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Are you really asking for advice or simply seeking to have your existing opinions validated? It is looking like the latter to me. Moving from Australia to a high COLA city in the US for a 120k-150k/y USD job in a niche market (that you've put yourself in) while keeping your house in Australia to rent it out instead of selling because you believe the risk of a housing crash in the next 10 years to be lower than a housing rise.... is dumb. Or naive. Or both. I don't know how much plainer the responses you've gotten have to be, or if there's any point in continuing to solicit advice you aren't going to listen to. Nothing in life is guaranteed and there is a small chance everything would come up smelling like roses for you with your plan. There's a much larger chance you'll end up completely hosed. My last bit of advice: If you're looking moving for the job, don't.
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Jan 31, 2019 16:21
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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Jan 31, 2019 21:52
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Absent other details (and if you have other reasons for moving you'd prefer to keep private, that's fine, just be clear from the start) making a huge move for a tech job in a city like Seattle for 120k seems like it wouldn't be worth it. Of course you can survive there on that and much less, but given a country full of options it's not the best one. You are going to need to live well outside the city, as you already know, and that commute is going to suck. Also, you don't seem that set on a particular city - I mean, the Bay Area, Seattle, and NYC (to name the choices you've thrown out) are all widely different in most aspects other than being expensive, so it doesn't seem like geographic location in the US is a major factor in your decision, whatever is driving it. I am biased because I left a bigger city for a smaller one and have been much happier for it for years now. Austin is no small backwoods city either, my point being you can still find good, interesting places to live with lots to do that don't have a ridiculous housing market and/or are choked with traffic. You don't have to move to the sticks.
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Jan 31, 2019 22:05
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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Jan 31, 2019 22:10
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CelestialScribe posted:Yep, absolutely. My fear though is the lack of job opportunity in those areas. If I lose a job in a small area, it's that much harder to get another one. In my opinion you are overthinking this. The US consists of more than the biggest 2 cities on either coast  Even for what you do. As I told you earlier, there are opportunities everywhere and many people who lived in the Bay Area, NYC, etc. have long figured that out. CelestialScribe posted:Just to revisit this. If it's inevitable that I move, and it's inevitable that house prices continue to fall, wouldn't it make sense to sell my house right now, get the most I can for it, then rent the remaining 18-24 months I'm going to be in Australia? Never try to time any market. Make your move on selling when it makes sense based on your needs and don't think of it as "losing" potential gains because you also "lost" the chance of losing money as well. Housing in most markets rarely doubles inside a 12-24 month window. On the flip side, housing can absolutely crash that hard or worse in the same time period. I mentioned this earlier, but you're playing a "win small, lose big" game by waiting just in case the market goes up instead of down. Sell when you are ready and your move to the US is certain.
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Feb 1, 2019 01:17
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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Feb 1, 2019 01:32
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I suppose the better question that hasn't even been answered here: Are you a US Citizen? Is your wife? Also, you're two years out, which can be a lifetime in the tech field. Obsessing over a specific job title that far out is deeply counterproductive.
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Feb 1, 2019 02:06
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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Feb 1, 2019 02:31
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CelestialScribe posted:My point wasn't about the job title. My point is that if I go to a smaller city it's more likely that I'll have to take a role that is a step back in my career. There's no reason you would have to take a step back and even if you did have to move, so what? You're already moving from Australia to the US. Moving from one city to another is nothing compared to that. If we take your reasoning at face value you claim that outside of SF there's basically nothing in your field, with only a dozen positions with it in NYC. You also claim that this would only command you $150k/year in NYC. To be blunt, that makes no sense. But even assuming it is true, your worst fears are already realized. If you end up getting laid off that would mean that either you weren't good at your job and essentially were nicely fired...which doesn't speak to you getting a new job in that field. The other angle would be a down turn in your industry or the economy as a whole. In which case it is very likely other people in your role will be affected; and since there were only 12 positions in the good times, that means even fewer now that people have been laid off. You've already eliminated (wisely) SF because of COL; but NYC has a higher COL and Seattle isn't much better than SF. You also mention Denver as a possibility, but it only has 2 positions. So either you know these numbers aren't representative, or you don't actually buy your risk analysis that you posed. I find it really hard to believe that only Denver, SF, Seattle, Atlanta, and "to a lesser extent" Chicago, and Austin have positions for your specialty or career advancement. Are you really suggesting that Chicago has fewer jobs available at your level and above than Austin? And cities like LA, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, DC & Surrounding simply don't have the industry you're looking for? Never mind the dozens in between? If this is actually true the bigger risk you should consider isn't career advancement in that field, but how you can pivot to a field that isn't always on the precipice of non-existence.
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Feb 1, 2019 03:09
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I'll continue to respect your request for privacy and not discuss your specific role you mentioned to me in a PM - though honestly, I don't personally think it's at all controversial, just a little niche - however I do recommend you think a little outside of the narrow confines you have set for yourself. From what you described you could do a lot of things, some with better pay, over time. And of course there is no guarantee that what you do will stay as niche as it currently is. I think it is far more likely that roles like yours will either become much more common, or simply fade out of fashion. Particularly over the next 18-24 months. Status quo is unlikely for the longer term in your case. You should view this as a good thing; there are plenty of ways to market what you do, and clearly like to do, to a broader audience. Liquid Communism (I love SA usernames) has another valid point - do you already have the visa situation sorted out, or are you/your wife citizens? Is that a factor behind your need to stick with a specific job? If you are sponsored for a visa, or planning to be, that absolutely plays a role in your decision and would explain a few things.
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Feb 1, 2019 03:12
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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Feb 1, 2019 03:38
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CelestialScribe posted:I just want to skip a few questions and ask about your suggestion just now: what other roles do you suggest I could pursue if not my current one that could pay more? Hard to have a discussion if you don't want to state in the forum what your current role is I wouldn't be that shy about mentioning it, I mean it isn't that off the wall, or unique, and probably would get you better feedback. Up to you.
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Feb 1, 2019 03:58
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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Feb 1, 2019 04:01
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CelestialScribe posted:I'm happy to share as long as the responses aren't going to be stuff like "learn to code". Only one way to find out I mean, this is still SA. Goons gonna be goons.
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Feb 1, 2019 04:13
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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Feb 1, 2019 04:14
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Are you a Russian fake news propaganda writer? Seems to check all boxes so far.
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Feb 1, 2019 04:27
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Droo posted:Are you a Russian fake news propaganda writer? Seems to check all boxes so far. He wouldn't be moving to the US if that was the case, you can do that job anywhere, cheaper, and there's no shortage of them
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Feb 1, 2019 04:30
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If you are a specialist in a large city your employer is going to have many options to fire and replace you, in a smaller market they are stuck with your bullshit forever. Just a thought. You seem hard to get along with. People that don't know you are getting angry at you for no reason.
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Feb 1, 2019 15:04
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You're not crazy to want the career stability and options that come with being in a major tech hub OP. A lot of people are too dismissive of how drastic the differences are between major tech hubs and random other cities. If you can stomach the high prices and long commutes, NYC and Seattle are great choices.
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Feb 1, 2019 15:48
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Also a 150k salary is good in Seattle for a single income. Most people in the city much less the suburbs are making a lot less than that. The Household income median I think is somewhere around 120k if I remember, but in most cases its with two people working. However if he wants to move he should sell the house in Austrailia to buy something where he will actually be living. Jack2142 fucked around with this message at 17:59 on Feb 2, 2019 |
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Feb 2, 2019 17:57
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CelestialScribe posted:I appreciate that, but we are talking about risk here. If I move to a smaller city and take a job that is outside of my main career track (but is adjacent to it) is that not also a risk? An American "smaller city" is still big, with 50+ cities over 1 million people. It's not like in Australia or Sweden...
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Feb 4, 2019 20:38
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Finding a job as, say, a programmer in a US city of decent size is not a problem for an experienced person. But the quality of the jobs available in terms of pay, benefits, work culture, etc. can vary drastically. And even if a non-zero number of high quality jobs are available, you also have to factor in that you're always playing the odds: even if you're competent, your chances of getting past the gates of [resume screen -> phone screen -> on-sites] into any single company generally aren't great. That's part of why the major tech hubs are desirable: you don't just have one or two high-paying companies with a strong engineering culture, you have a shitton of them, so if you're good then your chances of getting into at least one are pretty good.
Cicero fucked around with this message at 20:50 on Feb 4, 2019 |
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Feb 4, 2019 20:45
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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May 28, 2019 02:15
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CelestialScribe posted:#4. I'm able to start looking at areas like North Carolina, Denver, Philly, Minneapolis, Portland, etc. Which should address a lot of the comments in this thread re: cost of living. But if you care more about saving lots of money, the major tech hubs do offer more potential that way, though it often involves compromising on standard of living to an extent. I saved, I dunno, like 50k a year in retirement accounts when I was working at Google in the bay area. Maybe more than that including after-tax savings/stock. But we also lived in a 1br manufactured home in a trailer park -- a nice one, but it was hardly ideal.
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May 28, 2019 11:56
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Please do note that most of the concerns about catastrophic expenses with health insurance in the USA are not from people with well-compensated tech jobs. American health care is wildly hosed up but it is quite good for the top ~10% of employed people. Edit: it's good that your job was way less of a unicorn than you thought. Here are some brief thoughts about two of the areas that you suggested: I generally really like Minneapolis - it's cheap, there's lots of cultural stuff, good food, real city scale, etc - but the thing that is gonna make or break you there is whether you can deal with the 6 months of very cold, dark, and snow weather. As an Australian, I'm not convinced you're ready for this. Go visit in March or something. Other downsides: not close to mountains or the ocean, and lots of minnesota nice people I've lived in NC. You are going to have to be more specific. The Triangle is OK, Charlotte is a soul-less miniature of Atlanta and sucks, and I doubt you're going to the Triad since it's too small. KYOON GRIFFEY JR fucked around with this message at 13:35 on May 28, 2019 |
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May 28, 2019 13:18
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I just assumed NC == RTP since it's tech.
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May 28, 2019 17:28
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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May 28, 2019 21:27
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Cicero posted:I just assumed NC == RTP since it's tech. yeah although Charlotte is becoming ever so slightly relevant with some finance stuff these days
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May 28, 2019 21:52
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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May 29, 2019 03:13
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CelestialScribe posted:more just the ability to save and have lower expenses. quote:Weird question about Google: what are the health premiums like there? I'd love to work for Google in a place like Seattle.
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Jun 4, 2019 09:42
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Cicero posted:Do you care about these as separate things, or as a single thing? Because for a techie, the bay area is great for the former in spite of being terrible for the latter. Same for Seattle, although it's probably better for both (near bay area salaries, substantially cheaper housing costs and no state income tax). Seattle's def cheaper than SF, but you're still looking at ~$500k starting price to get into the market in an actual house, cheaper if you're willing to own a condo, but not much. I live about as far north as you can get on the east side working for a fortune 500 tech company, and our two bedroom 1300 sqft condo is worth ~$450k in the current market. No state income tax is nice, but we pay almost 10% in sales tax to make up for it some.
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Jun 4, 2019 22:44
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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Jun 29, 2019 04:18
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I'm the $80 entertainment budget for 2 people + kid(s) Something is just off with this whole scheme, I can't quite put my finger on it. Is it keeping the house "in case you have to move back"... is it moving 7000 miles so you can scrape by in a super expensive place... nah, that couldn't be it.
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Jun 29, 2019 05:30
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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Jun 29, 2019 05:45
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At least you can do the 'live in another country' thing without having to learn another language or culture. Aside from that, 
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Jun 29, 2019 05:58
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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Jun 29, 2019 06:00
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My dude, this phrase right here: "If one of us suffers from a cancer diagnosis" like, do you guys both have undiagnosed illnesses or something? Are you in the habit of regularly exposing yourselves to toxic substances? Why would such a thought guide how you approach ... literally anything? Moving and adapting to living in another country was pretty much the hardest thing I'd ever done at that point in my life. Finding a place to live when I came back was about 2% as challenging. If the attachment to the house is sentimental, that's fine, I would understand that.
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Jun 29, 2019 06:07
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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Jun 29, 2019 06:11
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The job that I had while I was in another county was related to cancer treatment, so I know a bit about cancer. If you're young, don't smoke etc, you don't need to worry about it like, as a matter of course for planning your life. That is absurd imho. You sound like a very odd person and I don't think you quite understand what you're getting yourself and your spouse into by moving to another country... but it will be entertaining to read.
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Jun 29, 2019 06:16
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CelestialScribe fucked around with this message at 03:49 on May 28, 2020 |
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Jun 29, 2019 06:22
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