Searching for SD Jobs from outside CA.

[someguy10]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

Scholarships? The vast majority don't cover all costs. And, those "full ride" sports scholarships? Forget about it. Your kid has a better chance of winning the lottery.

Even if you save $500 a month - heck, even if you save $100 a month - your child will have more options for college, and your child and you will have to borrow less to pay for college.

Every little bit put into the college fund helps, when done with consistent purpose over 18 or 10 or even 5 years.

One scholarship scenario is to offer scholarship money with GPA or other strings attached that are pretty strict. Of course I'm sure they'd deny it, but IMO it borders on an unethical bait and switch where they know (count on) that a significant number of awardees will lose it.

I agree 100% that saving anything is better than nothing and keep in mind 529 plan beneficiaries can be changed (even to oneself).

[payutenyodagimas]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

The military certainly employees a lot of people here, but not as many as the military used to, due to reductions in force.

But your comment got me curious about who ARE the biggest employers, so I did a quick search. Here are the 10 ten employers in San Diego, by number of employees (source: San Diego's Top 10 Employers)

1. University of California San Diego, 26,000 employees

2. County of San Diego, 20,500

3. United States Navy, 20,000

4. City of San Diego, 19,500

5. San Diego Unified School District, 15,881

6. Sharp Healthcare, 14,391

7. Scripps Health, 12, 700

8. Qualcom, 9,444 (not sure if this number is before or after their layoffs last year)

9. Kaiser Foundation Hospital, 7,608

10. San Diego State University, 6,939

Of course, if you add in all of the jobs at military contracting firms and lump those under "military" they might edge out the number of people employed at UCSD. But, really these days, more people are working in education and healthcare jobs in San Diego, then people who are in the military. We are not really the "military town" we once were.

seems the best employers are still the govt or govt still is the best job creator, contrary to the what the GOP is espousing

[payutenyodagimas]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

The point about college is so important.

I have to admit that as a former college counselor, every time I hear about a family with kids planning a move across country for "nicer weather" or "outdoor activities" the first question I want to ask is: is your kids' college savings plan already fully funded?

I've sat in the room more times than I can count when middle class and even wealthy parents have to break it to their kids that, yes, it's great that you got into your dream college, but we sunk all of our money into a house in a neighborhood we couldn't afford (but it was in a "top rated" school district!) or took a few too many financial risks over the years to put enough money in your college fund.

Parents think that there's plenty of financial aid to pay for college, but, in truth, middle class and wealthy parents aren't likely to get as much financial aid (or scholarships) as they think they will. And, it's nice to say that it will be up to your kid to pay their own way through college, but with college costs rising 4-6% every year, and financial aid determined by parent income/assets until students turn 24, that isn't going to happen either.

Senna's son is 5. That means they have 12 years to save enough for college that they don't have to have the "talk" with their son when he gets into his dream college. I'm going to guess that since they're both Ivy League grads, they'd like to see their son have the option of attending a private university/college too. The average cost of four years at a private college is currently running around $220,000. Factor in 4-6% increase per year for 12 years.

Again, this doesn't mean that Senna and his wife shouldn't move to California. Only they can decide that (and perhaps their son's college fund IS already fully funded ) but if you have kids, it is something to weigh carefully when deciding to risk a cross country move, even with a job: how will the move affect our plan for saving for college?

And, of course, the follow up question is: is your retirement plan already on path to be fully funded?

isn't it the best way is to pump up your retirement and just help your kid to pay for the college loans later? 401k doesn't count in the comp for college subsidy but 529 does, is this true?

[BizrulesSD]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

The point about college is so important.

I have to admit that as a former college counselor, every time I hear about a family with kids planning a move across country for "nicer weather" or "outdoor activities" the first question I want to ask is: is your kids' college savings plan already fully funded?

I've sat in the room more times than I can count when middle class and even wealthy parents have to break it to their kids that, yes, it's great that you got into your dream college, but we sunk all of our money into a house in a neighborhood we couldn't afford (but it was in a "top rated" school district!) or took a few too many financial risks over the years to put enough money in your college fund.

Parents think that there's plenty of financial aid to pay for college, but, in truth, middle class and wealthy parents aren't likely to get as much financial aid (or scholarships) as they think they will. And, it's nice to say that it will be up to your kid to pay their own way through college, but with college costs rising 4-6% every year, and financial aid determined by parent income/assets until students turn 24, that isn't going to happen either.

Senna's son is 5. That means they have 12 years to save enough for college that they don't have to have the "talk" with their son when he gets into his dream college. I'm going to guess that since they're both Ivy League grads, they'd like to see their son have the option of attending a private university/college too. The average cost of four years at a private college is currently running around $220,000. Factor in 4-6% increase per year for 12 years.

Again, this doesn't mean that Senna and his wife shouldn't move to California. Only they can decide that (and perhaps their son's college fund IS already fully funded ) but if you have kids, it is something to weigh carefully when deciding to risk a cross country move, even with a job: how will the move affect our plan for saving for college?

And, of course, the follow up question is: is your retirement plan already on path to be fully funded?

This is the kind of thinking that only goes to drive up costs of education. There are only a handful of private colleges (think Stanford, Harvard, etc) that provide the value of paying 200K+ for an undergraduate degree. Loans are there for a reason. If you go to a CA state school (UC or CSU) then a 4 year degree is very manageable, even more so if the child leverages JC.

If a college education such a great return on investment, there shouldn't be much of an issue paying back any small amount of debit that it accrued. The only people I know complaining about college costs in CA and those who spent 7 years to get a degree in History or some other liberal art that has little practical value.

[scgali]

I had to do this when moving to SD From Hawaii. I have kids and need an income. We have savings but I didn't want to move here and blow through the savings with no job. Just keep applying, cold call companies (this is how I got in), don't emphasize being out of state. You have a different area code but many do here because of the military presence. If you get through to a HR person, say you have a firm date/goal month of moving here. Maybe the month following your conversation. They need to know you are serious. Also, with technology now there's no reason why you can't do a Skype interview. With one company I had phone interview, another did phone then Skype. Both jobs were offered. However, I applied to probably 100-150 jobs for a few months prior. Then I moved first to start the job and get the housing squared away. My husband, kids, and dogs came about a month later.
It's good to have a dream and goal so just keep applying and eventually you will get something.

[ndindy]

There are many good points of consideration on this post. Retirement savings, housing, college funds, raising a family are all important.

In terms of finding a job--if you have just graduated with a recent degree, Ivy League or not, you should see if you could network into a position out in SD while still living in NYC as opposed to moving here and not working while searching for a job. You may want to work in your field of study for a couple of years to make yourself look more attractive to employers before moving. I know someone who has looked to relocate after completing a masters degree, and has not gotten any interest from positions in his field of study. I don't work in finance in San Diego, but finding a job in health care with experience took me several months to lock down when I lived out of state.

You could focus your job search on places in NY that also have a San Diego presence, with the hope of relocating.

[senna]

You've all made great points, and I will respond accordingly.

Thank you all again.