SW Virginia (Richmond, Roanoke, Reston: apartments, rent, student loan)

[kattwoman2]

First of all, is there anyone from the area? Secondly, is it just me or is the area completely dead in terms or employment, social life, etc. with the exception of hirings in health care? I've been trying to save up $5,000 so I can move out of the area since I was laid off in March due to lack of work the company was receiving. However, I have not found any opportunities and have been turned away due to the fact that I actually have a college degree. Has anyone else noticed this about their college degrees as well?

I'm just wondering because I know I have other friends who have tried applying for Food City, hospital kitchens, etc and they seem to be having trouble as well. I know many parts of Virginia are booming, but I'm seriously wondering if SW Virginia will even improve soon or if it's basically a dead zone for those with more than a high school diploma? I'm not even talking about super high pay, I'm talking about a job in general that pays more than $20,000 a year and is not related to fast food or Wal-Mart.

[roanoker 4]

I am of another generation but these bleak economic times were similar to the mid 1970's recession. I finished college then with a B.A. degree and looked for work in this area. In those days most college grads fled to Richmond and DC for good paying jobs. When I look back on all of those years I wonder why high schools don't give people the reality test on what to expect when they graduate. Some of my friends did not attend college then and went on to open small businesses which is now the cornerstone of our economy. Some went in the military and gained experience and I guess others just went to jail. If your family is well off financially then you will have a much easier time with getting started. They can provide you the loans to open a business or run the family enterprise. America today is basically a country of The Halves and The Halve Nots. Even though the 70's were rough I would still take that time over this horrible time in our history! You will get involved in something eventually and also do what you want to do. Even if that something is less money remember you will have to do it for 30 years. That is a long time to be unhappy!! Good Look in your search!

[kattwoman2]

Thanks! I have worked extremely hard for my Bachelor's degree because I wanted to better my own life and the life of my family. I'm the first generation on either side of my family tree to graduate with a college degree. I agree that 30 years is a long time to be unhappy and I've grown up with the idea that a degree would help me, but I see my friends who get jobs in retail and fast food whereas I'm struggling to get a position at either b/c of my degree. I've applied to a temporary agency who was rather hesitant to take my case at first (because there were so few positions available) but they said they might have some clerical work I can do temporarily. Then, I can save money and leave this area.

I tried leaving before, but I only had $3,000 in scholarship money and my roommates I was going to move in with were not taking moving seriously. They thought all we had to do in order to live in DC was get jobs in hotels as maids or janitors and live in one bedroom together (2 girls and one guy) while sharing an apartment with a Chinese family in China Town. I looked at them like they were insane and decided not to do it because I didn't want to end up homeless b/c they couldn't afford to pay rent (I had 2 job offers for $30,000; but I was told that it would not be enough for me to live there on my own from the locals of the area).

[ScranBarre]

You are correct in that a gross salary of $30,000 is not sufficient to live on your own in Northern Virginia. I will be earning a gross salary of around $42,000 with a bonus of about $4,200, and even with that I'll be just scraping by without any "frills" in Reston. I'd say that in order to live on your own you'd need around $45,000 to live on a day-to-day basis without worrying about where the money will come to pay your next bill. Most 1-bedroom rents in the area start at around $1,050/month, and these apartments are not by any means luxurious.

[kattwoman2]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

You are correct in that a gross salary of $30,000 is not sufficient to live on your own in Northern Virginia. I will be earning a gross salary of around $42,000 with a bonus of about $4,200, and even with that I'll be just scraping by without any "frills" in Reston. I'd say that in order to live on your own you'd need around $45,000 to live on a day-to-day basis without worrying about where the money will come to pay your next bill. Most 1-bedroom rents in the area start at around $1,050/month, and these apartments are not by any means luxurious.

Thanks for the tips. I am going to try and save $5,000 before leaving this area. I would be much happier if I saved $10,000, but I'm REALLY being driven nuts by this area and with most jobs here only paying $6.55 an hour it would take me almost a year to raise $10,000. I cannot last that long without going on a trip far outside of the area to keep my sanity. Do you think someone with a Bachelor's degree in Communications and working on a Master's degree can get a job in NOVA or the DC area? I have about 4 1/2 years of work experience, but most of those are working for areas inside the college (the newspaper and the technology center teaching students/faculty/staff how to use software). Some companies consider that experience while the people in my area keep telling me that "work in college does NOT count as real work experience". In that case, I only worked in SW Virginia for 4 months b/c it's impossible to get a job here with a degree.

[mothmonsterman]

Where is SWVA do you live? I'm originally from Dublin & Radford, but migrated to the Roanoke area about 6 years ago. I've been trying to move back closer to family but in 6 years I haven't found a job in the NRV that pays even close to what I make in Roanoke. (dont get me wrong... im not rolling in the dough, but you cant find much over $9/hr in the NRV unless you happen to land & keep a job at Volvo.)

[Aspe4]

Originally Posted by kattwoman2

I tried leaving before, but I only had $3,000 in scholarship money and my roommates I was going to move in with were not taking moving seriously. They thought all we had to do in order to live in DC was get jobs in hotels as maids or janitors and live in one bedroom together (2 girls and one guy) while sharing an apartment with a Chinese family in China Town. I looked at them like they were insane and decided not to do it because I didn't want to end up homeless b/c they couldn't afford to pay rent (I had 2 job offers for $30,000; but I was told that it would not be enough for me to live there on my own from the locals of the area).

I lived off less than 30,000 in the DC area. I started off at about $28,500 per year In 2001 when I got my first "real" job out of college. I lived in Hyattsville, MD and my rent started out at 650/month for a 1 BR. The apartment wasn't in the best environment, though, and If I were to move back to the DC area I would not live there. I stayed in the apartment for 5 years and the rent had increased to 850/month by then. Of course, I didn't have any student loan debt and my car was paid for. It was possible for me to live on that amount back then.

After looking at an inflation calculation website, $28,500 dollars in 2001 would equal $34,742 in 2008 dollars. So, in a sense, you would be making less than I was in 2001.

[Tennesseestorm]

Well, I work in extreme SW Virginia, but live in NE Tennessee, about 10 miles south of the state line. I would say its really no different than any other place, but I think most of them from "upper" southwest Virginia are miners.

The part of SW Virginia that borders Tennessee is an urban area (Bristol / Kingsport / Johnson City), where most other areas in SW VA are rural - so there are many b-level jobs in the metro area. Along I81 are more populated cities in SW VA - such as Bristol, Abingdon, Marion, Wytheville, Blacksburg, etc, as well as Bluefield (VA and WV).

You may want to check out the Tri-Cities forums in the Tennessee forum to get more info, because alot of SW Virginians post there as well. Also, many from the rural areas of SW VA will trek down into the urban areas of NE TN for shopping, dining, medical care, etc.