job offered in Wash DC

[t.r.]

Guys:

I'm facing a mid life crisis. A head hunter contacted me for a Construction Project Management job in DC. I interviewed last Friday. The city smelled quite different than my home of Spearfish, South Dakota. Beltway traffic was challenging.

The job pays quite well. I figured I'd find a furnished bedroom to live in on the cheap and fly home once a month. I want to see if the job is a good fit before making the cross country move. Northern Virginia has appeal to me: heavily wooded and clean air. Boss told me about commuter vans, buses, trains, and other ways to get into the city. Driving has zero appeal to me - I'm not experienced with heavy traffic.

Please share your thoughts with me. How is the hunting on east coast? I guess I could always fly back to Dakota Territory to hunt as non-resident.

TR

[Gun Smith]

It better pay d--- good. I had a friend who moved there to work. He HATED the town, the people and the politics. He lasted 3 months and moved back. You will be suprised how expensive it will cost to live, especially after S. Dakota!

[mod71alaska]

TR, my 2¢ is if you're already making a good living, supporting your family, and you have a happy and fulfilled life in Spearfish...STAY!! Otherwise... It would take about $500,000 (or more) for me to make that move, and even then you're not living "rich" in DC! I'd take the wide open spaces and freedoms found in SD any day!

[Griff]

TR, my 2¢ is if you're already making a good living, supporting your family, and you have a happy and fulfilled life in Spearfish...STAY!! Otherwise... It would take about $500,000 (or more) for me to make that move, and even then you're not living "rich" in DC! I'd take the wide open spaces and freedoms found in SD any day!

Ditto. I ain't allowed to be "in-town" on most ocassions, so have only been inside the beltway once... went to the convention center and out again. Just drivin' around I-495 is more challenging that you'd see during the height of Sturgis, and drivers are a LOT more agressive; nay make that homicidal! Why ANYONE would challenge a 80,000lb rig for the right of way in a Prius (sorry Lil' Doc), is way beyond my keen! Winter is just the change from construction to a slip 'n slide! And the drivers are no less agressive! The only time to drive around that town is between 2-3am, other than that, its bumper to bumper. And ever wonder where your tax dollars really go? Just be on I-495 at 2pm on Friday afternoon... I swear EVERYONE is out on the freeway getting away from that town for the weekend. And no wonder!

You might not think about packin' in yer home town, yer probably as safe as if you were inside yer house and all locked up. You NEED to carry in DC, but hey, it's illegal, regardless of the Supremes said, Mayor and staff are phobic, naw, that's a little low-key for their rants about guns.

See above... stay where you are... you ain't gonna get close to Sarah anyway... chasin' her all the way to DC is a fool's errand!

[Hobie]

Guys:

I'm facing a mid life crisis. A head hunter contacted me for a Construction Project Management job in DC. I interviewed last Friday. The city smelled quite different than my home of Spearfish, South Dakota. Beltway traffic was challenging.

The job pays quite well. I figured I'd find a furnished bedroom to live in on the cheap and fly home once a month. I want to see if the job is a good fit before making the cross country move. Northern Virginia has appeal to me: heavily wooded and clean air. Boss told me about commuter vans, buses, trains, and other ways to get into the city. Driving has zero appeal to me - I'm not experienced with heavy traffic.

Please share your thoughts with me. How is the hunting on east coast? I guess I could always fly back to Dakota Territory to hunt as non-resident.

TR

My daughter lives in McLean, VA with 3 roommates. Has to. Her rent is $650+ WITH the roommates all of whom pay more than she does! The house she lives in rents for $2900 a month, would probably sell for $500,000 and there's a $1,000,000+ house right across the street. Living on the cheap isn't possible I'm thinking. There is the Metro but you have to drive through traffic to get to it. My daughter ran us downtown to D.C. and all around without a hitch, it doesn't bother her. It eats me up and I lived and drove in Seoul, ROK (8 million people and no discernable adherence to traffic law) for 4 years.

Hunting is ok, if you know where to go and/or have permission. Public land is somewhat more accessible but some planning is necessary. Up there it is much more difficult to hunt than it was only 20 years ago.

One thing, you DO want to live in VA, NOT in Maryland.

[Griff]

I should add; you can always do what I did when I first accepted a position in Dallas. The office was located downtown, in fact, right next to the building L.H.Oswald allegedly shot JFK from. I pulled my travel trailer out from CA and found a camp/RV park about 8 miles from downtown, with electric & water it was $50/week; that's living on the cheap. Lived there for about 6 months, actually had some good neighbors although it was in a "bad" part of town. Now, Dallas being different than DC, my guns weren't a problem, just didn't drag 'em out when just anyone was around. But... all that was in 1990. I suspect it's quite a bit higher now... do a search on RV parks near the beltway and see what you come up with. If you can, I'd keep my SD license and residence; not changing your legal residence usually isn't a problem for itinerant workers. A good friend of mine lives in a small town about 8 miles from me, works for a high-steel construction company and spends about 10 months a year working at jobs around the country. Co. pays for his trip home every month and provides the 30ft travel trailer. Cheaper than payin' rent for him. Seems to work for him.

[Ysabel Kid]

TR, my 2¢ is if you're already making a good living, supporting your family, and you have a happy and fulfilled life in Spearfish...STAY!! Otherwise... It would take about $500,000 (or more) for me to make that move, and even then you're not living "rich" in DC! I'd take the wide open spaces and freedoms found in SD any day!

+1 DC's neat to visit - lots of history, monuments, Arlington, the NRA headquarters, etc. But the stink of the "swamp" that is politics eventually catches up with you. It is outrageously expensive, as noted.

[CindyLea]

http://www.bestplaces.net/col/?salary=5 ... 2=51150000

Just a quick run down, you can open it up and look at alot of costs.

A salary of $50,000 in North Spearfish, South Dakota should increase to $90,703 in Washington, District of Columbia

North Spearfish U.S. Avg. Washington
Cost of Living Indexes North Spearfish Washington
Overall 91 166
Food 109 113
Housing 76 266
Utilities 98 86
Transportation 91 114
Health 95 120
Miscellaneous 101 110
100=national average
» Compare these cities in over 100 categories


Unless you are dead set on bailing South Dakota, I'd skip it. Most of my resons have been noted above.

CindyLea

[Hillbilly]

i guess if I was starving in SD I'd consider DC... keep the headhunters looking...there is still a lot of work in the West and Southwest with better hunting, gun laws, traffic..............
jeff

[Premo]

TR,

I traveled extensively for work projects, 1-3 years at a time, earlier in life and aside from the points noted above; I believe the biggest thing to consider is that it will have a huge impact on the family life. My family was not willing to move all over the globe and stayed put in Texas while I worked away. I was very fortunate and always arranged for the employer to allow me, and pay for, travel back home for 3-5 days in a row per month, but you are always a stranger in your home. I found that while the jobs paid very well and were great for career advancement, both personal and corporate, the time spent away from family was not a good balance. If I had to do it again, I would take the family time over money every time. Time missed with family is lost time that cannot be made up, anyway............ it’s just money.

FP

[Borregos]

From the replies it doesn't sound like DC has much appeal other than as a tourist

[RIHMFIRE]

you could not pay me enough to work in that city...
or any other major metropolitain area...

how long will the construction take?
office job or site job?

[Tycer]

From the replies it doesn't sound like DC has much appeal other than as a tourist

The highest violent crime rate in the country and I can't even carry a pocket knife? Plenty of other places for me to be a tourist.

[dr walker]

I grew up in Northern Va from 1975-1990. I left when I was 20 and never went back. It has changed considerably since then. If you would be working in Wash. D.C. there are some beautiful and reasonable areas to live about 2 hours outside the city. I have friends that make the trip daily adding 4 hours on to there time away from home everyday. If I was looking for a place to live in the area. I would look out 66 between Warrenton and Front Royal, maybe a little farther out in Winchester, but in my brain I would be thinking ' how much are they payin' me again?' . There is great fishing in the area. The beaches are not far, but ussually crowded. There used to be some great suburban bowhunting opportunities in the area. When I was in school my teachers would say 'by the year 2000 the population would double'. I had no idea what that meant, in Northern Virginia that meant traffic, $$$$, and more traffic.

[AndyM]

you can't buy true love or happiness. Lots of money and cash sure does seem to help, though - in the end - it seems you'll wonder back to your real roots...

[rjohns94]

If it were me the choice would be easy; living near enough to DC to experience the traffic and politics, if I had to work there, I would find a tall building and throw myself off of it.

Where you live now sounds like heaven to me. I would find a job that you love, in a place you love to come home to, and live within the means of the job you find. More money is not a source of happiness. IMHO it only serves to enslave us to larger debt. I'm working hard to reverse that in my life.


good luck, blessings

[Twinsfan]

tr,

I'm in the same line of work as you but in the opposite corner of the state. I just took my daughter to Spearfish a couple weeks ago to start school. That is one of the most beautiful areas I've ever been in. The scenery and clear air is unbelievable. We drove thru the canyon at about 20 miles an hour admiring the view. Thank goodness for the pull over areas so the locals didn't get too mad at us. I did notice a shooting range in the canyon close to town - is it a private club or public? I know the pay isn't all that good here but it would be hard to put a value on the quality of life. Trust me, my wife is a teacher and I work for the state (USD) so I know for a fact the pay is better almost everywhere else.

It's going to be a tough choice and only you know whether the money is worth it. Go with your gut and do whatever you feel is best for you and your family.

[Rusty]

I don't think anyone has enough money to get me to go back. I lived near there till I was 15.

[2ndovc]

Be very cautious of the Head Hunters too. Make sure that he/she is working for this particular company and not just trying to fill a position he's heard about. They're not always the most honest people. Not all but some.

I had one call me not long ago. Working for our largest competitor they want me to come and do the same thing I'm doing now for @ 30K more / yr.
The money would be great but it would be longer hours, more travel, large corporation, etc.
I like the place I'm at now. My office is right across the hall from the boss and he likes what I'm doing. I've got the most professional and competent crews working under me that I've ever had. And it's 15 min. from home.

The extra 30K would be great but I've been really struggling if it's worth it.


Very good friend of mine was a paramedic in DC right after we graduated from college.
He couldn't wait to get back to Cleveland where it was " Safer"
First time he got shot at he bugged out.

It's a tough decision. Good luck.

jb

[Modoc ED]

I guess you guys complaining about the traffic in DC haven't been to Los Angeles, CA. Traffic in DC is light compared to LA. As a matter of fact, the traffic in DC is non-existent compared to LA.

You may have to drive for awhile now but there is still plenty of hunting in VA -- Shennandoah National Forest and George Washington National Forest come to mind. Used to hunt both of them when I lived there as a kid in high school and again when stationed there while in the Navy.

VA is friendly to GUNS. Plain and simple.

When in the Navy, I lived at the Mount Vernon Square Apartments on Richmond Highway (US 1) about five or six miles south of Alexandria, VA and 15 miles from my work place on Massechusets Ave in DC. I still have friends that live there and they aren't complaing about the rental costs. I'd say it is average for the area.

Give it a shot. If the money is good what the heck.

The crime rate in DC probably won't affect you in the daytime especially and as long as you stay out of N.E. DC.

Want to bar-hop at night -- go to Georgetown, DC or go into downtown Alexandria, Va for fun and entertainment. Plenty of nice places -- bars, restaurants, etc..

[AJMD429]

Having spent 13 years in places I didn't want to live, just to get edjumicated, it CAN be worth it, but IMHO it is something to do while young & foolish mostly. Life is too short to spend time doing stuff you dislike, and life gets 'shorter' as you get older.

[Noah Zark]

TR,

I traveled extensively for work projects, 1-3 years at a time, earlier in life . . . I believe the biggest thing to consider is that it will have a huge impact on the family life . . . I found that while the jobs paid very well and were great for career advancement, both personal and corporate, the time spent away from family was not a good balance. If I had to do it again, I would take the family time over money every time. Time missed with family is lost time that cannot be made up, anyway............ it’s just money.

+1,000,000.

I lived away out of a suitcase in 96-97 for a year-long project and I will NEVER do it again. The toll on the family was much greater than I would have thought possible. For example, my wife became the "alpha" dog in my absence, and when I got home for good I found that things were very different from when I left. Being home on weekends for a day and a half wasn't long enough to detect the changes. We eventually adapted back to "normal" but it took a while. I'd pay back double what I earned to get back those 12 months at home.

Also, I used to live about 1.5 hrs west of DC and I'll second that it's a great place to visit but that's it. The constant traffic and suburban sprawl of NOVA is infuriating. I periodically have to go to the US Patent and trademark Office in Alexandria, VA and I'd rather have a cystoscopic examination of my bladder than drive down there, and that's only for a day. For example, DC "rush hour" is effectively from 1530 to 1900 in the afternoon. Living on the cheap is darned near impossible unless you find a YMCA or a campground in NOVA or MD.

My advice, even if the job paid the equivalent of $150,000 a year, fuggedabowdit. Headhunters have long been using the tactic of luring country folks to work in the city with high wages, but the cost of living eats up more than the difference between current wage and the promised wage. Fuggedabowdit.

Noah

[oldmax]

Headhunters, BAD

Washington DC, BAD

Spearfish SD GOOD!!!

[Duff L Bagg]

I am in or around the DC area about once a month. For an area that prohibits guns they sure buy a lot of gun safes. Traffic is nuts they have no qualms about cutting you off and then slamming on the brakes and expecting me to be able to stop my truck. Everyone has attitude and most of it is bad. Normally i really enjoy driving truck, but when I get in the DC area I surely do wonder what in the world I had on my mind when I decided to go back to trucking.

TR think long and hard before you make the jump.

I wish you the very best of luck no matter your choice!!

[junkbug]

I was born in Washington D.C. in the very hospital my father is now at, waiting to die. That is no disrespect to Georgetown University Hospital, they helped keep him alive and fairly mobile for 22 years after a lung removal. But now its his time.

I've lived within 35 miles of the D.C. line nearly all my life. For as heavily populated as the area is, there are a suprising number of places to shoot. Hunting is also better than you would think. Quanico and Dahlgren military bases are convienient to Northern Virginia, and still support hunting. These bases are not being hunted like they used to be. Perhaps the security paranoia that has gripped our land make people think hunting on military bases is unthinkable. But it is not. These posts still support it, for no other reason than to keep deer to vehicle collisions down. However, it is heavily regimented, and always has been, for as long as I can remember. That in itself turns many people off.

Traffic stinks, but I have been to many an expanding small town that has outgrown its single lane highways with worse traffic. I believe traffic in Boston and New York City is worse. Chicago is about equal. Never been to L.A., or southern California, but my money is on that its much worse there.

I have gotten accustomed to this area. I am in the construction testing business as a geologist. Most any area that has a need for this industry is experiencing urban sprawl. Many rural places nearby that I thought of moving to as a young college graduate have been swallowed in the growth. There seems to be no excaping it, other than farming, ranching, or building a semi wilderness homestead if already financially independant. I don't know how to farm or ranch, and am not financially independent.

I would try it if the JOB appeals to you. This area can just burn money, so a 100% raise means little. I have made it my mission to live on what I earn, and not have to constantly hope or pester for raises. If you think the job is interesting, go for it. It hardly has to be a life long decision. Don't burn your bridges so you can return to SD if this area is not to your liking.

Good luck, and God Bless.

Sean

[Modoc ED]

Some of you guys are worrying about money in the DC area too much.

There are thousands of some of the worst paid employees in the United States living in the DC area and they seem to live ok -- Service men and women.

You don't have to earn $100,000.00 a year to live near DC.

[Old Ironsights]

Some of you guys are worrying about money in the DC area too much.

There are thousands of some of the worst paid employees in the United States living in the DC area and they seem to live ok -- Service men and women.

You don't have to earn $100,000.00 a year to live near DC.

No, you don't HAVE to... but it is about the only way short of living on Post to make it bearable.

I call it the "hell-hole COLA".