The MM Network

[JPolen01]

FYI, having Paternity leave is awesome.

16 weeks of paternity leave is amazing, I'm gonna need to find another hobby.

That's amazing. My company doesn't offer anything, but my boss is giving me a free week and I'm taking a week of vacation. I could never take off that much time though because my pay is commission based so not working is not earning.

[JustinG]

I was a contractor when A was born.

No benefits, and took 2 weeks unpaid. So I've been there.

[D_Eclipse9916]

I have specifically stayed at my current job due to the perks being very tied to my current “life situation”. Daycare reimbursement, 4 months + PTO for paternal leave, pay for ivf/adoption if we needed to, incredibly flexible hours.

Once the kids are a little older I would like to find a good job situation that has benefits more geared towards Apoc’s perk of much higher retirement matching. Deloitte’s is quite weak.

[Steve85]

Capital One (Richmond) people - what can one expect from the "Power Day"? My daughter has hers July 8 and wanted to give her any additional insight. I guess she'll get a plan for the day but looking for anything else that might be helpful.

And...what is the real goal at this stage? Is it more team compatibility or still a lot of technical qualification?

It's for a process manager / improvement position for fraud and disputes.

[JustinG]

Hey Steve, shoot me a PM on FB. Maybe she can connect with my wife.

[Steve85]

Hey Steve, shoot me a PM on FB. Maybe she can connect with my wife.

I sent her the contact info, thank you!

[Deceus]

Capital One (Richmond) people - what can one expect from the "Power Day"? My daughter has hers July 8 and wanted to give her any additional insight. I guess she'll get a plan for the day but looking for anything else that might be helpful.

And...what is the real goal at this stage? Is it more team compatibility or still a lot of technical qualification?

It's for a process manager / improvement position for fraud and disputes.

 It should just be 4-5 45 minute interviews. I got a confirmed schedule a few days before my onsite that spelled who I'd be interviewing with and what the focus of that timeblock was. Mine was 4 45 minute interviews, 1 behavioral with the manager, 2 tech interviews and 1 case study. The case study is pretty unique to Capital One as far as I'm aware but the programmer one was pretty basic. I'd definitely suggest having her look into that beforehand so she's not caught off guard.

[Steve85]

Thanks! Yeah, that case study does sound unique. I did a similar day with Accenture years ago and the interviews with various team members is what I was thinking, a pretty standard thing across a lot of companies. The case study is definitely something that could throw you if not ready for it.

[Senor_Taylor]

One door closes and one opens. I've steamrolled through 2 interviews at a company much closer to my house with a really neat product. I have an on site interview to finish it off next week and I feel very good about it.

However, I'm running out of reasons for taking PTO on such short notice so often. Most likely will have to ask for Monday or Tuesday off... Tomorrow.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

And I got an offer! Big pay bump too! Waiting for more details before I accept though.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[Kaan]

Congrats!

[Sijray21]

the largest pay bumps come from switching companies, IMO. i hope the rest of the compensation is also on-par or better than what you currently have.

depending on the time i may see you on my commutes with the car.

[Deceus]

One door closes and one opens. I've steamrolled through 2 interviews at a company much closer to my house with a really neat product. I have an on site interview to finish it off next week and I feel very good about it.

However, I'm running out of reasons for taking PTO on such short notice so often. Most likely will have to ask for Monday or Tuesday off... Tomorrow.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

And I got an offer! Big pay bump too! Waiting for more details before I accept though.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Noice. Nothing really comes close to that feeling of landing a solid step up.

Speaking of which I've spent too much time on Blind and I now feel like a complete and utter failure unless I land a job at Amazon, Microsoft or Google. Sooooo I've finally begun torturing myself with data structure trivia and system design material every chance I get. The fact I could easily double my salary by nailing one of these interviews has literally been keeping me up at night.

[Goodspeed]

Congrats Taylor!  Hope it all pans out and you get the hell outta log-your-pee-time & Co. 

LONG ASS POST BELOW.

So, long time reader, first time poster - I got a scenario for you guys.

I work as a business analyst/quasi scrum master for a gov contractor in the Dunn Loring/Vienna area.  I live just west of Fairfax proper (~25-30 min commute).  I've very much enjoyed my time at my company thus far (started in January) working on a contract from my company's home office (no on-site work or travel).  I have a great manager, wonderful coworkers (people are important) and the work is interesting enough.  

So, no real complaints - other than that my current contract is up for re-compete in the next 2-3 months and we're not 100% confident we'll win it again.  We do great work for the client and get consistently high marks in return, but word through the grapevine is we're starting to swim in the same lane as some big fish that could snatch it away from us.  So it goes - hopefully we get it, but we might not - and I'd either move with the contract to another company, move to other work within my company, or lose my job.

However.

Recently I was approached to consider signing onto a new contract for a different entity of the feds - being a similar BA/SM but with more of a PM bent on an implementation team for a new software dev/process mgmt platform.  The job would be in downtown DC, and would carry more "weight" - in terms of responsibility, and visibility representing both my company and the platform's company.  I've talked with a VP at my company about the role, and further talks are to come.

Now, it's tricky because as the pieces fall into place, I'd only just be fully informed of all the details before the bus leaves to jump into the role.  However, I like what I've heard so far - I'd miss my team, but growth is good and I think it'd be a solid career move.  I want to hone my skills and resume enough to eventually land a role far, far away from the DC region before I fall too far down the rabbit hole of gov-centric work, and I think this would look good in that regard in a general BA/SM/PM sense.  Buuuut - I'm work-to-live, not live-to-work, have never worked in DC, and have some quality of life questions to address:

#1 - Where to live.  

I have the opportunity to move this summer, right around the time this DC job could be a reality.  I had been doing my homework prior to anything job-related landing in my lap as I was ready for a change.  Two very different places came to mind:

A) Potomac Falls/Ashburn area.  Even for me (more on that later), this was inconceivable a few short years ago - I can't stand cookie-cutter suburbia.  But, I like riding my bike and running on trails, being ~20 mins from Great Falls is cool, and I found a beautiful spot tucked right up against a park on the Potomac north of Rt. 7 on the edge of what you'd call Ashburn.  I can deal with that - and 1000 sq. ft. for 1/2 the cost of a comparable place in Arlington/Alexandria.  Which leads me to:

B) Arlington/Alexandria.  I've been in this area since college (9 years -_-) and have never lived more closely to DC than Vienna.  I've visited both a bunch, of course, but I never did the boozy Arlington 20's lifestyle thing that seems to be a rite of passage in this area and I'm starting to wonder if that's something I would regret.  I'm 31 now so I don't think I'd be hopelessly out of touch if I moved there to see if the city (night) life is anything I would've otherwise missed.  I'd pay well more than Ashburn to sleep in a storage closet in the sky and I might tire of the go-go-go atmosphere before long, but maybe I'd enjoy it?  

I'm looking at the living situation from two perspectives:

A) Commute.  

Some of you may be typing out your response now that I'd be insane to consider working in DC and living in/near Ashburn, and you may be right, but - every source I've read says the Loudoun County commuter buses take 1 hr to get to DC if you leave early enough (~6:30), and then it's a 25 minute walk or 13 minute metro ride from Metro Center to my proposed client site.  Is this a terrible idea?  It's lengthy based on time, but a breeze in that it'd be a carefree commute where I'd just sit back and listen to a podcast or read a book.  Maybe that makes it moot, I have no idea - I do know it'd cost ~$5k annually in public transport costs, but that'd be countered with less paid for gas, wear and tear, and lower insurance cost hopefully on my own vehicle.  If anyone has done this, I'm all ears.

Obviously, Arlington/Alexandria would be a quicker commute.

One thing to note - I can't have a dog where I currently live, and I'm tired of not having a dog.  I want one wherever I move, but I want to make 110% sure I'm being fair to the animal and giving it a good life.  Ashburn -> DC and back sounds tough for a dog, but the area sounds so much better than Arlington for a dog.  My current thinking is the apartment cost savings for being in Ashburn could go towards mid-day dog walkers.  Legit, vetted ones.

B) Dating scene.

So here's the deal.  I've been pretty aloof on this front lately, as I've not been wanting to get tied down to this area from a relationship standpoint, and I'm in peak season for getting tied down if I'm not careful.  But, I'm not a monk.  It's not lost on me that this area has some of the most diverse, smart, and successful women in the entire country.  So, I kinda struggle with my decisions on this.  I'm casually dating a girl that lives in Crystal City right now (remember, I live in Fairfax) and we somehow have kind of made that work, but it's also not lost on me that DC and immediate surrounding areas are where all the single lades (all the single ladies) are.  Is Ashburn a dating desert?  Is it only divorcee meat markets and flight attendants passing through?  I'm kinda worried I'd be on a lonely island out there.

I don't really do stuff socially after work - I go to the gym or go home and make dinner/relax.  Friday and Saturday nights I'm willing to do stuff, but I'm not really into the whole bar/club scene either.  I just don't want to totally cut myself off from women around my age by being too far away.

#2 - Salary.

I've never truly negotiated for a salary/salary increase, outside of an initial job interview, in my life.  The managers/VP I've spoken to are fully aware of the fact that moving my job from Vienna to DC would bring with it some form of increased compensation, that hasn't been shot down out of the gate.  It's up to me to lay down a number that ultimately would take the sting off of A) having a long, possibly quality-of-life-affecting commute, or B)having to pay astronomically more for a roof over my head.  

I've looked up what my position (and the position they'd basically put me in) in DC would/should cost them, and it's tens of thousands of dollars more than I currently make.  I'm talking like - a 20-30 + % raise.  Those I've spoken with were praising me as someone who was hand picked for this opportunity, and through the myriad discussions of how gov contracts work, it was impressed upon me how I wouldn't just be a warm body signing my name to make a contract go through - how they have to put their best people forward to represent the manpower behind the solution they'd provide the client.  Flattery aside, unless you suggest otherwise and I'm mistaken, I'm not seeing a reason to not ask for those dollars as compensation for what (and where) they're asking me to do.  And, this is government contracting, so they can just add it to their bill, no?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts & strategies.  I'm pretty sure I've lowballed myself for much of my career and it's time to stop that, but this seems perhaps overly simplistic to me.  Then again, maybe not.  Should I just walk in there and hold firm at a number I would've choked on my juice-box straw over not 6 months ago?

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

[Senor_Taylor]

Go Goodspeed! Make moves!


Let me be the first to say, No no no no no. There is no reason to move further out than you do now and I can attest that being an hour or more from home every day is the worst.

If you ARE getting a pay bump, you could definitely find a spot near an orange or silver line that has everything you want. You've been to our house. We are are a 15 walk to the metro and a cheap 15 minute Uber from Arlington.

The dating scene west or Reston is complete trash for my age group, but I don't know about late 20s.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[.RJ]

Some of you may be typing out your response now that I'd be insane to consider working in DC and living in/near Ashburn, and you may be right, but - every source I've read says the Loudoun County commuter buses take 1 hr to get to DC if you leave early enough (~6:30), and then it's a 25 minute walk or 13 minute metro ride from Metro Center to my proposed client site.  Is this a terrible idea?  It's lengthy based on time, but a breeze in that it'd be a carefree commute where I'd just sit back and listen to a podcast or read a book.  Maybe that makes it moot, I have no idea - I do know it'd cost ~$5k annually in public transport costs, but that'd be countered with less paid for gas, wear and tear, and lower insurance cost hopefully on my own vehicle.  If anyone has done this, I'm all ears.

My wife does this now.  Bus -> Weihle Metro -> Metro Center -> Union Station.  The first year she was doing this, it was hell of an adjustment, but after a month or two she got to work from home 1-2 days a week and was rolling out of the office at 3-3:30 and this was making it tolerable.....Until she changed jobs/companies and got promoted while working for the same customer, the WFH went away for a while.  While the WFH is back now the hours are sometimes shit compounded with the pressure of being a manager on customer site hasnt been the easiest thing, to say the least.  After 2.5 years of this she's looking for another job closer to home now.  

I would say as a young single dude, its probably tolerable and doing it for a year could land you a solid step up in experience/responsibility and open up more options later that dont involve humping it down to DC every day - but keeping the hours sane and negotiating some WFH days will make it more manageable.  I would absolutely not sit in a car for this commute....  I think being in Potomac falls limits your commute options though, its that bus or nothing - if you're off the W&OD you have metro, bus, or bike commute available.  Not sure if there's a slug line out here or not.  

FWIW, I lived in falls church and could walk to the metro for a long time and it was a really nice spot.  I was WFH most of the time but had to head into DC 1-2 days a week and it made it super convenient, and it was close to a lot of other stuff nearby that was nice.  It had all the convenience of arlington/alexandria but cheaper.

[Jake]

Dude, Goodspeed, fuck no to Ashburn. It's fine if you are also working out there, but you are young and single and hip and cool and do not need to be living out that far relying on a damn commuter bus to go all the way into Farragut or wherever in DC five days a week.

I'm steps away from the Clarendon metro stop and while I'm not really into "the boozy Arlington thing," I cannot express enough how much I LOVE walking everywhere. My bank, barbershop, two grocery stores, several coffee shops, and some incredible food are all a quick walk away from my front door. Metro can get me most places I need and it's at the end of my street. I park under my building and drive as needed.

My dating life improved drastically when I moved here. There is a difference between "kinda making it work because I like him but he lives in... Ashburn" and "he's a 15 minute Metro ride away and we can easily do dinner or whatever several times a week."

Arlington/DC is the better approach in your case.

Also, your job opp sounds great but if you want to look elsewhere, email me your resume. We are hiring for people like you and huge on culture fit/work-to-live attitude.

[.RJ]

Dude, Goodspeed, fuck no to Ashburn

Potomac Falls isnt really Ashburn, which I find a pretty hateful existence, but its not great and still suburban hell to me and you're still tethered to your car for, well, everything.

[Jake]

Dude, Goodspeed, fuck no to Ashburn

Potomac Falls isnt really Ashburn, which I find a pretty hateful existence, but its not great and still suburban hell to me and you're still tethered to your car for, well, everything.

Whatever, none of it is super walkable and would take eons to get in to work or fun-with-friends-and-dates every day.

[D_Eclipse9916]

#1 - Don't move to Arlington/Alexandria just to see what you have been missing and then quote later in your post you don't like the bar scene. However, Ashburn and Potomac is pretty devoid of active young professionals.

I think on the dating scene you are too old and not the "personality" to enjoy meeting people out at bars. This is where Arlington/Alexandria/DC can come into play however. Avoid the bars and instead invest yourself in social groups. Ie: cycling classes, workout groups, yoga, kickball, team sports. The people 28-35 that are still bar-hopping IMO are not who you are after. You may not initially want to do any of those things; but looking back I met a ton of eligible women through those events, work, and then ultimately the dog park worked for Jess. But I didnt go into any of them specifically looking; just made sure I was social vs standing in a corner. Going to a cycling class or dog park in Ashburn is low on % wise for single women vs Arlington/Alexandria/DC.

Online dating should also not be out of your viewpoint; but the one date I ever did based on that was horrible (I tried to suck it up and see if maybe it would work out). That said, a metric load of my friends including my best friend (jason), my best college friend (Mike) and my sister met their significant others online.

#3 - Salary. Do what makes you happy. Right now you are single, I would say take it and request the increase. You are already at a job change; you can always change again in a year.

I was too focused on fun and racing early on in my career and I suffer from being underpaid, not from my colleagues; but really from narrowing my career to having LIFE vs work. Do I regret it? NO. Is it a little bummer to know my future earnings are low? Yes and it's only now that I am backing off racing as much; that I am starting to look at alternative careers/business ventures. It's limiting though since I wont give up the life aspect, so I almost feel in a rut with work but really happy about life. That's a decision you need to make; and no answer is right unless it's right for you.

---

Dude, Goodspeed, fuck no to Ashburn

Potomac Falls isnt really Ashburn, which I find a pretty hateful existence, but its not great and still suburban hell to me and you're still tethered to your car for, well, everything.

I am super stoked we missed out on an offer on a house by $5k in Potomac Falls.  Pretty house but man that commute would have SUCKED.

[Deceus]

While we're on the topic ... Say if someone did land a job at Amazon's HQ2 in Crystal City, where should they plan to live? Seems places in the immediate area are at least $2k/month but very walkable for the basics. Not sure living somewhere "cool" is worth hopping on the metro every day but I'm open to having mind changed.

Alexandria seems inconvenient for not much of a price difference. Clarendon seems nice but I feel it'll make more sense to hop on the metro to occasionally visit rather than live there. The WeLive thing seems like a pretty cool short term solution to help ease the transition but this is all hypothetical ... for now.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk