relocating in chicago (Kansas: school, salary, standard of living)

[SAlthea]

That is one of the best adviced anyone had given me. You are so true, you have to know what you want, where you want to be in living, skill, education, and financially. Thanks alot it really open up my mind.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by SAlthea

That is one of the best adviced anyone had given me. You are so true, you have to know what you want, where you want to be in living, skill, education, and financially. Thanks alot it really open up my mind.

Perhaps you should apply to some liberal arts colleges with on campus apartments for students with families, pay your rent with financial aid and get a part-time job. Most colleges these days offer on-ca
mpus day care for day and evening students.

[flamadiddle]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

The rule of thumb should be that if you are struggling where you are, you will struggle where you are going. If you don't have the skill set or education to earn a good living in an expensive city, you will earn even less in a cheaper state. Even if the rent is lower, you will still struggle no matter where you go. Your life is only as good as your income and what you do with it.

A lower cost of living comes with lower pay.

My advice would be to not only focus on where you can live but what you can do right now to increase your earning potential so you can afford to live where ever you want.

Some good advice right there. ^

Moving will only add stress to what sounds like an already fragile situation. Sometimes it seems like an easy way out, but in reality it will make things more difficult, at least initially. Focus on a career objective where you're at and gain some valuable skills before venturing across the country in search of a Shangri-La. For some motivation, grab some material from Anthony "Tony" Robbins . You can usually find most of his stuff for free at the local library. Formulate a plan with goals and start working toward them. It will not happen overnight, but it will happen with the right tools and a lot of hard work!

[caspper69]

Originally Posted by SAlthea

That is one of the best adviced anyone had given me. You are so true, you have to know what you want, where you want to be in living, skill, education, and financially. Thanks alot it really open up my mind.

If you are a life-long New Yorker, and need to get out, Chicago is a good choice.

You don't strike me as a person that cares if they're seeing celebrities or going to clubs all the time, so maybe the slower pace of life would work for you. The nice thing is that the salaries, while lower, aren't going to shock you like some Southern states will. The other thing is that the housing will blow you away. When you see the housing stock, whatever you think it will cost, it will be a half or a third of that number.

Plus you won't be in an entirely foreign environment. It's still urban, and has opportunity, you just don't have to pay through the nose to get it.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by caspper69

If you are a life-long New Yorker, and need to get out, Chicago is a good choice.

You don't strike me as a person that cares if they're seeing celebrities or going to clubs all the time, so maybe the slower pace of life would work for you. The nice thing is that the salaries, while lower, aren't going to shock you like some Southern states will. The other thing is that the housing will blow you away. When you see the housing stock, whatever you think it will cost, it will be a half or a third of that number.

Plus you won't be in an entirely foreign environment. It's still urban, and has opportunity, you just don't have to pay through the nose to get it.

I'm planning to move back to Chicago for the reasons you describe. To the original poster, there are also lots of good community colleges in Chicago that feed into good, major universities there if going back to school is an option or consideration.

I moved to Atlanta as an adult. Growing up in Chicago we didn't have much money but there was always lots to do as long as you knew where the free activities were. With three children, all you need is bus fare and lunch money (or pack a lunch) and do a lot of exploring downtown, go to the museums on free days, or take a stroll on the beach. I was never bored in Chicago. Atlanta is incredibly boring.

Chicago is cheaper than NYC but better than the South in my opinion. Atlanta was on the list of places to consider for the original poster. Chicago's cost of living is 16% more than Atlanta versus NYC at 63%. I hear a lot about Texas as well and was considering it, but I don't think I want to live south of the Mason-Dixon line ever again.

I miss the cosmopolitain lifestyle of Chicago and all it has to offer.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by flamadiddle

Some good advice right there. ^

Moving will only add stress to what sounds like an already fragile situation. Sometimes it seems like an easy way out, but in reality it will make things more difficult, at least initially. Focus on a career objective where you're at and gain some valuable skills before venturing across the country in search of a Shangri-La. For some motivation, grab some material from Anthony "Tony" Robbins . You can usually find most of his stuff for free at the local library. Formulate a plan with goals and start working toward them. It will not happen overnight, but it will happen with the right tools and a lot of hard work!

This is also some great advice.

[aragx6]

My suggestions are the same -- I would look at mid-sized Midwestern cities in non-right-to-work states. Kansas City, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Cincinnati.

[kevinweeks]

You mentioned Maryland in your original post, but where exactly where you thinking? If you're trying to stick to an urban environment, sadly, DC looks to be completely out of your price range. The average 1 bedroom in DC is gonna be over $1800 a month- the average 2 bedroom will set you back $2300. If you're looking for suburbs, however, it might be worth checking out Gaithersburg, MD. Montgomery County has incredibly good public schools, and you'll be able to metro into DC if that's where you find a job.

I should also note that Maryland's economy wasn't hit anywhere near as hard as other areas of the nation in recent years. Seeing as a lot of jobs are in the government, or government related, they're quite stable.

[SCCP]

SAlthea, rather than picking a city first, why not try to find a good (or at least acceptable) job first in one of several target cities, and then relocate? If you are looking to rent in Chicago (and - I assume - smaller Midwestern cities), you don't have to start searching months in advance, so you can afford to move on relatively short notice. As a last resort, you could probably sublet for about a month or two before finding a permanent place. Your ability to find places to live will improve if you have employment lined up. I realize that interviewing will be annoying, but some employers allow phone interviews, and/or a short trip to a would-be destination city before making a final move decision might be helpful.

Put in job applications in metro Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati. The entire Midwest will be a pleasant cost-of-living improvement for you. I am a bit biased against Southern cities for the reasons mentioned by Atlanta_BD and others above, but if you think that they will work for you, add Atlanta and the Texas cities to your list. North Carolina and Virginia (Richmond) also have some affordable medium-city options.

I love Chicago, but unless you have a strong reason to prefer one city over another, you might want to let your job search drive your city search.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by SCCP

I am a bit biased against Southern cities for the reasons mentioned by Atlanta_BD and others above, but if you think that they will work for you, add Atlanta and the Texas cities to your list. North Carolina and Virginia (Richmond) also have some affordable medium-city options.

I love Chicago, but unless you have a strong reason to prefer one city over another, you might want to let your job search drive your city search.

One of my close friend's mom's best friend moved to Florida from NYC. She's now trying to move back to NYC. I've met many New Yorkers here in Atlanta that want to move back. I don't know how many years she's lived in Florida but she's a nurse with 20 years experience, yet she gets paid the same salary as nurses just out of school. It seems in the south for certain occupations, the salaries don't increase with cost of living, education or experience, it remains the same. I'm making the exact same salary now that I made 14 years ago. And I know many people here with degrees (advanced degrees included) who don't make $30k, can't find work at all or are forced to work service jobs just to have an income. And you will often see job postings that require lots of education, special skills and experience, or require a master's degree but doesn't pay $40k a year.

The original poster mentioned doing EKG or drawing blood. If she wanted to go to school to get a career in nursing, from what I understand, nurses in Chicago receive some of the higest pay in the nation, though I don't know how much that has changed since the recession.