2 tough decisions

11/12/2012 2:56:38 PM

I lived in Raleigh for 5 years and Charlotte for most of my life. Not trying to turn this into a Raleigh vs Charlotte thread but Charlotte has a lot more to offer in terms of urban living and not having to commute or drive to work. I live fairy close to uptown (2 miles) and my commute is less than 6-7 minutes on average. I live in a great neighborhood (Elizabeth) and I rent a 1000 sqft 2br/2ba newly renovated apartment for $950/month.

Closer into town you're looking a little higher but traffic is great (as long as you're within a couple miles of uptown) and the public transit is making big advances. South End has exploded after the Lynx light rail was put in (20k+ ridership a day on one line) and they're already moving forward with the blue line (uptown -> UNCC area). Buses are great (again if you're commuting to a nearby neighborhood). I used to take the bus 5 days a week to work uptown and it was awesome (company pays for parking now).

Quote :

"Quote : "I literally laughed and left when the Mint Museum wanted $10 admission." It's free on Tuesday nights dumbass."

Yeah $10 ($8 with student ID - or free if you're working on a project.) for museum admission isn't that bad compared to some larger cities. Not to mention yeah it's free on Tuesday nights. The Bechtler is also a fantastic art museum (if you like modern). It was designed by Mario Botta who's only other project in the US was the San Francisco MOMA.

I don't live directly uptown but I work on College uptown and walking around uptown / going out after work you get a much bigger urban/city experience than uptown Raleigh. I'm sorry I love Raleigh but uptown Raleigh is kind of sad.

Quote :

"Then, of course, there is the fact that it is a new city and, really, I don't know shit about Charlotte. My wife is big into the creative scene here and we both enjoy the multiple museums and greenways available. I don't know if Charlotte matches up."

I grew up in the "creative" scene in Charlotte and it's a lot better than it used to be. We have a decent amount of music venues, and get some really interesting shows at the museums/theatres uptown.

My parents are also big bike/greenway activists in the city and we've made a lot of advancements over the last 10 years. The Little Sugar Creek Greenway is awesome and while we don't have as much green space in the surrounding area as Raleigh we're a lot closer to the mountains. Oh and there's Lake Normal but i'm not a huge fan.

Lastly I have to mention food. Charlotte has a surprisingly good amount of restaurants. That's one thing that annoyed me about Raleigh. There's not many good/nice restaurants. Especially in downtown Raleigh. Sure the food culture may be driven by all the overpaid bankers but the result is the rest of us get to enjoy a shit ton of good places to eat. I can walk to at least 10 great bars/restaurants from my apartment and I don't even live uptown.

Plus if you move you should join Inner Peaks with adultswim and I.

The Panther's and Bobcats need to get their shit together but once the Knights build the uptown baseball stadium you'd also be within walking distance of 3 sports arenas. Something else Raleigh can't come close to.

[Edited on November 12, 2012 at 3:18 PM. Reason : s]

11/12/2012 2:59:39 PM

Quote :

"I'm not butthurt, I am just pointing out how ridiculous it sounds to say that a city sucks because you had to pay to go to a museum. "

Yes, that's the only reason I think Charlotte sucks. It's not that I mentioned it because Gepetto mentioned they like the museums in Raleigh.

11/12/2012 3:02:33 PM

Quote :

"I need to decide what I am going to do by Friday. "

So Geppetto, which way did you decide, Raleigh or Charlotte?

And how could you pick that city when everyone knows the other one is better!?!?

11/16/2012 7:34:10 PM

The numbers don't add up. Pass.

11/18/2012 12:48:52 AM

Thanks to everyone for their advice. Over the past week I have focused on three things: 1) Reaching out to my network to find a job for my wife- which is going well. 2) Counter offer to the company- should have an answer to that Monday and they've extended the deadline until Wednesday. 3) Speaking to other people who have taken the role that has been presented to find out growth from the role.

On the wife front, I'm doing well and am much more confident about finding her a job. The counter offer bonus, if accepted, would buy us a year of her salary. When speaking to others within the offering company I did find out that there is a 10% annual bonus that I'd see in this role. I did not know this before. Also, those with whom I spoke, on average, are making 50% more in four years. At my current company , within 4 years I'd see one promotion at a 10% increase in salary and have 3.5% increases in the other years.

If the counter offer were rejected, but my wife got a new job, I would have an expected additional Free Cash Flow of $7,100/year over the next 5 year period with the new offer. These are after-tax projections based on a weighted average of Best/Average/Worst case scenarios for each offer.

Of course the house still exists and the headaches that would pose still weigh heavy. If the bonus offer is accepted tomorrow, that will be enough to push me to make the transition.

Based on this new information, I'm entirely open to hearing if anyone's thoughts have changed or if even if they've remained the same. Thanks.

[Edited on November 18, 2012 at 10:29 PM. Reason : .]

11/18/2012 10:28:45 PM

Don't add stress, complexity and risk to you life unless the new job paid like 100% moar. The grass ain't green enough fag, stay put.

also. fuck you for even considering throwing your wife under a bus for a few extra dollars. you will just blow it on more bling for your fucking pick up truck anyway.

[Edited on November 19, 2012 at 7:50 AM. Reason : child pornography]

11/19/2012 7:45:45 AM

Quote :

"When speaking to others within the offering company I did find out that there is a 10% annual bonus that I'd see in this role."

How is this not communicated in the original talks? I mean...this is a big fucking deal.

11/19/2012 8:03:18 AM

Quote :

"they've extended the deadline until Wednesday."

So what happened? I've invested 4 posts into this thread, I must know!

11/21/2012 7:43:07 PM

So I took it.

I really did a lot of soul seeking and thinking about the offer. I will miss Raleigh, especially since I've lived here longer than any one place and I consider it where I am from even though I was not born here.

So what did it for me?

Once it started to seem like my wife could get a job, things became easier for me. But even that wasn't enough. Then I found out that there would be a 10% bonus. I really started to look at the offer in terms of how much more I would have per month and what that would mean for 1) my current debt (student loans) and 2) by extension when we could have kids and do the daycare thing. The sign on bonus and additional income per month will go a long way to aligning those time frames better with our goals.

I also looked at how much money I could make if I stayed and compared that to how much I would make in the new role. While certain growth is all but guaranteed for me here, to advance past a point I would have to move across the US. Charlotte is much easier than that and even though growth in the new role is less certain my potential for growing and staying in NC is far higher.

Worst case scenario, I spend two years and if it doesn't work out I can always come back..


What makes me question my decision?

I'll miss our home and our friends. Friends can move at any time, and some likely will, so I struggled with how much weight to give to an existing friend base. But, within the next two years a lot will change, friends having babies and what not, so these few years are our last hoo-rah. It's hard to give up that hoo-rah with people you've known for 10 years. But then again, what is the difference if relationships level off now or two years from now? I don't really know but I debate that in my head a lot.

I'll miss our home because I've lived there for six years and even though it has its quirks those quirks are what gives it personality. We've also done so much work to the inside and know the story behind every mark, paint color, or aspect of house that makes it what it is. Plus we're no more than 5 minutes away from anything we enjoy doing and I'm not certain we'll get that some place else. But, the fact remains, the place is small and we'd have to leave in 3 or 4 years anyways. With that said, we're going to sell rather than rent. Selling makes it easier for us to separate from the home rather than see people who live in it and not care for it like we would. There are times when it is better to just let go.

It was incredibly hard but I've decided to take the leap and see what happens.

11/28/2012 1:23:00 PM

oh it is hard, I had to move to Charleston SC from Raleigh and left all my friends and family behind. does the job pay well? very much so. is it still a PITA? yup. but you gotta prioritize, and you did that. having a wife along for the ride will certainly help a lot, as will still being in your home state with plenty of interstate access that aren't just gravel roads paved over like they are here in SC

11/28/2012 1:26:04 PM

^^Awesome! You'll love Charlotte. Waaaay better than Raleigh.

11/28/2012 3:47:23 PM

I was pretty impressed they have an establishment dedicated to fish tacos.

11/28/2012 3:52:17 PM

Dude Cabo Fish Taco is AMAZING. I travel a bit and still haven't had a better mahi fish taco.

11/28/2012 3:58:56 PM

Gepetto you fucker. i lived in raleigh and charlotte. i told u to not move. now you be commutefuck. also you kids gonna get raped by massive infestation of gangniggers and mexicans. charlotte is a cesspool.

11/28/2012 4:18:39 PM

^^Indeed.

I don't understand the hate on Charlotte. Maybe it's because I spend most of my time in NoDa douching it up with all the other douches (being facetious here), but there is tons going on in the Queen City. Plus, Asheville and Atlanta are only a couple of hours away for some different scenery...

[Edited on November 28, 2012 at 5:50 PM. Reason : ]

11/28/2012 5:47:36 PM

Congrats on the new job!

11/28/2012 6:07:43 PM

^^^That doesn't make any sense. People commute a lot in rtp. Sure if you don't actually LIVE in Charlotte then you'll commute. Live/work in/near the city and your commute is nothing. I drove way more living in Raleigh then I do in Charlotte.

^^plaza Midwoods better than Noda. We gots a night club now.

11/28/2012 6:14:19 PM

jcgolden strikes again!

congrats on the new job geppetto, good luck with the house and the move. I will be doing something similar next year, only we're moving to Richmond.

11/28/2012 7:05:46 PM

Charlotte does have an interesting all underground highway system ala Boston on it's 50 year plan tho.

When banking as a centralized activity dies, NASCAR goes the way of HEE HAW, and televangelism is defeated by the internet, what will be left for Charlotte?

tourism? no. unlike charleston, savannah, wilmington, etc. Charlotte destroyed all of its historical sites.

community? no. they have treated their minorities like shit for so long they're practically militant.

education? haha no (davidson will end up an island like Duke)

about all that will be left is some low end manufacturing and distribution hubbing.

12/16/2012 8:56:10 AM

Quote :

"island like Duke"

This is bait

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

12/16/2012 8:59:02 AM

Quote :

"jcgolden"

This is bait.

12/16/2012 9:15:48 AM