Moving to Tennessee from CT ?’s, Career ?’s, Places in TN to move to ?’s (Knoxville: low income, house) - City-Data Forum

mjshaw130 · 01-03-2019, 01:18 AM

Good morning everyone,
I am a CT resident and work for the State of CT currently as a 911 Public Safety Dispatcher. I have spent my entire life wanting to get away from this horrid state and unfortunately I am still here. I work in law enforcement and plan on staying in that. I have looked into the Dept of Corrections down in TN. Any thoughts and opinions on that? The pay is an extreme difference from here where my base pay is about 51,000$ a years and in TN it would be about 28,000$. I get a pension in the job I have now after 10 years but really don’t want to stay here just because of that. Is it not a smart move moving to TN? I love the mountains and lakes more than anything in the world, hiking, fishing, and swimming/boating in the lakes are the things I love and want in my life. Unfortunately do not get as much of that here as I’d like. Opinions? Thanks!

Montezia · 01-03-2019, 02:16 AM

You have to understand that Tennessee has a MUCH lower cost of living than even the cheaper places in the northeast. I grew up there. $28,000 will get you a small house with a large front and back yard, plenty of space. It won't but you a new car really. That's around the minimum salary needed to be comfortable here.

Does the job offer any kind of benefits? And are you married? Single? Are you any close to retiring? Really though $30,000/yr. Is the sweet spot for a minimun amount to be comfortable. It sounds like around the smokies might be a better fit than eastern or middle Tennessee.

mjshaw130 · 01-03-2019, 05:48 AM

My parents retired down in the Crossville area. They love it and yes I do understand a MUCH lower cost of living. Not really sure what kind of benefits or how they compare to State of CT benefits. I know there is no pension, and I have heard and read that the medical benefits aren’t as good. Single currently, many many years away from retirement, I am about to turn 29. Yep starting pay is 28,000$ a year for Correctional Officers. I had posted something similar in another forum thread on here and 20 plus people recommended eastern Tennessee. I also wanted warmer winters, still love the snow though.

Serious Conversation · 01-03-2019, 07:41 AM

$28,000 is not a lot of money, even in east TN. You can get by, but it will be a barebones lifestyle, and TN benefits generally don't compare well to those up north.

You should be able to make more than $28,000 around Knoxville outside of corrections.

johninvegas · 01-03-2019, 09:44 AM

Take it from an old geezer, you'd be well advised to stay at your current job until you can be vested in the pension program. At 29 you might not be too worried about retirement, but trust me, you'll kick yourself when you're 59 about giving up that pension. Even if it isn't a lot of money it comes to you every month once you retire.

mjshaw130 · 01-03-2019, 10:38 PM

If you think that my pension is going to be treating me well think again. I barely took home 35k this year and that was after an insane amount of overtime. There are people who have been here 35 years that can’t retire because they don’t have enough money. And even if I was vested after 10 years the amount would be extremely minimal. If I work overtime in corrections down there or move up in rank i will make more, just takes time. Are the winters in eastern tn warmer? I don’t mind the snow just hate these 10-15 degree 3 months out of the year here in ct. and it’s gets much worse than that.

Serious Conversation · 01-03-2019, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjshaw130

If you think that my pension is going to be treating me well think again. I barely took home 35k this year and that was after an insane amount of overtime. There are people who have been here 35 years that can’t retire because they don’t have enough money. And even if I was vested after 10 years the amount would be extremely minimal. If I work overtime in corrections down there or move up in rank i will make more, just takes time. Are the winters in eastern tn warmer? I don’t mind the snow just hate these 10-15 degree 3 months out of the year here in ct. and it’s gets much worse than that.

You really need to consider a higher paying field, no matter where you are.

Like I said before, $28,000 is a low income, even for where I am in northeast TN (Johnson City). Panda Express is hiring people to chop vegetables for $11/hr in both Johnson City and Kingsport. Chick-Fil-A is hiring people at several areas stores for $11/hr. Aldi, a grocery chain, is hiring hourly workers at a minimum of $16/hr, which is a good bit more money than $28,000, and without the hassles of being in criminal justice. There are lots of light manufacturing facilities that do temp-to-hire with $15-$17/hr contractors, even in rural counties.

Yes, we had a heavy snow in early December, 6"-12" in most places, but that is very rare. Highs have been in the 40s/50s (occasional days in the 60s and even 1-2 in the 70s) with no to minimal snow after the big snow event. Average high/low this time of year is 45/25. Like the north, it's very cloudy and grey, but you don't have a constant snowpack, etc.

NY Annie · 01-05-2019, 11:16 AM

I grew up in Jersey, lived in RI for 20+ years and then NYC for 15+ years. We retired to SW TN - for the climate, for the lack of neighbors and I went to college in NE TN. Weather is far better than the northeast but cost of living is far lower. I'd take the advice given above to stay where you are and try to move up the ladder while getting vested. Not only will you have your pension but it will increase your social security. I was a stay-at-home mom for most of my working years so my SS is on the low side but my husband has not only his SS but also his pension. It puts us at a distinct advantage in that our income is decidedly higher than most here.

Just some food for thought.

mjshaw130 · 01-05-2019, 04:22 PM

My parents did the same thing but they both had good jobs with the state here, I have a job with the state as well but it pays garbage. There is someone I work with who has been in it for 35 years and doesn’t have enough money to retire. I’ve been told by many people I work with who have been there 10 plus year to get out as soon as I can while I’m young. The pension would be minimal even if I stayed my whole career, and there is no room for advancement, at top pay I’d be lucky to take home 40k a year. And honestly I hate living in ct, the taxes, the people, there’s nothing to do here anymore.

johninvegas · 01-05-2019, 08:52 PM

In your first post you say you are now making 51k a year. Now you say if you stay your whole career you'd be making 40k at top pay. If that is the amount of the pension, that's pretty good, because you will most likely also be receiving Social Security and whatever 401k you are now putting back--which you are doing, aren't you?

Trust me, my wife is a doctor and her pension will be right at 52k a year, so count yourself lucky if you can get 40k.