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Old 10-17-2011, 12:11 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles, CA
175 posts, read 351,496 times
Reputation: 276

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I'm a 28 year old IT system administrator. I grew up in Tampa and am considering a return to the bay area. For the past 10 years I've been studying, living and working in New York. I like New York, but for many reasons, I miss my hometown.

My major concerns regarding relocation are 1.) the availability of careers not jobs and 2.) the salary disparity between what a career pays in the northeast versus what the same career pays in Florida. I'm interested to hear other poster's experiences regarding salary levels in the bay area.

I am currently able to earn ~$67,000 annually in NYC. If I could take this salary to Florida, I would have moved yesterday. But realistically, if I did move, how large of a pay cut could I/should I expect (generally speaking)?

I also pay about $400 a month in student loans, which is also a concern because I will need to continue paying them while dealing with the constraints of a lower salary.

I left Florida at 18 because I didn't believe that the job opportunities would allow me to live a comfortable life and be able to save for retirement. In my opinion, the salaries were too low 10 years ago and I fear not much has changed. None of my friends from high school have "careers." They are all in the service industry and living paycheck to paycheck as servers, waiters etc. I'm not sure if this is a state wide phenomenon. I live paycheck to paycheck as well but I am still able to save, have a 401k and have an opportunity for career growth.

Despite my personal and emotional reasons for wanting to move back to Florida, I'm uncertain if it makes financial sense. I suspect that I will continue with the sure thing in NY but as I said earlier I would like to hear opinions of other's who have left careers in other parts of the country to move to the bay area and whether they were able to maintain their lifestyle despite the pay cuts.

Thanks
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Old 10-17-2011, 12:32 PM
 
35,309 posts, read 52,007,509 times
Reputation: 30998
From reading many other post it would appear that all the reasons you left Florida for are still valid, poor paying jobs if you can get them.I'd secure a decent job in the Tampa area before committing a move back. in the mean time enjoy some vacation time back in Tampa, a 24 hour drive will have you partying with your old buddies..
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Old 10-17-2011, 12:52 PM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
1,388 posts, read 2,372,722 times
Reputation: 993
67k for a sys admin in nyc? sounds like you are severely underpaid. not to mention that's practically at the poverty line up there, isn't it? won't drop #s but i was making significantly more in northern virginia as a sys admin and took a pretty big pay cut to move to tampa to do the same thing, yet i am able to save more every month here than up there.

you won't make much less as a mid-to-upper level sys admin in tampa but your cost of living will dramatically decrease, so technically your spending power will grow much stronger. you have to decide if it's worth the move for yourself. i can tell you that the market for sys admins down here SUCKS right now but opportunities are available if you're willing to look.

of course, it also depends on what kind of sys admin you are (since the term is so vague these days).

using salary.com's COL comparison, which admittedly is a very rough estimate, you get the following:


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Old 10-17-2011, 02:42 PM
 
305 posts, read 607,908 times
Reputation: 103
My recomendation to you, find a job while your still working in NYC. I moved from LI to Tampa and got a job making more than I was in NY. The simple reason, if an employer wants you, than they should have to pay you more than your currently making. Technically, who offers a person a lesser salary to leave their current job? That philosphy applies everywhere.
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Old 10-17-2011, 04:14 PM
 
17,457 posts, read 38,855,436 times
Reputation: 24085
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYPhinfan13 View Post
My recomendation to you, find a job while your still working in NYC. I moved from LI to Tampa and got a job making more than I was in NY. The simple reason, if an employer wants you, than they should have to pay you more than your currently making. Technically, who offers a person a lesser salary to leave their current job? That philosphy applies everywhere.
Great advice!
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Old 10-17-2011, 05:30 PM
 
1,106 posts, read 2,272,505 times
Reputation: 962
The "relative cost-of-living" chart for NYC vs Tampa is much more significant if you are talking higher-end living expenses. A decent 2 BR apartment in Manhattan is $4-5k a month, which would get you an unbelievable waterfront mansion here.

I could go on -
Average cost of a condo parking spot in Manhattan: $465 a month (source: nyc.parkitguides.com)
Condo parking spot in Tampa: free
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Old 10-18-2011, 04:33 PM
 
4,060 posts, read 4,103,022 times
Reputation: 2026
Quote:
Originally Posted by chi_tino View Post
The "relative cost-of-living" chart for NYC vs Tampa is much more significant if you are talking higher-end living expenses. A decent 2 BR apartment in Manhattan is $4-5k a month, which would get you an unbelievable waterfront mansion here.

I could go on -
Average cost of a condo parking spot in Manhattan: $465 a month (source: nyc.parkitguides.com)
Condo parking spot in Tampa: free
If you live in Manhattan, you don't need a car. It is advise not to get a car. There is vitally no parking anywhere. You have to move your car 4 out of 5 days. No parking, no standing are every where.
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Old 10-18-2011, 07:37 PM
 
Location: N Atlanta
4,584 posts, read 4,166,921 times
Reputation: 2323
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYPhinfan13 View Post
My recomendation to you, find a job while your still working in NYC. I moved from LI to Tampa and got a job making more than I was in NY. The simple reason, if an employer wants you, than they should have to pay you more than your currently making. Technically, who offers a person a lesser salary to leave their current job? That philosphy applies everywhere.
Not always - corporations have salary ranges based on geographic location and skill level. If the OP is making more in NYC than the top range of Company X in Tampa, the HR department is not going to change the upper range to accommodate this guy. What kind of precedent would that set ?
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Old 10-18-2011, 10:26 PM
 
670 posts, read 1,271,092 times
Reputation: 453
Im in IT and the job market is great for me. I make almost six figures as a BA and nearly doubled what I made in NOVA/DC.
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Old 10-19-2011, 04:34 AM
 
Location: right here
4,160 posts, read 5,596,143 times
Reputation: 4929
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYPhinfan13 View Post
My recomendation to you, find a job while your still working in NYC. I moved from LI to Tampa and got a job making more than I was in NY. The simple reason, if an employer wants you, than they should have to pay you more than your currently making. Technically, who offers a person a lesser salary to leave their current job? That philosphy applies everywhere.

I'm dying to know what you do for a living? I'm making 40% less than I was making in Denver...and I'm struggling to pay my bills (this was after being laid off of a job I came here for).
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