IS NJ becoming a haven for doctors and lawyers only? (school, salaries)

[Jerseyt719]

Originally Posted by ottomobeale

Its actually getting a bit easier. I came here in 2007. 300K meant Hopatcong and Byram and pretty much nothing else for a 3BR 1.5 BA.

Now there are choices from Denville west.

Now with my latest pay cut... well. I tell myself it wasnt a layoff and I still have both jobs.

That's the spirit!!

I still think NJ is a great place to live and especially work. I don't think there's more opportunity to be had anywhere with the quality of life we have as well.

[Badfish740]

It's funny. My fiancee and I are hoping to one day buy enough land to start a small farmstead and become more self sufficient by growing more of what we need and selling what's leftover (chickens, turkeys, sheep, fruits and vegetables, etc...) and we hope to stick to Hunterdon County-maybe Southeastern Warren County. What I've found is that 15 acres will probably cost us anywhere from $500-700K! And that only gives us a house the same as we have now (old 2 bedroom/1 bath ranch) with little improvements on the land in the way of cleared pasture, fences, barns, etc... The house really isn't important to us, but having the cash to fence in 4 acres for the sheep and 1 acre for poultry, building enough shelter/storage buildings, and tilling land for crops is. The more I read New Jersey Monthly I see that former doctors and lawyers are beating me to it left and right. I just read about a guy who made millions in the biotech industry-now he makes cheese in Califon

[clevedark]

Steve Morse--most the the money in Summit is Wall Street money--it's been that way since time immemorial.

And Badfish, that's the reason why there are no farms left in Jersey anymore--it's too expensive!!! Maybe if you went way down south Jersey you'd get more of a price break. Or come up here to New England, land is relatively cheap--check out western MA. Or even NY state.

[Shwa]

Originally Posted by Jerseyt719

Lighten up - it was said tongue in cheek. Like I, or anyone else on here really believes that someone would come forward and say "sure".

Really, learn to take a joke and stop being so much on the offensive that you cannot see humor when it is right in your face.

I am far from the entitlement society and how dare you assume otherwise.

Sorry, it just struck a nerve... as you can plainly see! BTW, I didn't say "you" are the entitlement society, but rather "we" are becoming one. I think we both need to lighten up!

[Jerseyt719]

Originally Posted by Shwa

Sorry, it just struck a nerve... as you can plainly see! BTW, I didn't say "you" are the entitlement society, but rather "we" are becoming one. I think we both need to lighten up!

You're probably right. No harm done.

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by Shwa

That's all well and good, but don't you think most of these folks have worked hard to get where they are? Many years of education, endless hours of work, giving up time with their families. Maybe, some are lucky and have family money. However, I'm sure there are plenty where that's not the case.

Sharing is nice, in concept, but is it really "fair" to take away from those who have struggled, too, and worked so hard to get where they are only to give it away to recipients who are not willing to work (or work hard I should say, perhaps)! What happened to work ethic? We are turning into a society of entitlement.

not to stir the hornet's nest, but i'd venture to say there are more people who work WAYYYYY harder than some wall street buffoon. difference is, they are not fortunate enough to have gobs of cash to live in summit.

it's not either 1) work real hard and you automagically become wealthy, or 2) if you have no money you're not working hard (which is what I got from your comment about sharing to people not willing to work).

[theoakman]

Doctors and lawyers are in for big salary cuts. Doctors are already getting killed with malpractice insurance and these crappy health insurance companies. Lawyers...they'll have trouble getting paid when no one has any money. Both of these professions are part of the service sector and are reliant upon productive citizens to produce wealth for them to grab their piece of the pie. We would all starve if we were a nation of doctors and lawyers.

[onegreatnurse]

Ok, I'm a nurse (can you tell) and I ALWAYS work hard, probably much harder than Bernie Madoff or any of those other Wall Street crooks, and I will NEVER see the kind of money they have (yeah, I'm not a crook, and I don't get to reward myself with tons of bonuses for a job NOT well done..I wouldn't know what a bonus looked like if I tripped over it, our "bonus" was a muffin tin and muffin mix for Christmas, lol!)....So to imply that everyone who works hard has earned all that wealth...I'm sorry but, hardly! And by the same token, you can't make the blanket statement that those who aren't rich just aren't working hard. Summit I'm sure is full of Wall Street type execs...and I'm sure there are a few who work hard...doctors? I work with lots of them...believe me, they don't make what you think they make. Besides, they're busy paying back the $250K it cost them for medical school, which imo should be FREE these days to our best and brightest. I can't tell you how many doctors are leaving NJ because of the state of malpractice insurance costs...

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by onegreatnurse

Ok, I'm a nurse (can you tell) and I ALWAYS work hard, probably much harder than Bernie Madoff or any of those other Wall Street crooks, and I will NEVER see the kind of money they have (yeah, I'm not a crook, and I don't get to reward myself with tons of bonuses for a job NOT well done..I wouldn't know what a bonus looked if I tripped over it, our "bonus" was a muffin tin and muffin mix for Christmas, lol!)....So to imply that everyone who works hard has earned all that wealth...I'm sorry but, hardly! And by the same token, you can't make the blanket statement that those who aren't rich just aren't working hard. Summit I'm sure is full of Wall Street type execs...and I'm sure there are a few who work hard...doctors? I work with lots of them...believe me, they don't make what you think they make. Besides, they're busy paying back the $250K it cost them for medical school, which imo should be FREE these days to our best and brightest. I can't tell you how many doctors are leaving NJ because of the state of malpractice insurance costs...

no doubt you do! i was actually thinking of a nurse when I typed my post above. i will never complain about a teacher's salary nor a nurse's, when they do something I'd never do.

[Lusitan]

Originally Posted by theoakman

We would all starve if we were a nation of doctors and lawyers.

Indeed. But we would have a solid diagnosis for the causes of death, and we would be well prepared to sue someone for the riots and the starvation.