People that hate hamptonroads (Virginia Beach, Norfolk: salary, to live in, costs)

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by rtandc

First its rtandc......I figured out you think that it is 3 letters with the word "and" in the middle ...it is not.....r t a n d c if you must know is the first letter for each word in a six word phrase that we like to use around my household....like LOL or IMO or BRB is used on a PC.....anyway....

No, I actually just plum forgot.

Originally Posted by rtandc

I call BS on the moving part.....People move every day on short notice...and many times it is families with two working adults with kids involved.......

Most people who move have significant savings or are being transfered. People who move from a place they are existing, to another that they arent guaranteed to exist, are not making a good decision, and if they move with kids, they are just flat out making an irresponsible one.

Originally Posted by rtandc

Your excuse is that you are just afraid to make the move.....

Afraid, no. If someone wants to stroke me a check for about the remaining 10k I need though, I will leave within the month.

Originally Posted by rtandc

how is failure and disappointment in a new city any different then the failure and disappointment you seem to have here in Hampton Roads........

Because in Hampton Roads, Im existing. Sure, Im never going to be able to afford a house, ever, and sure, I probably wont make more then 40k in a year until Im 40 years old in my career field, BUT, I do have the cut rate rent my parents are charging me, and its affording me to put a little bit away a month.

If I were to pack up and move to a new city without being properly financially prepared, and without employment, which would likely be the case, there is a real risk that I will quickly fall into a financial hole, which would unduely dampen my experience in any new place. Whats worse, if Im not adequately prepared, I could very well end up back in this hell hole, even worse off then I started.

[GeorgiaTransplant]

Originally Posted by Randomdude

1. Actually there is data that RTC was so nice to have found and posted that actually supports, my and others claims that young people are moving away. Over the ten years between 1990-2000 there has been significant shift in the population make up to those 40+. 10 years is not a generation, so you cant use the "well its just the baby boomers greying". No, its not. Its the young people leaving wholesale. Turns out, I guess they dont really like coming out of college making next to minimum wage, and trying to exist in one of the most overpriced areas in the country.

2. A. An intellegent move is not made spur of the moment, packing up a van, and moving. Thats a great way to set yourself up for failure and dissapointment in a new city.
B. Years of savings for an average person in Hampton Roads may come to a few thousand bucks. That MAY cover the cost of a uhaul to a real city. Unfortunatley, its not going to cover living expenses while one searches for a job in the new area.

1. Interesting...if true, apparently the flood of young people leaving wholesale has stopped; that's very odd to take a 10 year leap then essentially freeze from 2000 until a couple of years ago. Census data, Census Bureau Home Page. 2000 demo profile; 2005-2007 American Community Survey results. Advanced mathemagic tells me that the median population went up from 32.79 to 33.98-a move up, but not a wholesale move at all.

Metro 2000 pop/median age 2005-2007 pop/median age

Norfolk 234,403 29.6 237,309 29.4
Virginia Beach 425,257 32.7 436,903 35.2
Hampton 146,437 34.0 146,672 35.1
Portsmouth 100,565 34.5 101,856 34.4
Chesapeake 199,184 34.7 218,145 35.8
Newport News 180,150 32.0 180,079 33.3
Suffolk 63,677 36.0 79,849 34.9


2. Have your tried interviewing for a job before you leave? A *lot* of people interview before they ever leave their current town-if you tried and couldn't get it, sorry. Continue saving...but in all honesty, you are WAY overdoing it if you need ten THOUSAND dollars to move.

[DallasYankee]

That is precisely what we are attempting to do at this point: interview for jobs, and land those jobs. In fact, that is always what we have done, in our personal experience. We have fleetingly entertained the idea of bailing with only the clothes on our backs without sincerity of course. But you need a job in the new location before you leave, unless you're willing to make very considerable sacrifices, or you have considerable financial resources.

[CosmicWizard]

Dallas....My wife and I made a cross country move 3 years ago with no job prospects, not even knowing WHERE we'd choose to live eventually. Granted we had no kids in tow, and the economy was in much better shape. Even though it all worked out very nicely for us, I think you are very wise to secure jobs in your new location before making a move in this sh*thole economy.

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaTransplant

1. Interesting...if true, apparently the flood of young people leaving wholesale has stopped; that's very odd to take a 10 year leap then essentially freeze from 2000 until a couple of years ago. Census data, Census Bureau Home Page. 2000 demo profile; 2005-2007 American Community Survey results. Advanced mathemagic tells me that the median population went up from 32.79 to 33.98-a move up, but not a wholesale move at all.

Metro 2000 pop/median age 2005-2007 pop/median age

Norfolk 234,403 29.6 237,309 29.4
Virginia Beach 425,257 32.7 436,903 35.2
Hampton 146,437 34.0 146,672 35.1
Portsmouth 100,565 34.5 101,856 34.4
Chesapeake 199,184 34.7 218,145 35.8
Newport News 180,150 32.0 180,079 33.3
Suffolk 63,677 36.0 79,849 34.9

If you were an advanced mathemagician you would know that median age is not a good measure of the percentile makeup of certain age groups.

Originally Posted by GeorgiaTransplant

2. Have your tried interviewing for a job before you leave? A *lot* of people interview before they ever leave their current town-if you tried and couldn't get it, sorry.

Have I tried actually SECURING an interview, yeah, in 4 different cities (Indianapolis, Raleigh, Charlotte, Philadelphia). Turns out, in this economy, a mid level accountant without a CPA is probably not worth the out of state hassle to most companies. Id imagine most people who arent higher level or are being outright transfered would have a similiar problem.

Originally Posted by GeorgiaTransplant

Continue saving...but in all honesty, you are WAY overdoing it if you need ten THOUSAND dollars to move.

Id say youd need, at minimum, 6 months of living expenses, and the moving expenses if you are moving without a job. Many apartments require a first and last months deposit, which also must be included in the rent.

So, if the median rent was, say, $1000, that is $8000 alone for the rent for a six month lease.

Lets say, the rest of your expenses come to $500, that is another $3000.

The move is also likely going to cost in the neighborhood of $3000.

So, Im thinking, for a move to a reasonable city, it would be smart to have about 14k-16k to move with.

Anything less then that, and you are seriously risking being kicked out of your place, losing everything you have, and being trapped into a horrible early experience in a new city. None of that Im interested in taking even the slightest risk of being involved in. Ive had more then my share of struggling here in this hell hole, Im not about to put myself in another situation of doing the same.

[Erma]

Ever think about going back to get your CPA? You're angry at who?

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by Erma

Ever think about going back to get your CPA? You're angry at who?

A CPA is not worth the expense of obtaining it, or its maintenance in Hampton Roads.

I would not consider a CPA unless it was going to make me, at minimum, 60k a year. Unfortunatley, the likely payoff will be less then a 10k raise in Hampton Roads, and if I dont get a job with a company who will shell out for the cost of its CPE expense, about half of that raise would be needed to simply maintain it.

[Erma]

Originally Posted by Randomdude

A CPA is not worth the expense of obtaining it, or its maintenance in Hampton Roads.

I would not consider a CPA unless it was going to make me, at minimum, 60k a year. Unfortunatley, the likely payoff will be less then a 10k raise in Hampton Roads, and if I dont get a job with a company who will shell out for the cost of its CPE expense, about half of that raise would be needed to simply maintain it.

This seems to be an issue with those that do/did work before the almighty degrees/certifications and fees came along. I do not blame Hampton Roads for anything that would hinder me from making the big bucks that some claim they rightfully should have. It's the current business laws, practice laws that are requiring everything to be kept current. We shell out big bucks for licensing, but in the same respect, without it, we would be with the rest of those feeling underprivelaged because of these laws.

[telemonster]

Why is it so expensive? Can't you pirate the course documentation from the internet then take the test? Or do you have to go through a class?

I told you the controller chick at a prior job had one and was doing alright with multiple properties, a Porsche and a boat (and a nose so high it'd scrape the ceiling lol).

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by Erma

This seems to be an issue with those that do/did work before the almighty degrees/certifications and fees came along. I do not blame Hampton Roads for anything that would hinder me from making the big bucks that some claim they rightfully should have. It's the current business laws, practice laws that are requiring everything to be kept current. We shell out big bucks for licensing, but in the same respect, without it, we would be with the rest of those feeling underprivelaged because of these laws.

Hampton Roads isnt to blame for all the licenses and degree fees, I agree there.

However, in other cities, these certifications are rewarded in proportion with their difficulty and cost of obtaining them.

A CPA, in say, Indianapolis, would have no challenge cracking 50k and likely would easily make in to the 60's.

In Hampton Roads, a CPA who is not employed as some type of officer (usually requiring 5 years experience at the absolute low end managing others), can plan on capping out around 45k. In fact, in recent months, I have been seeing jobs with posted salaries of less then 40k trying to get CPAs.

In most other cities, 3 years a full charge accounting and a bachelors degree will get you in the 40-50k range no questions asked. In fact, I have seen some instances in Philadelphia and Providence, RI of up to 60k for those qualifications. In Hampton Roads, an individual with those qualifications will cap out around 35k, but will generally be around 30k.

I have 3.5 years of experience as a full charge accountant, experience with multiple accounting systems, a bachelors degree, expert level Excel abilities, a few letters of recommendation from past employers, and I was literally laughed at by Robert Half Finance and Accounting when I told them I want 45k.

You can go on craiglist in 3 dozen cities right this minute, most with lower costs of livings then here, and find globs of accounting jobs, often requiring less credentials, and paying 40-50k or more.