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BTW....I have until next Monday to decide.
Alright SpursTalk fam, I'm wrestling whether I should take a job opportunity in Los Angeles, and I could really use some advice.
First off, a little background...
The job is with the government, so assume the nice bennies and job security. Also if I don't take the job, my current contract runs out and I face the unknown of the job market in Texas. But here's the rub...
My wife are ready to get back to Texas, want to settle and be near family.
So I have a two main questions....
1) Has anyone been faced with this situation (fam v. job) and what did you do to help you make the decision?
2) If I decide to take the LA job, what's it like out there? Keep in mind, my wife and I have only ever lived in Texas and Georgia.
At this point I'm taking advice wherever I can get it, so lemme have it!
BTW....I have until next Monday to decide.
With the economy just having a job is a good thing. Two things to be ready for if you do move out to LA.......get ready for a cost of living shock, a culture shock (people are standoffish in LA), and a traffic jam shock.....dont need to explain that one.
I worked in LA for a summer, and although it was nice to visit, there is no way in I would live there.
I don't know what your current salary range is but be aware that LA is NOT a cheap place to live...housing costs are high (even still!) food/gas is expensive, and unless you pay big bucks in rent you better love your car because you are going to be spending a lot of time in it driving to work. Plus, the state is broke and they will be raising state taxes again.
That being said, if you can afford to stay on the ocean side of the mountains the weather is usually nice.
Oh yeah...If you don't turn left on red lights when you get a chance you will never get where you are trying to go and everyone behind you will be pissed off..
My Sister lived there for 5 years and I went there twice and couldn't stand it. As a generalization, the people there are assholes. It's all a scene full of consumption and materialization. It might be a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't live there
This might actually be a good time to move out there since the main about living there -- housing cost -- has seemed to improve. It would be nice if you could live fairly close to where you work. Smog and traffic suck but the weather is hard to beat.
My sister moved there right after college and was working a job she liked and was making about $60,000 a year as a 24 year old. She was working about 30 hours a week and living in Santa Monica- so she liked it at first. She is a very good looking girl so like all good looking girls, things come easy, you make friends, go out, all that. She moved after about 4.5 years because she couldn't stand it. She took a job in Chicago paying only about $40,000 a year just to get out of there. She said it took her about a year just to get the LA out of her once she left. She said the people were assholes and the town will ruin the way you look at life and that it is no place to raise a family.
I hear good things about North of LA and South, but the LA area I don't. But that is just one opinion and story, I bet you can get others to say otherwise
yo she single? i need to live off someone.....
YEs!
Go to L.A !!!!
Beach, s, and maybe a chance to make it in Hollywood
Come out here. Best place in the world. I'd never live anywhere else.
have you ever lived anywhere else to compare it to?
if you make serious $ you're going to love it.
Lol, I've moved 3 times in my whole life. and all three times, I've moved within the same 6 blocks. I have been to Riverside, and ain't to do there. It reminds me of what it's like living in a small town.
So where do you live now?
I would be working in El Segundo, near the airport and would probably stay west of the city, since I wouldn't want a crazy commute. If I can afford it, I'd love a place near the beach.
I stay in South LA. The city El Segundo? I think that's like near the beach. Not really sure, cause I hardly go to West LA. I think it's a good area.
very busy area. bring all your money.
I should probably qualify the salary...government bennies make it a bit difficult, but I'd be making about $80K after taxes with little/no medcare costs.
My wife doesn't have plans to immediately work, but she has her masters of accountancy and 5yrs of experience in/around public accounting, so she could probably snag one if needed.
I'm worried about cost of living, but moreso the unknown stuff like gas, groceries, restaurant/fast food, cable, utilities...stuff like that. I've done my research on the home/condo/apt side.
do you have kids?
It's pretty pricey. Even to stay in South LA, the worst area in the city, it's pretty expensive. I wouldn't live anywhere else, though.
On google maps it's west of 405, near the beach. But as far as I can tell, it's pretty much an industrial/commercial center with little to no real estate.
North is Santa Monica and south is Hermosa/Manhattan/Redondo Beach. Much further than that and I'm thinking the commute would be terrible, but that's why I'm asking...to see if anyone knows for sure.
None yet....just me, my wife, and our chihuahua.
Last time the issue of reenlistment came up for us (we were in California), my hubby had a choice - he could return to San Antonio still in the AF, or take a job in LA as a civilian. He spoke to one of his former supervisors who'd lived in Cali for a number of years about the possibility of going civilian and taking the LA job and the old guy said (and this is an exact quote), "For God's sake Joe, don't do that! 50 or 60k sounds like a lot, but in California it ain't sh*t, even with benefits." The job market here in Texas is remarkably healthy, all things considered, and the cost of living down here can't be beat.
I have a good idea of where that's at. It's gonna suck living there, cause it's pretty close to LAX. You actually wouldn't live that far from me. I live right off the 105 on Vermont. South LA is bad, but not as bad as people portray it.
if your wife works, combined with your salary (after taxes you said 80k) you'll be fine.
marina del rey townhouse or condo would be a good start.
My son lives in a small older house in Westwood, and I know their rent is insane. You could make a house payment on one of the smaller houses in the Dominion for what he pays in rent.
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