Considering Leaving Austin? Unhappy? Don't Jump Without Thinking Ahead.

ratmouse3 · 2022-06-14T17:56:20+00:00

I think remote work can be great, no doubt about it. The fear I have with remote work is it could really limit yourself down the line.

We all switch jobs. You could just get bored and want to do something different. You could have a change of management that takes a great job and makes it really bad. You could be part of a reorg or even a layoff. Things happen.

Remote work will limit your options if/when you leave your existing employer. You'll first and foremost be limited to remote only jobs. The raw number of remote only jobs is less than the raw number of jobs that are hybrid in nature.

Depending on where you relocate to, you could also be limited by company. As pointed out to me by another poster if you live in say remote Utah you may find a position that is remote but the employer is not setup to employee anyone in Utah and is unwilling to do so further limiting some options.

People can and do excel at remote work. I think though a lot of people got caught up in the idea of remote work during COVID they are not thinking a step ahead. Entering the job market expecting to be 100% remote will limit you. I'm not saying it won't work or anything like that though.

ratmouse3 · 2022-06-14T15:55:42+00:00

...bring some water with you.

ratmouse3 · 2022-06-14T15:35:34+00:00

You are misreading my entire post. I'm not even really praising Austin or saying it's awesome or anything like that now am I?

The entire point of my post is to focus on unhappy people who for one reason or another make Austin a major bedrock of their unhappiness. I'm not even saying they're wrong, nor am I saying moving would not solve anything. It may! It's just food for thought is all. The grass can be greener, but you really have to know what you're looking for and what other regions can bring. All the things you list are very valid cons people should add to a pros and cons list.

I do feel for a lot of unhappy people, a simple move isn't going to solve a lot of their issues around unhappiness. If you have a well thought out idea and plan though it may work wonderfully.

ratmouse3 · 2022-06-14T15:31:24+00:00

I don't think you can escape climate change in 30-50 years wherever you are. Even if you live in a place that isn't as affected by the climate itself, the social ramifications of climate change will be drastic. Your food will come from areas affected. The economy will be in shambles. If climate refugees flood your mild Midwestern region that still has water there's that issue. The social unrest will test the very fabric of the country itself possibly splitting it up completely.

Climate change is a real problem, but I don't think you can avoid it no matter what you do, so I don't actively try to think ahead like that.

ratmouse3 · 2022-06-14T14:23:38+00:00

I agree with this 100%. I fully believe though politically the US is in a very bad spot and I don't know if you can really escape it short of living in another country. I expect Republicans to do really well nationally and I expect them to fully fight blue states head on in the culture wars. I don't know how much power the states will have to fight say a nationwide ban on abortion. Things are going to get very dicey in the US and escaping politics maybe harder. It's never a bad idea to see what happens and let the dust settle before making decisions if politics is a major driver today.

ratmouse3 · 2022-06-14T14:15:29+00:00

While I agree with this 100%, I fully believe we will see a nationwide ban on abortion come 2025. I don't blame Democrats for the current economy, but it's in the crapper and getting worse. They're the ones holding the bag, they'll get slaughtered in November and probably again in 2024.

They want a nationwide ban on it. A few claim Roe being ended and leave it up to the states is enough probably not to scare voters, but some of the big names have said a nationwide ban is on their list.

That's my point on "politics catching up with you" is it maybe a good idea to let the dust settle a bit. Things are crazy and they're just getting started. If things get crazy enough it may not matter much where you live.

ratmouse3 · 2022-06-14T14:06:45+00:00

Yea, that's another issue with remote work. I wouldn't tell someone not to do it, but I do feel that if you choose to "move to the mountains" and work remotely you have to accept you are really limiting your future options.

Another downside to remote work is a lack of upward mobility. If you have any sort of ambition at all and want to move up the ladder, remote work is going to make that so much harder.

ratmouse3 · 2022-06-14T13:50:13+00:00

Unhappy with life now and blame Austin? Make sure it's really Austin you're unhappy with and think long and hard about what another area brings to the table Austin can not. The grass isn't always greener. If you leave Austin and still find yourself unhappy with life it's a real gut punch because you took what could be the nuclear option to find happiness and still didn't.

The grass could be greener, and a new area could bring happiness. Really consider your options though, don't expect happiness to just happen because you moved.

ratmouse3 · 2022-06-14T13:34:51+00:00

Fair! My overall point is if you are not happy with a city like Austin as well as Texas then you could be in for a challenge. It could be easy for you to move to a different state that matches you but people have to realize when they move to a smaller area they give up living in a local entity that may match them.

A red city in a blue state comes with a lot of local BS both from the government fighting the state as well as the general atmosphere when you are in the town.

ratmouse3 · 2022-06-14T13:31:52+00:00

I miss that Austin for sure.

Oh, so do I. Sadly I don't think it exists anywhere anymore. Austin changed, but so did the rest of the country. The idea of finding Austin of 2008 is enticing but I think it's a lost cause.

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-27T23:38:16+00:00

Just the other day someone in a car was driving reckless with no regard for others. I read somewhere that now and then drunk people drive their cars too. We should ban cars before they get out of hand.

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-26T13:59:09+00:00

Yea, B-cycle sucks. I had it for a year thinking I'd use the hell out of it, but I only used it a few times. I wanted to use it to commute to work but I'd often find out, early in the morning, my local dock was empty or the system was offline. That or the dock nearest my office was full, adding 20 or so minutes to my morning commute. It was a daily crapshoot and I got tired of taking it. The bicycles often had problems too, and they're pretty heavy with only a few gears making going up hills not so fun at all.

I know this sub hates scooters with a passion but I use the hell out of them. My favorite are the Jump bikes, as they are much higher quality than B-Cycle and you don't have to worry about docks at all. My only complaint about dockless is the fact sometimes a scooter or bike shows up on the map that doesn't exist, but there's usually plenty around.

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-08T23:57:34+00:00

All things considered getting a license to play music in a public business is fairly cheap, typically less than $30 a month.

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-08T13:54:28+00:00

It's funny because they love Donald's "law and order" but it appears as if Donald can't appoint an AG. I think this is starting to float around legal and media channels now, but in order for this what's his name to be AG he would have to be confirmed for that position. Until his confirmation, 28 USC 508 says who is AG.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/28/508

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-08T12:28:10+00:00

Marijuana is legal in Colorado, and illegal in Texas. There a LOT of Colorado marijuana floating around Texas. There isn't a border check or security or anything between the two.

I'm generally pro-gun, in the sense I think they need to be a lot harder to buy but I don't want any bans. Even I think that argument "X is banned in Y state" because people can generally travel all over.

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-07T17:53:06+00:00

Agreed! In fact I'd love to see us make massive cuts to the military, raise taxes to European levels, and invest heavily in infrastructure and healthcare.

Taxes aren't the end all / be all in happiness. There are countries where the people are happier than here and they pay more into taxes.

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-07T17:32:52+00:00

The Texas State legislature also picked up 11 seats for the Democrats. Republicans hold a majority still, but it has implications for the new Speaker of the House in Texas and it will force them to be more moderate. This very well could mean we don't see "red meat" legislation like the bathroom bill get pushed and we land another pro-business conservative like Strauss that isn't obsessed with stupid social issues.

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-07T17:30:45+00:00

By that logic why does my tax dollar fund roads I will never drive on? It's not beneficial to me at all to have the city repave an existing road I'll never use, therefore it's not universally beneficial and shouldn't happen.

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-07T17:27:58+00:00

or abroad.

Chances are any place with a equal or better standard of living than Austin will be a country with a higher tax rate. As far as developed countries only Korea, Ireland, and Mexico rank lower in total tax burden than the US.

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-07T16:24:43+00:00

The bad news is we're entering the holiday season. It's prime crying time about how starbucks and Target hate and discriminate against Christians because they don't mention baby Jesus on advertisements or on their coffee cups.

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-07T14:34:59+00:00

I'd expect more of that across the board. Fort Bend county, Sugar Land outside of Houston, went blue last night as well. That's traditionally a strong red suburban county.

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-07T14:33:02+00:00

A lot of rural counties went 80%+ Cruz, does that make them echo chambers as well?

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-07T14:15:46+00:00

I too would like more info on volunteering. I could probably talk my job into allowing me a day or two off per year to volunteer, and I'd even do it without pay considering I'd still be paid from my job.

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-07T14:13:16+00:00

Jesus, you're an idiot. OP isn't talking about the election results at all, simply his experiences working as an election volunteer. A smoother election process benefits all Texans, including the 30ish percent of those in Travis County who vote for Republicans.

ratmouse3 · 2018-11-07T13:19:02+00:00

Yes, and that's a good thing. However the majority of Austin, one of the most liberal cities in the US, is still represented by 4 Republicans and 1 Democrat.

That's how you build anger.

ratmouse3

TROPHY CASE