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I am currently overseas teaching history and make 60k a year (which is considered upper middle class in the country I live in). I have a bit of savings (about 100k) and am hoping to return to the states in a year or so.
I don't want to be a teacher in the states. However, with my qualifications (M.A. in history and not much else) I probably won't be making much more than a middle to lower middle class lifestyle.
So the Question is.....If you knew your job would not demand an excellent salary, which state would you live in? Assume you don't have much savings or investments...Would you go for the cheapest COL? OR do some states offer better social benefits or programs (like cheap housing) to help stave of poverty? etc.
Thats a good salary here, middle class, but also upper middle-class depending on perspective and where you live. You could probably do fine in all states minus the most expensive areas like California, NYC, etc. I would look at jobs first to get an idea of salary then make a decision based on which one you like more. I think lower middle class is more like $30k a year.
Also no middle class people here have that much in savings, that's solid upper class type of savings. The majority of Americans can't afford a $400 emergency.
Georgia, preferably Northern, is a great location. Cost of living is moderate to low. The "bad" season is summer (AC fir shir!). Atlanta has about everything you could want in a metropolitan area. . . and most of the people. Satellite communities are far less dense, so you can find larger parcels of land, if you want. But it's all subjective.
Many of the small towns are situated on the rail lines radiating out from Atlanta (the "terminus" of many rail lines).
I am currently overseas teaching history and make 60k a year (which is considered upper middle class in the country I live in). I have a bit of savings (about 100k) and am hoping to return to the states in a year or so.
I don't want to be a teacher in the states. However, with my qualifications (M.A. in history and not much else) I probably won't be making much more than a middle to lower middle class lifestyle.
So the Question is.....If you knew your job would not demand an excellent salary, which state would you live in? Assume you don't have much savings or investments...Would you go for the cheapest COL? OR do some states offer better social benefits or programs (like cheap housing) to help stave of poverty? etc.
Which state would you choose?
Not all teachers in the US are lowly paid. Teachers on Long Island make 6 figures (but its hard to get a job)
But even NYC teachers arent paid too badly & there are more jobs opportunities. You would make more than $60k in NYc prob & you could live in one of the boros with some roommates & be ok
If you knew your job would not demand an excellent salary, which state would you live in? Assume you don't have much savings or investments...Would you go for the cheapest COL? OR do some states offer better social benefits or programs (like cheap housing) to help stave of poverty? etc.
Which state would you choose?
No one making $60K gets benefits like public housing. There has been incredibly cheap housing available in declining cities like Detroit, Baltimore but the neighborhoods may be frightening. I wouldn’t base my choice on cost of living but on things I enjoy, want to do… for example, Calif is expensive compared to most but the Cal State and Univ of California systems offer unparalleled higher Ed opportunities at reasonable cost.
Be a little more confident about your job prospects. Having an MA of any kind is a plus and usually means you'll make more money in the long run. I think you should look at this from a different perspective. Instead of assuming you'll forever be lower middle class, move to a place where history majors are in demand. Find a place where that experience will go the furthest and pay you the most.
DC comes to mind first. There are multiple companies in DC that pay historians to do research in archives. These positions usually pay 60k as entry level but you should easily find something that pays more. 70-80k is a reasonable expectation for a history MA doing a job like that in DC. The federal government also hires thousands of historians. The Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of the Interior (specifically the National Park Service) hire the most. Most of those jobs pay over 100k. And then there are places like the Smithsonians, National Archives, private museums, and the Library of Congress that all hire historians. Think tanks, which DC has a ton of, also hire people with an MA in history to help look at economic, political, and historical trends. The fact that you have foreign experience from living overseas will make you even more appealing for these jobs.
If you don't want DC, then look at cities that are state capitals. They usually have state history offices, political think tanks, etc. Or find cities with a lot of museums. Cities that especially fit both of those would be places like Boston, Richmond, Hartford, Albany, Denver, Atlanta, Harrisburg, Providence, Nashville, Columbus, St. Paul, Indianapolis.
Personally, I would find a place in the interior northeast or the Midwest. Cities in those places generally have decent salaries, are mostly affordable, and have a long blue collar/union tradition. They have more of a safety net if things go wrong. So of the cities above, Columbus, St. Paul, Indianapolis, Harrisburg, Albany, and Hartford might be the best places to start. Those are also good places to live lower middle class if you prefer that. But I still think DC is your best option.
6 figures in the bank with a postgraduate degree? In what world would that be considered lower middle class? I’m sorry but where I’m from you’d be considered pretty well off. I picture lower middle class as someone with a high school education (if that), severely in debt with multiple dependents, barely scraping by.
You will probably be able to land a decent remote job paying $60-90k per year and live almost anywhere minus the major metropolitan centers like New York, San Francisco, etc.
Be a little more confident about your job prospects. Having an MA of any kind is a plus and usually means you'll make more money in the long run. I think you should look at this from a different perspective. Instead of assuming you'll forever be lower middle class, move to a place where history majors are in demand. Find a place where that experience will go the furthest and pay you the most.
DC comes to mind first. There are multiple companies in DC that pay historians to do research in archives. These positions usually pay 60k as entry level but you should easily find something that pays more. 70-80k is a reasonable expectation for a history MA doing a job like that in DC. The federal government also hires thousands of historians. The Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of the Interior (specifically the National Park Service) hire the most. Most of those jobs pay over 100k. And then there are places like the Smithsonians, National Archives, private museums, and the Library of Congress that all hire historians. Think tanks, which DC has a ton of, also hire people with an MA in history to help look at economic, political, and historical trends. The fact that you have foreign experience from living overseas will make you even more appealing for these jobs.
If you don't want DC, then look at cities that are state capitals. They usually have state history offices, political think tanks, etc. Or find cities with a lot of museums. Cities that especially fit both of those would be places like Boston, Richmond, Hartford, Albany, Denver, Atlanta, Harrisburg, Providence, Nashville, Columbus, St. Paul, Indianapolis.
Personally, I would find a place in the interior northeast or the Midwest. Cities in those places generally have decent salaries, are mostly affordable, and have a long blue collar/union tradition. They have more of a safety net if things go wrong. So of the cities above, Columbus, St. Paul, Indianapolis, Harrisburg, Albany, and Hartford might be the best places to start. Those are also good places to live lower middle class if you prefer that. But I still think DC is your best option.
Great post and perhaps look into places with a pretty strong higher education scene/industry, as libraries, certain educational and research programs could use said services/skills/experience as well.
No one making $60K gets benefits like public housing. There has been incredibly cheap housing available in declining cities like Detroit, Baltimore but the neighborhoods may be frightening. I wouldn’t base my choice on cost of living but on things I enjoy, want to do… for example, Calif is expensive compared to most but the Cal State and Univ of California systems offer unparalleled higher Ed opportunities at reasonable cost.
In many places, $60k is actually considered a good salary
The federal government also hires thousands of historians. The Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of the Interior (specifically the National Park Service) hire the most. Most of those jobs pay over 100k.
I would not count on being hired off the street at 100k at those agencies (at any fed agency, really.)
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