WWYD: Move to Cali for career opp or stay in VA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t imagine earning close to a million but living in nova. Think it depends on what you want. I value nice beaches, skiing; and world class cities (NOT DC).

I’d rather take a paycut from a COL perspective and live in a 3/1 in California and ski during the winter, day trips to SF

But people value different things. Some people think going to the Smithsonian every weekend is amazing.

That’s what i thought when I lived in VA.
As soon as I moved for the big buckets, I am too busy to enjoy my nice 3500 sqft house lol 😆 day trip? What is that! I need to nap after a whole week of intense work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I wouldn't do it. I'd wait til you are job hunting again and an employer will pay for your move.

We are a tech family with an HHI of 1.3M. We may eventually move to CA but are holding out as long as possible. The reality is that $900k will buy you a middle class lifestyle with a brutal commute and a hyperfocus on work. That would be true at our income as well.

And many tech companies are quietly divesting of CA. They are favoring candidates in lower cost tech hubs like Austin, ATL, DC, Nashville, Toronto, and Dublin. So a CA address may actually cut against you.

I always try to find ways to get other people to pay for things vs us. So when we wanted to move, one of us looked for another job and got relocation as part of the package. Just a thought.

They are paying for the move and only top candidates are being considered to move back to the Bay Area.

[Anonymous]

OP here. More than decent chance that we will also receive a 7 figure wind-fall / early inheritance. That plays into our decision too to have a better quality of life.

[Anonymous]

Please please please REMOVE Calif from your vocabulary. We can't take it anymore!

[Anonymous]

I live in California, and I say go for it! Despite what people say, it’s a wonderful place to raise a family. It’s quite idyllic, lovely housing stock, weather, people are generally friendly, it’s beautiful, so many outdoor adventures, terrific food, people from all over the world. It’s expensive but you can afford it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks PP! I don’t know much about the area apart from google search and YouTube videos worth maybe 5-10 hours. Do you mind explaining why Los Gatos is a place we should consider?

For context - LOVE farmers market, love walkability, would like a safe place, small town vibe.

saratoga is fantastic. sister has been there for 40 years and still recommends it.

Saratoga is perfect

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t move if your family is here. The Bay Area has changed a lot in the last 30 years. Your money will be nothing there. The schools are bad. And if you think the people here are intense then just wait. I loved California when I lived there but I would not go back now unless there were strong family ties.

This isn’t correct. The Bay Area has fantastic schools, it’s a beautiful place to grow up. Very special.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t move if your family is here. The Bay Area has changed a lot in the last 30 years. Your money will be nothing there. The schools are bad. And if you think the people here are intense then just wait. I loved California when I lived there but I would not go back now unless there were strong family ties.

This isn’t correct. The Bay Area has fantastic schools, it’s a beautiful place to grow up. Very special.

It's only "fantastic" due to family wealth, but CA schools are severely underfunded by the state. And most of the school districts do not have great programs, like gifted or magnet programs.

we moved out of the Peninsula in part due to the schools. I looked at the AP offerings at one of the HS there compared to the local HS we are at here in the DC area, and the one here offers more AP courses than the HS in CA where we were zoned for.

We moved when DC was in 2nd grade, and they were behind in some of the language arts area (not reading) compared to their peers here, not because DC was not advanced (they were, they were reading by 3 and full chapter books by 4), but because the CA school did not teach certain things in K-1. The teacher here spent a couple of months with DC on those areas they lacked, and DC went back up to advanced/gifted level. In the CA school, DC did not have an academic peer group. They were left to their own devices, which equals trouble for a 5/6 yr old.

Having stated that, if UC schools are fine for your kid's future, and you don't care about various programs and more challenging AP/IB courses, I would live in CA. As PPs have noted, weather and qol if you are wealthyish is fantastic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t move if your family is here. The Bay Area has changed a lot in the last 30 years. Your money will be nothing there. The schools are bad. And if you think the people here are intense then just wait. I loved California when I lived there but I would not go back now unless there were strong family ties.

This isn’t correct. The Bay Area has fantastic schools, it’s a beautiful place to grow up. Very special.

It's only "fantastic" due to family wealth, but CA schools are severely underfunded by the state. And most of the school districts do not have great programs, like gifted or magnet programs.

we moved out of the Peninsula in part due to the schools. I looked at the AP offerings at one of the HS there compared to the local HS we are at here in the DC area, and the one here offers more AP courses than the HS in CA where we were zoned for.

We moved when DC was in 2nd grade, and they were behind in some of the language arts area (not reading) compared to their peers here, not because DC was not advanced (they were, they were reading by 3 and full chapter books by 4), but because the CA school did not teach certain things in K-1. The teacher here spent a couple of months with DC on those areas they lacked, and DC went back up to advanced/gifted level. In the CA school, DC did not have an academic peer group. They were left to their own devices, which equals trouble for a 5/6 yr old.

Having stated that, if UC schools are fine for your kid's future, and you don't care about various programs and more challenging AP/IB courses, I would live in CA. As PPs have noted, weather and qol if you are wealthyish is fantastic.

Gifted program is overrated. My child was in Fairfax G&T program and received some specialized class, which were very meh. It also gave her the wrong feedback that she was special.

Our current school is good due to "family wealth" and the teachers actually mentor the students, they approach education from a place of humility and curiosity, which is a better stance when they are young.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. More than decent chance that we will also receive a 7 figure wind-fall / early inheritance. That plays into our decision too to have a better quality of life.

If you are going to get a fat inheritance, then yes, even more reason to move. Life is short. Take the opportunity to try out the bay area. But I also wouldn't be gunning so hard at work then. I imagine you have a lot saved, you already make a lot, and you are going to get even more. How hard do you want to work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. More than decent chance that we will also receive a 7 figure wind-fall / early inheritance. That plays into our decision too to have a better quality of life.

If you are going to get a fat inheritance, then yes, even more reason to move. Life is short. Take the opportunity to try out the bay area. But I also wouldn't be gunning so hard at work then. I imagine you have a lot saved, you already make a lot, and you are going to get even more. How hard do you want to work?

OP here. Couldn't imagine not working. DH and I are both competitive at work and top leaders. Having this safety net is a bit of a cherry on top for sure.

[Anonymous]

Living near my parents and siblings is one of my biggest priorities in life, so I would never consider leaving. I love being near family and I think it’s so great for kids to grow up near grandparents, cousins etc.

[Anonymous]

OP here - moving grandparents to the area is not out of the picture for us. Just need a little more coordination but it’s a possibility

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. More than decent chance that we will also receive a 7 figure wind-fall / early inheritance. That plays into our decision too to have a better quality of life.

If you are going to get a fat inheritance, then yes, even more reason to move. Life is short. Take the opportunity to try out the bay area. But I also wouldn't be gunning so hard at work then. I imagine you have a lot saved, you already make a lot, and you are going to get even more. How hard do you want to work?

OP here. Couldn't imagine not working. DH and I are both competitive at work and top leaders. Having this safety net is a bit of a cherry on top for sure.

You might not like California then. It’s more work to live than live to work. Even in the Bay Area plenty of people have dreams to never work again

Really is PPT and Outlook that amazing? Learn to have fun!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t move if your family is here. The Bay Area has changed a lot in the last 30 years. Your money will be nothing there. The schools are bad. And if you think the people here are intense then just wait. I loved California when I lived there but I would not go back now unless there were strong family ties.

This isn’t correct. The Bay Area has fantastic schools, it’s a beautiful place to grow up. Very special.

It's only "fantastic" due to family wealth, but CA schools are severely underfunded by the state. And most of the school districts do not have great programs, like gifted or magnet programs.

we moved out of the Peninsula in part due to the schools. I looked at the AP offerings at one of the HS there compared to the local HS we are at here in the DC area, and the one here offers more AP courses than the HS in CA where we were zoned for.

We moved when DC was in 2nd grade, and they were behind in some of the language arts area (not reading) compared to their peers here, not because DC was not advanced (they were, they were reading by 3 and full chapter books by 4), but because the CA school did not teach certain things in K-1. The teacher here spent a couple of months with DC on those areas they lacked, and DC went back up to advanced/gifted level. In the CA school, DC did not have an academic peer group. They were left to their own devices, which equals trouble for a 5/6 yr old.

Having stated that, if UC schools are fine for your kid's future, and you don't care about various programs and more challenging AP/IB courses, I would live in CA. As PPs have noted, weather and qol if you are wealthyish is fantastic.

Gifted program is overrated. My child was in Fairfax G&T program and received some specialized class, which were very meh. It also gave her the wrong feedback that she was special.

Our current school is good due to "family wealth" and the teachers actually mentor the students, they approach education from a place of humility and curiosity, which is a better stance when they are young.

sorry your program was just meh. Ours was great for DC. They said they were glad we moved. DC is now in college.