CAMARO COST VS INCOME

[jd10013]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN sui

I did apply for a job in a bigger city, I would be starting out at about $12,000 more than I make now. So we'll see how that goes! Maybe this week I'll here if I have an interview or not.

you'll probably loose out. you'll increase your pay about 50%, but your cost of living will most likely quadrupole. just the change in taxes will eat up good chunk of that 12k.

cities and high growth areas are very expensive to live in. I think I remember you saying you paid 350 in rent. well, where I live 350 might get you a room in someone's house in a bad area of town. there is no such thing as a 350 apartment around here.


it's all relative. if you want to increase your real pay, you have to get a job/position that pays more. your not going to do it just moving. as pay scales go up, so does the cost of living. in most cases, it isn't equal either. most of the time your going to loose purchasing power.

[Jim Burke]

Originally Posted by oldfriend

Sign me up , now , is that 200k after taxes ?

before taxes...and being a contractor (incorporated) helps alot.

Its harder for Americans to get these jobs due to the fact that most companies want you to live in Canada for at least a year and sign a contract holding you to that. I guess i shouldn't say its harder for Americans to get the jobs, more that its harder to get Americans to take these jobs

[oldfriend]

Originally Posted by Jim Burke

before taxes...and being a contractor (incorporated) helps alot.

Its harder for Americans to get these jobs due to the fact that most companies want you to live in Canada for at least a year and sign a contract holding you to that. I guess i shouldn't say its harder for Americans to get the jobs, more that its harder to get Americans to take these jobs

So how come they get workers from the South Asia and other countries .

[SPARTAN sui]

Originally Posted by Candy_Camaro

It's not worth it in this day and age. I am 32 with two kids. I would never have the time to spend with my kids and go to school. My husband makes the bigger bucks working at the county jail here so if he can promote over the next few years, we will be set.

That's what keeps me from going back to school, just not worth it to me either.

[Jim Burke]

Originally Posted by oldfriend

So how come they get workers from the South Asia and other countries .

Because they are willing to leave everyone they know behind so that they can move to Canada for a few years, living as cheap as possible, sending most of the money back and then move back home at the end of their contract as literal hero in their town. Or, they give up everything back home and move here permantly with their wife/kids and make a new life, so to speak.

If you are willing to do that, then you can come on up

[SPARTAN sui]

Originally Posted by jd10013

you'll probably loose out. you'll increase your pay about 50%, but your cost of living will most likely quadrupole. just the change in taxes will eat up good chunk of that 12k.

cities and high growth areas are very expensive to live in. I think I remember you saying you paid 350 in rent. well, where I live 350 might get you a room in someone's house in a bad area of town. there is no such thing as a 350 apartment around here.


it's all relative. if you want to increase your real pay, you have to get a job/position that pays more. your not going to do it just moving. as pay scales go up, so does the cost of living. in most cases, it isn't equal either. most of the time your going to loose purchasing power.

I've looked at apartments in the area (Fargo, ND) and they're not badly priced. My rent right now is $325, comes out to $3,900 a year. If I'm looking at about $900 rent a month (this is for an apartment building that was just built and has heated underground parking), that comes out to $10,800 a year, but minus $3,900 is a $6,900 difference. I would be bringing home $4,000 more a year. However, there's cheaper apartments, so I could bring home more if I wanted to. The biggest thing that attracts me is the heated underground parking. I've dreamed of having a garage, even a carport. But to have one that is heated even, winter wouldn't be half bad!

The biggest benefit of getting this other job is it's a larger university, there's more positions to move up to, I would have all the amenities I would ever need located just in the city (places to eat, places to shop, things to do, etc), and I would be only a few minutes away from my girlfriend compared to a few hours. Actually, if we moved into an apartment together, it would make my rent even cheaper.

To visit my girlfriend for the weekend, it's about $70 in gas, and about another $20-60 for things to do while I'm in town. It gets expensive and it's tough on our relationship. It makes us stronger as a couple, we don't take the little things for granted, but I would LOVE to have a normal relationship.

[evergrn]

Originally Posted by knitetrain05

Student loan over $2000.00 a month!!? thats got to be a typo. If it not, that is crazy

No typo, it really is a little over $2000 a month. I'm on the 10 year plan, so I'll be sitting pretty at 37 at least.

[Jim Burke]

Originally Posted by evergrn

No typo, it really is a little over $2000 a month. I'm on the 10 year plan, so I'll be sitting pretty at 37 at least.

Wow. you must have a pretty shiny degree for that kind of money

[pyr0b0y]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN sui

That's what keeps me from going back to school, just not worth it to me either.

I started to go to school as a CS major, but ended up dropping out after 3 days, and got a full time job in the IT field. I too have been working on computers since I was a little kid (22 now) and just had lots of personal experience and private clients. It got me my job for 3 years and my salary nearly doubled in the first year. I've since started a new job at a different company and are paying even more. Degrees don't make that much of a difference in the IT industry (where I live at least), and they what to see experience more than anything, and certs help too (especially from Microsoft or Cisco). In the Silicon Valley, there are so many people that have business degrees or in another non-related field that are making well over $100k in the IT industry. I'm pretty sure you only see this in the Bay Area, and out of big cities they want degrees.

CCNA and MCSE are great all around certs to have btw so keep working on CCNA!

[SPARTAN sui]

Originally Posted by pyr0b0y

I started to go to school as a CS major, but ended up dropping out after 3 days, and got a full time job in the IT field. I too have been working on computers since I was a little kid (22 now) and just had lots of personal experience and private clients. It got me my job for 3 years and my salary nearly doubled in the first year. I've since started a new job at a different company and are paying even more. Degrees don't make that much of a difference in the IT industry (where I live at least), and they what to see experience more than anything, and certs help too (especially from Microsoft or Cisco). In the Silicon Valley, there are so many people that have business degrees or in another non-related field that are making well over $100k in the IT industry. I'm pretty sure you only see this in the Bay Area, and out of big cities they want degrees.

CCNA and MCSE are great all around certs to have btw so keep working on CCNA!

Congrats on your success, sounds like you're off to a great start. I will try to work on my CCNA, thanks for the tip.

[Candy_Camaro]

Originally Posted by Jim Burke

Wow. you must have a pretty shiny degree for that kind of money

[jd10013]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN sui

I've looked at apartments in the area (Fargo, ND) and they're not badly priced. My rent right now is $325, comes out to $3,900 a year. If I'm looking at about $900 rent a month (this is for an apartment building that was just built and has heated underground parking), that comes out to $10,800 a year, but minus $3,900 is a $6,900 difference. .

again, there is more than just rent. taxes are going to eat up at least 25% of your income, or 3k of that 12k. so now your just about even. and that's assuming there are no local taxes. and much like the apartment, most other things are going to cost you more too. so even best case scenario, assuming noting in fargo is more expensive than your current location except apartments (doubtful) then you'll have about 100 a month more, or $25 a week

I'm not trying to be a killjoy or anything. but higher pay areas almost universally cost more to live in. that's why the jobs pay better. It's also why so many people commute long distances to and from work. work in the high paying area, live in the cheaper cost of living one. believe me, they do that so much in the DC area (where I live) that we now have the worst traffic in the country............go us. anyhow, if you really want to get ahead of the game, focus on moving up, promoting etc.

[SPARTAN sui]

Originally Posted by jd10013

again, there is more than just rent. taxes are going to eat up at least 25% of your income, or 3k of that 12k. so now your just about even. and that's assuming there are no local taxes. and much like the apartment, most other things are going to cost you more too. so even best case scenario, assuming noting in fargo is more expensive than your current location except apartments (doubtful) then you'll have about 100 a month more, or $25 a week

Well, yeah. I pay taxes now also, lol. It's still $12,000 more than what I'm making before taxes. I'm netting $21,820.80 (give or take a few dollars) currently after taxes. Taxes are about 20% of what I make. So now we know what taxes are, I'd be netting about $32,000.

So in a month working at my current job, I take home $1,818 a month. In Fargo I would be taking home $2,666 a month. About $848 more a month. You factor out what I currently pay for rent, that's $1,173. If I'm looking at about $900 a month in rent + utilities, I'm coming out $273 ahead. And really, I could find a cheaper apartment to stay in, this is just the *ideal* one.

Living expenses are going to be the same. Things are not anymore expensive 250 miles away, and gas is actually cheaper than it is here. If my girlfriend & I were to move in together, even better. I usually get to Fargo once or twice a month, that's $70 to $140 in my pocket if I just lived there. I buy all my groceries at Walmart currently, I'd probably do the same in Fargo.

Originally Posted by jd10013

I'm not trying to be a killjoy or anything. but higher pay areas almost universally cost more to live in. that's why the jobs pay better. It's also why so many people commute long distances to and from work. work in the high paying area, live in the cheaper cost of living one. believe me, they do that so much in the DC area (where I live) that we now have the worst traffic in the country............go us. anyhow, if you really want to get ahead of the game, focus on moving up, promoting etc.

There's only one position above me, my supervisor's position. There's 3 of us in the department all together. Our head count for this fall is somewhere around 700-800 students I believe (200 on campus, the rest is online), the headcount for NDSU this fall is somewhere around 10,000+. I think NDSU will have more positions to move up to. Also, it's not like I'd lose what I've worked hard for. Both this college & NDSU are a part of the North Dakota University System. I'll have all the same benefits and I'll be able to retire at the same age.

This is all still hypothetical, I don't even know if I will be interviewed, and I don't even know if I would accept the job. The description for it is pretty vague. It can go two ways. It will either be similar to what I'm doing right now, or I will be on the phone all day as help desk, which I do not want.

My biggest fear is getting the position, than a week or month later hating my job.

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

Originally Posted by pyr0b0y

I started to go to school as a CS major, but ended up dropping out after 3 days, and got a full time job in the IT field. I too have been working on computers since I was a little kid (22 now) and just had lots of personal experience and private clients. It got me my job for 3 years and my salary nearly doubled in the first year. I've since started a new job at a different company and are paying even more. Degrees don't make that much of a difference in the IT industry (where I live at least), and they what to see experience more than anything, and certs help too (especially from Microsoft or Cisco). In the Silicon Valley, there are so many people that have business degrees or in another non-related field that are making well over $100k in the IT industry. I'm pretty sure you only see this in the Bay Area, and out of big cities they want degrees.

CCNA and MCSE are great all around certs to have btw so keep working on CCNA!

^^^ THIS...


I have MCDBA, MCSE, MCSA, MCPD, MCITP, MOS, CCNA, Microsoft Dynamics and Exchange, as well as several others, I have been a member of the MSDN since it began back in the 1990s..

though I haven't updated since Server 2008, and I really should, but currently we are only using Server 2008 @ my company, probably won't dive into 2012 for another 2 years, I usually wait until the R2 roll out because MS is so consistent with their problems in version 1 of anything.


as far as hating your job, we've all been there, it's a fear you have to deal with, put up with it for as long as you need to, and work on finding something else.

The good thing for you is that being as young as you are, you can move into other positions without too much concern about you work history by simply saying "as my education grows I am searching for a position that utilizes my skill set" The drawback to that is some companies might shy away thinking you will leave them pretty quick, but that can be laid to rest with questions about growth from within.

My biggest issue was always that, no growth potential within a company, still is, because technically I can go no higher in the position I am currently in, however I love my company so it isn't much of a concern any longer.

However in the past it was, and that's just the thing with IT, most companies see IT as a capitol expense with no profitability for the company, and in a sense we are a huge expense.

What a lot of companies fail to realize is that without IT, a lot of them would (and have) failed. My company is so dependent on IT that last week we had a 32 hour power failure (our power companies fault) and EVERYTHING came to a stand still, orders, inventory, production, accounting, EVERYTHING.

Without their PC's and the Database online and live the company was strangled.. Of course without power we couldn't CNC, punch, cut, weld, grind or anything else either..