Really want to move to BOSTON...please advice!!! (Ipswich, Rockport: cheap apartment, rent)

[jayjac33]

Hello Everyone:

I'm currently a grad student in Austin, Texas and will be getting my MBA this May and really want to move to Boston. I've been employed with companies such as Apple and Charles Schwab. With that said, how hard would it be to get a job with my experience and my degree? I know it's kind of a general question but I'm doing my research now so I can move as soon as I graduate. What's the job market like and what are some first steps on getting situated there with an apartment? Any advice would help.

Thank you in advance.

[Urban Peasant]

Why do you want to move to Boston so badly? MBAs are desired everywhere including Boston but the job market here is tight because there are so many colleges and universities around that keep pumping out graduates who want to stay here. Rent is also very expensive ($600-800 just to share an apartment with roommates). I'd try to land a well paying job here first and then move. (Funny, I always had a notion that Austin was doing better than Boston or anywhere in the Northeast for all that matter).

[civic94]

yes rent will be the biggest issue. it might be fine if you are single and rent a room for 600 with other people sharing the bathroom and kitchen, but once you want to get married and have kids its really tough. my uncle lives in a studio in boston for 1100 a month after utlities, and a family of 4 lives there, about 400 sf. its not a good life by any means. and also his rent has been going up every single year.

[snatale1]

Your nuts if you move here from Austin. You've got nice weather and a better job market. Yes you'll do better than many having your MBA, but cost of living will put a huge dent in that. Per a cost of living calculator if you make 50k/yr in Austin, you'd need to make 75k/yr here just to EQUAL your life here. Screw that! I can tell you I've made as much as 90k in a year....and I'm still broke. The Northeast sucks. It'll suck your wallet dry. It goes way beyond higher pay / higher cost of living, it's still overpriced. I've been to Austin, your in the right place.

[Bruins_Fan]

Originally Posted by snatale1

Your nuts if you move here from Austin. You've got nice weather and a better job market. Yes you'll do better than many having your MBA, but cost of living will put a huge dent in that. Per a cost of living calculator if you make 50k/yr in Austin, you'd need to make 75k/yr here just to EQUAL your life here. Screw that! I can tell you I've made as much as 90k in a year....and I'm still broke. The Northeast sucks. It'll suck your wallet dry. It goes way beyond higher pay / higher cost of living, it's still overpriced. I've been to Austin, your in the right place.

My wife and I love Boston on so many levels, but I must agree with the above post. And I grew up here. It is so hard to really do well here. We earn well over $100k and still struggle. I mean we do "okay", we can pay the bills and go away every so often, but it is tight and we save almost nothing. Food for thought...

[Verseau]

As of December last year, the unemployment rate in the Boston area was 5.8%. In Austin, it was 6.3%. Both cities are doing well compared to the rest of the country.

Nobody here can give you a perfect answer about your job prospects. Why not just look online for jobs in Boston that match your experience and credentials? That's the best way to get an idea of the market.

Yes, the CoL is much higher here, but there are many of us who think it's worth it. There are too many things that I love about New England and Boston in particular to make me ever consider moving to a cheaper city just for the sake of having a larger, more modern apartment (and that advantage would probably be offset by the necessary costs of owning a car). If you're really this interested in moving to Boston, there must be things that attract you to it. But if you haven't already visited, you should - especially before deciding to move.

I would also highly caution against moving here before landing a job, although it is definitely feasible to get some low-paying temp work and live off that if you find a cheap apartment (probably not in the most desirable neighborhood) and ditch your vehicle for public transit.

[xS☺B☺s]

I agree, and the Boston winter is no more horrendous than the Texas summer. Boston has a lot more to offer than Austin, and the Northeast has a lot more to offer than Texas. What will be hard for you is dealing with the deficit of Texas friendliness. But Boston offers history and easy access to the whole northeast including NYC, Montreal, Philly, DC etc.

Living in the northeast for a few years would be an excellent life experience for a young Texan. But why Boston? Why not NYC? Both are good though.

Originally Posted by Verseau

As of December last year, the unemployment rate in the Boston area was 5.8%. In Austin, it was 6.3%. Both cities are doing well compared to the rest of the country.

Nobody here can give you a perfect answer about your job prospects. Why not just look online for jobs in Boston that match your experience and credentials? That's the best way to get an idea of the market.

Yes, the CoL is much higher here, but there are many of us who think it's worth it. There are too many things that I love about New England and Boston in particular to make me ever consider moving to a cheaper city just for the sake of having a larger, more modern apartment (and that advantage would probably be offset by the necessary costs of owning a car). If you're really this interested in moving to Boston, there must be things that attract you to it. But if you haven't already visited, you should - especially before deciding to move.

I would also highly caution against moving here before landing a job, although it is definitely feasible to get some low-paying temp work and live off that if you find a cheap apartment (probably not in the most desirable neighborhood) and ditch your vehicle for public transit.

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by xS☺Be

I agree, and the Boston winter is no more horrendous than the Texas summer. Boston has a lot more to offer than Austin, and the Northeast has a lot more to offer than Texas.

You are making a bit of an assumption here. Energy wise much of the northeast is starting to run on brent instead of west texas crude. Brent is around 125 and west texas around 105. That translates to significantly higher gas prices meaning you can move around more in texas than mass.

Winter vs summer has a few significant differences. The winter has the holidays around it which means people are a bit more together in terms of staying with people, visiting relatives etc. Summer is all outside and going on vacation. Schools are out, some hit the beach..heck in europe everyone goes on vacation in august.

Snow slows things down physically. This past season has been great but for the past five or so years it hasn't been. Yes it can get hot but heat doesn't block roads, you also have all the potholes when snow melts and the potential for caved in roofs etc. I rather deal with heat then snow anyday.

[xS☺B☺s]

Originally Posted by mdovell

You are making a bit of an assumption here. Energy wise much of the northeast is starting to run on brent instead of west texas crude. Brent is around 125 and west texas around 105. That translates to significantly higher gas prices meaning you can move around more in texas than mass.

True. problem is you have no choice in the matter in TX. Everything is farther away in TX. My convenience store in BOS was acros the street. Here it's one mile. The resorts in Boston are 30 / 45 minutes. In TX you need to fly. The nearest big city to BOS is 3 hours by bus. In Tx, it's 3 hours by plane. If you're going to your favorite restaurant in Dallas it may be 10 miles away. In BOS, it's 10 blocks. etc etc.

Originally Posted by mdovell

Snow slows things down physically. This past season has been great but for the past five or so years it hasn't been. Yes it can get hot but heat doesn't block roads, you also have all the potholes when snow melts and the potential for caved in roofs etc. I rather deal with heat then snow anyday.

I agree but the unbearable heat here is not an improvement on a Boston winter in my opinion. You can't go out for two months of the year here. After it's been 105 all day and it's still 97 degrees at 3am, you can never just sit out and enjoy. The whole summer is a prison. We go from air conditioned house to a/c car to a/c work. There are no lakeside resort towns (in DFW), no beach scene because its just too hot.

I know Barton Springs is a scene in Austin, but I think New England Beaches in the summer blow it away, or at least compare, depending on what you like. I sure wish we had a Castle Island to stroll along here but we sure don't. Or a Hampton Beach to getaway. A Rockport, Ipswich or even a Charles river Esplanade. But we don't.

[civic94]

Originally Posted by xS☺Be

I agree but the unbearable heat here is not an improvement on a Boston winter in my opinion. You can't go out for two months of the year here. After it's been 105 all day and it's still 97 degrees at 3am, you can never just sit out and enjoy. The whole summer is a prison. We go from air conditioned house to a/c car to a/c work. There are no lakeside resort towns (in DFW), no beach scene because its just too hot.

Also, being in a cold area is better than a hot area financially. If its really cold and your struggling with bills, you can wear tons and tons of clothing, and bury yourself in tons of blankets and go to sleep. when its too hot (i've been to florida) you have to run the a/c all day long. being too hot makes me feel like I cant escape, no where to hide or breathe.


also if its cold, people can still make snowmen outside, go ice skating at the boston common, etc. while the brutal summers down south, I doubt many people will go outside and do anything.