Just when you think things are running smoothly

thrasherfox

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Ok, so my family and I are living in an area we really like.

I have a kick arse job and think the world of everyone I work with. I respect everyone and have the most awesome bosses

My wife just last year got her dream job

Because of her dream job my thee boys are now in pretty much the best charter school within 200 miles

All of our family lives here in California.


Today I pretty much get a job offer laid at my feet by someone whom I know thinks highly of me and has wanted me on his team for a while.

Sent me an email saying he has one maybe two positions available, and I with out a doubt have all the qualifications for the positions.

I am currently a Government GS-12, this position is a GS-13/14 position, meaning you start out at a GS-13 and after a years probation you normally go to the GS-14 position

I am on the west coast, this job is on the east coast, Virginia / DC area.

This is something I have been keeping my eye out for, about the only way I will ever get higher than a GS-12 is to go to the east coast.

And once I am on the east coast and have been a GS-14 for a few years, it would probably be easy to get into a GS-15 position. GS-15 is the highest the GS ratings go, after that they have SES ratings.

Taking a job like this is probably the only way I will ever see a six figure income.

If I move I pretty much give up my side business, my wife gives up her job, the boys have to transfer schools.

And we will pretty much upset all family members. But in the long run I think it would be the right move for my family.


Any inputs from anyone? anyone else gone through this? what was your decision? how did it turn out?

Leaving the extended family is the biggest thing on my mind. My wife's family is real close knit an I really honestly love my in-laws.. good people

So.. anyone have experience out there? thoughts? Advice?



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Dude, I'm telling ya Be careful chasing around GS promotions. Often that 13 will not follow that 12 and if it does the work may not be all that. My Father in Law however chased his 15 right down and is now exactly where he wants to be. So it is possible. But Virginia/DC area? You been there lately? I mean it's not really a fun place. Harsh Winters, Cruel Summers, Crazy expensive housing, or real long metro rides (Not all bad but still).

I was in the Ft. Mead area for about a year, and it wasn't all bad really but I didn't have a lot going on anywhere else. Does that make sense?

Anyway, all I am saying is that you need to be certain about this before you ask your family to un-ass and depart the AOR... Also, don't chase $$$ make certain your really want to live in the area and will enjoy the job. Sounds to me like things are going well enough where you are at that the best thing to do would be to stay put and live the good life for awhile... Especially if everyone is happy... a Little extra coin isn't going to improve on that...

My .02 anyway, all I know is that I have plenty of GS folks around me who are plenty miserable where they are at... Increased grade means increased responsibilities...
 
I agree with Rev, Thrash. A little bit 'o coin can't really make that much of a difference in happiness.

Unless, of course, the coin is what your happiness is all about.



A nice long hot bath with some cream and a razor often helps to clear things...you know, put it into perspective like. Just don't drift off too much...razor burn is a big 'ol BEEYOOTCH...especially there.
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Promo's ... $$$ ... and respect all have great advantages. However I have allways been a promoter of " Work where you live, " rather than " Live where you work."
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besides u cant ride back east in the winter.
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Yeah... all of your points are valid ones.. which is why it is just not cut and dry.

I have heard the area kind of sucks. And with the new job I would be travling a lot. But I know the people I would be working with, awesome high end people and the guy I would be working for is a real stand up guy. I have know him for about 4 years.

I have heard the cost of living is real high back there so the promotion in the end might not really amount to much..
 
I got this saying from my Mom (I think) She was an Oklahoma farm girl born during the depression.

<span style='font-size:13pt;line-height:100%'>You've got to make hay while the sun is shining.</span>

I wouldn't neglect my wife or kids to do this, but if your wife and kids don't loose, I would consider it if the pay increace is good enough. Sometimes we get feeling comfortable doing the same old thing and staying in the same old place when God might have greater plans for us If we only follow his lead.

Kevin



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sounds like its time for the family meeting thing.
you have some tough decisions ahead.
best of luck to you thrasher.
 
Hey bro if your living comfortable and money is not an option then stay where your at. You got to look at what your giving up and what your gaing. Do you own you home? If not then you have to buy/rent a house in DC and they dont give you BAH either So that takes away some of that pay your getting then your wife has to find a job and if you stay by the base your kids will probably end up going to a ghetto school in the hood.

Way i see it GS 12 = captain bout 4-5 k a month
GS 13-14 = major Lt Col bout 5-7 k a month

Now renting or buying a house bout 1k + in DC so if you look at it like that you'll be losing money by moving
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Thrasher,be carefull,consider all the factors.Are you happy now? Is your family comfortable now? Can you wife just give up her position? The east coast is not bad,most people in that area commute from Virginia to the D.C. area.Just remember that your family is important along with their happiness.:;):
 
If your happy where your at stay there. Very stressful to up root the whole family to gain a few hundred dollars a month. My boss is a 12 and I seen his LES and I must say it is way up there $100,300.00 gross here in Italy. Now he is also a "Active Reserve" Capt so I am not sure if his reserve pay was included.
 
Tough call. I think the whole family should decide that one. It is tough chasing a promotion but if it is one of your goals you have set for yourself then seriously consider it, even if it disrupts some things. I left a job of 7 years with Circuit City making over six figures a year and am glad I did. Too much stress, too much time, and too much instability. I do miss the crap load of money but I have many toys left over that I still get to play with. Now that I look back I wish I would have told the company "NO" more often. I think your family would get home sick pretty quick. Good luck with your decision as it will be in your thoughts for some time to come whether you go or not.
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If you and your family think all of you can be happy on the East Coast.
Go for it.

If your not sure if all of you will be happy over there, you may not want to go.

Happiness first,
everything else second.
 
It is a tough call , sounds like something you and your family should sit down and talk about. Maybe even come out here and see what you guys think. I live in Fredericksburg about 50 miles outside of DC. I work about 10 miles outside of Dc. We do have some great places to ride here. Traffic does stink. Once your out on the back roads though they are great.But this area isn't for everyone.
 
Ok, so my family and I are living in an area we really like.

I have a kick arse job and think the world of everyone I work with. I respect everyone and have the most awesome bosses

My wife just last year got her dream job

Because of her dream job my thee boys are now in pretty much the best charter school within 200 miles

All of our family lives here in California.
Read what you just posted. Sounds like you can't improve on the perfection you already have.

More money rarely equals more happiness. Family's more important.
 
Maybe even come out here and see what you guys think.
I agree. It can't hurt to come out and take a look around. (Of course it looks awful in the wintertime) Commuting vs. higher mortgage to live closer in is a major consideration here. Before I moved from Northern VA out to my less expensive digs in WV, 70 miles from From D.C., I stayed in a motel and tested the commute to be sure it was worth it. In the end you have to weigh all of the pros and cons, have a family council, consult with God, and do what's best for your family's happiness.
 
Not in any way-shape-or-form passing judgement...

My job is nothing more than what I do to support the life I lead with my family.
I recently sacrificed money for a less stressful position.
And before that... I forfieted my career as a Marine to be a "visible" father to my son.
This enabled me to have more energy to focus on the family.
To each thier own... I would say that if your wife and family are truly happy where they are, and this move has a moderate to high risk of disrupting thier happiness for your monetary / status gain...
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...
I myself would not do it.

Now with that being said... there is undoubtedly an endless set of variables that will have an impact to the decision you as the head of you family will make.

I wish you luck in your decision making process... and I will say a prayer for you to give you the strength & knowledge to make the best decision possible.

Regardless, as a strong father and husband... I am confident you will succeed and your family will prospure.

Semper Fi.
 
Go out and inspect the areas. It is not Cali. but you will find som great areas and some positive palces for you and your family. Bgest thing is if you have been pursuing this position you owe it to yourself and family to check it out.
 
Thanks again for the advice everyone..

When I was in the Corps my wife and I (before we had children) were stationed in Beaufort South Carolina for a few years.

Aside from the occasional (ok often
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) humidity her and I actually liked it.

I am blessed and cursed at the same time with a wife who trusts my decisions and will follow me where ever I go.

If I were to say I thought it was the best decision, she wouldn’t argue she would just pack everything and go.

My boys, there boys, they have friends.. but in the end they would go with out much fuss.

And that is the problem I guess. My family puts so much trust in my decisions, I have to really get into their heads and determine how it will affect them.

I have been to VA on business before, I know the area, and have seen the commute is a pain in the a$$

And like Cecil Stringer said, my sole reasoning for getting out of the Corps was for my family, I wanted to be around and be a father for my children.

And when I got out I started climbing up the civilian ladder in company's, but in the end I started losing job satisfaction because it seemed like all I was doing was busting my but to make someone else rich..

My last civilian job, my employer charged $120.00 per hour for my services (regular time) and I was expected to be billing clients 80% of the time I was on the clock. And I was getting paid $21.00 per hour. I kind of felt like someone's hooker.

So I left a civilian job to go back to work for the government as a civilian DOD. I took around a $10,000 per year pay cut to do this. But after my first year probation I was ok.

And it has been great, one of the best decisions I ever made. It is just everyone wants upward mobility in their job, I am currently a GS-12 step 6 and the ONLY way I will ever get higher is to go to the east coast for a 13 or higher position.

I am only 42 years old, I have at least another 15 years left of work.

So not only would the immediate pay be nice, but in the end, the retirement pay for a GS-14 will be much more than it would be for a GS-12.

And I have been working with the guy off and on for over four years that I would be directly working for. I know his team, I know what I would be doing. It would be more fun and more challenging than what I am doing now.

I think in the end I probably will not do it….And if I don’t do it, it will be because of the family. If it were just me I would do it in a heart beat, would not be any questions about it..


Thanks again everyone for the inputs, appreciate them all
 
Well I just finished praying. I always find prayer time fascinating.

So I am sitting there praying like I normally do, asking for guidance and all and talking to God telling him I am not sure what to do, and then the thought pops into my head (which is the way God usually communicates with me).


Just apply for the position, and if I want you to have the job you will be lead in that direction, if I don’t want you to have the job, you wont get it.

Then I think to myself.. oh yeah… he did that with me when I was in the civilian job force looking for jobs and it allways worked out well. So I guess what I am going to do is two fold, apply for the position, and then I am going to contact the guy who notified me of the openings and ask him about the area. He had told me he found a nice area that was not to bad of a commute.

Figure if I can found out the area he is talking about I get go on line and check out schools, housing etc....

Thanks again people for the advice.. I have direction now
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