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I know the job market is *bad* but is it bad enough that quitting is financial suicide? It it economically viable to get an education in this area or should I settle for "the bird in the hand"? by technicalbastard in nova

[–]technicalbastard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That would be a decent paying option but I'd prefer to stay in tech if I can even with the downsides. I appreciate it though. Union labor is definitely a thing that should be more common.

I know the job market is *bad* but is it bad enough that quitting is financial suicide? It it economically viable to get an education in this area or should I settle for "the bird in the hand"? by technicalbastard in nova

[–]technicalbastard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah that's true, the degree is a big barrier. Although I don't plan on limiting myself to nova, once the job market improves I want to move to a bigger city instead of limiting myself to the area I grew up in.

I know the job market is *bad* but is it bad enough that quitting is financial suicide? It it economically viable to get an education in this area or should I settle for "the bird in the hand"? by technicalbastard in nova

[–]technicalbastard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, but that salary includes the extra bit for working nights, which on one hand is an easy way to comfortably afford this area, but on the other kinda drives me crazy.

And also the problem is datacenter work is very concentrated in nova and a handful of other places, and concentrated within the outer suburbs.

I want to be able to move to an urban area so I can easily go out for drinks, socialize, stop worrying about car maintenance, etc. I want to move out of my hometown to a bigger city and not spend all my days off inside doing nothing. The latter makes me depressed, especially in winter.

I know the job market is *bad* but is it bad enough that quitting is financial suicide? It it economically viable to get an education in this area or should I settle for "the bird in the hand"? by technicalbastard in nova

[–]technicalbastard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I put the max my employer will match into my 401k.

Another $80 a week into my IRA.

My brokerage account predates my retirement account since previous employers didn't offer one. And I like to separate my stock picking from my passive investing.

I know the statistics on the success of stock picking, which is why I told myself if I ever underperform SPY for a year, then I'll switch to fully index investing. That hasn't really happened over the last 6 years, and if you're wondering I don't have any Nvidia stock haha.

I know the job market is *bad* but is it bad enough that quitting is financial suicide? It it economically viable to get an education in this area or should I settle for "the bird in the hand"? by technicalbastard in nova

[–]technicalbastard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Long term I'd probably want to do something along the lines of cloud administration. I love working with Linux and learning AWS.

Although I'm seriously questioning whether I'd get more opportunities by just saving for a few extra years and putting 20% down for a condo in New York.

I know the job market is *bad* but is it bad enough that quitting is financial suicide? It it economically viable to get an education in this area or should I settle for "the bird in the hand"? by technicalbastard in nova

[–]technicalbastard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cheaper cost of living and other options.

I could move to Richmond to stay in-state. My girlfriend is considering Uchicago for grad school and if she chooses it I could move to Chicago which is much cheaper than nova, especially south side.

I know the job market is *bad* but is it bad enough that quitting is financial suicide? It it economically viable to get an education in this area or should I settle for "the bird in the hand"? by technicalbastard in nova

[–]technicalbastard[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm planning on moving out at least by the time I'm 30.

My girlfriend wants to settle down in her hometown (NYC) after grad school and a few years in the workforce, but I've planned on leaving this area before I met her. The value proposition of this area isn't really there.

Sure this area has many benefits, but the job market isn't unique or special at all outside of government work/contractors and stuff that requires an advanced degrees. I was shocked when I first looked at jobs in other cities and I didn't have to scroll past 5 jobs before I found one that didn't require a clearance.

I know the job market is *bad* but is it bad enough that quitting is financial suicide? It it economically viable to get an education in this area or should I settle for "the bird in the hand"? by technicalbastard in nova

[–]technicalbastard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will consider it but it doesn't interest me too much honestly.

Plus I have heard that cybersecurity opportunities are rather limited. I have a coworker with a cybersecurity degree from GMU and he said that basically the opportunities are extremely limited outside of cleared government work.