Move to California-new jobs for DH and I

[Anonymous]

DH and I are both interviewing for jobs in California right now and I’m unsure if we can make it work.

DH job prospect:
-On site one day per week in LA area
-pay 240-280k

DW job prospect:
-on site two days per week in San Jose
-pay $240-290k

We have 2 young kids. We really don’t want to live in Northern CA. Our preference is to live in Carlsbad/San Diego area but our attempts to find jobs there have been unsuccessful.

My question is-how do we approach this? Is there any way to make this work with a SoCal base? I just cannot get excited about Northern California

[Anonymous]

Would you live in LA?

[Anonymous]

You can make this work if you are willing to fly up to San Jose 2 times a week, on days your DH is remote. Your DH can take the train or drive leaving very early (like 4am) from San Diego to LA and commute home. This needs to have a logistical strategy, but you can do it. San Diego is beautiful. Is there not another area you would be interested in living, like Orange County?

[Anonymous]

Live anywhere in southern CA near a good airport. At those incomes DW can stay in a hotel one or two nights each week, maybe live near the LA job if you want to live further south. Tons of flights all day long between LAX and other parts of the state. You can also drive or take a train.

[Anonymous]

Southwest Airlines is your friend. I would focus on living near a small southern cal airport (like Long Beach or John Wayne) since they are much easier to navigate if you are going weekly. Pay for TSA pre (or global entry) and you are golden. I fly down from northern CA regularly to see my folks, and never fly into LAX. Always Long Beach - a million times easier. Easy in/out and much less traffic.

But, my recommendation would be to try to get an LA-job as well. The travel will wear you down after a while.

[Anonymous]

Op here. Sorry for bad grammar.

The in office days overlap in the jobs (weds/Thurs for DW and Thurs for DH). But yes in theory, we could live in SoCal and I could commute and spend one night a week in San Jose. I hate that idea but I guess I could do it for a short time.

We love San Diego but would consider other places in Southern California. I’m researching it-what about Long Beach?

[Anonymous]

Between flights and hotels WEEKLY that is going to eat away at the salary. We just moved back to DC from SJ so it's not cheap. You will need uber to hotel from airport, uber to office. Are you working at a start up where they feed you or will you need meals too? Also what happens when they tack on an extra day? My DH is 100% remote but is friends with plenty of developers in SJ who are getting RTO mandates or keep adding another day to the in office requirements.

[Anonymous]

This is terrible for the environment. Flying so much every week. How entitled you must be!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is terrible for the environment. Flying so much every week. How entitled you must be!

Op here. Just trying to brainstorm how to make this work. If it were up to me, companies would be more flexible and not require in office work for jobs where that is unnecessary. But I don’t make the rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is terrible for the environment. Flying so much every week. How entitled you must be!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is terrible for the environment. Flying so much every week. How entitled you must be!

Take it up with the companies requiring RTO.

[Anonymous]

What’s wrong with Northern California?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s wrong with Northern California?

Op here. We lived there before and it’s just not our cup of tea. The weather is too cool, the people are so smug and career obsessed, and the beaches suck.

[Anonymous]

I don't think there is any way the SJ person can not stay the night in SJ if you don't live in NorCal. No way to commute two days up and back.

What about Pasadena and fly in and out of Burbank, and LA spouse take the light rail train into LA.

[Anonymous]

Live in Long Beach or Irvine and do one night every week in SJ. DH will still likely have a sh#t commute driving in SoCal. Where is his office?

Or live near SJ ($$$$$) and DH flies down to LA one day per week.

Either way, someone is flying weekly. You can do it cheaply.

This guy took classes at Berkeley and lived in SoCal with his family in order to save rent:

https://news.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/alaska-airlines-surprises-college-student-who-flew-to-class-three-times-a-week-so-he-could-avoid-paying-rent/