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Thrive only has one definition. It means you are doing BETTER than the average person. If you're not doing better than average, then you are not thriving.
What makes me 100% correct about everything DC? Well.. it turns out I have ears to listen and eyes to see. I use them both.
You called me out and said my statement was "absurd" when it's not at all. Your experiences and who you see, doesn't mean everyone is the same way.
The DC area isn't a "cut throat" place like you make it out to be, nor is it very competitive, like one poster said above. You can find a decent job in any field, and do plenty around here on a salary of 70K, it really just depends on how you budget your money, and how much debt you may or may not have.
I know more people who are "thriving" off making less than 6 figures (which includes having bought a condo/townhouse, not in debt, etc) than the ones who are making 6 figs, ironically.
You called me out and said my statement was "absurd" when it's not at all. Your experiences and who you see, doesn't mean everyone is the same way.
The DC area isn't a "cut throat" place like you make it out to be, nor is it very competitive, like one poster said above. You can find a decent job in any field, and do plenty around here on a salary of 70K, it really just depends on how you budget your money, and how much debt you may or may not have.
I know more people who are "thriving" off making less than 6 figures (which includes having bought a condo/townhouse, not in debt, etc) than the ones who are making 6 figs, ironically.
DC is totally cut throat once you pass a certain level. Of course people working lower level jobs making less money will not experience this.
DC is definitely competitive. You can't just show up in DC with no experience and not skills and get a 70k job. All the people whining about gentrification, high COL and not being able to buy a house is proof of how competitive DC is. When you're thriving none of these things are an issue.
DC is totally cut throat once you pass a certain level. Of course people working lower level jobs making less money will not experience this.
DC is definitely competitive. You can't just show up in DC with no experience and not skills and get a 70k job. All the people whining about gentrification, high COL and not being able to buy a house is proof of how competitive DC is. When you're thriving none of these things are an issue.
All prominent centers of business and commerce are competitive. And they should be.
New York (Wall Street), LA (Film Industry), and San Francisco (High Tech) are all places with prestigious and competitive industries. Such places attract lots of ambitious and talented people.
Saying DC is as such is like noting that the sky is blue.
You want uncompetitive? New Orleans and Portland beckon.
DC is totally cut throat once you pass a certain level. Of course people working lower level jobs making less money will not experience this.
DC is definitely competitive. You can't just show up in DC with no experience and not skills and get a 70k job. All the people whining about gentrification, high COL and not being able to buy a house is proof of how competitive DC is. When you're thriving none of these things are an issue.
Everyone I know who is buying in DC is a DINK (Double Income, No Kids). It's much easier to buy when you have two good incomes. I can't think of any of my single friends who have bought here in DC. Couples have the means to outbid singles in most instances. The average salary in DC is around 80k I believe. Anything above that is good but not enough to afford to buy in the good neighborhoods.
Everyone I know who is buying in DC is a DINK (Double Income, No Kids). It's much easier to buy when you have two good incomes. I can't think of any of my single friends who have bought here in DC. Couples have the means to outbid singles in most instances. The average salary in DC is around 80k I believe. Anything above that is good but not enough to afford to buy in the good neighborhoods.
Unless you mean larger homes, I am not a DINK and I purchased a Condo here. 3 of my single friends have purchased condo's in the past year. 2 in Shaw and 1 in Admo. DC is expensive but you can still buy a 1 bedroom condo by yourself, unless your making below the average.
Unless you mean larger homes, I am not a DINK and I purchased a Condo here. 3 of my single friends have purchased condo's in the past year. 2 in Shaw and 1 in Admo. DC is expensive but you can still buy a 1 bedroom condo by yourself, unless your making below the average.
I would agree. What I meant was homes. Homes in DC (detached or rowhouses) are quite expensive for a single person in this market. At least in the good areas of the city.
All prominent centers of business and commerce are competitive. And they should be.
New York (Wall Street), LA (Film Industry), and San Francisco (High Tech) are all places with prestigious and competitive industries. Such places attract lots of ambitious and talented people.
Saying DC is as such is like noting that the sky is blue.
You want uncompetitive? New Orleans and Portland beckon.
Well duh.
I was responding the someone making the absurd claim that DC is NOT competitive.
I would agree. What I meant was homes. Homes in DC (detached or rowhouses) are quite expensive for a single person in this market. At least in the good areas of the city.
Those are too expensive... but as an OINK and not a DINK, I wouldn't need a detached/row house.
I was responding the someone making the absurd claim that DC is NOT competitive.
Because DC is not a competitive area lol. Again, it's not absurd because it's something you just don't believe.
There are plenty of jobs in this area for those who want it. It IS competitive depending on your job field and what you desire, but you can say the same thing about any field or position you want in any parts of the country. If you want to get a job as a Senator, well, of course, that's competitive. If you want a job as a government contractor, no it's not at all competitive, there are plenty of job openings on USAJobs.gov. But to say that DC as a whole is competitive is BS. If you want a job/career in a field, you go to college, get the degree, study for the position you want and get it. But to blame it on an area is very silly, or to blame it that "Oh DC can chew you up and spit you out". You can't blame it on"OH DC IS TOO COMPETITIVE THATS WHY I CANT GET A JOB". No, if you didn't get the job, your resume sucks, or you just sucked on the job interview. You had the opportunity and blew it. DC is one of the few areas in the country that has an abundance of job opportunities compared to many areas...why do you think it's growing so much? Heck, maybe in 5-10 years, I can see DC being competitive, but right now, I don't see that at all.
There are plenty of people here who have blue collar jobs and are doing just fine here. Not everyone wants to be a VP at a government job, it just depends on what field you want. My brother, for instance, works blue collared jobs, and it's been simple for him to find work, and he has a nice sized townhouse, married, and w/ kids.
I also know some people fresh out of college making 65K/70K with little or no experience. Fresh out of college with no experience 4 years ago, I got my first job making 60-ishK and I bought my first house. So where are you getting your stats from? " You can't just show up in DC with no experience and not skills and get a 70k job. All the people whining about gentrification, high COL and not being able to buy a house is proof of how competitive DC is. When you're thriving none of these things are an issue." This statement simply is NOT true. You're forgetting that different fields pay better or worse, you're also forgetting the fact that some people have high debt due to student loans and even if they're making good money, they are still house poor because their debt-to-income ratio is terrible. I don't understand people who think they can buy a 500K house in DC with a salary of 80K and are 60K in student loan debt. Of course you're not going to get a house....just lower your standards, move into suburbia, or manage your budget to where you can pay off your debt.
Just because you THINK DC is super duper competitive, doesn't mean it's true. Maybe you're seeing something else, or what your definition of "thriving" is different from someone else's definition. I don't get why that's difficult to understand.
Last edited by sonnymarkjiz; 07-18-2017 at 08:54 AM..
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