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chris United States. Oct 20 2013 22:20. Posts 5503 | | |
I looked through the posted hands when bored and away from home. Nothing is on TV. I had nothing else to do....so I trolled. Yep, I made a long post and I did my best not to make it too obvious of a troll.
Dammit, I get called out on it.
A couple of days later? EVERYONE is trolling in the hand posting section.
Yeah, I'm cool.
On a non-trolling / serious note: I just flew back from Bismarck, North Dakota. It's a quaint place. Everyone seems to be friendly, the landscape is pretty, and it is easy to get around. I met with the company vice president, controller, assistant controller and payroll manager. They were all pretty awesome and I could see myself really enjoying working with them. The company builds and provides maintenance for power plants, pipelines and other industrial type construction. I would be working in payroll.
The downsides to Bismark are that, while it is a city (sort of) and is the second highest populated place in the state, it is only about 100k people. It doesn't feel like it - it does not have the small town feel, but certainly does not feel like a city. The weather is cold. I found it chilly when there (around 40 degrees F) but I am told that the winters get really windy and lots of snow. I could expect, with the wind chill, 10-30 degrees F below 0.
I can deal with that. The craziest part? It is the housing situation. IN the entire city, there are something like 4 or 5 houses available for sale (at least that was what I was told by realtor) and just about every apartment I contacted was full and had waiting list. Of the apartments that were available, I am looking at rents of $1k+ for small one bedroom units.
I was able to find a place - brand new construction - that had a decent 2 br for $1160 a month - practically a steal price wise and for the quality. The problem is that wages haven't quite caught up to the rent. Now, even though there is virtually no unemployment and every place of business has a help wanted / now hiring sign up, it is still difficult to afford rent. I could get a decent place in LA for what I would have to pay in Bismarck, but I would make more money in LA. McDonald's is starting people at 15 an hour part time, and something like 12.50-15 full time, with a $500 bonus, but even on wages like that, how could someone afford $1k for a rent?
I have figured that I will pay ~ 14k in rent a year, but before taxes, that accounts for about 19k of my salary. I am expecting to earn a first year salary in the mid to high 40s. That is insane, about half of my salary will go to rent!
Got some estimates on shipping my belongings up there, as well. That will cost ~ 4.3k plus I have to find a way to get my car up there (i am not driving it 1.5k miles). the simple solution is to sell everything and replace it when arriving (if that is what I choose), because that would be more cost effective. I have a nice car, but it is getting older and up there in miles, so it is also replaceable.
My step dad thinks that, no matter what, I should go to North Dakota. I feel like he is serious, but there is a chance he, too, is trolling. What a sick troll that would be. My mom thinks I should chase the money. My father thinks I should chase the money.
The job and the people I would work for in ND are certainly better, no doubt. The cost of living is ridiculous, mainly because of the rent. That is what is causing me trouble at the moment, because even though Wilmington, NC pays quite a bit less, I would have a larger discretionary income, with much better weather.
ultimately, i want to choose what will be better for me down the road. the job in bismarck, ND offers that, but because of the high costs, i will likely struggle financially for the next couple of years while earning raises. i do not think the company is going to blow me away with their offer by throwing way more money at me.
someone made the point that, in wilmington, i could always look for another job. this is a good point. in ND, i would need to be committed to that job for at least 3 to 5 years. in wilmington, i would leave in 1 year if i found better.
i am supposed to receive an offer either monday or tuesday. a person i trust said to make sure i get details on certain perks, like the offer for them to pay for my masters degree, so that i do not get stuck agreeing to something where i wouldnt be eligible for raises while in the degree program, or if i leave the company before so much time, i have to repay the costs of my masters.
he also suggested i investigate the target bonus size and raise size, as i might start out at X but get a significant bump in each pay raise (eligible for a raise every 6 months).
Time to make the tough decision; I get my offer Monday. I have to decide by Wednesday (for either job) as I would need to move next weekend or just after.
Also, special thanks to BigRedHoss
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| 5 minute showers are my 8 minute abs. - Neilly | |
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bigredhoss Cook Islands. Oct 21 2013 00:12. Posts 8648 | | |
yeah the housing situation there is ridiculous, apparently even worse than i remembered. good luck with the job search, don't hesitate to pm any other ?'s if you have them. |
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Silver_nz New Zealand. Oct 21 2013 23:07. Posts 5647 | | |
thanks for the update. time to live in a camper van for a while? |
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chris United States. Oct 22 2013 01:05. Posts 5503 | | |
camper vans up there are like 1k a month  |
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| 5 minute showers are my 8 minute abs. - Neilly | |
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