Where to move? Such a hard decision

So, I've been thinking about where to relocate more and more often as my service contract winds down. It's something I just have no clue on what my family, or myself would like. My wife's family is located in Hawaii, and my family is located in Florida. As nice as it would be to live near either one of them, it just doesn't make sense. The cost of living in Hawaii is too high for me to be able to give my family the life they need and deserve. On the other hand, the IT job market is atrocious in Florida (from what I've heard). We are willing to relocate anywhere between the two locations, so the possibilities are limitless. I just thought I would try and get a feeler on what others might do in my situation. I am currently in Washington state. There are plenty of job opportunities around the entire west coast, but I'm thinking that being able to take a drive down south to visit my family on the east coast on a four day weekend would be really nice for my family. I'm just not sure what decision to make at this point. Any input would be nice. I also wanted to take time and thank all of the members on this site. Most people have shown true hospitality.

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MSP-IT

Have you looked around the Atlanta, GA area? From what I've seen and heard, the IT market is thriving there. Atlanta to Florida would be a reasonable drive.

citrus_sugar

I agree with Atlanta for an East Coast option not only for the tech industries, but also because it is a transportation hub and you would be able to fly anywhere. If you have an active clearance I know there are some major government contractors in the Tampa Bay area which if nothing else is worth looking into.

filkenjitsu

Washington, DC or Northern VA (DC suburbs) is a good location for tech work, high pay, and lots to do!

mistabrumley89

I've thought about the DC area before, but I've just heard awful things about the cost of living there. Thanks for the tip on the Tampa location. I'm not sure how difficult it would be to get my clearance raised because I only have a Secret. I've thought about Atlanta as well, but it is just such a vastly large area. I wouldn't know where to start. I'm just comfortable being in a medium size city for the most part. The wife really wants to live in a country type setting, but I know that is almost impossible being in the IT field. Unless I want to drive an hour or two to and from work. Thanks for your thoughts. In general I'm just not sure where to start with anything. I've never even made a resume. I'll probably butcher one up within the next year to post for feedback. I don't really know what to do. I think the reason most people stay in the military is their fear of what's to come on the outside. I'm really nervous about it.

dpsmooth15

mistabrumley89 wrote: »

I've thought about the DC area before, but I've just heard awful things about the cost of living there. Thanks for the tip on the Tampa location. I'm not sure how difficult it would be to get my clearance raised because I only have a Secret. I've thought about Atlanta as well, but it is just such a vastly large area. I wouldn't know where to start. I'm just comfortable being in a medium size city for the most part. The wife really wants to live in a country type setting, but I know that is almost impossible being in the IT field. Unless I want to drive an hour or two to and from work. Thanks for your thoughts. In general I'm just not sure where to start with anything. I've never even made a resume. I'll probably butcher one up within the next year to post for feedback. I don't really know what to do. I think the reason most people stay in the military is their fear of what's to come on the outside. I'm really nervous about it.

If you are in that year window…..You should be setting up those ACAP appointments, as boring as they might seem, they have a wealth of information. When I was in the 101st, A lot of companies came in for recruiting events, boards were full of job opportunities, and people were there to facilitate the transition..Helping you with the resume or just doing it for you was one part of it. Yes Northern Virginia/DC/Maryland are great places. But who wants to pay 375K for 1.5K square feet? Unless you wake up 1hr early and catch the transit..Yes, Atlanta is GREAT! But so is the traffic, and you have to stay in the "upper class" because the crime… or just have a permit, and carry a good revolver as a main for 5-6 shots, and a handy .45 as a side and a shotgun under the bed for when someone breaks in. well anyway, From Soldier to Soldier…Think about your family, IF you are getting out. The benefits are great in the Military. But make sure you have a decent savings account. Or a few 10k and 20k credit cards from Navy Federal/USAA

, Not everyone will ETS on Monday and has a job on Tuesday. Wish you the best.

Air Assault!

Network_Engineer

Atlanta, GA is blowing up! Tons of high paying jobs!

Stay away from Florida.

JasonIT

Huntsville, Al has a lot of tech jobs. Not a bad drive to Florida either.

J

w00t

I was born and raised in FL. I have finally moved from Sarasota/Bradenton, FL to Atlanta GA for better options and an over all change. I was not able to find any decent jobs anywhere in FL. I had a Network Admin job in Sarasota, but no benefits and only 36,608 a year. Asked for raises and was not able to get any. I make more up here in Atlanta and the cost of living is about the same as FL. There are plenty of safe areas here in the ATL. You probably just need advice from someone that lives here. Feel free to PM me if you like and I can try to help much as possible if you pick this area. It's a great place for IT and you will probably never have to worry about not being able to find a job here.

ande0255

I can also attest that Atlanta is huge for all ranges of IT positions right now, not sure what that city is doing, but whatever it is they sure as **** are doing it right!