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A friend of mine tried his luck for a while in New York, but in the face of dwindling finances, and a somewhat soul sucking IT day job, he may have to move somewhere cheaper for a while - - his plan is to try moving to Asia for a while (Malay, or India maybe) and make a decent living teaching, doing sessions, and of course woodshedding on the side, for a few years, till things stabilize. I personally think its a good idea, in logistical terms, at least. Would love to hear forum members' opinions on this, whether any of them have implemented similar strategies etc, and if so, then what countries have a reasonably active jazz scene?
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10-25-2014 08:47 AM
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Is the IT world sucking again? I know that I was "off-ed" from it around 2002 and was never able to get back into it. At the time I was in my early 40's. Maybe NY is the issue? I think that if I had to do it again I would have moved out to Silicon Valley then. Or is the issue that he has skills in an area that "went away"? For example I was a C programmer and that type of programming declined. The new jobs are being shunted to Indian youngsters instead of retraining our own developers. It is sad. I do see companies outside NY (in the midwest for example) that are hiring like crazy. NY is not the end of the world (BTW I live in North Jersey).
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Sounds to me like the issue is with preferring to play jazz rather than work in the corporate world? If looking to stabilize then move back to NYC that won't fix the main problem being income in NYC is less than expenses. Before deciding anything your friend first needs to decide with certainty what he or she wants to do with their life. Then decisions on where to live can be made more easily and without regrets. Good luck!
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The IT world is hot, demand is high, but skills have certainly shifted. its tough to keep adjusting but its technology so you have no choice. things have become very specialized, and there is off-shoring too.
That said, I certainly understand leaving NYC because of cost. What I am puzzled about however, is the statement "till things stabilize".
What exactly needs to stabilize? Stabilize how? NYC to get cheaper? Demand for jazz to get higher? No and no.Last edited by fumblefingers; 10-25-2014 at 11:38 AM.
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I left IT a couple years ago lucky to make it into my 60's, you're not missing anything. The only good money is if your good and contract then you can define your working parameter. IT these days your over the hill at 30, mainly because young people will work ridiculous hours and can be had for entry level pay. So they hire 'em burn 'em out and hire some more. Then SysAdmin which is what I was doing the last ten years I ended up on last to job working on systems to basically automate myself out of work. With the new virtual systems there isn't all the physical servers and gear to maintain and troubleshoot, a machine dies, just spin up a new one. You want to do computer work and make the big money sharpen you skills at creating web businesses ideas, building web sites fast, and getting them off the ground with good marketing then sell it. Creating and flipping web business is where people are making money.
Originally Posted by richb2
I'm trying to stay away from IT I've had enough of the stress and nano-management there is today. Plus the never ending ramping up on new technology. That was fun in the beginning, but got tiresome. I'm happier trying to find new ways to navigate through Rhythm Changes.
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I'm a software developer (Not IT, but not a world away) in Canada. I understand soul-sucking jobs, but hey, the pay is okay.
I could never live in NYC or most places in the US. Just not my bag. Japan has always fascinated me, but with kids, my roots are stuck.
I'm curious to hear people's moving stories -- let them rip!Last edited by BigDaddyLoveHandles; 10-25-2014 at 01:49 PM.
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I guess part of my problem that I was never in IT but was a software developer initially, and later a field application engineer, and finally a sales engineer. Maybe that is why NY was such a bad place for me to try to have a career. The co's I worked for were based either in Silicon Valley or Austin or finally route 128 in Boston, although I was based in NY. In 2005 I ended up going back to school to get an MBA in Accounting. I also found that once I was a sales engineer I was cut off from ever being a developer again, even though I still wrote software (mostly Javascript and C) up until 2005. I am still involved with technology and speak with developers often, but I am pretty much on the accounting side. I kind of miss technology.....
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I've found it hard to get a job before -- get my foot in the door -- but what's funny is that once I'm in I've realized everywhere I've worked as a developer has been understaffed. They all try to squeeze more out of people instead of doing the right thing and hiring more.
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Oh, and C (the language, not the chord)? I suppose it's used in some area, but I when I programmed in it rocks were still soft and dirt hadn't been invented.
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Move to South America and work on a plantation till things stabilize in a decade or three.
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become a drug smuggler. High demand there.
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Not even Cambridge Ma? Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
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I want to move again would love to live in New York area, but too expensive. Looking for inexpensive cities where Jazz isn't considered a dirty word.
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docbop. kansas city
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_jazzLast edited by richb2; 10-25-2014 at 10:28 PM.
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Most folks I know who want to live in New York but can't afford Manhattan, live in Brooklyn where it's cheaper.
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Not by much, that gap is closing pretty quickly. Originally Posted by jasaco
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I like the idea of a "college town", but Cambridge is too close to Boston -- too big. I did grad school at Cornell (Ithaca, NY), and I liked the town -- it was "10 square miles, surrounded by reality", as the saying goes. Originally Posted by SamBooka
These days, I've happy living in BC. I can't imagine a better place.
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Having lived in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and now the Bronx in the past 25 years....You can forget Manhattan and most of Brooklyn. Queens still has some places that are "affordable"...and the Bronx...well most of it is not for the faint hearted, but there are some spots there also. Originally Posted by jasaco
Like most cities you can find some deals at the very edges of what is considered NYC, but the commutes and/or access to the areas in the city that you'll want to be can be a little brutal.
For example I lived in Coney Island for about a year (2008), rented a nice 1st floor of a house right on the water for $750 a month. But you had to take a car or bus to get to the subway which is at the end of the line. So the commute to Manhattan came in at about 1.5 hour each direction.
In all honesty my girlfriend and I could afford a place in Manhattan, but we have zero debt in our lives, we're more interested in saving money than having an easier commute. Also where we're at is one of the few areas that has no alternate side street cleaning....which is a huge pain in the ass. We can have a car (actually 2) and never have to move them multiple times a week. And we have a nice backyard (for the Bronx hahaa)
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Nothing is big in Boston that is one of the things I liked about it when I lived there. I could take subway into town on the weekend and walk all day, then in evening take subway to Cambridge to eat and hang out, then subway home. Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
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Some were telling me I might be better off looking in New Jersey like Jersey City. Originally Posted by djangoles
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Yea I was going to mention that.. I do have close a friend (monster sax player) who just bought a place there with his wife. But I'm not really familiar with Jersey... I did live in Bloomfield for a short bit, but that's a little bit of a trek to NYC
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Big is relative. I like that I pass cows and horses (and can't forget the donkey!) on the way to work. So Boston is too big for me. Originally Posted by docbop
And is the west coast more laid back? It could be something in the water, and it could just be something
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well, I am up here in Bergen County which is the most Northern part of NJ and is really like a borough. We do have some monster jazz players up here and the local jazz jams (there are two of them across the border in NY) are manned by very good players (if that matters to you). Personally I prefer to play with hacks. The bus stops in front of my house and it takes about 40 minutes to Manhattan. I am born and bred in Queens so i try to go to NYC as little as possible. I was playing in a bebop class on 27th street last year for about two years but the cost of the commute (and the class) was killing me. Besides, I hate bebop. But everyone around here works in the city, and to tell you the truth, everything from shoe repair to food to an electrician is very pricey. I have two dogs and a wooded backyard that I just couldn't have in NYC but I do know some pros who live in boroughs.
For me this is a nice compromise although I fantasize about moving to southern Jersey or Delaware....
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Compared to NYC the West Coast is laid back, probably because you spend half you life sitting traffic. West Coast has it own form of hustle, it's all about looking laid back while on two cell phones while driving your car with your knees. Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
Big is relative. I like that I pass cows and horses (and can't forget the donkey!) on the way to work. So Boston is too big for me.
And is the west coast more laid back? It could be something in the water, and it could just be something
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Heh, I don't know if my little brother is still so foolish, but he told me that on long drives, he'd steer with his knees and play the harmonica. Originally Posted by docbop
I don't know what's the key: living where you like it, or learning to like where you live.
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