IT and nursing work in Boston, other questions? (Haverhill, Malden: houses, find a job)

[INstix]

Since visiting there, I have often mentioned to my husband I would love to move to the Salem area and work in Boston in a few years. I don't know how seriously he takes me, and he has some reservations. I knew I could come here for info!

I see there are commuter trains going from the Salem area to Boston. Are they pretty reliable, even in bad weather? Understand, I'm from southeastern Indiana where 3 inches of the white stuff gets the kids out of school.

And speaking of weather, are winters in that area really bad? If we didn't have to drive much to get to work and were taking the train, it really wouldn't be so bad, but what are the Boston area winters like, overall?

Are there a lot of network engineer jobs available for men with 17-20 years of experience but no degree? My hubby is 46 and reluctant to go back to school to get degrees at this point. He gets unhappy when all jobs listed ask for a bachelor's degree when he can work rings around most of those guys he knows with degrees. He's truly great at what he does, he just feels intimdated at the idea of going to a new, big city and not having those letters behind his name. He thinks they will think he is a hick from Indiana.

I'm going to look for nursing work outside of hospitals. I'm burnt out on hospitals, after only 2 years in critical care. I'm 41 years old and would love to work in a women's clinic or something like that. I will probably have my bachelor's degree, but possibly just my associate's. Any advice?

Looks like housing is pretty high, but I think we'd like to downsize, anyway. Our limit would be 175,000, 3 bed/2 bath. I've always lived in the country, but am thinking about the possibility of being the the less rural areas but with still a nice-sized yard. NO SUBDIVISIONS! Two children will likely still be home, so nice family area would be good, nice schools. We loved Salem when we visited (though more conservative hubby felt it was a little wacko for his tastes...but maybe somewhere nearby there?)

Really, what will be best is for us to come back up and visit...lots! I told hubby I want to visit during all the seasons and look at everything. I think he is just feeling old and scared to make such a big change...thinking no one will welcome him and he'll be swallowed up in such a big area. Maybe once we have gone there often enough and he thinks about it awhile, he won't be so intimidated. He's honestly the best at what he does. I don't think they have create too many things with electronics, computers and radios he doesn't understand!


I just love this forum, and have looked at many areas and possibilities for moving. I just absolutely loved Massachusetts and Connecticut, though.


Thanks all!
Instix

[INstix]

We're considering a move to Boston area in a few years. We have many more trips planned to see the various neighborhoods, but I thought I'd ask here for more info. I really liked Salem, but my husband feels it's a bit too wild for his taste. So I guess we're looking for a friendly, unpretentious but with civic-pride town with houses that have some ground to them (I don't like subdivisions). Our budget would be around 175,000 for a two bedroom/two bath, basement?, with a half acre-1 acre yard? I don't know if such things exist in that area or not. We'd like to take the train to Boston, or possibly someplace else that has network engineering and nursing opportunities.

We have two girls who will still be home, we could care less about clubbing. I'm 41 and hubby is 46, and the girls are currently 12 and 8, but we wouldn't be moving for another 5-6 years at least. Our idea of fun would be unique stores, seeing a movie once in awhile, going to civic events like parades-etc, science and the arts, etc.

Any ideas for towns to scout out when we're visiting? We're from southeastern Indiana, and it's not a short trip to come see the area, so we'd like to be able to pinpoint some spots.

Thanks much,
Instix

[CaseyB]

The problem is going to be your budget.

[INstix]

Well then, how far out would we have to live before there would be homes in our price range, and would the area still be on the train line??


Instix

[INstix]

Doing some more reading, I see that everything anywhere near Boston is way out of our budget. Can anyone suggest some towns further out that would have healthcare and network engineering jobs available where we could afford the housing, maybe someplace a bit more rural. If we had to be away from Boston, that's okay. I just figured it would be the best place for jobs.

Instix

[gf2020]

Moving from the Midwest to New England is tough. The housing costs are so much higher here that most people face paralyzing sticker shock.

I see there are commuter trains going from the Salem area to Boston. Are they pretty reliable, even in bad weather? Understand, I'm from southeastern Indiana where 3 inches of the white stuff gets the kids out of school.

The commuter rail from Salem to Boston is reasonably reliable. I took it for several years before moving further north. The subway lines from Revere and Malden are better.

And speaking of weather, are winters in that area really bad?

It varies. This winter was particularly mild but this March will end up as the wettest March in history for the Boston area. Typically we can get a lot of snow in March, this year we have received flooding rains.

Are there a lot of network engineer jobs available for men with 17-20 years of experience but no degree?

I work in IT for a large financial services firm in the Boston area. If your husband has certifications from Cisco, Microsoft, etc. he should be able to find a job. Those certs are more important than a college degree in the networking field.

Our limit would be 175,000, 3 bed/2 bath.

There is no where in the Greater Boston area or Southern NH area that you could find a decent house for $175K. Just the land would cost more than $175K in most towns in the North of Boston area.

You might be able to find a reasonable 1800 square foot home in the Bradford section of Haverhill for $300K and that would be within a 1.25 hour commute to Boston.

[CaseyB]

There's some good advice that people gave you on this thread:

//www.city-data.com/forum/massa...nd-advice.html

[miu]

My former tenant purchased a house for $200k in Randolph last fall.