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So I'm Thinking of Moving.....

#1

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

to Austin, TX.

Reason#1 - I'm so tired of this backwater, pathetic excuse for a city/area. I'm right on the border and so tired of dealing day in and day out with my majority customer being rich assholes from Mexico. Sure I make insane money off them but there's a line where I can only take so much. Everywhere I go I'm surrounded by self-serving, self-ego inflating, way more money than they should have assholes. I'm sure that's in alot of places, but I don't know why these type of people just rub me the wrong way. Maybe because of the volume of them around.

Reason#2 - Being a backwater, highly religious area, my lifestyle choices don't exactly go over well with the general populace, any job I've ever worked at and the only real place to find others is the one seedy/shitty bar for a good 50mile radius that I've been to a thousand times. So needless to say, pickens is getting thin. Not only that but I'm tired of having to be "in the closet" whenever I'm at a job, not that I'd want to walk around wearing rainbow colored tops and screaming about the bitch I banged last night, but having to play along with "Omg that guy was so cute" talk that goes through here everytime a guy walks in and out of the place has driven me up the wall for years.

Reason#3 - There's nothing to do here. Nothing. No major event centre with any real events go on here. No bands come here. No great entertainers. No major city events. There's just movies/bowling/eating/dancing in a few shitty clubs. It hasn't improved nearly at all in over 15yrs of my adult life and it's not getting any better anytime soon.

Now there's a few things keeping me here as well:

Reason#1 - My job is here and there isn't any branches of my financial institution in Austin. I'd have to fully quit and start a new job from scratch. Granted I wouldn't have to start from the ground up as I could probably land my current position in the new bank but my "goal" position is within my sights and if I were to stay here, within a year I'd have it. This isn't a position I'd be able to just hop into at another bank, I would have to restart at the position I'm in right now.

Reason#2 - The good thing about a backwater area with nothing to do is that the rent and the living expenses are dirt cheap. I pay a quarter of what I'd pay to live in Austin. Granted I'd make more there too but this area is considered one of the most afforadable places to live in all of Texas, probably top 10 in the US. I like having plenty of "fun money". I like not having to check my bank balance to go out. I like not having to worry about paying a bill if I want to splurge on some Collector's Editions.

Reason#3 - While Nurse Cutie and I don't exactly have any real solid relationship going, I really like where things are at with her right now. That'd be over the instant I moved. That would suck.... though the fresh new delicacies in Austin would probably get me over that pretty quick.

There's a few other situations and reasons for staying or going but that's the gist of it. Anyonelse every been in my situation? Which did you do? Did you regret your choice? Did you wish you made the opposite? I'm all ears.


#2



SeraRelm

I've moved several times. either due to financial issues or relationship issues. The most I can say is, when you feel it's time to move on, do so, but make sure it's not just due to itchy feet. It sounds like this is something you've put a lot of thought into. You've weighed the pros and cons. Now it's just a matter of deciding which holds up stronger. On a business and financial level, you have it made, but is seems like that's the only real thing tying you down (unless nurse cutie is that good. :unibrow: )


#3

Bumble the Boy Wonder

Bumble the Boy Wonder

You would have STAPLE! to look forward to. Which would make me a little jealous...

Wait until your current job offers you that promotion, then flip their desk and walk out giving them the double birds pointed at your chest while you walk out with your shirt over your head shouting "Only girls get to enjoy these!" Then slash your bosses tires and start a new life in Austin.

They'll have something to talk about at the company picnic then.


#4

phil

phil

There's plenty of cheap living in Austin, depending on where you look. The further out from the main downtown area you go, the more options that will open to you.

My only advice is to just remember that you're still young. It would be a lot easier to get a new job at a different bank than it would be to wait around for your city to change into something you want to live in.


#5

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

phil said:
My only advice is to just remember that you're still young. It would be a lot easier to get a new job at a different bank than it would be to wait around for your city to change into something you want to live in.
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I know most would laugh at this, but 30 does not feel young to me most of the time. Especially since I pissed away almost 5yrs of it waiting tables/bartending. Also I do not have a college degree, makes getting "good" jobs a bit on the harder side. Also my current position isn't exactly "amazing" money without the commission that my job currently gives me and only because I've earned that over the past 6yrs I've worked for them. Starting this position from scratch would put me in a bit of a "hit" on my income. You are right though, job which I can get again somewherelse vs a city that won't change....


#6

Gusto

Gusto

Bumble the Boy Wonder said:
You would have STAPLE! to look forward to. Which would make me a little jealous...

Wait until your current job offers you that promotion, then flip their desk and walk out giving them the double birds pointed at your chest while you walk out with your shirt over your head shouting "Only girls get to enjoy these!" Then slash your bosses tires and start a new life in Austin.

They'll have something to talk about at the company picnic then.
Click to expand...

So say goodbye to THESE



#7

Bumble the Boy Wonder

Bumble the Boy Wonder

Gusto, have I ever told you that you're a pretty cool guy?


#8

Gusto

Gusto

A few hundred times yeah. :)


#9

Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

Will you two just have sex and get it over with?


... and film it.


#10

phil

phil

You say that like it hasn't already happened.


#11

GasBandit

GasBandit

If it were me, I'd be making financial hay while the sun shines. I know the recession hasn't hit us in Texas as hard as other places, but I've actually been looking for another job while still working my current... and I haven't even gotten an interview. I'm a little more inclined to stick to the side of safety, because the one time I went out on a limb and left a fairly stable but low paying job to take twice the pay doing IT for oracle, it all fell apart less than 6 months later and that led to a period of unemployment/underemployment that lasted long enough to almost drain me dry. There's a lot to be said for a stable job during a recession, and the benefits of low living expenses can't be overstated.

It's up to you to decide if you're fed up enough down there to cast your fate upon the fickle, freakish winds of Austin. Were it me, I'd want a contract in writing before I left my current digs... or I'd wait until unemployment was back around 5% so that I was sure the economy had recovered enough.

Also, in Austin, everybody is charlie. In real life.


#12

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

GasBandit said:
If it were me, I'd be making financial hay while the sun shines. I know the recession hasn't hit us in Texas as hard as other places, but I've actually been looking for another job while still working my current... and I haven't even gotten an interview. I'm a little more inclined to stick to the side of safety, because the one time I went out on a limb and left a fairly stable but low paying job to take twice the pay doing IT for oracle, it all fell apart less than 6 months later and that led to a period of unemployment/underemployment that lasted long enough to almost drain me dry. There's a lot to be said for a stable job during a recession, and the benefits of low living expenses can't be understated.

It's up to you to decide if you're fed up enough down there to cast your fate upon the fickle, freakish winds of Austin. Were it me, I'd want a contract in writing before I left my current digs... or I'd wait until unemployment was back around 5% so that I was sure the economy had recovered enough.
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Well if it I do decide to move, I can pretty much guarantee that I'd be putting out my job feelers well before I actually did move and see how the fish are biting. If I didn't have anything solid I'd probably hold off. I would NOT go into a move blind about work. Very solid advice though, thanks.

GasBandit said:
Also, in Austin, everybody is charlie. In real life.
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#13

ScytheRexx

ScytheRexx

As a resident Austinite (Well... technically Round Rockian) I have to say it is a great city. Out of all the places in Texas I have visited, I wouldn't choose any other place. I think it has a lot to do with the general attitude. It's "feels" very liberal, similar to when I lived in California, even though I know the majority of people are often still on the conservative side. The music scene is great, always moving with events and festivals (SXSW, ASL, etc.), and while a big city, it feels very small, so most of the time you never feel overcrowded.

Living expenses are not that bad as long as you live in the areas AROUND Austin, don't live in the city itself since the price goes up pretty heavy unless you live on the east side, and trust me, you don't want to live on the east side. Round Rock is a nice little town and is so close to Austin I can get to downtown in maybe 30 minutes.

And no, not all of us are like Charlie. If that was the case I would probably have died of a stroke years ago. Again, more liberal, but not THAT liberal.

I think you would like it, a lot of young people, liberal leaning, more acceptance of alternate lifestyle, more to do. How much you paying for the place you live right now?


#14

Cajungal

Cajungal

You're young and unattached (besides this person who seems replaceable). Do it. Just maybe look around for jobs first. Good luck with your decision. :)


#15

Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

Alternate method: wait a year, bank a lot of cash, and get that positron you've wanted, to have that nice title to add to your resume.

But that means waiting a year, which could suck. Tough call.


#16

jwhouk

jwhouk

Can't say much here, since I was essentially forced to move. We're in a bit of a liberal oasis up here, but that's just a little left of center; there's still a bunch of redneck tea-partiers up thisaway.

Get the feelers on job positions up in Austin/Round Rock area first. If you find one that you can negotiate some bennies or whatever with, great. And if your squeeze doesn't want to join you for the ride... well, that's sad, but I doubt you'd have problems finding someone new.

Surprised, though, that you're not considering going all the way to the Metroplex.


#17

Jay

Jay

Montreal


#18

PatrThom

PatrThom

Build that war chest. Not only will an extra year fatten your bank acct, it will also mean another year's worth of gradual shift towards tolerance worldwide. It may only be a few percentage points, but it'll still be more than today.

--Patrick


#19

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

What's the point of building for another year? It's like saying "Why bother upgrading your PC now if in a few months newer parts will be available?"

I mean I have enough to move and tide me over till the paychecks start coming in from a new job, but I mean I do understand the principle of what you're saying.


#20

PatrThom

PatrThom

You're secretive. We don't know the size of your savings, nor do we even know what position you're going for (after all, you said outright that you weren't going to tell us!). And I'm not at all saying that you need to come clean or anything like that, but the ambiguity does mean it's a little harder to give accurate advice. ;)

I have no idea about either geographic area, so I'm probably not the best guy for any of that. My best advice usually comes in the "What will give me the most X per $?" category, if only because that's pretty much been my whole life. I've done securities, but not banking, so I don't know much about the current climate aside from the fact that people pretty much hate banks in general right now.

One thing I would suggest you consider is that one of the reasons you might be so successful right now is because you are good at handling the yahoos. You have the right look, the right 'tude, and those can go a long way in a business where some of the outcome hinges on the impressions you make on each other as much as projections of ROI and ROR. I think some scouting might be in order to find out if you think the water is the same temperature where you're headed before you decide to take the plunge.

--Patrick


#21

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

Oh I know 100% that my success is based ALOT on my looks. They're Mexican Rich people who don't like dealing with 'gringos' so when they see me a "Hispanic Woman" they
#1 start flirting because they're used to buying any piece of ass they ever want,
#2 speak Spanish the entire time since they feel that everyone should speak their language despite what country their in.
#3 will tell me nearly illegal things because they think I wouldn't rat out a fellow Mexican.

If I were to move to Austin, I'd most likely be surrounded by White/Black/Asian communities that I wouldn't have as much pull with. So I definitely see the downside to that..... ugh.

It almost seems like the "smart" thing to do is stay here but what I "want" to do is move. Le'sigh.....


#22

DarkAudit

DarkAudit

Shegokigo said:
Oh I know 100% that my success is based ALOT on my looks. They're Mexican Rich people who don't like dealing with 'gringos' so when they see me a "Hispanic Woman" they
#1 start flirting because they're used to buying any piece of ass they ever want,
#2 speak Spanish the entire time since they feel that everyone should speak their language despite what country their in.
#3 will tell me nearly illegal things because they think I wouldn't rat out a fellow Mexican.

If I were to move to Austin, I'd most likely be surrounded by White/Black/Asian communities that I wouldn't have as much pull with. So I definitely see the downside to that..... ugh.

It almost seems like the "smart" thing to do is stay here but what I "want" to do is move. Le'sigh.....
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Based on that, you're almost certainly limited to the Southwest. I'd be inclined to suggest San Diego.

Because fuck Arizona.


#23



SeraRelm

*moves to Texas just to cheer Shego up*


#24



SeraRelm

*is definitely not a Texas sort of person.*


#25



SeraRelm

*is just nice like that*


#26



SeraRelm

*ends up moving back up north*


#27

Null

Null

I was considering moving to Austin, but I hate hot summers and compared to NJ, it wouldn't be tolerable. And then a couple of my friends that were there moved, so there was less reason to go. I still plan to visit, hopefully so I can man a table with Mangler at STAPLE and promote our graphic novel.


#28

fade

fade

Going to have to go with Scythe on the Austin thing. Great city. It is liberal, but it's not that liberal. It's Texas liberal. You can't be a little blue island in a big red sea without getting some of the sea on you. But it does seem to have a streak of self-righteous liberalism. You know, the kind that makes the rest of us liberals roll our eyes and say, "stop helping!". If you like live music, you'd be hard pressed to do better. You can't throw a rock without hitting a musician. Not all of them are great, so throwing a rock at them might actually be a good thing. It is expensive and pretentious, but not as much as some of the Houston neighborhoods.

As far as should you move? I'm not the person to ask. I've been made fun of for being a nomad too many times.


#29

CrimsonSoul

CrimsonSoul

You should move where I am, so we can chill


#30

BananaHands

BananaHands

Shego, come to Chicago. I'll be your wingman.


#31

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

So interesting new development.... I put out some "half-assed, kind of serious, kind of not" job feelers out there and I got an offer...

My next step is to find out if this offer would result in the position I'm looking to get (here within a year) within 2 years. If so, I might seriously consider it.


#32

Null

Null

That's a good sign.


#33

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

My current plan of action is to talk to the HR there and find out a few more details about company opportunities. After that actually speak to someone in the position I'd be in and then to someone in the position I want and see what the movement is like from that perspective.


#34

ScytheRexx

ScytheRexx

All I can say Shego, if you move here, you better not kill me and/or steal my wife! Deal?


#35

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

For your loyal assistance with computer related issues and building questions you and your wife have been granted temporary relief from the purge... for now....
/


#36

Null

Null

After you do move to Austin, if you don't drop by STAPLE and say hi, I'll take it personal.


#37

Adam

Adammon

Null said:
After you do move to Austin, if you don't drop by STAPLE and say hi, I'll take it personal.
Click to expand...
nonono.gif


#38

ScytheRexx

ScytheRexx

Null said:
After you do move to Austin, if you don't drop by STAPLE and say hi, I'll take it personal.
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It was nice knowing you Null.


#39



SeraRelm

Adammon said:
Click to expand...


#40

Null

Null

Eh, good riddance to bad rubbish I say.


#41

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

That's a little black isn't it Null?

How'd you know I like it ;)


#42

ScytheRexx

ScytheRexx

SeraRelm said:
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I can't be the only one curious why she is filing her nails through a glove.


#43

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

She has razors in the tips of the gloves. She files them occasionally. They can be noticed in almost any fight scene she has in the series.


#44

ScytheRexx

ScytheRexx

Shegokigo said:
She has razors in the tips of the gloves. She files them occasionally. They can be noticed in almost any fight scene she has in the series.
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Ah, that makes sense.

Never really watched the show, so I never really had room to talk. :(


#45



SeraRelm



#46

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

The thing that's even more awesome is the fact that she did that. Considering her plasma powers can melt through any solid object, she created the gloves so she could go toe to toe with Kim Possible. It's where the KiGo fanfics really get their motivation. She never tried to "kill" her and in multiple situations she'd get angry if someonelse attempted to do it. So she uses the gloves instead of flat out killing her during their fist fights.


#47

fade

fade

Plus they'd have to end the show if she melted Kim.


#48

Bumble the Boy Wonder

Bumble the Boy Wonder

Plus, she wouldn't be able to get a handful of that sweet Kim T&A if she used her plasma hands.


#49

Jay

Jay

New job position

Shego-as-Princess-Jasmine-shego-4120337-600-884.jpg


#50

fade

fade

Fixed to more accurately represent what I see when I look at the females from Kim Possible:

shegofixed.jpg


#51

Necronic

Necronic

Ok, so a little late to this party, but I lived in Austin for like 6 years and I'll say this:

1) Yes, a backwater town will be cheaper to live in than Austin. That's because it's a backwater town. But the interesting thing is that Austin is around the same cost of living as a non-backwater place like Houston.

2) There are a lot of over the top hipster liberals there, but luckilly they generally congregate in a single area. A lot of the rest of the population falls more into what I like to call the "Kerouac" category. They are artistic iconoclasts, but don't make any assumptions about them being another political stereotype.

3) The average age is like 24. This has some pretty obvious advantages (and disadvantages)

4) There actually is a very large Mexican population there (you mentioned that earlier), but it's not like the the Carlos Slim's you would find in Houston. That said the University has a TON of students that do fall more into the Carlos Slim area. And regardless, it doesn't matter because the ability to speak spanish is just as useful in Austin as it is anywhere else in Texas.

5) Austin has the best University in the state of Texas smack dab in the middle of it (suck it Rice). A lot of those kids are quite smart and it really does build up a nicely bohemian atmosphere. You could also take classes there if you wanted to, I would suggest it, it's where I got my degree and it's an excellent university.

6) Because Austin is such a sweet town you have to accept that the pay-rates for a lot of entry-level (or early level) jobs are not great. You are competing against the 10k students that graduate w/ a liberal arts degree/drop out each year (almost 250k students between all of the uni's btw) for every job. This means that pay rates are often ridiculously low there. When I graduated my first job offer was in Austin. I ended up taking a job in Houston for 50% more. Within 5 years I am now making ~3x what that job in Austin offered, and I know for a fact that that position would not have paid much more.

7) The previous statement notwithstanding, the only thing that keeps me from moving back to Austin is my girlfriend. I would take a 50% pay-cut to live there again.


#52

fade

fade

Yeah, for the record, Austin is one of my favorite cities in the country. I totally agree that Bohemian is probably a better description than Liberal.

(Except for the part about t.u. Whoop!)


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