Noodleface
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General Advice Thread
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BrotherWu
MAGA
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Noodleface,
I've spent about the last 10 years of my career as either a firmware lead or a manager for firmware teams (reviewing and hiring lots of computer engineering types).
I can tell you that, in my experience, the market is really tight on guys that can write embedded software. If you're a talented engineer, with good interpersonal skills, and a good work ethic, you can make some pretty good money. Probably much better than anything you will make in the USAF.
Even if you're more average, you can do pretty well. As a hiring manager, I have found it to be really difficult finding talent in the midwest- but I'm picky.
Straight out of school in the midwest, you should be able to clear about $45k-$60k, depending on the company, the location, your grades, your internships, how well you interview, etc. From there, it can increase quickly if you prove yourself to be valuable and reliable.
My knowledge with the USAF is limited to ROTC. I thought it was a good experience but my guess is you'd do better going the civilian route.
Noodleface
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Thanks for the information. I write firmware at my internship now and pull in $50k/year, so I would expect my first job to be a bit more than that - but I work at a fortune 500 company so my mileage could vary.
I'm leaning towards no at the moment anyways, but I was looking for some people to chime in anyways because I would hate to turn down any opportunity.
I'm leaning towards no at the moment anyways, but I was looking for some people to chime in anyways because I would hate to turn down any opportunity.
BrotherWu
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I forget where you're located but $50k is pretty good for an internship, in my experience. But, that can vary by quite a bit depending on location, obviously. Real estate is pretty cheap in parts of the midwest, compared to the coasts.
Good luck.
Alex
Still a Music Elitist
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No shit. Some fellow graduates are already buying houses back in Ohio that would cost at least a million dollars here. The difference in real estate prices don't make midwest prices appear "pretty cheap". The difference is damn near astronomical. A $175,000 house there would be nearly 10x more here.
Noodleface
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I live in MA, so real estate prices while not insane are still fairly high I'd say. I think they're on the decline, but truthfully I haven't even begun looking yet.
My internship pays well (EMC), but I'm not sure if they will offer me a job or not so I'm trying to spread out for other opportunities for now.
My internship pays well (EMC), but I'm not sure if they will offer me a job or not so I'm trying to spread out for other opportunities for now.
BrotherWu
MAGA
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I've known a few guys who took telecommuting or travel/sales positions with companies on the west coast. CA salary in a midwestern cost of living environment is a goog gig, if you can get it.
McCheese
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I hear ya. I'm looking at buying a house in the PG/Howard/Montgomery county area of MD in the next year. Basically, because I don't have 300k+ to spend, my choices are: a) buy shitty condo/studio apartment in a decent neighborhood or b) buy a 2br/1br house in a shitty neighborhood and dodge bullets every day.
Joeboo
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I honestly don't understand how people afford to live in places like NY, DC, LA, San Fran, etc, with their insane cost of real-estate. I understand that salaries are higher in general than here in the midwest, but they aren't 5-10x higher, like the price of real-estate is 5-10x higher. My wife watches all those real estate shows on HGTV and crap, and I about sh*t myself when I see someone in San Francisco spending 1.5 mil on a house that would run about 175K here in the midwest. I have an uncle in LA whose house appraises for 900K, and it's small. It's probably 2/3 as big as my $160K house here in KC. The only reason he affords it is that he's 70 years old and bought it back in the 60s for like 30K.
Falstaff
Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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Gentrification, mainly. A lot of people in those cities don't buy houses, ever. They just rent and buy nice cars instead.
McCheese
SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
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Or they live 2 - 3 hours outside the city and drive the world's most hellish commutes 5 days a week. I woulnd't be surprised if D.C sees more commuters every day than its actual population.
Eomer
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The other thing to keep in mind for people living in those cities, whether in the US or similar ones in Europe, Asia and so on is that you don't spend much time at home when you live in a city like that. You don't need a backyard, because you have parks everywhere. You don't need a home theatre room, because there's all kinds of entertainment nearby. You don't have a massive kitchen with butler's pantry because some of the best dining in the world is a block away. It's not for everyone, but there's upsides to go with the downsides. Otherwise nobody would live in those places. Which they unquestionably do.
edko
Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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Buy out in Fredneck County and do the 270 grind? Look in Western AA county and do the 50 grind? Either way, I weep for your commute. DC is hell on earth.
A buddy of mine commutes from White Hall (Northern Balt. County) to Rockville. I'd shoot myself.
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Right, but it does contribute to joeboo's original question of "how to fuck do people live in cities". You're really just pointing out how much more of a pain, monetarily, in the ass a city can be.
Eomer
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I was more addressing the specific complaint of how expensive/tiny housing is in large cities. Again, no one is disputing that big cities are more expensive than living in Bumfuck Egypt.
But that expense is at least partially offset by more opportunities for culture, education, entertainment, and earning potential. How much of that is offset and whether it's a worthwhile trade is up to the individual to decide. Personally I don't know that I'd want to live in a mega-city full time, but I wouldn't want to live in suburbia or a rural area either. At least at this point in my life. Being in a mid-size city kind of gets you the best of both worlds in a lot of ways.
But that expense is at least partially offset by more opportunities for culture, education, entertainment, and earning potential. How much of that is offset and whether it's a worthwhile trade is up to the individual to decide. Personally I don't know that I'd want to live in a mega-city full time, but I wouldn't want to live in suburbia or a rural area either. At least at this point in my life. Being in a mid-size city kind of gets you the best of both worlds in a lot of ways.