NWA Can't Come Soon Enough! (Little Rock, Hot Springs: price, law, safe)

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by duke944

I lived the first 24 years of my life in the twin cities and you couldn't pay me enough to move back. I'm about the same age as you.

I thought I saw you mention that before. Sorry for forgetting. I'll be down there eventually writing the same thing as you are!


It isn't a bad place, it's just that I can't do these winters the rest of my life and we know where we really want to be.

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

DC, in 2016 we came within the blink of an eye of doing just that. I had an offer from Northwest in Bentonville that was about 8 bucks an hour less than where I was working in TX. We wanted to be there so bad that we spent days crunching numbers and plotting cuts so that we could take the job. I was going to just jump in and do what I had to do to make it work, including getting my feet wet and then scoping out the job scene as a local. In the end it just didn't seem like a safe thing to do with 4 little kids to bring up. Obviously others have taken the leap and made it work. I applaud them.....it simply wasn't the right time for us.

I totally respect that. I tend to be rather risk-averse as well. I simply needed to say that I've known people who have found the wages they need. And each of those people took an initial loss, but once they got to know the job landscape, they were able to network and find jobs that paid more. But just because I've known people who've been successful at that doesn't mean that it happens for everyone. I'm sure there are people who've moved here who haven't found the pay scale they needed. So your choices make perfect sense to me. And I've lived in Minnesota as well, and appreciate the good and the bad. You get used to the winters. It's like getting used to the summers in Arkansas. It's amazing how adaptable people are.

[duke944]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

I thought I saw you mention that before. Sorry for forgetting. I'll be down there eventually writing the same thing as you are!


It isn't a bad place, it's just that I can't do these winters the rest of my life and we know where we really want to be.

If it weren't for the winters, the mosquitos, the people and the taxes it would be great!

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by DC at the Ridge

I totally respect that. I tend to be rather risk-averse as well. I simply needed to say that I've known people who have found the wages they need. And each of those people took an initial loss, but once they got to know the job landscape, they were able to network and find jobs that paid more. But just because I've known people who've been successful at that doesn't mean that it happens for everyone. I'm sure there are people who've moved here who haven't found the pay scale they needed. So your choices make perfect sense to me. And I've lived in Minnesota as well, and appreciate the good and the bad. You get used to the winters. It's like getting used to the summers in Arkansas. It's amazing how adaptable people are.

I'm from Michigan originally, so winter is nothing new in my world. 20 years in the upper Midwest, but 30 in the south, and those years in the south have really made it hard for me to stomach that season up here anymore. The snowblowing, the shoveling, the salting, the roof raking, the bundling the kids up just to go down the road, the slop everywhere, the school closings (yes, even in MN for cold and snow), not being able to do things outside (not a winter sports enthusiast, sorry) - and driving in that crap. The stuff in my garage refrigerator froze because it got so cold in there! What the??? We also have a handicapped child - try pushing a wheelchair in this stuff and then having to clean the wheels off inside so you don't trek it everywhere. I can take a few small shots of winter every year like I remember in North Texas and north Georgia, but not an all out assault for months on end as is the case here.....and if I feel like this now what's it gonna be like when I'm 60.......70? @#%! that! Of course, if the winters here weren't so bad the place would be overrun like DFW and Houston, 2 other places I've lived. That's the upside of it.

I honestly think NWA at least will begin to catch up wage-wise in my field over the next 10 years or so. It's growing too fast to not become competitive in that sense. Maybe that's wishful thinking, guess we'll see. I've also been trying to cross train in other imaging modalities in order to make myself more versatile/valuable to potential employers. I figure if Arkansas does its part and I do my part maybe we can eventually make this happen someday.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

I'm from Michigan originally, so winter is nothing new in my world. 20 years in the upper Midwest, but 30 in the south, and those years in the south have really made it hard for me to stomach that season up here anymore. The snowblowing, the shoveling, the salting, the roof raking, the bundling the kids up just to go down the road, the slop everywhere, the school closings (yes, even in MN for cold and snow), not being able to do things outside (not a winter sports enthusiast, sorry) - and driving in that crap. The stuff in my garage refrigerator froze because it got so cold in there! What the??? We also have a handicapped child - try pushing a wheelchair in this stuff and then having to clean the wheels off inside so you don't trek it everywhere. I can take a few small shots of winter every year like I remember in North Texas and north Georgia, but not an all out assault for months on end as is the case here.....and if I feel like this now what's it gonna be like when I'm 60.......70? @#%! that! Of course, if the winters here weren't so bad the place would be overrun like DFW and Houston, 2 other places I've lived. That's the upside of it.

I honestly think NWA at least will begin to catch up wage-wise in my field over the next 10 years or so. It's growing too fast to not become competitive in that sense. Maybe that's wishful thinking, guess we'll see. I've also been trying to cross train in other imaging modalities in order to make myself more versatile/valuable to potential employers. I figure if Arkansas does its part and I do my part maybe we can eventually make this happen someday.

Do you still look for possible employment here? I ask mainly thinking about our granddaughter and her husband. She is a nurse practitioner and yes, was a bit surprised at the starling salaries when they moved here 6 years ago but now she has caught up with prices in near by states and wouldn't leave NWA for anything I don't think. Her husband is an accountant. He has had no problems with finding work that pays well. yes, he has changed jobs a few times since moving here, but it now settled in with the largest employer in the region. I guess you can figure out what company that is.

Even though the region is growing fast I don't think it will resemble DFW or Houston in our lifetime. Daesemeroht

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Do you still look for possible employment here? I ask mainly thinking about our granddaughter and her husband. She is a nurse practitioner and yes, was a bit surprised at the starling salaries when they moved here 6 years ago but now she has caught up with prices in near by states and wouldn't leave NWA for anything I don't think. Her husband is an accountant. He has had no problems with finding work that pays well. yes, he has changed jobs a few times since moving here, but it now settled in with the largest employer in the region. I guess you can figure out what company that is.

Even though the region is growing fast I don't think it will resemble DFW or Houston in our lifetime. Daesemeroht

I do scan the job boards just to humor myself and keep an eye on what's happening (I know a good bit of the AR healthcare companies - Washington, Mercy, Northwest, Childrens, Baptist Health, CHI, etc.) but we aren't going anywhere for a few years barring something unforeseen. We already moved several times in the past 5 years to have our daughters medical needs addressed and one of the main reasons we came to MN was because we heard the schools were top notch for special needs kids in particular, which has turned out to be very true. We're set on staying here until the older kids graduate high school, which is another 4 years. Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to deal with another 4 or 5 winters here after these past 2, but I gotta put the kids first. Living in different regions has actually been a good/fun experience in some ways, but right now they need some stability. I gotta get ahold of myself and not allow this winter to beat me down like this. Taking a trip to Georgia to see my folks next month......that will definitely help.

I didn't mean to imply NWA would resemble DFW or Houston at any point - that will obviously and likely never happen - I was suggesting that the Twin Cities might resemble either of those spots were it not for the winters that keep so many away.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

I do scan the job boards just to humor myself and keep an eye on what's happening (I know a good bit of the AR healthcare companies - Washington, Mercy, Northwest, Childrens, Baptist Health, CHI, etc.) but we aren't going anywhere for a few years barring something unforeseen. We already moved several times in the past 5 years to have our daughters medical needs addressed and one of the main reasons we came to MN was because we heard the schools were top notch for special needs kids in particular, which has turned out to be very true. We're set on staying here until the older kids graduate high school, which is another 4 years. Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to deal with another 4 or 5 winters here after these past 2, but I gotta put the kids first. Living in different regions has actually been a good/fun experience in some ways, but right now they need some stability. I gotta get ahold of myself and not allow this winter to beat me down like this. Taking a trip to Georgia to see my folks next month......that will definitely help.

I didn't mean to imply NWA would resemble DFW or Houston at any point - that will obviously and likely never happen - I was suggesting that the Twin Cities might resemble either of those spots were it not for the winters that keep so many away.

Stability is one of the gifts you can give your kids. We moved a lot when our kids were still in school and I regret we moved them around so much. Oh, they have grown up to be wonderful kids and now they have kids of their own.. In fact our daughter has 5 grandkids I guess I am giving my age away. Hang in there and when the time is right maybe you will be our neighbors. Well probably not who wants to live near 2 aging people who don't even know their own names.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by nmnita

who wants to live near 2 aging people who don't even know their own names.

I do, that’s who.

Someday!

[James Bond 007]

Looking through the OP's posts, I think he/she has set his/her relocation sights elsewhere.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by James Bond 007

Looking through the OP's posts, I think he/she has set his/her relocation sights elsewhere.

thanks James, you are doing your job it appears.