06-21-2006, 07:16 AM
Jess and I successfully escaped from NoVA. Decided that long commutes and high housing costs weren't our cup of tea, so after a little bit of searching around, we settled on Charlottesville. There are plenty of tech jobs down here, major .gov expansions in the works too (think BRAC). I work for one of the major gov't tech consulting/contracting firms, here in a little office building right on the edge of town, about 25 minutes from our house in the country.
I took a pay cut to come down here - when I interviewed/accepted the job, it was going to be a cut of about $400/year. By the time we actually moved, 6 months later, I had gotten a nice raise at the old job, so *technically* I took a $12,000/year cut. But I only saw that paycheck for a couple of months anyway, so no big deal. Housing prices (when we moved) were about 1/3 - 1/2 of NoVA. Thats no longer the case, but I no longer care either, as my house continues to rapidly appreciate
Anyone who says they can't get out of NoVA is full of shit. They're not trying hard enough. Yes, enough you folks with clearances, there is plenty of work elsewhere. Hell, I was just looking at an open rec for a cleared (TS-SCI) position at NATO HQ in Belgium. That would kick ass for one of you single guys. Anyhow, like I said, the opportunities are there for folks who really want to get out of NoVA.
I took a pay cut to come down here - when I interviewed/accepted the job, it was going to be a cut of about $400/year. By the time we actually moved, 6 months later, I had gotten a nice raise at the old job, so *technically* I took a $12,000/year cut. But I only saw that paycheck for a couple of months anyway, so no big deal. Housing prices (when we moved) were about 1/3 - 1/2 of NoVA. Thats no longer the case, but I no longer care either, as my house continues to rapidly appreciate
Anyone who says they can't get out of NoVA is full of shit. They're not trying hard enough. Yes, enough you folks with clearances, there is plenty of work elsewhere. Hell, I was just looking at an open rec for a cleared (TS-SCI) position at NATO HQ in Belgium. That would kick ass for one of you single guys. Anyhow, like I said, the opportunities are there for folks who really want to get out of NoVA.
My two feet.