Possible job at MGH on low salary... (Boston, Cambridge: how much, to buy)

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by G-fused

I work at MGH. We don't get a 50% discount off out Tpass but there is a discount, works out to be just over $20/month less than what you would normally pay. They also give people discounts for commuter rail travel. Yes, pkg will be expensive or time consuming or both. My dept director has a nice spot - but he's the director. My office mate has a nice spot but she's been here for over 45yrs so she's earned it. The waiting list for a nice spot is to long to even consider if you are not high up. One of the others I work with has a spot at the Charlestown location - she pays a bit over 200/month (garaged spot), drives in and then takes the shuttle to the main campus. It can be a time consuming and annoying commute (shuttle gets crowded in the am and pm commutes).

When considering where to work, know that MGH is a prestigious and high paced environment. Depending on what your field is, it could be a great move to be here for a few yrs or just a good one. It's never bad to have MGH on your resume. I've been here for 3 yrs and am very pleased. They know I have skills and ambitions so they are keeping me happy in order for me to stay. Lots of good projects, good exposure, great training and learning opportunities, great benefits, etc. Not that that'll be your experience if you come here but just FYI from someone on the inside. Oh, and make sure to consider the cost of health insurance and other benefits in the offers you get. MGH is usually pretty competative.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

G-fused (repped you) has given you some very insightful advice. Once taxes are taken out, 41K isn't going to be a much higher standard of living than 38K. I would decide in terms of what will be best for long term career growth, not an extra 2K for clothing or a vacation.

[johnathanc]

$38k minus taxes and deducations may get you down to $28k. With $1200 rent + $200 for cable + utils + other misc, you are looking at $17k in rental costs. So now you are down to $11k ($28k minus $17k) or $917 a month. Food plus transportation (assume no car) will be another $550 or so, so now you are down to $367 for entertainment, phone, clothing and every other cost that is impossible to conjure up at the moment. That's too tight for comfort. You can scrape by but it doesn't sound prudent. I think you need to suck it up and get a roomie until you get a higher income, otherwise you will be living pay check to pay check with no savings/security blanket.

[Fpraven88]

Originally Posted by Parsec

That's a win-win. Higher pay and easier commute assuming it's close to one of the red line stations. I think $41k is very doable. The admin assistants at my office downtown (a financial instiution) start at $40-45k and all seem to have money leftover for going out and buying nice clothes (a generalization, I know), and they all live off the red line (one in Braintree, 2 in Southie).

Hmmm, yeah, Quincy/Braintree/Southie seems to be a good area for me to look into regardless of whether I get MGH or the place in Quincy. Both are along the red-line and Quincy in particular seems to be a little cheaper on rent (seems like it's plausible to get a place around Quincy for $1100/month that isn't crap, in other words).

I will add that although I'd have a low salary that I would not have any credit card debt and I only have one very small $5,000 student loan that I will need to pay off. Because I'm not staring down the business end of the student loan revolver that so many younger people are, I do feel that's worth mentioning as far as my budget.

[Fpraven88]

Originally Posted by johnathanc

$38k minus taxes and deducations may get you down to $28k. With $1200 rent + $200 for cable + utils + other misc, you are looking at $17k in rental costs. So now you are down to $11k ($28k minus $17k) or $917 a month. Food plus transportation (assume no car) will be another $550 or so, so now you are down to $367 for entertainment, phone, clothing and every other cost that is impossible to conjure up at the moment. That's too tight for comfort. You can scrape by but it doesn't sound prudent. I think you need to suck it up and get a roomie until you get a higher income, otherwise you will be living pay check to pay check with no savings/security blanket.

I am on a family plan as far as cell phone (which won't be ending anytime soon) and I do already have a formidable wardrobe, so the $367 of safety net cash doesn't sound so terrible to me. I'm frugal by nature, but yeah, it's less than ideal, I would agree.

I do have a car (a nice one, that I was given) but I have no car payments to make on it.

[Fpraven88]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

G-fused (repped you) has given you some very insightful advice. Once taxes are taken out, 41K isn't going to be a much higher standard of living than 38K. I would decide in terms of what will be best for long term career growth, not an extra 2K for clothing or a vacation.

G-fused did indeed give me a great post (as did everyone else in this thread).

The positions seem like they would be fairly similar as far as career growth and all of that, honestly (though I still have more work to do on that).

I'm also interviewing for a position that would be much higher-paying than either of these, in the $55k a year range, but we'll see on whether that fully gets off the ground. Like to cover all of my bases.

[Fpraven88]

Originally Posted by G-fused

I work at MGH. We don't get a 50% discount off out Tpass but there is a discount, works out to be just over $20/month less than what you would normally pay. They also give people discounts for commuter rail travel. Yes, pkg will be expensive or time consuming or both. My dept director has a nice spot - but he's the director. My office mate has a nice spot but she's been here for over 45yrs so she's earned it. The waiting list for a nice spot is to long to even consider if you are not high up. One of the others I work with has a spot at the Charlestown location - she pays a bit over 200/month (garaged spot), drives in and then takes the shuttle to the main campus. It can be a time consuming and annoying commute (shuttle gets crowded in the am and pm commutes).

When considering where to work, know that MGH is a prestigious and high paced environment. Depending on what your field is, it could be a great move to be here for a few yrs or just a good one. It's never bad to have MGH on your resume. I've been here for 3 yrs and am very pleased. They know I have skills and ambitions so they are keeping me happy in order for me to stay. Lots of good projects, good exposure, great training and learning opportunities, great benefits, etc. Not that that'll be your experience if you come here but just FYI from someone on the inside. Oh, and make sure to consider the cost of health insurance and other benefits in the offers you get. MGH is usually pretty competative.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

For the position that I interviewed for within MGH, it seems like it's one in which there is room for aggresive growth. The interviewer that I had said that many people that have the position advance within 8 months and that it's a position that many young grads use as a way to get their feet wet.

[walthamguy]

Originally Posted by Fpraven88

For the position that I interviewed for within MGH, it seems like it's one in which there is room for aggresive growth. The interviewer that I had said that many people that have the position advance within 8 months and that it's a position that many young grads use as a way to get their feet wet.

I would say, GO FOR IT.. You got to start somewhere.. And you always find a way to manage if you really want to manage. Most of the time i have seen is, once you have a job, it is easy to look around and jump up...

[xS☺B☺s]

Originally Posted by Fpraven88

For the position that I interviewed for within MGH, it seems like it's one in which there is room for aggresive growth. The interviewer that I had said that many people that have the position advance within 8 months and that it's a position that many young grads use as a way to get their feet wet.

Dont forget, 38K is your BASE salary. I moved to B-TOWN making 8.50 per hour at BWH and paid $550 rent living by myself in a tiny but spotless shoebox. But I got lots of overtime hours so i increased my take home by 50%. Showing dedication got me recommendations and promotions to a six figure salary.

[AnonChick]

If you're bringing your car, take another $200 per month off your "after all expenses this is what I have left" money, for parking. MGH has limited parking spots available for employees, and parking is also at a premium even on the outskirts, unless you're in a house with its own driveway, or an apartment building that comes with assigned parking. At your budget, it isn't likely you'll get either, and will have to pay for a parking permit somewhere.

[Fpraven88]

I'm thinking my best bet now might be to live out in like Norwood or Franklin (within walking distance of a commuter rail).

MGH at least partially subsidizes commuter rail passes.

For $725/month (rent in Franklin or Norwood) as opposed to $1300/month (Quincy, Watertown, Belmont, Cambridge, Somerville, Medford) , I might be well-served doing it this way.