Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

Ok, I just was informed that I'll be getting a call from one of my higher ups later today offering me a job in McLean, VA (our corporate HQ). The position is similar to the one I hold now as IT Admin but with much higher visibility. I have some questions about the area and I'm hoping someone on here can offer some advice.

1) I make 75k now, this position would pay 80-90k. Moving from Lancaster, PA down to the greater DC area... will that bump make up for the increase in cost of living? Around here, 75k is a decent salary for someone in their 20's. Not sure about that area.

2) Housing. If I take the position, it's probably going to be with the understanding that it will lead to something else in the next couple of years. I currently own my home, but I think I'd be looking for an apartment, at least at first. Any good areas to look for (either renting or purchasing) that are not too terrible of a commute?

3) Wife is also in IT. How is the market in the area for the field?

Anyway, those are the big questions... Any help you guys can lend is appreciated.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

I have lived in NOVA before and I was not happy there. It is very very busy and very much a rat race. I currenty live north of B-more now and make a little less then I did in NOVA but my quality of life is a million times better. My commute is ten seconds (get a new job last year) but even when I use to drive into B-more it was like 45 minutes. In NOVA it was easily 1.5 hours with less miles then my 45 minute commute to B-more. Honestly for 10 or 15k more stay in Lancester your dollar is going way farther.

I worked in Tysons Corner area which is basically McLean. A decent apartemnt will run you around 1500 to 2000 and supposedly it is hard to rent right now because no one wants to buy. Also, in NOVA beleive it or not there are a lot of language barriers many many different cultures live there and at times it is hard to deal with.

Sorry to be a negative nancy here, maybe I am just burnt out on NOVA. I am postived there are people on here that will tell you all the good stuff and there is good stuff.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=BleedBurgundy;561308]Ok, I just was informed that I'll be getting a call from one of my higher ups later today offering me a job in McLean, VA (our corporate HQ). The position is similar to the one I hold now as IT Admin but with much higher visibility. I have some questions about the area and I'm hoping someone on here can offer some advice.

1) I make 75k now, this position would pay 80-90k. Moving from Lancaster, PA down to the greater DC area... will that bump make up for the increase in cost of living? Around here, 75k is a decent salary for someone in their 20's. Not sure about that area.

2) Housing. If I take the position, it's probably going to be with the understanding that it will lead to something else in the next couple of years. I currently own my home, but I think I'd be looking for an apartment, at least at first. Any good areas to look for (either renting or purchasing) that are not too terrible of a commute?

3) Wife is also in IT. How is the market in the area for the field?

Anyway, those are the big questions... Any help you guys can lend is appreciated.[/quote]

1)I doubt it seriously. I have no ide about the COL in Lancaster but I'd bet it's on the order of 25% less than NoVa

2)Coming from Lancaster you'll probably not have any idea what you're getting into here. The Metro area is huge. You can live anywhere in a two state plus DC area. There are numerous "areas" to live in. Mclean itself will be insanely expensive. Same with Vienna. Fairfax would be a little better. Those are right near Mclean. Going farther out will get cheaper but will exponentially increase your commute.

3)IT in Nova is second only to probably to Silicon Valley. There are tons of Tech companies...but what does she do? Getting a job right now in any field is somewhat hard. Without a Security Clearance too she'll find it a lot more difficult.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

The increase in living is 163% moving from Lancaster to McLean so you would need an incease in pay to $193,000 to offset the cost of living.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

Cost of living in NoVA is high but not unreasonable. Housing in McLean area is expensive relative to other areas in NoVA. You need to asses the tax implications of living in one state and working in another. If the wife is a US citizen, has decent experience she'll have no problem finding a job cause Uncle Sam always makes it rain in D.C.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

Sorry I forgot the link to the numbers I gave. This say's housing is 633% higher in NVa.
[url=http://www.bestplaces.net/COL/?salary=75000&city1=54241216&city2=55148376]Cost of Living Comparison: compare Lancaster, Pennsylvania to McLean, Virginia[/url]

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

1) 90k maybe, as it would be a 20% increase in pay. However, it also depends on your living arrangements and what your wife would contribute...

2) Commute wise, there is no good commute in the DC Area, unless you live and work on the same road, or have Metro/Train access. It's pretty safe to say that for every 1 mile of commute, it will take 2-2.5 minutes to travel. So a 20 mile commute will take 40-50 minutes depending on traffic. Keep that in mind when looking for a place to live. However, if you are apartment hunting and can afford it, check out the Rosslyn/Ballston/Clarendon area. Travel to McLean from those areas shouldn't be too terrible.

I used to drive a 54 mile one way commute (90 minutes, Frederick to Bailey's Crossroads), and you certainly get used to it after a while. And you figure out alternative ways as well. I did that for a year (It was 30 mile/60 minute before I moved to Frederick) before my company transferred me to their Frederick office. Now my commute is less than 5 minutes, and I can go home for lunch.

3) As FRPLG said, IT in NOVA is very easy to come by. The Dulles Corridor has tons of IT opportunites with some big players, as well as the Federal Government. But before making the move, I'd make sure she does a thorough search of the available jobs. Security Clearance is like Wonka's Golden Ticket...if you have one, you are set.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

jeebus. 163% huh, wow. Good info to have though.

Wife had an active top secret clearance but it recently expired.

Thanks for all of the replies.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=BleedBurgundy;561329]jeebus. 163% huh, wow. Good info to have though.

Wife had an active top secret clearance but it recently expired.

Thanks for all of the replies.[/quote]

If you intend to live in McLean it's that bad. MCLean is the area where a lot of well-off people live.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

I'm not sure how the whole process works, but if it's recently expired, I'd imagine it wouldn't take as long (or be as expensive) for a company to help get it reactivated...

As saden said, McLean/Great Falls is a very affluent area. But you can live relatively close to McLean for the right price...

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=saden1;561330]If you intend to live in McLean it's that bad. MCLean is the area where a lot of well-off people live.[/quote]

yeah, i noticed that when I was down last time. I've checked some other areas and it seems more in line with what I was expecting. Still working out the details, i've got time before I have to make a decision.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=BDBohnzie;561326]1) 90k maybe, as it would be a 20% increase in pay. However, it also depends on your living arrangements and what your wife would contribute...

2) Commute wise, there is no good commute in the DC Area, unless you live and work on the same road, or have Metro/Train access. It's pretty safe to say that for every 1 mile of commute, it will take 2-2.5 minutes to travel. So a 20 mile commute will take 40-50 minutes depending on traffic. Keep that in mind when looking for a place to live. However, if you are apartment hunting and can afford it, check out the Rosslyn/Ballston/Clarendon area. Travel to McLean from those areas shouldn't be too terrible.

I used to drive a 54 mile one way commute (90 minutes, Frederick to Bailey's Crossroads), and you certainly get used to it after a while. And you figure out alternative ways as well. I did that for a year (It was 30 mile/60 minute before I moved to Frederick) before my company transferred me to their Frederick office. Now my commute is less than 5 minutes, and I can go home for lunch.

3) As FRPLG said, IT in NOVA is very easy to come by. The Dulles Corridor has tons of IT opportunites with some big players, as well as the Federal Government. But before making the move, I'd make sure she does a thorough search of the available jobs. Security Clearance is like Wonka's Golden Ticket...if you have one, you are set.[/quote]

The secert clearence is not as big a deal as it was say around 04-06. Now a days a lot of contractors will hire you with the condition that you will get one while you are working for them. If she doesn't have one don't sweat it as long as she has good credit and a clean record she can obtain one.

Just last week my boss hired a non-clearence person over one that was clearence, the non-clearence was better quailfied. Some people think casue you have a clearence you can just walk into a General Dynamics, CACI, Boz Allen and they will just hand you a job, not the case. Now if you have a TSI with lifestyle poly diffrent story but those are very rare.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

Bleed, as far as cost of living. It's hard to say since I have no experience with Lancaster. So that's tough to say. You can probably find a decent place in Falls Church which is fairly close to McClean that won't clear the bank. There are lots of spots around the area where rent isn't unreasonable (expect to pay, at minimum, 1500 to be close to McClean at all. I rent a 2 bed/bath Condo in Centreville (one hell of a commute to McClean) and it's 1400 a month. The farther east, the more expensive. Another option is the reston/herndon area and taking the toll road in. 2 bucks a day round trip give or take if you get off on rt 7.

If you need any additional help, feel free to PM me and Ill be glad to do a little research for you~

When it comes down to it, if this position will lead to something in the future -- it's probably going to be worth it!

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=BDBohnzie;561331]I'm not sure how the whole process works, but if it's recently expired, I'd imagine it wouldn't take as long (or be as expensive) for a company to help get it reactivated...

As saden said, McLean/Great Falls is a very affluent area. But you can live relatively close to McLean for the right price...[/quote]


You are right there is a grace period. How long I don't know, DOD maybe able to tell you.

Here is funny thing about clearences though now that Obama is in office a lot of Govt Contractors are looking for new paths/ business that is not defense spending. Anything that is "green" right now is very hot and they could give 2 craps about your clearence, you have to have skillz man. =)

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

Also, there is no access to Tysons Corner/ McLean by Metro. Well at least not direct you could get off at Dunn Loring or Vienna and take the Metro bus close to where you will be working, which I imangine would be on Greenspring Ave.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

Even though my office is several hours from Mclean I do alot of avdertising in that area to sell homeowners insurance and I'm amazed at what a small home will sell for in that area.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

Looks like there are multiple offers on the table. One in McLean and one with a location of "greater DC area" which could be just about anywhere. I have to speak directly with the mgr to get a fixed location.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=BleedBurgundy;561344]Looks like there are multiple offers on the table. One in McLean and one with a location of "greater DC area" which could be just about anywhere. I have to speak directly with the mgr to get a fixed location.[/quote]


Honestly dude stay where you are. Me and my wife got out of there becasue there was no way we could afford to raise a family there. Daycare is like 1500 to 1800 a month in that area for a good place. You will never see a single family home unless you move to Gainesville or have at least $1 million to drop on a house and you still be in Reston commuting.

Trust me if you move you will be sitting in traffic jam one Saturday afternoon asking yourself what hell did I just do to myself.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=mredskins;561349]Honestly dude stay where you are. Me and my wife got out of there becasue there was no way we could afford to raise a family there. Daycare is like 1500 to 1800 a month in that area for a good place. You will never see a single family home unless you move to Gainesville or have at least $1 million to drop on a house and you still be in Reston commuting.

Trust me if you move you will be sitting in traffic jam one Saturday afternoon asking yourself what hell did I just do to myself.[/quote]

I hear you, trust me. That's why I asked for the advise. Thing is, career wise, this is probably a good move. I initially thought that the position I was to be offered was a slight jump. After my meeting, it looks to be more than I had thought. Plus, it's working directly under one of the owners of this company so visibility is great... I have a lot to think about.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

Just think it through. If you don't mind apartment living and don't have kids or dogs, NOVA can be fun. Lots of happy hours, awesome shopping, great restaurants, the best of everything, etc...

I had some fun single years there too it just wears you out.

"Live in NYC (DC) once but leave before it makes you hard, live in SF but leave before it makes you soft."

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI]YouTube - Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)[/ame]

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

BleedBurgundy -- Take the position! Your standard of living may drop, slightly. But the future with a position like that seems great.

People saying a house in Reston going for 1mil is way too high. You can get a nice single family home for 200-300K. My roommate has been trying to buy for some time so far. Finding a house in this area is the hard part. Every property she's bidding on has had 20 or so offers. Also, people are offering cash, which is hard to beat with a loan. You may have to rent, but it's really not THAT bad.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=Daseal;561377]BleedBurgundy -- Take the position! Your standard of living may drop, slightly. But the future with a position like that seems great.

People saying a house in Reston going for 1mil is way too high. You can get a nice single family home for 200-300K. My roommate has been trying to buy for some time so far. Finding a house in this area is the hard part. Every property she's bidding on has had 20 or so offers. Also, people are offering cash, which is hard to beat with a loan. You may have to rent, but it's really not THAT bad.[/quote]


Please show me a listing in Reston for a single family home under $300k that is not falling apart or a forclosure/ short sale? Townhouse maybe.

Ok I searched on this web site and found 168 listings mostly condo's, townhouses and some older single family homes. So they are out there but I would not live in that price range in NOVA but that is me.

[url=http://www.homesdatabase.com]HomesDatabase - Home for Sale and Rent in DC, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania[/url]

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=BleedBurgundy;561359]I hear you, trust me. That's why I asked for the advise. Thing is, career wise, this is probably a good move. I initially thought that the position I was to be offered was a slight jump. After my meeting, it looks to be more than I had thought. Plus, it's working directly under one of the owners of this company so visibility is great... I have a lot to think about.[/quote]

Bleed, I agree with Daseal. Take the position.

Yeah, you're living space will get smaller, but this is a really fun area. It's active and healthy, with tons to do.

And as far as the job goes, you have to give to get. Sacrificing some square footage to gain that kind of career opportunity is well worth it.

Check this out (ignore the stuff about Obama being "hot," other than that there are a few good points on this list):

[url=http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/12236.html]26 Reasons to Love Washington - News & Features (washingtonian.com)[/url]

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

Well, after sleeping on it and discussing it with my superiors, I decided not to take the position. The cost of living difference outweighed the salary bump. I also bought my current house at the peak of the bubble so selling now would be borderline insane. Boss took it well, said that he had actually hoped this is the decision I would come to but didn't want to influence me...

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

I think you made the right decision! You should have no regerts.

To be honest a lot of people talked about career development was a reason for going. I guess that is true if you are willing to stay living there but for me and my wife it was hard to find something out of DC when we decide it was time to move, we were simply to expensive for most places. I intial took a small pay cut but have since made it up but my wife was actually able to land a promtion. Any who we made that big move in 05 and the quality of our lives has been better every since.

My dad just recently retired and move here form NOVA (Fairfax City). At first they were afraid they be bored up here but now they love it. They can't stop saying how nice people are around here and what a blessing it is to drive anywhere without a boat load of traffic.

I think you are in a good place (Lancaster) making a good salary at a great age, you should enjoy your life, you are lucky to have it.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=GMScud;561384]Bleed, I agree with Daseal. Take the position.

Yeah, you're living space will get smaller, but this is a really fun area. It's active and healthy, with tons to do.

And as far as the job goes, you have to give to get. Sacrificing some square footage to gain that kind of career opportunity is well worth it.

Check this out (ignore the stuff about Obama being "hot," other than that there are a few good points on this list):

[URL="http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/12236.html"]26 Reasons to Love Washington - News & Features (washingtonian.com)[/URL][/quote]


You know what is funny about this list. One reason says you get to see real "stars" like Obama not Paris Hilton but then the next reason says that large companys are coming to DC and one is Hilton's HQ, I guess you will be seeing Paris after all. =)

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=mredskins;561533]You know what is funny about this list. One reason says you get to see real "stars" like Obama not Paris Hilton but then the next reason says that large companys are coming to DC and one is Hilton's HQ, I guess you will be seeing Paris after all. =)[/quote]

Yeah, I noticed that. Some of the points on that list are pure fluff, but others are solid. I personally love the DC area (living on the Maryland side, traffic isn't nearly what it is in NOVA), but I'm sure BleedBurgundy made the right choice. Every time I'm on the other side of the river, I marvel at how shitty the traffic is. Which reminds me, I get to drive my little brother to Dulles airport this evening. Fun fun.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=GMScud;561534]Yeah, I noticed that. Some of the points on that list are pure fluff, but others are solid. I personally love the DC area (living on the Maryland side, traffic isn't nearly what it is in NOVA), but I'm sure BleedBurgundy made the right choice. Every time I'm on the other side of the river, I marvel at how shitty the traffic is. Which reminds me, I get to drive my little brother to Dulles airport this evening. Fun fun.[/quote]


Well you can use the toll road and just take the "airport only road way" might speed it up for you. I use to live right at the first exit off the toll road when you are coming from 495, the Sheraton Preimere is right there as well.

I agree some of it is fluff in that list but it had some good stuff too. I thought the Libary of Congress was the biggest fluff one. Like you would really drive out of your way to go read a book there, yeah maybe once but not enough to make me move there.

Plus if you move to NOVA you still have a decent drive until you are at FedEx but Ashland is in your back yard for training camp.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=BleedBurgundy;561521]Well, after sleeping on it and discussing it with my superiors, I decided not to take the position. The cost of living difference outweighed the salary bump. I also bought my current house at the peak of the bubble so selling now would be borderline insane. Boss took it well, said that he had actually hoped this is the decision I would come to but didn't want to influence me...[/quote]

Some of the best hands in poker are the ones you don't play. I think you had the courage to lay this one down and move forward with the hope and expectation that if you were good enough for this career opportunity to present itself, another shouldn't be far behind.

Well played. Just keep up the good work and it will come out roses for you in the end.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=mredskins;561538]Well you can use the toll road and just take the "airport only road way" might speed it up for you. I use to live right at the first exit off the toll road when you are coming from 495, the Sheraton Preimere is right there as well.

I agree some of it is fluff in that list but it had some good stuff too. I thought the Libary of Congress was the biggest fluff one. Like you would really drive out of your way to go read a book there, yeah maybe once but not enough to make me move there.

Plus if you move to NOVA you still have a decent drive until you are at FedEx but Ashland is in your back yard for training camp.[/quote]

Just got back. I left a little before 4pm. From Chevy Chase to Dulles and back, 3 hours. Ugh. The toll road was fine, it was 495 that was so bad. The toll road flowed nicely actually. On the way back however, the merge back on to 495 off the toll road was miserable. A stand still for about 30 minutes. I ended up getting off at the River Rd exit and heading all the way down to Western Ave. Of all the times for my brother to book a flight out of Dulles, he picks 7pm on a weekday.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=GMScud;561597]Just got back. I left a little before 4pm. From Chevy Chase to Dulles and back, 3 hours. Ugh. The toll road was fine, it was 495 that was so bad. The toll road flowed nicely actually. On the way back however, the merge back on to 495 off the toll road was miserable. A stand still for about 30 minutes. I ended up getting off at the River Rd exit and heading all the way down to Western Ave. Of all the times for my brother to book a flight out of Dulles, he picks 7pm on a weekday.[/quote]


Yeah that was a crappy time, plus you had some rain to fight.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

[quote=GMScud;561597]Just got back. I left a little before 4pm. From Chevy Chase to Dulles and back, 3 hours. Ugh. The toll road was fine, it was 495 that was so bad. The toll road flowed nicely actually. On the way back however, the merge back on to 495 off the toll road was miserable. A stand still for about 30 minutes. I ended up getting off at the River Rd exit and heading all the way down to Western Ave. Of all the times for my brother to book a flight out of Dulles, he picks 7pm on a weekday.[/quote]
Your brother owes you dinner (Ruth's Chris, Morton's, Ray's the Steak, etc) and drinks for that shithole of a ride...

I had to work out of my company's corporate office yesterday. Ended up taking "the back way" both ways because of traffic. Reminded me of how glad I am not to have to make that drive every day.

Re: Promotion Opportunity in Mclean, VA. Need some advice.
 

Thats why I could never live in an area with that much trafic. I had to deal with this [url]http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/brash-abduction-chase-shootout-and-two-dead[/url]
on Monday and it still only took me an hour to get home. For two hours the cops had every direction I could take to get home blocked off but the traffic soon cleared. It was actually pretty wild Monday as my office is about 1/2 from police head quarters and in span of about 20min I bet I had 40 to 50 cop cars come speeding past my office.