Any Transitioners from San Francisco to DC? (home, school)
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Oh my god, you're seriously going to be that picky? I could have said the desert, whatever. The point is not that it's the only place where the sun shines, it's that why would you move to somewhere that has a lot of what you hate?
You're seriously going to argue that beach resort towns are not known for being sunny?
...you made my argument stronger. An NIH Doctor is not the same as an Intel Analyst, just as a cashier is not the same as a manager, regardless where you are at. However, the NIH Doctor and Intel Analyst, just as the cashier and manager have similarities other than who writes their paycheck - they both work in the same bureaucratic environment, an environment which is shaped by an overarching objective. My problem isn't with job titles, it's with this environment. To be sure, I wouldn't want to work for Wal-Mart or Microsoft as well.
By the way, I don't see where I ever used the word "boring", so if we can refrain from adding senseless "color" into other member's post, that would be nice. Oh, and if we're going to use "data" that is not backed up, let me add that I'm also confident at the 95% level that federal jobs that are bureaucratic paper-pushing jobs outweigh by a factor of 1000:1, non bureaucratic paper-pushing jobs.
The overarching objective of one agency is completely different from another. Different agencies have different cultures and priorities. NIH and FBI are different like Walmart is different from Starbucks. They have the fact that they are government agencies in common the way Target and Starbucks have in common that they are corporations.
Now are you going to seriously argue that NIH and FBI have similar work environments? Some might call my job paper pushing, but whatever. The mission of the agency is good, the pay is good, and I do get to do some interesting travel and meet some cool/interesting people. And I'd rather be doing it for the government than some company that has nobody to account to other than shareholders.
I agree with this. It often amazes me the reasons some people give about not liking DC.
What exactly were they EXPECTING when they moved to the nation's capital? LOL.
It's not so much the Federal Government people hate, just the arrogance and ignorance of the people in the area, perpetuated by the insulation the federal government provides in this area.
Still, this area will naturally always be insulated and there's nothing anyone can do about it. We could balance the budget, and the federal government would still be a $2.5 Trillion/year industry.
It's not so much the Federal Government people hate, just the arrogance and ignorance of the people in the area, perpetuated by the insulation the federal government provides in this area.
Still, this area will naturally always be insulated and there's nothing anyone can do about it. We could balance the budget, and the federal government would still be a $2.5 Trillion/year industry.
Thanks for that...this thread is not about job diversity, titles, paper-pushing or not, etc...it's about the ambience manifested in personality due to a dominant public-service/non-prof work force, something which you don't see in other capitol cities of developed nations.
Location: the wrong side of the tracks Richmond, VA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nasridian
hmmm...thanks killabunnies (nice name). I'm actually in DC right now looking to move to SF (going to choose b/w SF and NY, but leaning more towards SF, already did NY once).
I actually don't like the fact that people flaunt their degrees and connections here (but I haven't noticed this too much). What was it about SF that you were "completely over"? Was it that you just wanted a change in scenery or particular things about SF?
Durrr sorry, could have read your thread closer. Now it makes sense.
I was over:
1) people automatically assuming I was a progressive simply because I lived in SF. I am not.
2) juvenile friends in their late 30s unwilling to be adults, as in my friends not being at all interested in current events/politics and more interested in going to the bar or who they were going to hook up with that night
3) the homeless/dope fiend population. I remember toward the end of my time in SF walking by a pile of human sh*t on the street and it dawned on me that THIS IS NOT NORMAL. After over a decade in SF, I had to accept the filth as "normal" or it would have driven me crazy. Guys routinely jerking off on the bus or taking a **** on Muni is NOT normal. But in order to survive, you have to accept these things happen. Sorry but that's not normal. In SF, that's every day.
4) the parking Gestapo. I was paying upwards of $300 a month in parking tickets for silly things like not turning my wheels enough toward the curb. I wasn't lazy, there was just NO PLACE to park. They knew they could get me so they'd slap a ticket on my car every chance they got from the office to my house. My car is not a piggy bank. I gave up my car in 2006 for this reason but inherited a car from my mom when she died in 2010 and had a hell of a time avoiding the parking Gestapo once I had it, I hated it. I actually had nightmares about it and to this day I still do.
5) The cost of living is outrageous for what you get. I pay just $200 more per month for a 700 square foot one bedroom condo to myself in DC than I did for a small bedroom in a house in SF with FOUR other roommates. I was too old to live like a 20 year old but that was the best I could afford, I wasn't about to pay $1500 for a studio in Crack Central in SF. At least in DC you can live in "the slums" for a reasonable price, in SF even "the hood" is overpriced.
One other notable thing about SF... people do not talk to each other. It's weird. It's like iPod headphones in, zoned out, don't make eye contact... I hated that. Here I get into random conversations at the grocery store about anything but there people don't even say hi.
I had to step over a dead hooker on my stoop once. People sh*t in the street like no one cares. At first you will be STUNNED by this but eventually it will become "normal" and that's when I realized I had to get out, that is NOT normal even by third world standards.
I try not to rain on anyone's parade if they want to move out there but I wouldn't do it if I were you. 10% tax, dope fiends pissing in your doorway and a higher cost of living? No thanks.
Last edited by killabunnies; 07-15-2012 at 04:16 PM..
Durrr sorry, could have read your thread closer. Now it makes sense.
I was over:
1) people automatically assuming I was a progressive simply because I lived in SF. I am not.
2) juvenile friends in their late 30s unwilling to be adults, as in my friends not being at all interested in current events/politics and more interested in going to the bar or who they were going to hook up with that night
3) the homeless/dope fiend population. I remember toward the end of my time in SF walking by a pile of human sh*t on the street and it dawned on me that THIS IS NOT NORMAL. After over a decade in SF, I had to accept the filth as "normal" or it would have driven me crazy. Guys routinely jerking off on the bus or taking a **** on Muni is NOT normal. But in order to survive, you have to accept these things happen. Sorry but that's not normal. In SF, that's every day.
4) the parking Gestapo. I was paying upwards of $300 a month in parking tickets for silly things like not turning my wheels enough toward the curb. I wasn't lazy, there was just NO PLACE to park. They knew they could get me so they'd slap a ticket on my car every chance they got from the office to my house. My car is not a piggy bank. I gave up my car in 2006 for this reason but inherited a car from my mom when she died in 2010 and had a hell of a time avoiding the parking Gestapo once I had it, I hated it. I actually had nightmares about it and to this day I still do.
5) The cost of living is outrageous for what you get. I pay just $200 more per month for a 700 square foot one bedroom condo to myself in DC than I did for a small bedroom in a house in SF with FOUR other roommates. I was too old to live like a 20 year old but that was the best I could afford, I wasn't about to pay $1500 for a studio in Crack Central in SF. At least in DC you can live in "the slums" for a reasonable price, in SF even "the hood" is overpriced.
One other notable thing about SF... people do not talk to each other. It's weird. It's like iPod headphones in, zoned out, don't make eye contact... I hated that. Here I get into random conversations at the grocery store about anything but there people don't even say hi.
I had to step over a dead hooker on my stoop once. People sh*t in the street like no one cares. At first you will be STUNNED by this but eventually it will become "normal" and that's when I realized I had to get out, that is NOT normal even by third world standards.
I try not to rain on anyone's parade if they want to move out there but I wouldn't do it if I were you. 10% tax, dope fiends pissing in your doorway and a higher cost of living? No thanks.
I was only in SF for a year, and that was enough for me. Pretty much same issues. Extremely high cost of living, but the wages didn't account for it.
The parking gustapo. That use to get to me regularly. I love density/urban cities, but SF didn't really match the public transportation of East Coast cities. It basically has commuter trains. You can't get around SF using their subway. But they think it's great, so they create many laws to discourage car usage.
One thing that got me was that most parking meters were only good for an hour or less. So you'd drive around for 30-40 minutes circling and circling with a ton of others trying to do the same thing...finally you'd get your spot, than you have 1 hour to walk the 5-6 blocks away from wherever it was that you wanted to go. Than you gotta rush back. Meanwhile the ticket writers are circling even more heavily. Just one minute late, and your car is TOWED and in impound, and you're paying a huge fine for 'storage' and for the tow truck fees.
SF just nickel-and-dimes you constantly. Take the bridge over to Oakland, and they'll charge you $5 to get back into the city. I really understand why Californians are frustrated with their state gov't, as it really does seem like they're constantly out to separate money out of your wallet every single chance they can possibly get.
I also got tired of the hordes and hordes of homeless people absolutely everywhere, especially Market Street. I use to walk down that street on my lunch breaks, and get hit up by no less than 10 people everytime I walked down that street in broad daylight. Give a $1, and suddenly they guy is getting in your face demaning $5 while explaining that the $1 is chump-change.
I went into a Wendys Restaurant once on Market Street, and had 5 different beggars come in and ask for money during my 15 minute meal. The staff just completely gave up on trying to keep them out of their establishment.
Before I went to SF, I thought it was highly likely I'd move there and never want to leave. After a year there, I was ready to leave, and have never had any desire whatsoever to ever go back there and live.
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Some might call my job paper pushing, but whatever. The mission of the agency is good, the pay is good, and I do get to do some interesting travel and meet some cool/interesting people. And I'd rather be doing it for the government than some company that has nobody to account to other than shareholders.
Exactly
