Move from DC to Charlottesville? (home, job market, school)

[DiCi]

Looking for some advice about a potential move. I currently work for the Fed Gov in DC but my wife does not. She's received an offer to work in C'ville which will pay aprox. 2-3 times what I'm paid, so financially the move makes sense.

I will most likely be able to work something out so that I can telecommute from home and drive to DC 2-3 times a month for meetings etc. I'm a little worried about the whole situation though. I've been to C'ville many times and it offers a lot in terms of quality of life, but I'm afraid that living there and working from home will be too isolating. Additionally, since the job market in C'ville appears to be UVA and not much else, I don't see myself transitioning to a local job anytime soon (doesn't help that the economy is shaky and the area I work in is pretty specialized - doesn't translate well to jobs outside of DC).

We're currently in our 30s so DC is still a pretty fun place to be, but I'm thinking long term C'ville makes much more sense.

Anyone out there make the move from DC to C'ville? Any regrets? Comments about telecommuting to DC? Telecommuting in general? Advice?

Thanks in advance.

[arielmina]

I telecommute (PT), have been for about 6 yrs. My husband did it FT for about 3 years before we moved down to NoVa where his job is. It's absolutely isolating, BUT if you make a point to get out every day, even just to take a walk outside or do some kind of physical activity, it's something you can get used to. I work on the phone and email all day with people, so even though I'm not physically near them, I don't feel disconnected, however there are days when I really miss actual human interaction. I do have small children so I get out to their school and meeting the parents etc. My husband woudl go absolutely crazy if he had to work any longer from home. He does it about 2X week, and the rest in the office. I would not necessarily consider it an ideal long term situation if you'll be FT telecommuting.


Given that your wife has such a great opportunity, I might go for it. You can always decide after a few years that it's not for you and move back or somewhere else.