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I would not make a move out of NY that burned my bridges. I would still look for a job with varied work experience that would be in demand here and a decent salary. I know a guy who wanted a better life elsewhere and jumped at the chance of moving with his job out of NYC. They, after a short time, downsized and he was left with no job and limited experience and the lower salary. It's always wise to make a career move that keeps options open.
I think I've said a million times that my guy is finishing up at NYU. Believe me, I have a savings account. I can't wait to leave this cesspool. I'm making moves and counting down the days. If I could leave tomorrow, I would. Just riding out the wave. Don't worry about me.
Trust me I'm not worried. Just curious to your situation. You complaining about how much you hate it here for the next 22 months will not make the slightest impact on me, or those who enjoy living here. Best of luck wherever your next move is. Keep counting down.
__________________
"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
The bottom line is this: If you are a low wage worker, or even average wage worker (less than $50K per year), NYC is a tough place to raise a family. You are better off living in another part of the country where you will probably have the same salary, but a higher take-home pay and overall better quality of living, and can buy a home, etc.
If you are highly educated and/or in a specialized/highly paid field, NYC is as good as it gets and you are compensated as such. The career opportunities and income can be phenomenal and you will do much better here than almost anywhere else in the country.
So the moral of the story is if you are a security guard earning $25K a year, you are much better off moving to the South/West, however if you have an MBA and/or a Wall Street type/investment banker/financial industry, you will do very well here, better than almost anywhere else in the country.
This is mostly true, but you'd be surprised at the pay rates other cities are offering these days. NYC being the best you can get as far as salary/wages might have been true in the 90s-early 2000s, but nowadays many other locations have jobs that match or sometimes exceed wages being offered here in the city, without the high COL. Here are some job listings I found while browsing Craigslist last night. These aren't exceptions btw...these are what they're offering on average:
$24-30 an hour
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/tch/2483563801.html (broken link)
35-50K per year
Level 1 Network Tech (http://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/tch/2479098636.html - broken link)
$19-23 an hour
Tech Support person needed ASAP for Dallas hospital! $19-$23/hr! (http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/tch/2468952840.html - broken link)
$13 an hour in Oklahoma??
28 openings for IT positions (http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/tch/2483701990.html - broken link)
$14.50/hr phone rep in Detroit??
Customer Service Representative (http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/acc/2493944302.html - broken link)
Entry-level job paying $20/hr fulltime in the "D"
IT Help Desk Analyst (http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/tch/2491958301.html - broken link)
$20-27 an hour in suburban Phoenix
Help Desk / Level 1 Technician (http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/tch/2492876587.html - broken link)
$85k position with benefits in Vegas
SERVICE MANAGER - $85K + Bonus = Total Comp Range $95-105K (http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/tch/2493968456.html - broken link)
The reason most of these jobs are in IT, is because that's the industry I'm in...and I can say that jobs in NYC for similar positions are paying exactly the same if not a little bit less than these areas. The only advantage NYC has in this economy is the sheer number of jobs available, but the fierce competition and epic lowballing make that advantage practically meaningless.
I agree...but really with the exception of the Service Manager position (dunno what that is), these are all the types of $50K or under jobs people are better off doing somewhere else, outside of NYC.
You simply proved my point...for these types of jobs/pay, the pay is similar in other areas, but COL is much lower, so you are much better off, especially if you have a family. Which is why the working class is leaving NYC to places like NC, FL, Penn, Texas, Atlanta, etc....similar pay but much lower COL.
I know someone who was really struggling to make ends meet here in NYC, she lived in a crappy two bedroom apartment (in Staten Island) with three kids because that was all she could afford. She worked as a CNA for a nursing home and made decent money but the COL just ate up all of her income, not to mention the kids. She didn't even have a car, she had to schlep around on a bus.
She moved to South Carolina and is doing wonderfully. She rents a huge house for about $700 a month, has a car, and got a job doing the same thing she was doing here and making similar money. She is living like a king (or queen) and loves it. She said she wouldn't come back here if you paid her....
I thought it was interesting that she makes the same salary there. Either way, I'm glad it worked out for her.
My brother had a similar experience - his position is in property management.
Laid off from his NY job 12/10, hardly any bites on his resume for 4 months.
Moves to Frisco, TX, gets a job in 3 weeks- same salary. He lives like a king. He LOVES it there, and is not the type to get over excited about much. The apartment complex he lives in looks like a vacation resort, gorgeous pool and hot tub, pet friendly, tons of amenities included in the rent for half of what I pay in rent for much less.
Oh yeah- now he's starting to get phone calls from the jobs in NY he applied for 8 months ago.
Look, New York is not for everyone. Texas is not for everyone. No one place is for everyone, we all have differing opinions for different reasons.
Glad to see this thread reopened.
Last edited by catnip8056; 07-14-2011 at 01:53 PM..
Reason: clarity
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