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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't think the negative advice is accurate. It depends what he wants. If he thinks he is going to move to DC and walk into a a high-paying, prestigious job at a lobbying firm or on the Hill, then yeah, he's unrealistic. But though DCUMers may tend to forget this, the DC metro area is also full of people who - gasp - work as waiters, roofers, retail sales people, check-in clerks at hotels, temps, administrative assistants in offices, etc.

If he is just looking at this stage of his life for a simple "job" - not a career, just something that will pay bills for a couple of years while he decides if he wants to go back to school - then this is a perfectly good place to move. [b]Even if he and his wife both get minimum wage jobs, they would bring in, together, about $60k/year, [/b]which works if they don't mind living in a studio in a less fashionable neighborhood. Trust me, whole families in this city manage to get by on much less.

Maybe he should consider signing up with a temp agency to get his feet in the water?[/quote]

Is it true that two minimum wage jobs would bring in about $60k/year?  That sounds high to me.[/quote]

It's high. DC minimum wage is $11.50.  Virginia's is like $7 or something. I think MD's is somewhere in between.  So if you live in DC, and work 40 hours a week 52 weeks a year (no vacation whatsoever), you make less than $25k.  But you have to afford living in DC. More likely they live in one of the surrounding states, and therefore make more like $20k each a year.

Agree with PP that sure there are people who live in DC and wait tables and do other minimum wage things. I'd guess they were either born here or something in particular brought them here.  You're way better off living elsewhere if you want to be a waitress.  [/quote]

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