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Although I think both of those , #5 and #6, could possibly be placed under the one with the jagged personality (#3).
But being a psychologist, it is funny to see people pretend like they didn't move for the reasons I mentioned. The lack of insight into personal decisions is hilarious.
So, now you're a psychologist? What happened to you "working in IT" on the Rochester forum?
Are you a stalker? How do you know he doesn't have another job?
Actually, I have two degrees in Psychology and work in the IT field. I also was a chemistry minor and got a decent score on the MCAT. Now everyone can get back on topic.
Actually, I have two degrees in Psychology and work in the IT field. I also was a chemistry minor and got a decent score on the MCAT. Now everyone can get back on topic.
Actually, you said you were a psychologist. That implies you work as one.
I have a MA in history but I don't call myself an historian because that's NOT my occupation.
There are other reasons to move back north. For me, I am already on my way back to NJ, at least temporarily. I don't think I will be considering the South anymore. If you've read my previous posts, I was (and still am) a believer that overall, the South is cheaper to live in. Having lived it now, I still stand by that. I found cost of living to be significantly lower than NJ and still quite a bit cheaper than when I lived Upstate, which was a brief period of time.
However, with most other things, the bloom is off the rose for me. This is purely my opinion, however, many other Northerners that I met in the Triangle concur with me. Initially, I enjoyed my interactions with people, but as time went on, the fact that I have a Jersey accent (which is basically no accent) impeded me severely in the area, but even more so in the more outlying areas. Also, cops literally followed me on my tail right to the edge of town. My interactions with the police were met with unwarranted tickets and harsh treatment. I was questioned about what I was doing in their town. Exploring is not a valid answer. Never, ever has this happened in the North, even on Indian reservations with out of state plates. To be sure, I could not change my plates until I had a permanent address, which at the time I was still seeking.
Another thing I noticed is that few people keep their word here. For job seeking, apartment hunting, dating, etc...no one returns calls, no one adheres to a promise kept with a handshake, and it became impossible to trust anyone would follow through with what they said. As backstabbing as NJ people can be, a deal with a handshake usually was firm and people look you in the eyes. Not here. Line up an apartment and suddenly the fees change or they can no longer rent it. Agree to meeting someone at 7:00 pm and they just don't show.
Obtaining a job is extremely fierce competition here. It feels like 60,000 people move here new every year but only 40,000 jobs open. That may not reflect in the stats, but that's what it feels like to me. You truly have to have an "in" or know someone. Many people I've talked to came down on a job transfer or work in IT, biotech, or pharma. If you don't have these options available to you, good luck here. It’s extremely competitive and I have several recruiters working on my behalf. Some jobs that in NJ could be had with an Associates here require a Masters. Many, many college grad waiters and waitresses, or worse, working at Bojangles.
The housing that I'm living in, I see what "right to work" means. It means the right of the employer to work you until 9:00 pm and you not having the right to say a damn thing about it. Lastly, the current NC govt is pushing hard to make NC the most employer-friendly state in the nation. While it sounds good in theory, the goal is to roll back any and all workers rights in this state, roll back all progress that unions have made, and roll back all environmental regs, to bring the unemployment numbers down and hence, get re-elected.
Of course, I knew all about the heat, humidity and bugs. You have to be here to experience it. It’s a bit worse than I imagined, but like I said, I expected it so I'm not complaining. Sitting in the grass under a tree on a nice warm sunny day and surfing on your tablet looking for a job, and you'll likely be bit by something, an ant, spider, whatever. Went to look at a really nice place and there were dead roaches on the floor. Down here, no big deal. I was in a chlorinated pool and I chit you not, a friggin spider the size of my palm was walking onto my foot at the bottom of a 5 foot chlorinated pool! I couldn't believe it. There certainly are strange species of insects, snakes, etc here to survive a pool with bleach in it!
The good: way better local parks, roads, stores, and superficially friendly people (they don't honk or flip you off, like in NJ). Way, way better landscaping and things are new and upkept. Traffic moves well even at rush hour. Green trees everywhere. Most stores are well hidden behind trees, making the area look like a city in a forest. No waiting in stores, restaurants, or really anywhere. Cheap taxes, homes, and apartments are new and cheap. Little if any racial tension here- very integrated and people are less judgmental. No smokestack industry and very little polluted land.
The less good: Some rivers are badly polluted east of here with hog waste. Many, many trailer parks. NC has one of the highest rates of people living in trailers and many of them are in bad shape. You can build a nice house and some hillbilly next door can open a junkyard on his front lawn (applies more to outside the developed areas). Huge Walmart and Nascar culture pervades much of the state. Development here is like nothing I've ever seen- shopping centers go up in weeks and new housing and apartments are literally everywhere. Lakes are man-made and many are reservoirs for nuclear plants. The current NC elected officials are hellbent on taking NC back to the Stone Age. Safety nets are gone. The sprawled out nature of the area can feel cookie cutter at times, but the individual downtowns have their own flavor and soul.
All in all, while I do like NC and have a favorable opinion of the state, the culture is not really for me. It suits many, many people and overall is a good place to live. If I could find a well-paying job, things might be different but even then I'm not sure I'd stay for the long haul. But for now, I'm re-focused on staying in the Northeast and hopefully fulfilling the dream of living out West (northern California or Colorado) a little later in life.
Many from the north migrated 20+ years ago and want something different. Tired of rapid change, heat and humidity plus the boom bust casino economy here that screws the working class the most. There are parts of FL that have changed so fast it would shock most anyone from upstate NY as usually it is not for the better. Now the slow growth parts of the 'old south' is a totally different story with a different set of challenges if you are a yankee..
Many from the north migrated 20+ years ago and want something different. Tired of rapid change, heat and humidity plus the boom bust casino economy here that screws the working class the most. There are parts of FL that have changed so fast it would shock most anyone from upstate NY as usually it is not for the better. Now the slow growth parts of the 'old south' is a totally different story with a different set of challenges if you are a yankee..
I think this is true. I know numerous people who retired to Florida and loved it at first, but the rapid growth, the traffic and congestion, and the rise in crime in the populous areas has become increasingly difficult for them to negotiate as they get older, and they've moved back.
That's also happening in the Carolina Low Country as well. My friends in the Murrells Inlet area have only been there about 8 years, but the increase in congestion is very noticeable from when they first moved there to today. It's also not an area that has a lot of decent paying full time jobs for younger people especially since the construction boom busted, so it's not likely that adult children can move to the area to assist their aging parents. It's more likely that aging parents sell the house in SC and move back closer to kids.
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