Network Engineer in DC or Miami?

Sanis4life

Where do you think the better place would be for $85K a year?

DC with supposedly a 7:1 ratio of women to men (yes, i find this important) or Miami with beaches, bikinis and tiki bars?

Pluses for DC:
-Plenty of IT gov IT jobs
-Can use the subway system
-Great diversity of people
-Great dating scene

Minuses for DC:
-Expensive
-Women (The pretentious kind)
-Weather

Pluses for Miami:
-Weather
-Beautiful beaches
-Cheaper COL
-Great nightlife
-Latin Women


Minus for Miami:
-Weather (Heat and humidity in the middle of the summer. Hurricanes)
-Crime
-Latin Women
-Not as many IT gov jobs

Thats all i can really think about the pluses and minuses. I've been to both places visiting, but dont know which one i would like more to work as an NE.

veritas_libertas

Wait a minute here, you thought high crime for Miami-Dade is more of an issue than DC?

Sanis4life

Hmm. Ok, well i guess you can remove that from the minus list from Miami

veritas_libertas

Sanis4life wrote: »

Hmm. Ok, well i guess you can remove that from the minus list from Miami

Yeah, DC has the highest crime rate in the nation.

Washington, DC at half-a-million is much smaller than Detroit (which has an equivalent murder rate), yet Detroit is excluded. The worst 20 cities for murder rate listed were: #1 Washington D.C.

DEATH BY MURDER

cdad2000

No brainer. DC is the place to be. you can always retire or vacation to Miami.

Sanis4life

cdad2000 wrote: »

No brainer. DC is the place to be. you can always retire or vacation to Miami.

Good point about Miami. I think that is more of a vacation spot, then a place to live. Nonetheless, i am curious what others think. The ability to do water sports in the ocean year around sounds very lucrative.

BradleyHU

this is a tough one....depending on where you're at in DC, it could be niceville, or hood central. its cold like nyc during the cold months, expensive like nyc, but has a pretty decent nightlife and entertainment center like nyc(just not as good as nyc...CHEA!!)....miami is nice, love the women there, but miami gets boring QUICKLY!!!! i'm always out there in south beach for memorial day wknd...but after that its not as poppin. and yeah, DC area has ALOOOOOOOOOOOT of females...

ionno...i guess despite the coldness it can get in DC, i'd go with that, cuz i like DC, its like a smaller nyc, and the fact that there's alot of gov't jobs, if you can get that SC, you're good money in that town.

Forsaken_GA

I'd take Miami just because I could pretend to the Horatio Canine thing.


I'd actually like to go back to Florida, I hated it when I left, but now I kind of miss the Tampa Bay area (spent 10 years in Clearwater, FL). I'd take Miami as an option too, I absolutely love South Beach. I like Atlanta and all, the people are nice, but the traffic sends me into fits, and the weather just cannot make up its damned mind. Then there's the state income tax which was a bit of a shock when I moved up here from Florida....

So yeah, for me, if I had the opportunity to make more in Florida, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Forsaken_GA

I'll also add that if I ever had the chance to work for a casino in Vegas, Reno, or Tunica, I'd leap at the chance. I know guys who work the IT side of the gambling industry in all three cities, and they get to play with some seriously cool tech

shodown

Depends on the type of life stytle you want to make. For 85K you can get a small place in the city or a larger place in VA or MD. ALso DC will have plenty of room to grow. I have been in DC for a while. I love it. Plenty to do and you can make many important and powerful contacts. 85K is a good starting point, does it come with a clearance or do you already hold one. Also if you have one its very easy to land a position with a poly here.

HeroPsycho

For your career, DC easily. Mmm, government contracting opportunities....

rfult001

Sanis4life wrote: »

Good point about Miami. I think that is more of a vacation spot, then a place to live. Nonetheless, i am curious what others think. The ability to do water sports in the ocean year around sounds very lucrative.

I almost resent that. :P There is a lot to do here, and a lot of work, especially considering the projects many Miami companies have going with South America companies and government.

Turgon

I know DC and NYC offers some good rates but the costs of living there are other perils... wonder if a sticky on the ins and outs of all those things would be a good thing. Yes there are jobs but you have to weigh everything up.

I remember Scott Morris telling agents he wanted a ( was it a 1 million dollar? ) salary years ago to move to NY just because of the cost of decent realestate up there. The calls stopped.

Turgon

rfult001 wrote: »

I almost resent that. :P There is a lot to do here, and a lot of work, especially considering the projects many Miami companies have going with South America companies and government.

Fair comment. I suppose we all have to be careful about steriotyping. Best to listen to someone who lives there certainly!

cbigbrick

Sanis4life wrote: »

Where do you think the better place would be for $85K a year?

DC with supposedly a 7:1 ratio of women to men (yes, i find this important) or Miami with beaches, bikinis and tiki bars?

Pluses for DC:
-Plenty of IT gov IT jobs
-Can use the subway system
-Great diversity of people
-Great dating scene

Minuses for DC:
-Expensive
-Women (The pretentious kind)
-Weather

Pluses for Miami:
-Weather
-Beautiful beaches
-Cheaper COL
-Great nightlife
-Latin Women


Minus for Miami:
-Weather (Heat and humidity in the middle of the summer. Hurricanes)
-Crime
-Latin Women
-Not as many IT gov jobs

Thats all i can really think about the pluses and minuses. I've been to both places visiting, but dont know which one i would like more to work as an NE.

OK. I'm only going to comment about the DC area since I know nothing about Miami.

Yes, there are great career opportunities in the DC area. Not all government contracting jobs are in DC. Most of the jobs are in the MD & VA suburbs. Because of that, there is a lot of traffic and the subway system is mostly for people going in & out of DC. Remember, all the big boys have their HQs in the DC area. SAIC & Lockheed have been here and NG is moving here.
Yes, there is a great diversity of people. Most of my friends are from other countries. There are great little restaurants of ethnic food to be found everywhere.
Don’t get your hopes up so high on the dating scene. It’s like everywhere else. Not only are the women pretentious but so are the men. Lots and Lots of high maintenance people with great expectations.
Cost of living….well depends on where you live. The further out you go, there less the cost but then there is a lot of commuting. Unless you have a high salary to begin with, everyone starts out with a roommate and then goes from there.
The DC area has 4 seasons most of the time. Yes, right now it is very cold and windy. We might see the low 30s this weekend. NOBODY here knows how to drive in the snow. But spring here is beautiful. There are TONS of outdoor/indoor activities and sports leagues. Go 2 hours west, you have the mountains. Go 2 hours east and you have the beach.
People in the DC area move very fast and are always in a hurry. 24 hours in a day does not seem enough for them.
I have been here for 28 years and still haven’t seen everything.

Turgon

cbigbrick wrote: »

OK. I'm only going to comment about the DC area since I know nothing about Miami.

Yes, there are great career opportunities in the DC area. Not all government contracting jobs are in DC. Most of the jobs are in the MD & VA suburbs. Because of that, there is a lot of traffic and the subway system is mostly for people going in & out of DC. Remember, all the big boys have their HQs in the DC area. SAIC & Lockheed have been here and NG is moving here.
Yes, there is a great diversity of people. Most of my friends are from other countries. There are great little restaurants of ethnic food to be found everywhere.
Don’t get your hopes up so high on the dating scene. It’s like everywhere else. Not only are the women pretentious but so are the men. Lots and Lots of high maintenance people with great expectations.
Cost of living….well depends on where you live. The further out you go, there less the cost but then there is a lot of commuting. Unless you have a high salary to begin with, everyone starts out with a roommate and then goes from there.
The DC area has 4 seasons most of the time. Yes, right now it is very cold and windy. We might see the low 30s this weekend. NOBODY here knows how to drive in the snow. But spring here is beautiful. There are TONS of outdoor/indoor activities and sports leagues. Go 2 hours west, you have the mountains. Go 2 hours east and you have the beach.
People in the DC area move very fast and are always in a hurry. 24 hours in a day does not seem enough for them.
I have been here for 28 years and still haven’t seen everything.

High maintenance people with great expectations? Perhaps about things that are actually not that important in life. Sounds exhausting. No doubt the good women of DC and Miami will be on this thread soon arguing about all this

veritas_libertas

Turgon wrote: »

...No doubt the good women of DC and Miami will be on this thread soon arguing about all this

That should be entertaining

Turgon

veritas_libertas wrote: »

That should be entertaining

It will be, but be respectful!

veritas_libertas

Turgon wrote: »

It will be, but be respectful!

Um, if it gets entertaining you can bet I won't be in the middle of it Turgon! My head is screwed on straight

Kaminsky

If you have the choice of a salaray like that and you cannot decide then it all comes down to your age and your immediate family (wife/children) preferences. If you are young and single and quite fancy the possibility of a high flying career in the fast lane of life, read CBigBrick's post again and go with that. If you are more laid back and prefer quality of life, go to a nice area of Miami and use your salary to avoid the crime areas.

Nice to be in that position. I stayed a week in DC on a course from the UK as Juniper have offices out near Reston. Even the clubs in Reston aren't cheap (thank god for £500 a week expenses ($800) and, for a retired but experienced clubber like myself just out watching the local natives, I found even the ugly women had ideas waaaaay above their station. Reston have a couple of bars where guys in fancy cars and suits like to hang out. My mates and I were juss laffin at the spectacle of them trying to flash their wadds and pick up the young chicatitas. What was more scary was that the young chicatitas seemed to be playing the same game. Who you date and who you are seen dating seems to be a big thing in DC.. very bizarre. Maybe that was just Reston.

In the UK, I have always lived in a relatively cummutable distance from London. Margate now Maidstone. I worked there and commuted every day for a few years until I just couldn't stand it no more. Trouble with working in a central hub is that after work, everyone commutes back out of the city to where they came from. It is very difficult to get to know people and a lot of folks that arn't forward enough, just end up alone and miserable. Either that or they spend a fortune going out every night and drifting toward anyone that shows the slightest interest in them... I am sure a big city hub like Washington works exactly the same way. Same as any capital throughout the world.

I am almost 46 with a wife and 3 young kids, I would go for Miami..... and get a latin maid

Turgon

Kaminsky wrote: »

If you have the choice of a salaray like that and you cannot decide then it all comes down to your age and your immediate family (wife/children) preferences. If you are young and single and quite fancy the possibility of a high flying career in the fast lane of life, read CBigBrick's post again and go with that. If you are more laid back and prefer quality of life, go to a nice area of Miami and use your salary to avoid the crime areas.

Nice to be in that position. I stayed a week in DC on a course from the UK as Juniper have offices out near Reston. Even the clubs in Reston aren't cheap (thank god for £500 a week expenses ($800) and, for a retired but experienced clubber like myself just out watching the local natives, I found even the ugly women had ideas waaaaay above their station. Reston have a couple of bars where guys in fancy cars and suits like to hang out. My mates and I were juss laffin at the spectacle of them trying to flash their wadds and pick up the young chicatitas. What was more scary was that the young chicatitas seemed to be playing the same game. Who you date and who you are seen dating seems to be a big thing in DC.. very bizarre. Maybe that was just Reston.

In the UK, I have always lived in a relatively cummutable distance from London. Margate now Maidstone. I worked there and commuted every day for a few years until I just couldn't stand it no more. Trouble with working in a central hub is that after work, everyone commutes back out of the city to where they came from. It is very difficult to get to know people and a lot of folks that arn't forward enough, just end up alone and miserable. Either that or they spend a fortune going out every night and drifting toward anyone that shows the slightest interest in them... I am sure a big city hub like Washington works exactly the same way. Same as any capital throughout the world.

I am almost 46 with a wife and 3 young kids, I would go for Miami..... and get a latin maid

The hub thing is a problem. Difficult to socialise with people you get to know at work as they have an uber commute to get to wherever they are residing, usually far from where you live. Like you say you can waste a lot of time and money cruising just to have some human interaction. Try a gym or online communities.

Sanis4life

Kaminsky wrote: »

If you have the choice of a salaray like that and you cannot decide then it all comes down to your age and your immediate family (wife/children) preferences. If you are young and single and quite fancy the possibility of a high flying career in the fast lane of life, read CBigBrick's post again and go with that. If you are more laid back and prefer quality of life, go to a nice area of Miami and use your salary to avoid the crime areas.

Nice to be in that position. I stayed a week in DC on a course from the UK as Juniper have offices out near Reston. Even the clubs in Reston aren't cheap (thank god for £500 a week expenses ($800) and, for a retired but experienced clubber like myself just out watching the local natives, I found even the ugly women had ideas waaaaay above their station. Reston have a couple of bars where guys in fancy cars and suits like to hang out. My mates and I were juss laffin at the spectacle of them trying to flash their wadds and pick up the young chicatitas. What was more scary was that the young chicatitas seemed to be playing the same game. Who you date and who you are seen dating seems to be a big thing in DC.. very bizarre. Maybe that was just Reston.

In the UK, I have always lived in a relatively cummutable distance from London. Margate now Maidstone. I worked there and commuted every day for a few years until I just couldn't stand it no more. Trouble with working in a central hub is that after work, everyone commutes back out of the city to where they came from. It is very difficult to get to know people and a lot of folks that arn't forward enough, just end up alone and miserable. Either that or they spend a fortune going out every night and drifting toward anyone that shows the slightest interest in them... I am sure a big city hub like Washington works exactly the same way. Same as any capital throughout the world.

I am almost 46 with a wife and 3 young kids, I would go for Miami..... and get a latin maid

Interesting you say go to DC if your single, and go to Miami if you have a family. I am single, and I was thinking Miami would be a great place to be single. You ever see the Will Smith "Miami" video? Yes please! Then again, that could cut into my studying time.

I did a COL analysis, and there is a 25% difference between the two, which I am sure everyone can agree is a big difference. On top of it, I dont think Florida taxes your income. Another bonus.

kenny831

Miami! I would not live there if I were married (just me, man those Latin women!). If I were single dawg I be an extremely happy bachelor! Oh yeah the job would be cool too.

Forsaken_GA

Sanis4life wrote: »

I did a COL analysis, and there is a 25% difference between the two, which I am sure everyone can agree is a big difference. On top of it, I dont think Florida taxes your income. Another bonus.

Sort of. Florida has no State income tax, but the state gets it's money in other ways. Florida Property Tax is... expensive.

cbigbrick

Turgon wrote: »

It will be, but be respectful!

When I took my shower today, I was still a woman.

GAngel

I didn't know anyone still partied in miami it's so tacky.

If you're really looking to build a nest egg and get the whole experience you need to try expat life.

Sanis4life

GAngel wrote: »

I didn't know anyone still partied in miami it's so tacky.

If you're really looking to build a nest egg and get the whole experience you need to try expat life.

I dont even know how i should reply to your tacky comment.

Anyways, I am already doing the expat life. I have been overseas for a very long time and want to try the states out for a change. I want sun and ocean and would much rather prefer SoCal, but if an opportunity pops up in Miami I wont turn it down.