Should I Move to DC?

[Bluefly]

Originally Posted by chip1980

Ok, I agree with 90% of what you said. Its all about what point you are within your life as far as your standard of living/family/etc. BTW, most of the very young people that I know that makes 64k+ have the defense/intel jobs in the DC area

Yeah, when people get accustomed to a certain level of income it becomes unfathomable to live below that. I had friends in the same situation, making six figures in their mid-twenties (in NY and LA) - traveling extensively, clubbing, blowing money on expensive toys. One of them realized he was miserable and took a $30,000 a year job in a different field.

That transition was probably a lot harder on him than on some broke college graduate being offer a stable income of $30,000 in a real career for the first time.

[chip1980]

Originally Posted by Bluefly

Yeah, when people get accustomed to a certain level of income it becomes unfathomable to live below that. I had friends in the same situation, making six figures in their mid-twenties (in NY and LA) - traveling extensively, clubbing, blowing money on expensive toys. One of them realized he was miserable and took a $30,000 a year job in a different field.

That transition was probably a lot harder on him than on some broke college graduate being offer a stable income of $30,000 in a real career for the first time.

I agree 100%!

[chrisherbert]

I have friends who make around $30K and they do just fine. Don't buy a new $25K car, get a roommate (or two), get stuff from Craigslist, etc. They certainly don't live like monks, they go out probably too often. They just aren't going to Best Buy or West Elm and buying stuff for retail prices willy nilly.