Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Cost of living here isn't that great fyi - if you can't find a job north of 60k a year you're not gonna be in great financial shape if you want a moderately comfortable place to live and have even below average student debt - unless you have a house downpayment ready and you're looking to go that way and don't mind living in some sprawling area. You'll get by, but unless you own a home and benefit from the property tax rates here you need to make sure that your new job pays competitively, and a lot of work here doesn't. They are taking advantage of the hype and people are accepting job offers they shouldn't. It's what you can do when there is a big influx.
We moved from Chicago because of my wife's job and literally everything in Durham is more expensive than it was in Chicago aside from rent ( a big thing I know BUT) which isn't significantly cheaper. The difference we pay in insurance, utilities etc etc combined with the lower average wages here makes the quality of life for what you earn argument tenuous depending on where you're coming from. Are we ahead in terms of quality of life for similar work in Chicago? Yes, slightly. But only slightly. That comes with missing all of the stuff Chicago has that the Triangle does not have. I'm not complaining - there are great things here and I like it here - but just putting it out there. Personally, I think a lot of the area is currently overpriced for what you get - compared to other places I've lived.
My line of work (in the creative industry - not related - and not the reason we moved here) commands about 60-70% of what it did in Chicago - which is actually would likely be downgrade in terms of lifestyle if I were flying solo.
Cost of living here isn't that great fyi - if you can't find a job north of 60k a year you're not gonna be in great financial shape if you want a moderately comfortable place to live and have even below average student debt - unless you have a house downpayment ready and you're looking to go that way and don't mind living in some sprawling area. You'll get by, but unless you own a home and benefit from the property tax rates here you need to make sure that your new job pays competitively, and a lot of work here doesn't. They are taking advantage of the hype and people are accepting job offers they shouldn't. It's what you can do when there is a big influx.
We moved from Chicago because of my wife's job and literally everything in Durham is more expensive than it was in Chicago aside from rent ( a big thing I know BUT) which isn't significantly cheaper. The difference we pay in insurance, utilities etc etc combined with the lower average wages here makes the quality of life for what you earn argument tenuous depending on where you're coming from. Are we ahead in terms of quality of life for similar work in Chicago? Yes, slightly. But only slightly. That comes with missing all of the stuff Chicago has that the Triangle does not have. I'm not complaining - there are great things here and I like it here - but just putting it out there. Personally, I think a lot of the area is currently overpriced for what you get - compared to other places I've lived.
My line of work (in the creative industry - not related - and not the reason we moved here) commands about 60-70% of what it did in Chicago - which is actually would likely be downgrade in terms of lifestyle if I were flying solo.
I'd be very alarmed if a young, single human being needed more than 60k a year to live here.
I'd say you could get by pretty well here making 40k or more if you were a single person wanting a modest apartment, for example.
__________________
When in doubt, check it out: FAQ
I mean, if you find a job making really good money right away, it's with a great company, and you can see yourself learning and expanding and growing your CV with that company? Good.
But, if the first job you find pays a little less and has all those other fine qualities, don't turn it down because of the pay.
Most twentysomethings don't need to be making 100k plus a year, anyway.
And, starting out with too high a salary too early might wind up a set of golden handcuffs that you cannot easily escape, making you less likely to jump to another company and expand your skillset and experiences because the money at your first job is just "too good to give up."
Yea I don't expect to make a ton of money, but really the main reason for moving is the cost of living is getting so high its unbearable in Austin. Right now for rent I am paying 1.1k a month and next year when my lease is up (in May) I am told be expecting at the min of 1.3k to 1.4k a month just because it is a brand new complex. There is no way I can afford that, especially when companies around here aren't paying that well at all. I have a co-worker who has been here 10 years and he tells me he is moving back to Idaho, because the cost of living is getting outrageous and no one here wants to pay anything. It really is an employers market.
So if I could make 40k my first year out in NC I would be totally happy with that as long as I am doing what I enjoy.
Verizon, Cisco and ATT in Cary/RTP have networking/security jobs and are almost always on the look out. I don't know much about coding jobs, most of the coders I deal with are in India unfortunately only the senior guys are still left in the states. Not saying it's impossible.
I think there is plenty of opportunity if you are skilled and can convey that in interviews. RTP is a great market
I was going to school for computer science to start out, I was ok at it but I felt like the market for my career field was too narrow, I felt like the only thing I could do was program, and I've been in a job that had a niche like that before and I learned that if that niche goes away your up the creek without a paddle. That's why I went more towards MIS and felt like I wanted to get to know infrastructure a lot better and many other areas in IT.
Yea I don't expect to make a ton of money, but really the main reason for moving is the cost of living is getting so high its unbearable in Austin. Right now for rent I am paying 1.1k a month and next year when my lease is up (in May) I am told be expecting at the min of 1.3k to 1.4k a month just because it is a brand new complex. There is no way I can afford that, especially when companies around here aren't paying that well at all. I have a co-worker who has been here 10 years and he tells me he is moving back to Idaho, because the cost of living is getting outrageous and no one here wants to pay anything. It really is an employers market.
So if I could make 40k my first year out in NC I would be totally happy with that as long as I am doing what I enjoy.
I made $55k-ish when we relocated to NC. Wife didn't work. Supported two people (both with student loans) and a dog on that income and we bought a $175k house as well. That was when interest rates were double what they are now to boot.
Single making $40-ish, possibly living with a roommate? You've got nothing to worry about.
I was going to school for computer science to start out, I was ok at it but I felt like the market for my career field was too narrow, I felt like the only thing I could do was program, and I've been in a job that had a niche like that before and I learned that if that niche goes away your up the creek without a paddle.
Never in my life would I consider programming to be a niche. Unfortunately, no amount of training will prepare you for everything. Sometimes you can only hope for the best.
Rent for me was 1.4 for me right out of RTP. Ridiculous -- which is why it is only temporary, but there are far cheaper options. Depends on what you are interested in ....
Yea I don't expect to make a ton of money, but really the main reason for moving is the cost of living is getting so high its unbearable in Austin. Right now for rent I am paying 1.1k a month and next year when my lease is up (in May) I am told be expecting at the min of 1.3k to 1.4k a month just because it is a brand new complex. There is no way I can afford that, especially when companies around here aren't paying that well at all. I have a co-worker who has been here 10 years and he tells me he is moving back to Idaho, because the cost of living is getting outrageous and no one here wants to pay anything. It really is an employers market.
So if I could make 40k my first year out in NC I would be totally happy with that as long as I am doing what I enjoy.
Just watch the rents here keep rising as the transplants drive them up.
Complexes in Mini-City where you wouldn't want a rat to live are charging around $1K.
Some people can be so discouraging. Although I have no input for you as I'm trying to relocate as well, I do hope everything works out for you. Good luck!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
