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Yes, you DO need to travel. There is life outside of your beloved sacrosanct little island of NYC. You people really DO need to grow up. I've been there and lived there and it's one of the most hideous places to try and earn a living ever. Nice to visit, but living in that cesspool is horrible. You are so wrapped up in yourselves "up there."
It's little wonder people think what they do of NYC.
ROFL. Dude, I was laughing at myself. Might be a cesspool to you, but I love that city (can't afford to live there tho) and I've been earning a living there for 30 years. It's not a good place for the judgemental or for those who can't deal with lots of energy and different kinds of people, though.
I agree that the reverse provincialism of many New Yorkers can be irritating, but at least MQeen admits it. Gotta give her credit for honesty. And at least she gets it that she's less informed about the rest of the world than she could be, which is more than can be said for many with limited exposure to the world outside of NYC.
Yeah, and at least we tend to have a sense of humor.
So many people seem to spend their working years living in a place they don't like only to move somewhere they like when they retire. Let's say they retire at 60 and live to 80. That means they would live somewhere they like for 25% of their life. Wouldn't it make more sense to move somewhere you like when you're young and spend 75% of your life somewhere you like?
I didn't know which forum to post this. If the moderators want to move this somewhere else, they can.
Because in the grown up world we have to go where the jobs are.
Many can't leave their jobs because of Employer Based Health Care that makes them slaves to jobs they hate in places they hate.
People don't live where they want to until the retire because they plain can't afford it. Take it from me, I've looked into living where I would like to retire and it isn't happening because I can't afford to live there. If there was a decent job market in those places, great, but since there isn't I'm not moving.
Because in the grown up world we have to go where the jobs are.
Many can't leave their jobs because of Employer Based Health Care that makes them slaves to jobs they hate in places they hate.
I have great health care in a job I like fairly well in a place that I love.
The down side is that I have an hour and 20 minute commute to get there.
It has a lot to do with schools and jobs. Many of the retirement friendly areas lack these qualities.
Not to mention retirees drive up the cost of living, so it is difficult to get by on a salary in those places.
Basically any idiot can work as a toll-booth operator in NYC or DC for 50 years, and retire down here and buy a big upper-middle class house.
The downside is that the toll-booth operator is susceptible to respiratory disease from all the exposure to car exhaust, so they might not make it to retirement or have to choose their retirement location based on a place near the necessary health facilities.
That will end soon, though, as the toll booths are going the way of the 45 record. Tolls will be all electronic in the very near future.
People don't live where they want to until the retire because they plain can't afford it. Take it from me, I've looked into living where I would like to retire and it isn't happening because I can't afford to live there. If there was a decent job market in those places, great, but since there isn't I'm not moving.
Interesting point. Affordability of areas that have the amenities which would attract people to retire there can be an issue. You also make an interesting point about jobs. You're not always going to find the best jobs in small towns in scenic areas, where many people want to retire. Service jobs related to tourism, but not so many of the kinds of jobs you make into a career.
Jobs. It keeps coming down to jobs. Several people have pointed out such factors as not wanting to lose pensions, health insurance, and the like. Another factor is seniority. There are advantages that go with seniority. You move up through the pay scale, in companies which pay their employees by a scale. You get the best bids on shifts. You may get promoted. Once you get established somewhere, it can be tough to move and have to start over with a new employer.
While reading this thread, I keep finding myself thinking about the play "Working," based on the book by Studs Terkel. Basically it's just one scene after another of people talking about their jobs . . . and their lives. It might sound boring, but they pull it off. I really enjoyed that show, and it gives you food for thought. One character, an ironworker, appears several times throughout the play. He's the central character, who sums up ideas other characters have expressed, while also telling about his own life. Early in the show he tells about how his father had wanted him to go to college, which had never quite happened. At one point he reflects on the plans he had once had that had never come to pass. Those lines go something like, "I was going to work here for a few years and save some money, then head south. Then I met the wife. We had some kids. I'm still here."
That's about it. You take a job wherever you first find one, then life happens. You have kids, and don't want to uproot them. You make friends you wouldn't want to leave behind. You develop ties to an area, so that even if there are features you don't like about the place, you still feel an attachment. There are all those reasons you don't want to leave what you've built up over time in your job and try to start over in a new job. You stay where you are.
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