Options? (Boston, Newton, Haverhill: rent, how much, living)

[charolastra00]

Do you have to be IN Boston? Particularly when thinking about addiction counseling, you have a wide array of options outside of the city that would allow you to live more comfortably. Worcester, Providence, Springfield, Portsmouth NH, Manchester NH, Haverhill/North Shore are all close enough to Boston to come in on the weekends to be social, but offer much cheaper COL options. Also much easier to rent with pets!

[Chadly]

Some of those are places I would consider (particularly Providence), most of the others I've never heard of. One factor I'm considering in Boston is that I have possible connections there through colleagues and friends who used to live in the area that can put me in contact with others they know would consider me, and they can put in a good word. I don't know anybody in any of other areas, and in my experience, distance job searching is a bit of a challenge. I do prefer Boston (or the surrounding area) or NYC as my top two areas of interest.

That being said, I would be willing to live in one of those areas if they're relatively close and commute to Boston for work, if that turned out to be an option. I admit I'm not familiar with the geography up there.

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by Chadly

Some of those are places I would consider (particularly Providence), most of the others I've never heard of. One factor I'm considering in Boston is that I have possible connections there through colleagues and friends who used to live in the area that can put me in contact with others they know would consider me, and they can put in a good word. I don't know anybody in any of other areas, and in my experience, distance job searching is a bit of a challenge. I do prefer Boston (or the surrounding area) or NYC as my top two areas of interest.

That being said, I would be willing to live in one of those areas if they're relatively close and commute to Boston for work, if that turned out to be an option. I admit I'm not familiar with the geography up there.

I would suggest looking for work in one of these cities, rather than commuting. Renting is difficult with pets, especially a dog, and especially with roommates. Your budget is on the low side even with roommates (unfortunately, rental rates are skyrocketing and roommate situations under $800 in areas where you wouldn't need a car seem to be becoming fewer and fewer). In many of those other cities, you could make close to as much if not as much as Boston, but have a dramatically lower COL. In particular, many of the secondary cities in Mass have serious opioid problems and are likely to have positions for an experienced addiction counselor.

Keep in mind that a train from Providence to Boston is almost $400 a month.

[Chadly]

That's the thing, I'm interested in substance abuse, but it's not my sole, or even necessarily my primary, focus. It just happens to be where I am now. I'm actually hoping to find work working with the LGBTQ population, in my best case, "dream come true" scenario. And my budget may end up being higher, but I always plan for the low side. I don't know what an exact salary would be because I haven't gotten any job offers, so I'm basing my budget loosely on what I make now + the median salary cited in various career trends websites.

So what's a person with a pet supposed to do? It's a big city, surely there are people with pets. I see people walking their dogs - some much bigger than a Maltese/poodle mix - all the time in NYC.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by Chadly

That's the thing, I'm interested in substance abuse, but it's not my sole, or even necessarily my primary, focus. It just happens to be where I am now. I'm actually hoping to find work working with the LGBTQ population, in my best case, "dream come true" scenario. And my budget may end up being higher, but I always plan for the low side. I don't know what an exact salary would be because I haven't gotten any job offers, so I'm basing my budget loosely on what I make now + the median salary cited in various career trends websites.

Since that is what you really want to do, I would look at LGBTQ-related national associations or organizations that might have job boards, etc. and just do a nation-wide job search focused on LGBTQ organizations/positions. Then go wherever you land a job.

[Aara5]

Not sure why all the discouragement. You can find an apartment share for 800 a month somewhere like Jamaica Plain, a great neighborhood with a strong LGBT community. There are many excellent medical centers and community health centers doing interesting work in your field in Boston. Among those is Fenway Health which is a long time innovator in LGBT health care and has several locations in the city. Boston seems like a great fit!

[Chadly]

Originally Posted by Aara5

Not sure why all the discouragement. You can find an apartment share for 800 a month somewhere like Jamaica Plain, a great neighborhood with a strong LGBT community. There are many excellent medical centers and community health centers doing interesting work in your field in Boston. Among those is Fenway Health which is a long time innovator in LGBT health care and has several locations in the city. Boston seems like a great fit!

Thanks so much! I fully recognize the risks of moving to a new location, and the fact that the cost of living - and pay - is clearly different from region to region in the country. I was simply asking for information on the local scene, not to be basically told to go somewhere else. Give me the information, I can make that decision for myself. So many naysayers!

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

Since that is what you really want to do, I would look at LGBTQ-related national associations or organizations that might have job boards, etc. and just do a nation-wide job search focused on LGBTQ organizations/positions. Then go wherever you land a job.

For me, it's also about location, though. If the local culture isn't a good fit, I won't be happy either way. For example, even if my current town had a big LGBT center or opportunities working with LGBTs, I would still be looking to move, because it's not an area of the country I want to live in. I've narrowed down my options to particular cities that are within a geographical distance that I'm willing to live from my family, have cultures I feel compatible with (and mostly that I have visited), and *also* have opportunities for possible work. Plus, like I said, the places I've been considering are places where I actually know people. Of course I'm open to going to the first place that I get a job, within the specified regions of the country I already feel would be a good fit culturally. I'm not going to, for example, take a job in Random Big City, Kansas just because they may have an LGBT organization that may hire me. Because I don't want to live in Kansas. Basically any sizable city on the East Coast (that isn't part of the South) is fair game(basically DC and up), but primarily Boston and NYC. *Maybe* Vermont. The farthest West I'm willing to go is Chicago, and really that's the only Midwest city I could see myself going to, as I've stayed there before and liked it decently.

[tysmith95]

800 for a room share in JP would be a real crappy apartment. JP has gotten expensive lately. Dorchester might be a better option and it still has a decent sized LGBT population.

[Chadly]

I'll definitely look into that. Some of my friends who have more experience in the area have said I would love Salem, but even if I didn't get to live in that particular town, I'm sure I would visit often.

[alidmc]

Originally Posted by Chadly

I'll definitely look into that. Some of my friends who have more experience in the area have said I would love Salem, but even if I didn't get to live in that particular town, I'm sure I would visit often.

Salem is wonderful and more affordable than Boston. In addition, there are several hospitals, colleges, and social service agencies in the area. If you live in Salem, I would recommend finding a job in the area (Salem, Beverly, Peabody, Lynn, or any surrounding town), or a job in Boston that is accessible to public transportation.

Commuting from Salem to Boston isn't bad on the train- it is about 30 minutes to North Station. However, there is no direct highway access in Salem, so a commute from Salem to say, Burlington wouldn't be ideal.