Middle Class in NYC (New York, York: credit, how much, school)

[NooYowkur81]

Originally Posted by Kefir King

It is sad to be the last person entering a field that has crested and is on the wane.
But it happens with predictable frequently.

You want to be the first in the NEW field, not the last in the OLD one.

Remember, the dot-com bust was in 2000.

Ohh Im sure he'll get a good job in tech just maybe not in NYC. People with his background are still in demand. The upstate thing may take a good little while to get going.

[Mr. Zero]

Having recently spent some time in the Comp Sci department at a top 20 program near NY, I can tell you that this recruiting season, graduating Masters students so far have been getting offers of around $90k + signing bonus from companies in NYC... around $75k+ in the surrounding suburbs. At the engineering career fair, the students getting recruited the most were CS students. It's a good major to have... especially if you take coursework like Machine Learning/AI and distributed systems. I've also seen some of the finance companies looking for experience in functional programming languages like OCaml, so that might be good to have as well.

[SobroGuy]

There are still quite a few fields which are starved for very specific skills..mostly because there aren't enough people who have these skills. Mr. Zero's example is one of them...

[Shawn_Java]

This is so discouraging. . Why would so many people move to NYC just to struggle, when they could be so much better off, even rich, in so many other places in the States? How does it have such a huge population?

[bluedog2]

Originally Posted by Shawn_Java

This is so discouraging. . Why would so many people move to NYC just to struggle, when they could be so much better off, even rich, in so many other places in the States? How does it have such a huge population?

Because money isn't everything and a lot of those "other places" you mention are considered by many to be undesirable or even unlivable.

[Mr. Zero]

Do your own research, it might not be as bad as people tell you it will be. Waterloo's computer science program has an excellent reputation in the field, so I wouldn't be surprised if they have more than a few US placements every year. Check with your university's career services... they might be able to give you a better idea of how many CS students get recruited to work in NY and what the pay range is like. If it's around 70k USD/year and you steer clear of the luxury buildings and the $10/drink bars, you'll be fine.

[bcrowe224]

Originally Posted by Shawn_Java

Hello All,

I am currently in Uni to eventually become a Computer Engineer. At university of Toronto, Canada. Out of school the starting salary will be 60000-80000. With 2-7 years salary increases to 90000-100000, and senior positions can exceed 120000. I also read somewhere that NYC will soon have computer engineers as an in demand profession.

My dream has always been to live in NYC. I only visited once but I fell in love with the place. I have done lots of research on this topic and I am getting somewhat of a generic response where NYC is pretty much the hardest city in the world to get by in.

When I graduate and find a job in NYC that pays 75,000, will I do ok if i'm living by myself in say Brooklyn? I would probably get a metrocard so wouldn't worry about the car for several years.

So say 5-10 years go by and I now am making 100000. If my wife makes around the same amount I do, the house income will hopefully be near 200k. Is this considered a middle/upper middle class if I live in Brooklyn? Will it be good enough to raise maybe 2 kids on? With all the really depressing stories I read about how hard it is to live in NYC it gets me really discouraged. I want to be able to have a good life, maybe take 1-2 vacations a year, not always be in debt, all the things that everyone wants.

And if I live in Brooklyn can I still get a nice view of downtown?

Thanks.

woah there...

A lot of hypotheticals here. More than likely you will not make that money out of school. Sorry to burst your bubble

EDIT* Noticed that the poster above in the comp sci masters program stated that salaries are indeed this high. I stand corrected.

[wawaweewa]

LS grads also make 160k/year out of school.
Oh wait. I forgot to add that less than 10% of them make that amount.

Unless OP is at the top of his class and/or has networking connects, he will not land a 70k gig out of school.

C/S is not in demand. Certain specific sectors of C/S are in demand.

[Biskit]

Originally Posted by Shawn_Java

This is so discouraging. . Why would so many people move to NYC just to struggle, when they could be so much better off, even rich, in so many other places in the States? How does it have such a huge population?

No one said you'd be struggling? You will be comfortable on 75k as a young single person but you have to get the job first.

People move to NYC because it's the greatest city in the world. That's reason enough for people to come here and struggle for a shot to make it. Who cares if you're financially better off living in Ohio or Alabama - what is there to do there? As long as I have family and friends, i'd rather be living in NYC making less and having the time of my life rather than living in the middle of nowhere just for a bigger house and fancy car. Who spends all of their time in their house all day and driving around anyway? Sure other cities in the country have similar amenities, but none come close to offering what NYC has.

Also, there is still a lot of opportunity here so it's sometimes easier to grow a career because it's a hub for many companies within the same industry, primarily Wall Street, Media, Advertising, Fashion, etc. People leverage their experience and hop to other companies for more money, and it's easier to do that when there are other places to jump to within the same city.

[Shawn_Java]

Checked the US Immig. Services Website. Says for me to acquire a VISA, My profession needs to be on this list:

Appendix 1603.D.1
Professionals

PROFESSION 1


MINIMUM EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
AND ALTERNATIVE CREDENTIALS

General

Accountant


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or C.P.A., C.A., C.G.A. or C.M.A.

Architect


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license 2

Computer Systems Analyst


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or PostSecondary Diploma 3 or PostSecondary Certificate 4 , and three years experience

Disaster Relief Insurance Claims Adjuster (claims Adjuster employed by an insurance company located in the territory of a Party, or an independent claims adjuster)


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree, and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims; or three years experience in claims adjustment and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims.

Economist


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

Engineer


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license

Forester


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license

Graphic Designer


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary Certificate, and three years experience

Hotel Manager


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree in hotel/restaurant management; or PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary Certificate in hotel/restaurant management, and three years experience in hotel/restaurant management

Industrial Designer


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary Certificate, and three years experience

Interior Designer


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary Certificate, and three years experience

Land Surveyor


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial/federal license

Landscape Architect


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

Lawyer (including Notary in the Province of Quebec)


LL.B., J.D., LL.L., B.C.L. or Licenciatura Degree (five years); or membership in a state/provincial bar

Librarian


M.L.S. or B.L.S. (for which another Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree was a prerequisite)

Management Consultant


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or equivalent professional experience as established by statement or professional credential attesting to five years experience as a management consultant, or five years experience in a field of specialty related to the consulting agreement

Mathematician (including Statistician)


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

Range Manager/Range Conservationalist


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

Research Assistant (working in a post-secondary educational institution)


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

Scientific Technician/Technologist 5


Possession of (a) theoretical knowledge of any of the following disciplines: agricultural sciences, astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, forestry, geology, geophysics, meteorology or physics; and (b) the ability to solve practical problems in any of those disciplines, or the ability to apply principles of any of those disciplines to basic or applied research

Social Worker


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

Sylviculturist (including Forestry Specialist)


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

Technical Publications Writer


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or PostSecondary Diploma or PostSecondary Certificate, and three years experience

Urban Planner (including Geographer)


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

Vocational Counsellor


Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Engineer is on there, so I am not totally familiar with the system, but, If I get a VISA do I move to US to work and after a certain period of time after renewal of my VISA I am then able to apply for citizenship?