I don't want to leave Johnson city for a LPN job in Asheville (Elizabethton: real estate, motel)

[Tony1790]

I've been offered a job with the VA in Asheville, but I don't want to leave Johnson City, I like it here and my son is on his 2nd High School already.

My options are to move to Asheville or commute, it's an 1hr 10 min commute from my house to the VA 5 days a week. I applied to the VA here in JC, but I can't even get an interview here and I'm a vet, too many people applying.

I figure I'll commute for a while and try it out, I was wanting to buy a bigger home and move out of the trailer we are in, now that I'm done with school.

Any thoughts on whether to move or not.

Tony

p.s. For those few that know me here, I've finished school, passed my boards and I'm now a Licensed Practical Nurse!!!!

[jabogitlu]

Major congrats Tony!!! Also good about the job too. Any job is hard to come by right now.

I agree, if I were in your shoes I would commute at first. You can always see about moving after a few months if it just isn't working out. You (I believe) don't live too far from the Elizabethton/ETSU I-26 exit so it's not like you're driving from Jonesborough or Piney Flats to get to the interstate. The only bad part is crossing the mountains is a major gas guzzle.

Have you looked at comparable housing in WNC? It may be that it really pays you (housing costs and/or taxes) to stay here and commute. And who knows, within five years economic realities may have shifted and you can transfer into the JCVA.

[ljay42]

I did a long commute for a year one month. I would recommend you get Rosetta Stone and make the trip worthwhile..those 12 hour days turn into a real grind when you start to focus on them. Oh, and watch out for the deer...what a nightmare when those bastards start coming out during your commute. You end up wired and on edge for the entire drive and then can't get to sleep when you get home.

Hard to believe there are no available jobs in your field in this market. I realize there is a bit of "whose your people" that takes place in smaller markets but this is medical job heaven isn't it?

Personally, I'd go door to door selling something until a gig opened up here - ginsu knives, spray on hair (lots of call for spray on hair in this market), diet products, etc. I know all the members here really respect and appreciate door to door salespeople.

[SarahSal]

I'll add my agreement to Jab's on commuting for a while - and a big yahoo for passing your boards and landing a job! You are one of the lucky ones for sure...

I'd also think a little in advance about finding a cheap motel to stay in occasionally if the weather gets bad and Sam's Gap becomes dangerous.. Better to be safe than stuck in the middle of the winter, which would NOT make you feel good about your decision to commute.
And finding real estate in or near Asheville to come close to matching the home and land you have here would not be easy.. I'd just feel good about the new job and wait things out (as Jab said) until the economy improves. Chances are then you'd have the solid VA experience under your belt to warrant their hiring you here.

[Tony1790]

Thanks all,

I took my boards last week (thur) the next day I had 3 interviews and 4 interviews a few days later. I had several job offers, nursing home, home health, hospital here and the VA. With the cash difference and benefits and guaranteed pay raises and hours at the VA, it's hands down no brainer to take the VA.

I'll try commuting and then see what happens. Maybe I can transfer over to the JCVA at some point.

Most of my classmates have jobs, but many don't yet. I'm glad to get a job and start building up some cash in the bank, been going to school for a year and working part time, being poor bites big time

I drove over to Asheville yesterday (I grew up there) and I hated it, too much traffic, congestion, people, etc. I much prefer east TN.

Wish me luck

Tony, LPN

[mbmouse]

Congrats Tony!! Proud of ya.
Just don't forget when looking at those offers and $$ that if you take the job in NC, you will be paying state income tax every April, even if you live in TN.
Just something to consider. But I too will throw my vote into the ring for commuting to Asheville. Many people do it and there isn't much of any traffic on 26 until you get into Asheville, so at least the majority of the commute will be a destresser with little traffic and some of the most beautiful scenery in this country.

[JakilaTheHun]

Originally Posted by Tony1790

I've been offered a job with the VA in Asheville, but I don't want to leave Johnson City, I like it here and my son is on his 2nd High School already.

My options are to move to Asheville or commute, it's an 1hr 10 min commute from my house to the VA 5 days a week. I applied to the VA here in JC, but I can't even get an interview here and I'm a vet, too many people applying.

I figure I'll commute for a while and try it out, I was wanting to buy a bigger home and move out of the trailer we are in, now that I'm done with school.

Any thoughts on whether to move or not.

Tony

p.s. For those few that know me here, I've finished school, passed my boards and I'm now a Licensed Practical Nurse!!!!

Commuting long-distance is never any fun, but on the bright side, at least you aren't in Northern Virginia (like me). The JC-to-Asheville commute will rarely be backed up; it's just a long distance. My commute from Fairfax, VA to Rockville, MD is normally somewhere between 40 and 80 minutes, depending on when I leave in the morning and afternoon -- and it always consists of the most miserable traffic humanly imaginable.

So while it will be frustrating, I'd say your commute will be better than most of the people's commutes up here. On the other hand, your real issue is going to be the gas guzzling. My commute can take an hour, but it's only about 20 miles one-way, or 40-45 miles for the day. JC-to-Asheville is probably going to be 120-140 miles per day, which comes out to around 600-700 miles for the week. Even if you have a reasonably efficient car, that's about 2 tanks of gas per week, and probably about 9-10 per month once you factor in local trips; so you could very easily be spending $250 - $400 per month on gasoline.

If your kid only has a year or two worth of high school left, it might not be too horrible to try and manage for that long. Once your kid is college-age, you could either move to Asheville or possibly get transferred to JC.

[Tony1790]

Originally Posted by JakilaTheHun

Commuting long-distance is never any fun, but on the bright side, at least you aren't in Northern Virginia (like me). The JC-to-Asheville commute will rarely be backed up; it's just a long distance. My commute from Fairfax, VA to Rockville, MD is normally somewhere between 40 and 80 minutes, depending on when I leave in the morning and afternoon -- and it always consists of the most miserable traffic humanly imaginable.

So while it will be frustrating, I'd say your commute will be better than most of the people's commutes up here. On the other hand, your real issue is going to be the gas guzzling. My commute can take an hour, but it's only about 20 miles one-way, or 40-45 miles for the day. JC-to-Asheville is probably going to be 120-140 miles per day, which comes out to around 600-700 miles for the week. Even if you have a reasonably efficient car, that's about 2 tanks of gas per week, and probably about 9-10 per month once you factor in local trips; so you could very easily be spending $250 - $400 per month on gasoline.

If your kid only has a year or two worth of high school left, it might not be too horrible to try and manage for that long. Once your kid is college-age, you could either move to Asheville or possibly get transferred to JC.

Thanks for the feedback, that's what I'll likely do. As for long commutes, I said that I'd never do it again. I had a 5 hours commute roundtrip 5 days per week when I lived in WA state, but that was on mass transit, when I drove it was still 3 hours per day in bumper to bumper Seattle traffic.

Unfortunately, even if I can get transferred to the JC VA, they pay $3 less per hour than the same job in Asheville, that doesn't make any sense to me.

Take care

Tony

[mbmouse]

Originally Posted by Tony1790

.........
Unfortunately, even if I can get transferred to the JC VA, they pay $3 less per hour than the same job in Asheville, that doesn't make any sense to me.

Take care

Tony

Cost of living difference and state income tax.

[Tony1790]

Originally Posted by mbmouse

Cost of living difference and state income tax.

Yes there is that, but you'd think that the govt would pay the same no matter what, but even that doesn't add up, JCVA pays there CNA's $2 more per hour than the Asheville VA. But they can do what they want, just as long as I start working soon

Tony