What would you do? E Coast (fed job, no family) vs. W Coast (no job, family)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Is it better to (a) stay in a job that is physically hard on my husband and has no future and in a region where we can't afford a house anyway (so the 70K doesn't get us far) and where we do not want to raise our kids than to (b) take the risk of him going back to school? I don't think so. Plenty of people take economic and job risks when they think that in the long run it will be best for their family.

Ok, you seem to contradict yourself. First you say it will only be a year until he starts school. Then you make it seem like he'll be staying in this job in DC and you'll be stuck raising kids here.
It's ONE YEAR. You can either go deeper in debt and live hand to mouth that one year, or you can move, make ends meet, have medical insurance, and then go back. Seems a no-brainer to me.

And FWIW, I think the others are right - Forest Service is a hard career to break into, with long hours, low pay, and lots of moves. I am not saying its a bad job or you DH won't love it. But you need to rethink how you spend and how you see your family future. If he goes Forest Service, you'll live in small towns in small homes with no fancy vacations and prada shoes. Its not a bad life. But don't delude yourself into thinking this new career will be high paying or wont take you away from family.

Oh, and feds usually pay for moving expenses.

I keep talking about being in DC long term for the people who are saying he shouldn't go back to school. We feel like it's either go back to school or be in DC long term, considering that he's been applying for other jobs elsewhere. Most fed jobs (outside of DC) require you to move a bit for career advancement.

The kids, at least, would have health insurance (public assistance) if we stayed here.

You don't have to think of living in DC as a life sentence. He should take the full-time job here and really figure out what the most practical course of career advancement would be that would get you guys back out west. Networking and paying a reputable consultant who specializes in fed jobs to help with his federal job search would be good ideas. Although paying someone to help with applications, etc., seems like a lot of money, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than grad school and seems to have worked well for many people. If grad school actually makes sense, he should wait until you're earning money and no longer paying tuition. If he goes back to school, he should do a part-time masters, and look into establishing residency in a state with a state university that has a program he wants.

How do we find such a consultant? That sounds reasonable.

I'm not dead-set in staying W for the next year. It's hard to not defend that option, though, when people are calling it "disgusting."

OP, people are not calling living in the West disgusting. Your attitude and willingness to go on welfare when your decision making ability is clearly impaired would be considered "disgusting" by most of us.

[Anonymous]

OP, if your husband telecommutes, couldn't you live in a less-expensive area like Baltimore? You might like it there better than DC--it has a much more laid-back feel and $70K can go A LOT further there than it can in the DC area. You could probably even afford to buy a house there on his salary and a few freelance gigs for you (if you choose to stay here).

Having said that, you sound like an idiot (who WANTS to go on public assistance???) and I don't know that I would want you living or working anywhere around me so maybe you should stay out west and drain their already suffering economy out there.

DC isn't perfect and I like the west too but there is a reason why people live here----because we actually have JOBS to offer!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Is it better to (a) stay in a job that is physically hard on my husband and has no future and in a region where we can't afford a house anyway (so the 70K doesn't get us far) and where we do not want to raise our kids than to (b) take the risk of him going back to school? I don't think so. Plenty of people take economic and job risks when they think that in the long run it will be best for their family.

Ok, you seem to contradict yourself. First you say it will only be a year until he starts school. Then you make it seem like he'll be staying in this job in DC and you'll be stuck raising kids here.
It's ONE YEAR. You can either go deeper in debt and live hand to mouth that one year, or you can move, make ends meet, have medical insurance, and then go back. Seems a no-brainer to me.

And FWIW, I think the others are right - Forest Service is a hard career to break into, with long hours, low pay, and lots of moves. I am not saying its a bad job or you DH won't love it. But you need to rethink how you spend and how you see your family future. If he goes Forest Service, you'll live in small towns in small homes with no fancy vacations and prada shoes. Its not a bad life. But don't delude yourself into thinking this new career will be high paying or wont take you away from family.

Oh, and feds usually pay for moving expenses.

I keep talking about being in DC long term for the people who are saying he shouldn't go back to school. We feel like it's either go back to school or be in DC long term, considering that he's been applying for other jobs elsewhere. Most fed jobs (outside of DC) require you to move a bit for career advancement.

The kids, at least, would have health insurance (public assistance) if we stayed here.

You don't have to think of living in DC as a life sentence. He should take the full-time job here and really figure out what the most practical course of career advancement would be that would get you guys back out west. Networking and paying a reputable consultant who specializes in fed jobs to help with his federal job search would be good ideas. Although paying someone to help with applications, etc., seems like a lot of money, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than grad school and seems to have worked well for many people. If grad school actually makes sense, he should wait until you're earning money and no longer paying tuition. If he goes back to school, he should do a part-time masters, and look into establishing residency in a state with a state university that has a program he wants.

How do we find such a consultant? That sounds reasonable.

I'm not dead-set in staying W for the next year. It's hard to not defend that option, though, when people are calling it "disgusting."

Start a separate post here asking for recommendations for fed career consultants, and look at the Washington Post's career section, which occassionally has fed career consultants as guest experts to answer readers' questions--hopefully the consultants they pick have been able to help people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, I don't think a degree from Yale would get anyone hired any faster than a degree from a Western school, where there are internships and other opportunities in a region with way more national forests that in the East.

You're completely missing my point. I mentioned I went to Yale because it's the oldest and most well-respected forestry program in the country. I'm trying to tell you that I know what I'm talking about. Let me say this for you again. In a good economy, with (presumably) the same degree as your husband will be getting (a master's program, yes?), it took me over a year to get a job in my field. And I started low on the totem pole and worked my way up. What in the world makes you think that an internship on the west coast in a National Forest is going to get your DH a job in government at GS13 right out of school? It is highly likely, no matter what his profession, that someone straight out of school in this economy is going to have to job search for a while. Maybe a year. Maybe longer. And this goes for you, as well. What happens when you both graduate and you're still both unemployed? Then what? Stay on public assistance indefinitely?

But, you know, you'll be on the west coast which is super awesome, so it will be all good, dude!

For two highly educated people, you don't have a lot of sense.

Read again....I don't think, in fact I know, he will not be a GS13 right out of school.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who is a fed working in forestry - he is about 10 years older than me. He lives in Yakima, WA and loves his very physical work and his life. He was so impressed years ago when I got my GS-12. Like amazed. Like I must be a huge important decision maker. I'm assuming he was about a GS-9 and had been working for a while.

[Anonymous]

Actually, it might be worth exploring the "he moves to DC and rents a room; you stay on the West coast" scenario if it's only for a couple of years. otherwise, I'd say move. I don't think that living off of government assistance is a very good Plan A. (I understand that sometimes it's necessary as a Plan B, but if he's employable, he should be employed.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your husband telecommutes, couldn't you live in a less-expensive area like Baltimore? You might like it there better than DC--it has a much more laid-back feel and $70K can go A LOT further there than it can in the DC area. You could probably even afford to buy a house there on his salary and a few freelance gigs for you (if you choose to stay here).

Having said that, you sound like an idiot (who WANTS to go on public assistance???) and I don't know that I would want you living or working anywhere around me so maybe you should stay out west and drain their already suffering economy out there.

DC isn't perfect and I like the west too but there is a reason why people live here----because we actually have JOBS to offer!

First of all, I do not WANT to be on public assistance. I want DH to find a full-time job out here until grad school so the assistance would just get us by until that happens. BUT I don't know if/when that will happen.

Your calling someone an idiot who is just asking for some input here is one of the reasons I want to not live on the E Coast. I don't want to raise my kids around people like you.

[Anonymous]

Also, I figured if we can't save money either way (bc of high cost of living in E + moving expenses, twice), maybe just getting by here is basically the same difference for us in one year from now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, I don't think a degree from Yale would get anyone hired any faster than a degree from a Western school, where there are internships and other opportunities in a region with way more national forests that in the East.

You're completely missing my point. I mentioned I went to Yale because it's the oldest and most well-respected forestry program in the country. I'm trying to tell you that I know what I'm talking about. Let me say this for you again. In a good economy, with (presumably) the same degree as your husband will be getting (a master's program, yes?), it took me over a year to get a job in my field. And I started low on the totem pole and worked my way up. What in the world makes you think that an internship on the west coast in a National Forest is going to get your DH a job in government at GS13 right out of school? It is highly likely, no matter what his profession, that someone straight out of school in this economy is going to have to job search for a while. Maybe a year. Maybe longer. And this goes for you, as well. What happens when you both graduate and you're still both unemployed? Then what? Stay on public assistance indefinitely?

But, you know, you'll be on the west coast which is super awesome, so it will be all good, dude!

For two highly educated people, you don't have a lot of sense.

Read again....I don't think, in fact I know, he will not be a GS13 right out of school.

So in other words, a new job will be giving him a pay cut, and this is after you take out more loans to make it work. How is this a good idea?

[Anonymous]

it's not ideal, but it's better than being stuck in his current job.

[Anonymous]

I said "pretend" he's in the military.

[Anonymous]

FYI, we were actually leaning toward moving to DC before I posted this, I was just looking for input. I have read DCUM enough to know how harsh some of that advice would be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:it's not ideal, but it's better than being stuck in his current job.

If you think it's better to be $20,000 (your numbers) in debt BEFORE your husband starts school is the better option, there truly is no bope for you. (I won't even mention the "we'll just go on the dole" attitude, since it's apaprent that you don't care abotu the moral implicatiosn of that.)

[Anonymous]

"Your calling someone an idiot who is just asking for some input here is one of the reasons I want to not live on the E Coast. I don't want to raise my kids around people like you. "

You mean, people like me whose tax money would go to feed your kids? F off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:it's not ideal, but it's better than being stuck in his current job.

Why is it better?