Moving from Seattle for Boston University in 2008 (Cambridge, Brookline: housing, income)

[schrodingertiger]

Hey, there. I've been hunting around the forums looking for information about moving to Boston and I thought I'd just post my questions and hope that I can get some good answers like some of the other threads on here.

I'm planning on entering the Master of Arts in Teaching, Science Education program at BU in June of 2008 and want to plan well for money. I have a significant other with a degree in CS, but not a whole lot of experience, so we're worried about him being able to find a job over there. Does anyone know how competitive the tech market is? Also, if anyone had some insider information about the teacher's job market over there, that would be great. I'm hoping that I'll be able to pay off any loans pretty quickly with a signing bonus or loan forgiveness program, but I have no idea how MA handles all that. Still researching online, but if someone already knows... ;-)

My other question is about where to live. I know there's a bunch of posts around, but I'd love a general idea... We want a one-bed, cat-friendly place, preferably somewhere where commuting wouldn't be horrible, that we could afford on one modest salary (since that's all we can count on) and with a little help from my school financial aid. Any ideas?

I'm excited to live in Boston, but a little scared of the unknown here. Thanks for your help!!

[scarletfire]

Craigslist is a good source for apartments and you can sort by ones that are cat friendly. It's also a helpful site for finding tech jobs. He may also want to check with contract agencies that hire technical professionals for temporary positions as those can sometimes turn into full-time. I believe Randolph Associates does this. Information Design, Development, and Delivery and Engineering, Design and CAD Professionals - RANDOLPH ASSOCIATES, INC. - Contract and Permanent Job Opportunities but there may be others that are a closer match for CS jobs.

[eslteacher]

I have never heard of schools in mass offering a signing bonus. That sort of thing is usually reserved for growing hard to staff districts. There are more teachers than jobs here, so don't count on any sort of bonus. In terms of loan forgiveness, if you work in a low-income school and teach a shortage area, you can get federal perkins loans forgiven but that is about it. As a teacher it will be difficult to find a quick way to pay off your loans. Salaries in Boston are good, if you can find a job here, so it is possible to pay the loans off bit by bit.

[yourtwowinters]

I just graduated from BU in May -- if you're looking for affordable places with an easy commute, Allston and Brighton are the two places that would be most convenient as a student there. Allston is overrun with college students, trash, and bars, but I live there now and it's a pretty enjoyable (albeit noisy) place to be. Brighton is farther away, but tends to be slightly cheaper and less crazy -- both are viable options.

As far as your commute, Allston is serviced by the B line, which runs along Commonwealth Avenue and covers nearly all of BU's campus, and the 57 bus runs in Allston and Brighton with the same path along BU. If you're estimating prices, Craigslist is the best way to get a handle on the amount you could be paying.

If you've got any specific questions about BU or the Allston area, send me a message and I'll be happy to answer them.

[findingmesomeday]

Want to trade places with me? I'd move back to Seattle in a heartbeat if I could!

Boston is a great town though and since you have no kids, you don't have to worry about living in an upscale town with outrageous housing costs just to have decent schools to which to send your kids.

Tell your SO to check out Google. They just opened up a pretty large facility in Cambridge and were hiring aggressively a while back. Thinking ahead, it might be a great way to get back to the West Coast when you are done with school if you feel as though you want to be closer to home. Google is HQ'd in the SF Bay Area.

Lots of IT in Boston, don't know what the employment picture is. Monster is in Maynard and they're always looking too.

Stay away from Allston. Student slum. I lived in Brighton when I was a student but that was a long time ago. Still, I really enjoyed it and from what I've seen lately, it is still pretty nice if you need to be close in to the city. Parts of Brookline like Cleveland Circle are full of brownstones and townhouse and then there's always Jamaica Plain, Back Bay Fens, etc., except they could be kinda spendy.