[BenignDesign]

lordofduct, on 23 May 2011 - 10:12 AM, said:

Cost of living is a consideration to make.

60k in California, NYC, or DC is far different from 60k in Kentucky... and probably why Kentucky is a bit lower.

Consider that 2 bedrooms in Louisville may average 750 a month, where a 2 bedroom in DC could be 1300 a month, and NYC could be 2000+. Already you're throwing an extra 6-12k a year at rent...

I was out in LA for a while, left because that city functions in a mode I can't quite handle. I made a lot more money there with a lot less experience (I was fresh out of the garage where I taught myself), but the cost of living and cost on my psyche was devastating.

Actually, I think your DC estimate is a bit low. When I lived in the city (NW quadrant), we paid $1500/month for a very small 1 bedroom with no balcony. That was almost 15 years ago (fuck, I'm getting old).

If I didn't have kids, I'd still be there. I love DC.

This post has been edited by BenignDesign: 27 May 2011 - 06:42 AM

[lordofduct]

I'm not surprised, I pulled the estimate from a simple google search for 'average rent washington DC'. I was actually surprised by the low estimate result...

[xclite]

Yeah I would never live in DC (or any of its suburbs). If I worked there, I'd rather hit up the > 1 hour commute each way than pay the rent there. Plus it's not like I couldn't be productive on said commute.

[BenignDesign]

You're not looking at the whole picture.

Living in the city = $1500/month rent + utilities and food + walk to work + occassional metro fee.

Living out of the city = $800-$1200/month rent/mortgage + utilities and food + car payment/gas/repairs/maintenance/insurance/parking garages + >1 hour commute that turns into 4 hours sitting in traffic

I would gladly pay the extra rent just to avoid rush hour traffic on the Beltway.

This post has been edited by BenignDesign: 27 May 2011 - 08:26 AM

[xclite]

Oh I know the whole picture - I'm not new to the work world or to the area. I can get rent where I live for $700 or less. What you haven't realized is that I can get to the metro from my house without even touching my car by commuter train. That's the whole picture.

Edit: Plus if I want to go out where I live the highest cover charge I'll pay is $5 and gratuity isn't automatically added to all of my bills.

This post has been edited by xclite: 27 May 2011 - 08:34 AM

[KYA]

xclite, on 27 May 2011 - 07:16 AM, said:

Even somebody with a B.S. can easily net 80k or more in DC. I'm considering making the switch to a position up there and remaining in my current location just for the pay raise. Loans aren't cheap!

Of course, if they had some work experience; I thought we were talking about fresh off the boat BS graduates.

[AlbuquerqueApache]

I am in the same area as well.

Alot of it has to do with the companies offering the jobs and just trying to find the right ones.

I keep getting frigging recruiters trying to give me a tier 1 help desk job (which I'm not totally against) for 30K

when I ask to see the job descriptions it usually reads

GED/HS grad. 1-2 years preferred.

my resume basically reads:

H.S./A.A.S./B.S./A+/Network+/4 years hands on experience.

This is when I just get ticked off and feel like beating the recruiters upside the head. CAN YOU FLIPPIN READ?! why the hell would I take a job I was vastly overqualified for!?

my only guess is that they hired the HS/GED grad for the recruiter positon!



EDITED because even a college grad has to proofread LOL!

This post has been edited by AlbuquerqueApache: 30 May 2011 - 12:55 PM

[xclite]

KYA, on 27 May 2011 - 08:31 PM, said:

xclite, on 27 May 2011 - 07:16 AM, said:

Even somebody with a B.S. can easily net 80k or more in DC. I'm considering making the switch to a position up there and remaining in my current location just for the pay raise. Loans aren't cheap!

Of course, if they had some work experience; I thought we were talking about fresh off the boat BS graduates.

Let me be exactly specific, then. Even fresh off the boat graduates with a B.S. can net well more than 60k in DC without much challenge. Many of my co-graduates are already doing so.

This post has been edited by xclite: 30 May 2011 - 06:50 PM