Moving and Boston (Reading: low income, to rent, neighborhoods)

[SalamanderSmile]

Originally Posted by sedqq1

Trying to get my wife out of shift work. That's the main push factor for us wanting to leave Madison, WI.

Specifically what kind of shift work? From what I hear Madison,WI offers and exceptional lifestyle/cost equation compared to most areas in the country. We moved from Boston to Cincinnati and love Cincinnati but Madison was on our radar had we not had family here. I would concentrate on getting your wife a little training in some other field so that she can get and entry level 9-5 job doing whatever, and then once she is out of shift work you can concentrate on increasing your or her skillset.

Can you not make ends meet while she retrains?

[chicagoliz]

What sort of work would your wife like to do? You said she has an Associate's degree. Is she interested in pursuing a Bachelor's? There are so many colleges here, and she could do that at night, if that's something she wants. Has she considered getting those last 2 years of credits in Madison?

I have a friend whose sister works for a financial firm and has worked there for about 15 years. She does not have a 4 year degree, but has ended up finding a job that has worked out quite well for her. She never had any particular interest in finance, but started doing this job as a temp and they ended up hiring her as a regular employee. So, it certainly IS possible. I just don't know how difficult it will be to find that situation. Maybe your wife could talk with some of the temp agencies out here to see what sorts of jobs they have and if they think they could place her.

[sedqq1]

Thank you nuala. I realize that forums are posted by people without faces and there is very little consequences to messages. It is good and bad and while there are many well intention individuals, we can also have trolls and what not.

Then since no one is being paid for all this, it also does not really matter. It is simply opinions or hobby.

It is great to people give feedback and input when they have no stake in it. However yes - a pinch of salt is always needed. And I am still evaluating based on everything. I had used data from the Labor of Bureau statistic but while data is good, it still leaves out a lot of info.

Example: I used to live in Seattle and while the data may be right, I had not known that I would getting contract after contract jobs. After a while, I had it.

I was looking at Austin Texas but yes, I think traffic is going to be horrendous there.

Houston seemed awesome until I read about the violent crimes, murder etc.

[sedqq1]

Not at this time. My wife used to work with people with degrees and she was working in the same position as them in Seattle. A degree does not guarantee anything unless it is the right major. And even then. Because a person could go for that major because it makes money and then hates that kind of work, burns out fast and drops completely off the radar.

Then there are those with "non money making" degrees and have done well. It seems more of a personality thing. They tend be highly charismatic and very fun to be around with.

[sedqq1]

It's not about meeting ends meet. It's about a return of investment. It's about the time is now to multiply whatever it is we have. Not spend more $$$ and no on is making any promises that life MUST get better based on ROI. Because employers cannot make that promise.

[sedqq1]

Tons of College grads with tons of student loans and still making horrid pay. It's the new reality.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by sedqq1

Tons of College grads with tons of student loans and still making horrid pay. It's the new reality.

That's a non issue with UW Madison. I went to grad school there and paid my own way with almost no loans. The UW system is dirt cheap for in state students.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by nuala

Back 10-15 years ago I was going to move to Boston and read forums and asked similar questions. It was frightening to read sorts of opinions like "don't even think of spending less than 2,5-3K a month if you want a nice neighbourhood". I did read them with a grain of salt so I went straight to some rental agency on Newbury street (the posh district) and they found me a place for $700, right by the Prudential. Single room but for a single person it was OK. Even though I had found a job in advance, once there I saw how I could have searched for a job while there and maybe found something even more profitable. Basically, my message is: don't be deterred by opinions on a forum, moving places usually works out better than expected (it has always been the case for me).

As bjimmy stated, these conditions don't exist anymore, and haven't for many years. Someone who's a bit frustrated in Madison will be infinitely more frustrated in Boston, because of the much higher COL ( housing).I've lived in Madison, WI , and it's quite nice, btw, so I wouldn't give up on it in favor of a place which will only compound your problems. The problem with the cost of housing here in Boston is very, very real.

[xo_kizzy_xo]

Originally Posted by MassVt

The problem with the cost of housing here in Boston is very, very real.

A quick illustration: With the exception of one, all my post-college nieces and nephews have moved out of this area because there is so much disparity between job market vs. housing costs. That is, they all probably could start their careers/lives here, but in order to do so they'd have to afford to live somewhere that isn't home because home is 30+ miles away from their jobs. It's cheaper and more peace of mind for them to completely move out of the area, thereby saving $ on housing while starting their careers in smaller markets. So far so good, and everyone's happy. The most $ they have to pay is to fly back here (or drive) for the holidays.

[Coseau]

Boston is considered a top tier global city. These cities have prestige. The best and the brightest people commanding top dollar for their skills are drawn to top tier global cities. Because these people command top dollar or salaries they drive up prices and costs in the most sought after neighborhoods that offers the most in terms of commute times, access to public transit, safety and amenity rich environments due to their ability to outbid the average regular Joe. It is comparable to trying to advance from Triple A baseball to the Major Leagues in terms of your market value in the workplace economy. That is what you will have to deal with if you move to Boston.