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Old 04-10-2014, 08:52 AM
 
979 posts, read 1,771,200 times
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I live in NOVA right now and am working very hard to find a way to move to HR. The problem I'm having is that the difference in salaries is not equivalent to the difference in cost of living between the two areas. No, money isn't everything, but my neighborhood, type/condition of home, etc., do contribute greatly to my overall quality of life. In NOVA, I have a great salary and a wealth of other opportunities should I need to change jobs for any reason. In HR, there are surprisingly few jobs in my career field (proposals and contracts, government contractor type stuff), and they are not looking to pay anywhere near an equivalent salary (even with COL adjustment).

Just to throw some numbers around, based on some online calculators I've played with, $120k salary in NOVA (Loudoun County specifically) adjusted for COL difference would be about $105k in HR. But no one in HR seems to be hiring in my field for more than maybe $70k. Not gonna cut it.

If it was just me, I'd figure it out. Even if it was just me and my husband. But we have two little kids now, so we need to make sure we're in a safe neighborhood, good elementary school district, etc. We're continuing to weigh the risks and play with some numbers and options, but it's not looking good, at least not in the very near future. If you can feasibly make HR work now, and it's where you want to be, I'd do it before you possibly end up "stuck" elsewhere
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Old 04-10-2014, 10:40 AM
 
64 posts, read 121,327 times
Reputation: 33
Jilly,

Your situation has a lot of parallels to mine, I work in government contracting realm too, specifically DoD and in the field of IT. There is definitely a difference in the available salary and that is one thing I am struggling with. I want the higher salary to be able to afford better things, better opportunities, higher quality of life etc. But at the same time I know if I don't enjoy where I am then no amount of salary can make up for that.

Have you lived in HR yourself, or why are you looking to make the change to the area?
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Old 04-10-2014, 01:22 PM
 
Location: Hampton Roads
3,032 posts, read 4,724,690 times
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I never lived in NO VA but worked in Arlington as an intern during the summers for two years. I might have been in the minority, but I hated it. It might have been because I love to be able to go surfing or paddleboarding in the summers, but I found my life in Arlington was primarily revolving around alcohol.

I don't think it was necessarily the area, but the folks that I was surrounded by at the time. I had decided that I didn't want to live there, though. It wasn't necessarily getting back to Hampton Roads, but getting back to a place where I could partake in more of the outdoorsy things I enjoy.

Last edited by randomlikeme; 04-10-2014 at 01:31 PM..
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Old 04-10-2014, 02:28 PM
 
Location: State of Waiting
633 posts, read 1,008,976 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zxbane View Post
Jilly,

Your situation has a lot of parallels to mine, I work in government contracting realm too, specifically DoD and in the field of IT. There is definitely a difference in the available salary and that is one thing I am struggling with. I want the higher salary to be able to afford better things, better opportunities, higher quality of life etc. But at the same time I know if I don't enjoy where I am then no amount of salary can make up for that.

Have you lived in HR yourself, or why are you looking to make the change to the area?
Take a look at the housing choices online. The extra $ you earn here will be spent on housing... OH and it still won't be enough to get you a nice home close to your job. YOu would be setting for a place to live that wasn't as nice as you had wanted, and you'll be stressed because you will be working more house and then commuting on top of it.

People want to come here for the money and then get caught up in this insane pace and way of life. The salary you think you will have to afford a better way of life... won't necessarily end up as you think it will. With the higher salaries come more responsibilities and also more people vying for the top jobs and willing to step on others to push their way up.

Seriously, take a look online and the prices of houses.... and where they are in relation to your would be new job. Mapquest it to see how long mapquest says it will take you to get there every day, and then triple it. also don't forget about the property taxes here. Especially Loudoun County, they are even higher than Fairfax.

Not trying to be a nay sayer... I am a realist... if you say Hey I don't mind driving 90 min to and from work, and Hey I don't mind living in a shoebox on the side of the beltway... because I love love love living close to the Nation's Capitol, etc., then go for it.... Peace and all the best with your decision!
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Old 04-13-2014, 11:55 AM
 
15 posts, read 21,363 times
Reputation: 22
Default My Experience

I grew up in Northern Virginia, and I remember VA Beach from as far back as the late 60's and early 70's, and lived there for a few years in the early 80's. Way back then the area still had a considerable amount of laid back Southern Charm. The Beach and the strip were not the greatest but still pretty darn nice. Development was taking off but was manageable as was traffic for the most part. The past couple of years I've been back to VA Beach a couple of times it's it downright depressing to see it. Sandbridge is still decent though.

The past 32 years I've lived in Central Massachusetts about an hour West of Boston. The economy here has for the most part been excellent. We have very intense medical, biotech industry, and computer/high tech. Also some of the best colleges and universities in the world and for the most part excellent public schools. The cost of living here is high but not too high because we are in a pretty small New England town outside of the Boston Metro area. A home that would cost you 300,000 in Virginia Beach would be about 360-380,000 here. Pay here is very high, and employment is generally good. The people here are diverse. Quite a few new immigrants but not flooded with them, and they are for the most part on an upwardly mobile track. Crime here is not an issue. In the town I live I could occasionally leave my door unlocked and not be too worried, go out any time of day or night with no fear, etc. There is very little of the really engrained generational poverty here that you see in inner city Tidewater or Richmond, etc. The only thing that really sucks here is the weather!! Next month I'm retiring from a job here that paid me easily 30 percent more than it would have in Tidewater Area, and I'm Unionized and have excellent benefits and a defined benefit retirement plan that will pay me 72 percent of my salary for the rest of my life and great medical insurance. My wife has the same deal. She worked where I have worked and retired a few months ago.

Two years ago we bought a home at Stonehouse in Toano just North of Williamsburg, and have been leasing it. In Massachusetts we could have never even imagined buying such a home. We hope to sell our home in Massachusetts and move into the home at Stonehouse this summer. I kind of like Williamsburg. It has some esthetic appeal, a lot of outdoor activity possibilities nearby, and you can be in Richmond or even DC area pretty quick from Toano as long long as you don't hit a lot of traffic on 95 north of Fredericksburg. For the most part we may steer pretty clear of the rest of the "Tidewater" area. We'll probably do some trips to the outer banks of NC during the summer. We'll be getting checks from Massachusetts totalling about $110,000 a year, owe less than 50,000 on our $300,000 home in Toano, have about $300,000 in savings and investments, and have all our son's college loans paid off. Life is good!
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Old 04-13-2014, 12:14 PM
 
15 posts, read 21,363 times
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When I grew up in Northern Virginia in the late 60's and early 70's once you got out of pretty much the center of Fairfax the suburbs ended and it was quite rural. The pace of life in N. Virginia once you got of Arlington and the Center of Alexandria was slow with little traffic. The place still had a little more of a Southern vibe than anything else. Immigrants were just beginning to arrive, and if you were Catholic or Jewish or something you were a somewhat rare bird. My parents bought their home in Barcroft Woods in 1967 for about 51,000 and we sold it in 1998 for about 380,000. Today I think it's worth at least 750,000. When I've been in Northern Virginia the past few years the traffic blows my mind, as does the cost of living. The diversity of people also is really a trip if your frame of reference is so long ago. For me it's just not that attractive but I understand why some other people think it's great. If you move to HR area I'd recommend Williamsburg or Yorktown, but if you have to commute to Newport News or hampton for work the traffic can be a problem. Housing in Williamsburg or Yorktown is much, much lower than in Northern Virginia, and the pace of life is nice. The schools are good, there are great outdoor activities, all the historic interest, and you can get down to the outer banks of NC pretty quick where there are really great mostly undeveloped beaches. If you really want to go to DC for a weekend or something it's really not far.
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Old 04-13-2014, 04:25 PM
 
Location: Smithfield, Va
16 posts, read 15,786 times
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I think you will find your salary will go a lot farther here. Hubby and I are from Ohio. We lived in Newport News, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach before settling in Smithfield in a new home, on 3 acres with our two young children. The area has a lot to offer families. We are always out and about doing fun things together.
That said, hubby and I work for national defense contractors and after 12 years in the same fields, are worried about the future of our jobs. I'm not sure how secure any jobs in the defense contracting field will be in the near future...even in DC.
We are considering moving to Florida for several reasons not related to HR, besides the whole job security issue. It's more about following our dreams.
I guess this post isn't very helpful, but I wish you luck on your big decision!
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Old 04-14-2014, 07:01 AM
 
979 posts, read 1,771,200 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zxbane View Post
Have you lived in HR yourself, or why are you looking to make the change to the area?
I did live in Va Beach for about a year after college. My entire immediate family is now in Virginia Beach. The weekend trips about once every 6-8 weeks or so don't sound awful in theory, but with two small dogs and two very small children, not to mention the ridiculously unpredictable traffic that could make it anywhere from a 4.5- to 7-hour trek, it wears on all of us.

I'm actually really not a beach person (I'm of the practically translucent fair skin type that fries to a crisp in mere minutes in the sun), so that's not a huge draw for us, but family and a somewhat less competitive, less stressful vibe in general are the draws for us. I actually grew up in New England, so both areas have tons to offer as far as activities, amenities, attractions, etc., as compared to the two stoplight town where I was raised, but here in NOVA, everything is always so crowded, and the traffic is so crazy, that we honestly don't get out to enjoy much.
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Old 04-14-2014, 10:18 AM
 
64 posts, read 121,327 times
Reputation: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beckster2001 View Post
I think you will find your salary will go a lot farther here. Hubby and I are from Ohio. We lived in Newport News, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach before settling in Smithfield in a new home, on 3 acres with our two young children. The area has a lot to offer families. We are always out and about doing fun things together.
That said, hubby and I work for national defense contractors and after 12 years in the same fields, are worried about the future of our jobs. I'm not sure how secure any jobs in the defense contracting field will be in the near future...even in DC.
We are considering moving to Florida for several reasons not related to HR, besides the whole job security issue. It's more about following our dreams.
I guess this post isn't very helpful, but I wish you luck on your big decision!
This is a very big point though. One of my biggest concerns with moving back to HR area is that my work for the most part is closely tied to DoD/Government work and I am afraid if the government continues to struggle on budget issues, continues to look to cut military spending etc, the HR road could suffer very much. Not only people who work in similar roles as me for the government but also the surrounding areas as far as the local economy goes that is heavily supported from military spending
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Old 04-16-2014, 01:39 PM
 
Location: State of Waiting
633 posts, read 1,008,976 times
Reputation: 1592
Of course you earn more money in Northern VA - Of course the salaries are higher and not in proportion to the salaries paid in HR or other places vs. the cost of living and home prices.

Who on earth would put up with living like this unless you made great money? They salaries are high to entice the top talent and to allow you to live (somewhat) tolerably here.

I know that some of the salaries are artificially inflated here, like the home prices. It really messes people up when they want to leave, because you become used to having a certain amount of disposable cash.
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