberal/secular, and I worked for companies both in and outside the city.