Job Opportunity in LA

[CosmicCowboy]

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.

Or you could rent you a campy little 1000 sf house in Venice for about 5K a month...

[AFBlue]

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.

It's not exactly a re-enlistment...job is with Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA)...but the principles are essentially the same. My wife and I are both ready to leave Georgia and my current contract being up provides us a good opportunity.

I actually applied for DCMA hoping to hook on with their Ft. Worth office, but got Cali instead. Ideally I think we'd like to be back in Texas, but 7 days (found out yesterday) isn't exactly a ton of time to get reassurances about job opportunities in Texas....though I'm working every angle I've got.

Thanks for your input though...it's probably the most relevant I've gotten so far, because of the like situation.

[clambake]

venice blows.

[AFBlue]

Thanks for your input though...it's probably the most relevant I've gotten so far, because of the like situation.

That's not to say other people's advice hasn't been great!

[AFBlue]

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.

I've checked into a few townhouse/condos in the area (like marina del rey), and I think that's where I'm leaning if I take the job.

[clambake]

in that case, get ready to live the good life.

[timvp]

Prepare to lose the laid back lifestyle if you go to LA. When I've spent time there, the people always being stressed out and in a hurry was annoying. And be prepared for a pretentious emo overload and traffic worse than your worst nightmare.

If you don't care about the pace of your life and the people around you, then it sounds like the smart move to make. But if you value a laid back, low stress and slower lifestyle, I wouldn't recommend it.

[Shelly]

As a former Californian who has lived in Orange County and San Francisco, and a person that has all her family still living there (LA and Orange County), you couldn't pay me to live there again.

Here's a housing perspective for you. My MIL lives in in a typical ranch home that's 1700 sq. ft. in Mission Viejo. At it's peak, houses on her street were going for $800k. Even now, they are going for $600K+. My sister lives in Winnetka (in the valley) and lives in a dump. Her house at it's peak was $500k and I'm sure now it's around 300-400k.

$80K is not a lot of money for southern CA. Years ago, my husband got offered a faculty position at UCSF. The pay offered was $80k. Granted, San Francisco is a little more pricey than So CA, but we knew we would never be able to survive on that salary. So think really hard about the quality of life you want and good luck.

[desflood]

$80K is not a lot of money for southern CA. Years ago, my husband got offered a faculty position at UCSF. The pay offered was $80k. Granted, San Francisco is a little more pricey than So CA, but we knew we would never be able to survive on that salary. So think really hard about the quality of life you want and good luck.

Good advice. Something else to add on; right now it's just you and the wife. Do you plan on any kids? Those little buggers are pricey

[slayermin]

venice blows.

...the KB.


El Segundo is beautiful except you will by the airport. I lived in Pasadena the last year I was in LA and it was incredible. If I could ever make a good living out there, I would live in Pasadena.

If you have a high tolerance to people, then you should be fine. Otherwise, your patience will be tested on a daily basis.

[TDMVPDPOY]

you better post a pic of your wife to get approval if the both of you can move to LA....

this is how we roll here on ST.....

[baseline bum]

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..

All of this is pretty true (especially the left turns... there are hardly any protected lefts in LA ). Housing costs are EXTREMELY high if you stay in the city itself or near the ocean. It's much cheaper in the San Fernando Valley, but the cost you pay for that is horrible weather (think 110+ in the summer) and having to take one of the nation's 2 most congested highways, 101 and 405, to get into the city. You've probably never seen rush hour like you see going through the Sepulveda Pass on 405. One example of how nasty the traffic is is a time I tried to make a trip from Westwood to Anaheim for a 7:30 Angels game. I figured I'd leave around 4:30 so I could get there early and didn't make it in until the bottom of the 1st; more than 3 hours to go about 35 miles. If you live on the Westside, it's literally like 7-8 months of temperatures in the 70s. Seldomly it will reach the 90s when the Santa Anna winds are strong in the very late summer, but the summers are high 70s to mid 80s most of the way.

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.

People in LA are assholes. There's just no way people are anywhere near as friendly as they are in Texas in LA.

However, there are some really amazing reasons to live in Los Angeles that could make it worth the higher cost of living, higher stress from driving, and so on:

1) The Pacific Ocean is about the most relaxing place in the world. It's beautiful on a hot day in the summer, because it's cold as . Redondo Beach is an amazing place to go waste a Sunday afternoon doing nothing... or if you're more adventurous, Huntington Beach has some pretty huge waves (sometimes up to 10-12 feet). Zuma Beach near Malibu is another amazing place to take the GF/wife to.


Redondo Beach, with Rancho Palos Verdes in the background


Point Dume, Zuma Beach

2) If you're into hiking or camping, LA has some amazing places nearby. Go 90 miles east to Palm Springs and there's a huge 11000 foot mountain (Mount San Jacinto), which isn't that tough a climb if you take the tram up to 8500 feet or so first.







The tram ride itself is pretty spectacular, and from the mountain station you can see all the way to Vegas. The climb is really beautiful too, and is only hard (from the tram station to the top, that is) when there's a couple of feet of snow.

Also, there's Joshua Tree National Park near there; awesome place to go climbing rocks and see the Mojave Desert (in the north half of the park). The southern half (Colorado Desert) kind of sucks as it's barren and hot as , but the Mojave part is amazing.


Joshua Tree

You're also a day trip from Death Valley, from San Diego, from Vegas, from Mexico, etc. There's just a lot to do near LA.

Another really cool quick day trip is up to Mount Wilson, past Pasadena. The drive up the Angeles Crest Highway through the mountains is pretty amazing. You get a nice view of the city from Mount Wilson too, if you beat the marine layer in. I love Texas, but it flat-out CANNOT compete with SoCal for the variety of things to do if you're an outdoors person.

3. If you like skiing, there's Mountain High and Big Bear Mountain. Big Bear's a really laid back mountain town that looks like something out of a postcard. Cool shops for the wife, nice bars and places to eat, and not too expensive either (plus you get a free all-day lift ticket on your birthday). The only bad thing I can say about Big Bear is the drive up it can be pretty scary in the winter. Big Bear's prob about an 80-90 mile drive or so out of the city; Mountain High is prob around 50-60.

4. If you like seafood, California owns. Dungeness Crab from Cali is amazing, and the salmon and oysters you can get there own too. I'm a big seafood fan, so I love the quality of seafood you can get there.

5. LA has amazing art museums. Two of my favorites, the Getty Center and the Getty Villa, only cost $8 for parking, and are world class museums. Lots of amazing priceless artifacts at the Getty Villa, and the Getty Center has some cool paintings by Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, etc. Truly amazing place.

6. You're a 5 or 6-hour drive from Sequioa, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite Parks, which are all too amazing to put into words.

I could go on, but damn, this post is taking forever

If you're an outdoors person though, LA is pretty spectacular.

[ChumpDumper]

Ideally, you could get a house there while the market is depressed, work there for a few years then sell high and buy a ranch back here when you move back.

[CosmicCowboy]

Ideally, you could get a house there while the market is depressed, work there for a few years then sell high and buy a ranch back here when you move back.

Probably not true. There really isn't a slump west of the mountains. They are still getting ridiculous money for what you get. The problem was that what should have been a $200,000 house on the East side of the mountains WAS selling for $600,000 and there are entire subdivisions where people have walked away from their houses that are now selling for $300,000 (with no buyers) I doubt they see those ridiculously inflated price levels again any time soon...

[ChumpDumper]

Probably not true. There really isn't a slump west of the mountains. They are still getting ridiculous money for what you get. The problem was that what should have been a $200,000 house on the East side of the mountains WAS selling for $600,000 and there are entire subdivisions where people have walked away from their houses that are now selling for $300,000 (with no buyers) I doubt they see those ridiculously inflated price levels again any time soon...

I never thought I'd see them get that high in the first place either.

[Kori Ellis]

I lived in L.A. for 17 years (but have lived in Texas the last 7).

If you are going to work in El Segundo, I would live in Marina del Rey. You don't want to live far because the traffic is absolutely horrible around the airport. Marina del Rey - definitely not cheap. 1 bedroom/1 bath townhouse/condo to rent is probably about $2500 a month.

[CuckingFunt]

...the KB.


El Segundo is beautiful except you will by the airport. I lived in Pasadena the last year I was in LA and it was incredible. If I could ever make a good living out there, I would live in Pasadena.

If you have a high tolerance to people, then you should be fine. Otherwise, your patience will be tested on a daily basis.

I grew up in Pasadena and would move back there in a heartbeat. I'd need a good job, and would rather move there with a partner (LA is a bad place to be lonely), but would love to find a way to eventually settle in the area.

LA is expensive, especially compared to Georgia, and there are plenty of things to hate about the area, but I can think of worse places to live than Santa Monica or Marina Del Rey.

[AFBlue]

Thanks to everyone for their advice!

Let me clarify the financial situation some more...

In Cali, I would make $80K after taxes...as in, that would be my disposable income. To be honest, if I found a job in Texas it would probably be for $55-60K before taxes and not include medical benefits.

Would I end up living a similar lifestyle at both places...or would it still be better financially in Texas?

The other thing to consider...I bought a house here in Georgia. I've gotten a couple hits on it, but no one willing to buy unless I take about a $10K hit. I haven't explored the possibility of renting just yet, but I face the possiblity of making house payments after I leave....somewhat undesireable if I don't have a job lined up.

[AFBlue]

Side note to the last post...

One option I've discussed w/ my wife if we decide to go back to Texas is for her to quit her job here in Ga in the next month or so and go back to Texas early to look for a job. That way, hopefully she'll have a job and be working by the time me and all of our stuff gets there.

Sorry for all the posts, I'm just trying to give you guys the full picture.

[AFBlue]

I lived in L.A. for 17 years (but have lived in Texas the last 7).

If you are going to work in El Segundo, I would live in Marina del Rey. You don't want to live far because the traffic is absolutely horrible around the airport. Marina del Rey - definitely not cheap. 1 bedroom/1 bath townhouse/condo to rent is probably about $2500 a month.

You've earned a living in both places...how are the incomes comparable?

And thanks for the tip on Marina del Rey, I'll definitely look there if we decide to go.

[Shelly]

$80k disposable income still is not a lot of money in So CA. Especially, if you're the only one that will be working.

Go to Realtor.com and type in Marina Del Ray and then compare what you get for the same price in TX. My brother in law, who is 39, is still trying to buy his first house in CA. Now that the prices have dropped some in the Inland Empire (Corona, Riverside, etc), he may finally afford to buy, but he's gonna have to commute to his job, which is in Orange County.

Also, in CA, you have plan your day around traffic. I go back to Orange County every year and it doesn't get better. The distance between my sister's house and my parents is 72 miles. It sometimes can take her 2 hours to get there.

My opinion is you'd have a better lifestyle in TX. Don't forget, you have state income tax there and they also take out 1.1% of your check for SDI.

The family thing is something to consider also. Like I said, all my family is in CA. I've been in SA for 12 years and sometimes it really does suck not having any family nearby.

Good luck in whatever you decide!

[CubanMustGo]

Thanks to everyone for their advice!

Let me clarify the financial situation some more...

In Cali, I would make $80K after taxes...as in, that would be my disposable income. To be honest, if I found a job in Texas it would probably be for $55-60K before taxes and not include medical benefits.

Would I end up living a similar lifestyle at both places...or would it still be better financially in Texas?

The other thing to consider...I bought a house here in Georgia. I've gotten a couple hits on it, but no one willing to buy unless I take about a $10K hit. I haven't explored the possibility of renting just yet, but I face the possiblity of making house payments after I leave....somewhat undesireable if I don't have a job lined up.

$80K after taxes and benefits (Cali has state income tax among other things) is a lot more money than what you would net in Texas, almost 2x as much. You should be OK as long as you like being around millions of Californians. You're not going to live the richer lifestyle on either salary.

It's a beautiful state as others have pointed out, if you're the outdoors type you'll love the opportunities there.

[lebomb]

1 bedroom/1 bath townhouse/condo to rent is probably about $2500 a month.

To with that !!!! You can live in a $250-300K 5 bedroom home on 1/2acre for that much in Texas.

[tlongII]

If it was me I would move to SoCal. With the economy as it is I would make sure I have a job. You can always look for a job in Texas in your spare time.

[Kori Ellis]

You've earned a living in both places...how are the incomes comparable?

And thanks for the tip on Marina del Rey, I'll definitely look there if we decide to go.

Are you sure you will take home $80K on you L.A. salary? State income tax is 9.3%... that's huge when you compare it to Texas having no state income tax.

For me in Los Angeles, I ran a business and prior to that worked in corporate jobs. When I moved to San Antonio, I have been freelance writing the whole time. So it's hard to compare income for income. But I make much more money here (gross and net).

I rented at 1800 sq foot house in Los Angeles (Mid-Wilshire area.. not by the beach) for $2,000 a month (this was 7 years ago). The owner sold it for around $700K. You can get close to mansion in San Antonio for $700K.

L.A. is fun when you are young. There's a lot to do. The weather is great and there's everything fairly nearby (skiing, beach, shopping, whatever).

The huge culture difference are:

General population is rude/standoffish in L.A. I lived in the same house for 5 years and never spoke to my neighbors the whole time. I was rude and standoffish too I guess.

The sick traffic is something that you have to experience regularly to understand it. For a while I lived in the Valley and worked in Westwood. It could take me anywhere from 25 minutes to 2 1/2 hours to get to work on any given day. It's hard to be on time unless you live relatively close to your destination. One time it actually took me 7 hours sitting on I-10 to just get out of the county when I was driving to Vegas for the weekend.

Everyone is in a hurry. (Though most people in L.A. don't really have a place to go.) This was my biggest adjustment coming from there to Texas. When I first got here, I was constantly thinking, "Damn these people need to hurry up." Everyone is constantly on the move and always hustling in L.A., even for no reason at all.

If you are planning on having kids soon, I wouldn't live there. The school system is horrible and private school is incredibly expensive.

That's my two cents (and more). If you want to know something else specific, I can probably answer it, so let me know.