Daughter looking for work in the D.C. area
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and then
Lol.
I didn't want to make a comment on that, but then, I can't help myself and I just have to comment that this is kind of ironic.
I could have also commented that the most of the problems in the state of Maryland originate within the city limits of Annapolis. But then, I decided not to make that comment.
'Rated PG for mild violence'.
That county lacks more than transportation. For one, it lacks an acceptable school system. My kids are in private school, a good percentage of the parents of their classmates are PG county teachers. I you head south from DC, just keep driving until you hit Charles or St Marys. Schools aren't great, but at least you can park your car in front of your own driveway without it getting towed by the 'Revenue Authority'.
Every state line between VA and MD has liquor stores on one side and tobacco stores on the other.
Brad Z
Final Approach
LOL, this thread has taken a predictable turn.
Look, for a young person who is looking for a job, a social life, a dating pool, and plenty of stuff to do, DC is perfect. No one said she has to live the rest of her life here. Unlike other large cities, regardless of your political ilk, you can find others of similar beliefs to associate with. Don't forget, there's also a lot of military folks in the area; it's not all Bernie Sanders supporters (at least in VA anyway).
The farther folks live away from the city core, the more they complain about living in the area. Many folks choose to live miles away from the city so they can live in their large house with nearby upscale strip malls. Problem is they spend three hours a day commuting. We live in a smaller house with no garage, but we're walking distance to the metro and consequently 30 minutes door to door. I also telework a couple days a week too, which makes things easier.
It's a balance, but its also a very transient place with folks coming and going all of the time.
Look, for a young person who is looking for a job, a social life, a dating pool, and plenty of stuff to do, DC is perfect. No one said she has to live the rest of her life here. Unlike other large cities, regardless of your political ilk, you can find others of similar beliefs to associate with. Don't forget, there's also a lot of military folks in the area; it's not all Bernie Sanders supporters (at least in VA anyway).
The farther folks live away from the city core, the more they complain about living in the area. Many folks choose to live miles away from the city so they can live in their large house with nearby upscale strip malls. Problem is they spend three hours a day commuting. We live in a smaller house with no garage, but we're walking distance to the metro and consequently 30 minutes door to door. I also telework a couple days a week too, which makes things easier.
It's a balance, but its also a very transient place with folks coming and going all of the time.
Checkout_my_Six
Touchdown! Greaser!
raises hand....I spend +3 hrs in my commute to the red part of the state.
Like Brad....I do work from home two days a week. So, it ain't all that bad.
Like Brad....I do work from home two days a week. So, it ain't all that bad.
AlleyCat67
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Without getting into politics, I've lived in the District for 25 years, so I feel some obligation to defend the place
As was noted, for a young person it's a great environment. Vibrant city with tons of new bars/restaurants/theaters, growing population, and it's actually managed pretty well (if you don't count the schools, which your daughter probably doesn't have to worry about). The Marion Barry days are long gone. The biggest issue now is the cost of housing - lots of young folks moving in, but not enough apartments being built so rents have skyrocketed.
Like any other place there are negatives. Traffic in the 'burbs is appalling, the population is transient, and the climate is pretty awful in the Summer. But it's certainly a reasonable city to spend a few years.
As was noted, for a young person it's a great environment. Vibrant city with tons of new bars/restaurants/theaters, growing population, and it's actually managed pretty well (if you don't count the schools, which your daughter probably doesn't have to worry about). The Marion Barry days are long gone. The biggest issue now is the cost of housing - lots of young folks moving in, but not enough apartments being built so rents have skyrocketed.
Like any other place there are negatives. Traffic in the 'burbs is appalling, the population is transient, and the climate is pretty awful in the Summer. But it's certainly a reasonable city to spend a few years.
wsuffa
Touchdown! Greaser!
Agree. I moved away for a while. I moved back.
A good friend of mine (single) was living in Ashburn, and moved to close-in Arlington about 18 months ago. She is SO much happier, more things to do, less time spent getting somewhere to do them. And does a reverse commute (could take metro, but would take twice as long).
Without getting into politics, I've lived in the District for 25 years, so I feel some obligation to defend the place
As was noted, for a young person it's a great environment. Vibrant city with tons of new bars/restaurants/theaters, growing population, and it's actually managed pretty well (if you don't count the schools, which your daughter probably doesn't have to worry about). The Marion Barry days are long gone. The biggest issue now is the cost of housing - lots of young folks moving in, but not enough apartments being built so rents have skyrocketed.
Like any other place there are negatives. Traffic in the 'burbs is appalling, the population is transient, and the climate is pretty awful in the Summer. But it's certainly a reasonable city to spend a few years.
Agree. As I said, I grew up in the area, moved away, came back, moved away, and came back again.
I personally see the transient population as an advantage, but YMMV.
Again, all of that is my personal opinion. To each their own.
Rushie
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Yep, OP indicated she'd already made up her mind that's where she wants to live, and wasn't asking for pros and cons of D.C. living, but for advice or referrals in the way of job opportunities based on our knowledge of such.
dell30rb
Final Approach
I can agree with the first part. I would have enjoyed living in a DC or NYC immediately post college for a few years if I was single. I have a good friend who moved to NYC in his mid 20s and really liked it at first. Now a few years later he hates it and is looking to get out.
There is no way out of NYC. There are so many jobs that only exist in the city and pay silly money for redundant work, after about 5 years most folks who start their working life in the there have become unemployable. The city dwellers also tend to be bad at math and don't understand that even if the same job in Dallas pays 50k less, they still come out ahead for disposable income. Similar problem in DC.
dell30rb
Final Approach
Yeah he is an analyst for one of the big firms. Only a couple places around the world where you can have that job. I think he had wolf of wall street dreams going there LOL
Rushie
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denverpilot
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This is the standard complaint about accurate assessment of a debt-driven government with two destructive cults operating it. “But the low level workers are good people.”
That’s nice. It has absolutely nothing to do with the economic fact that theft funded loans to the tune of over $20T are paying all those nice people.
No matter how well intentioned, we simply can’t afford most of them to be doing bureaucratic jobs that provide no real value.
They’ll find other useful things to do when the government is either de-funded massively by rational people or (more likely) they collapse the economy again with another one of their “oh, this is just a correction”.
The only thing really saving their butts right now is the solid economic fact that 80% of the country is in such personal debt, they don’t see debt as anything abnormal. If they’re broke, must be normal for government to be broke and need constant massive loans to continue to operate.
Government is just a reflection of us, and it’s broke. Paying hundreds of thousands of “nice” people multiples above the national median income inside the beltway, via loans, is destructive and economically unsound.
There’s absolutely no fiscal reason the DC area should have six of the richest counties in the US surrounding it, other than institutionalized corruption. None. They don’t produce anything of value.
DC needs a monetary slashing with a machete.
Rushie
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I agree with this 100%. Nevertheless I stand by my recommendation because if you must suck the teat of the Feds (taxpayers) at least you'll be doing rewarding work. That is, unless someone misappropriates your work to sway a campaign. And..... IBTL.
EdFred
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OK OK OK, I'll say it. She's in her 20's and since you didn't specify what type of work she was looking for, there's a couple hundred places in the area she could make legal, good, non-taxable money at while she goes to GW.
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Bob Gardner
I did two tours in DC and retired rather than go back for a third. Too hot, too cold. If it were not for the opportunity to expose my then 10-year-old son to the parks, museums, and historic buildings I would regret every minute I spent there.
Bob
Bob
I feel a little guilt for deflecting the thread earlier. . .maybe look into the lobbying concerns for health care? Lobbys suck up bright young talent, and the survivors can do very well. There has been a long trend of most of the support staff moving out of DC and into the 'burbs, mosyly NoVa, leaving just the mouth pieces and thier immediate staff in the city. And there is a lot of lobbyng regarding health care. . .
So, young and single, I'd pitch living in Arlington, with a roommate, closer to Courthouse than Rosslyn, but not as far as Ballston. Probably not in the City around GW, just on cost. DC is grossly mismanaged, but a youngster doesn't rely much on City services; still, IMHO, an experience as good or better would be in Arlington, and you can get by without a car there as easy as in DC.
If I was rich, at my age, I'd like Woodley Park, in the City near the Zoo. Nice setting, more sedate; but only with $$$$ to spare. . .
So you're saying NYC is like a black hole.
You try to get out, but then they pull you back in.....
I have little doubt that one of these days my dear wife will get a call with 'an offer she can't refuse' and we'll be back in NYC
.That or Alex along the metro.
denverpilot
Tied Down
I like Alexandria, but I'm older; I think a youngster could have a good time there, but they built it back in the day, so the GS-13s would have someplace to live, and I think of it (subjectively, I know) as a bit more staid.
wsuffa
Touchdown! Greaser!
Define "Alexandria".
The Old Town area and the sections up through the old Potomac Yards are in places conducive to nightlife. (I used to go there a lot more often but parking is a mess and they just raised the restaurant tax - again - to be the highest in the area). The portions of Fairfax County that have postal addresses of "Alexandria" are much less attractive to young folks (although if you're along the Metro, it's easy enough to get into town). The west end of Alexandria (Landmark area) is less conducive to nightlife, though the old mall is being made into a "Town Center", which may change things in the long run. But that's also a pain unless you have a car, ride the bus, or schlep with Uber/Lyft.
On Metro, GW is on the Orange/Blue/Silver lines. And walkable from the close-in areas of Arlington (long walk, but walkable). Rosslyn itself is kinda dead for night live, but Courthouse, Clarendon, and Ballston area all hot for nightlife and other stuff.
wsuffa
Touchdown! Greaser!
You mean having the headquarters of Hilton, Marriott, Choice hotels, Discovery Networks (moving to NYC but still a big presence here), VW North America, CapitalOne, MicroStrategy, Sunrise Senior Living, Mars (candy/M&M), Carlyle Group, Nestle North America, Lidl, and other non-government/commercial companies are "institutionalized corruption"? Really? And that's not even counting former area companies like AOL. And ones like Amazon that have the DC area on the short-list.
Once upon a time, DC was far, far more government-related than it is now. It's not the way any more. And the Virginia side in particular has done a pretty good job over the years of being one of the top-rated states for business. I can think of several major corporations that have located in the state (outside of the DC area) because of that.... DC is attractive because of the transportation hubs, the massive internet pipes that run through Reston/Ashburn, and other amenities.
In your opinion.
In mine, a scalpel is needed. I'll agree that there are a lot of things the government needs to change, but at the same time there are a lot of things that DO need to be part of government (monetary policy, for example, and defense - and even in those areas there's room for cuts). We could argue about regulatory agencies given that corporations use those regulations to erect barriers to entry to improve their profits (even at the expense of keeping others out....). The problem with using a machete is that things that ARE useful and SHOULD be run within DC often get cut when folks approach with too much zeal.
JOhnH
Touchdown! Greaser!
One of the reasons that Amazon has the DC area on their short list is so that they can be close to the politicians they lobby. Same with many other corporate HQs.
wsuffa
Touchdown! Greaser!
A big reason that Amazon has DC on the short list is that they have some of their largest data centers in Ashburn & Loudoun County. (I'm sure that Bezos having a home in Kalorama section of DC doesn't hurt). Something like 70% of the global internet traffic passes through Ashburn. Even if that number is 50%, it is significant enough to justify having a company like Amazon have HQ2 here.
It's like the DC area being the major transit point for north/south traffic on the east coast. Which leads me to say...
That said, I personally don't care to see Amazon here unless they fund MAJOR improvements to the infrastructure. Our infrastructure - roads in particular - are already stretched beyond the limit. I-95 and I-66 crawl (like 25 miles an hour or less) during peak times (it's not "rush hour" any more). All that traffic that's going from Florida/SC/GA to NY/NJ/New England converges here and the DC area is a choke point. It has not been helped by Maryland's refusal to consider bypass options on either the north or south side. People grouse about the toll lanes in Virginia, but Maryland has done nothing. We can't handle the additional employees.
There are many who also are not enamored by the massive subsidies that the state/local governments have put on the table to attract Amazon. Someone has to pay, and it sure isn't the company (which is one of the most profitable in the nation). Nope, that's borne by taxpayers. Yes, I fully understand how economic development works (lots of folks don't), and how the new employees will spend to create economic growth, but the argument is that at some point companies should pay to support the local needs and infrastructure caused by their presence. It's the same argument that's used about subsidies for stadiums and airports.
Because the DC area (and the two adjoining states) have corporate headquarters here now, there is financial support and familiarity. Adding to my list above, Maryland has (within a little over an hour from DC): McCormick spices, UnderArmor, Sinclair Broadcasting, and BET (which may actually be in DC, close-in). Virginia has (some in other parts of the state) Altria, NorfolkSouthern, Trex, WestRock (co-headquartered in Richmond, formerly MeadWestvaco), CarMax, Advance Auto Parts, and a bunch of others.
They're not here just to lobby the government. I intentionally left out government contractors like Northrup, Lockmart, Boeing, and a few others that are either based here or have a large presence.
wsuffa
Touchdown! Greaser!
By the way, for folks that don't realize it, Silicon Valley was born and bred as a direct result of the Federal Government...
denverpilot
Tied Down
Scalpel won’t work at over two trillion a year in added debt. Sorry but it’s a lifestyle problem, most of the stuff has to go and the credit card needs to be cut up.
A minor nitpick also, as far as “defense” goes, we haven’t been doing “defense” since before the Cold War. We’ve been doing “offense”. Combined with massive electronic spying.
200+ foreign bases isn’t defense, that’s an invasion. And really expensive. Nobody else does that. Let’s not even discuss the cost of all of the monster aircraft carriers... or our actual continual invasions without a legal declaration of War.
wsuffa
Touchdown! Greaser!
denverpilot
Tied Down
Nah. On FB they always like one cult or the other and are usually members of one of them.
Here I just state facts that aren’t partisan. Flat economic facts. We’re broke and DC is leading the charge card.
I really don’t care what politician wins, we’re screwed either way.
If the girl can get a job fed by endless loans, that furthers the self interests of a politician, she’ll do great in DC.
For how many more generations? Nobody knows. But we’re on the standard historical path of civilizations that fail.
Maybe a nice juicy contract to build some more military bases somewhere halfway around the globe will save us. Worked for Rome. Not.
Checkout_my_Six
Touchdown! Greaser!
well....sounds like the OP got more than his money's worth. lol
Brad Z
Final Approach
Hey guys, I stepped away for a bit. What did I miss?
SkyDog58
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Canis Non Grata
Absolutely! I’m all for having a very strong military that is capable of destroying anyone who attacks us and keeping our borders secure. However, all of this foreign meddling and overseas bases need to go. If China or Russia did just a fraction of the military interventions that we do, there’d be a great outcry from the public. The fact it is tolerated from our own government and military is unbelievable. The costs are outrageous and these wars do nothing for our security.
paflyer
Final Approach
It's not just paperwork: it's SS interviews, fingerprints, and anal check. The last is covered if you have BasicMed.
Checkout_my_Six
Touchdown! Greaser!
If things don't go so well....She could always join the encampment in Franklin square...or Freedom Plaza.
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JOhnH
Touchdown! Greaser!
Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that Russia and China traditionally intervene, occupy and ruthlessly dominate, where we intervene, protect and restore their sovereignty.
Seconded. I'm at a loss to equate Russian atrocities in Afghanistan, and/or Chinese bahaviour in Tibet with our interventions. That dog don't hunt.
They, Russia and China, have a "fraction" of the interventions we do because they are constrained by their force projection limitations, and US and allies opposition. It sure isn't because they stand on a higher moral ground.
We'd hear a "greater outcry" if it was US systemic policy to forcibly impregnate the native population in order to obliterate a culture, bayonet pregnant women for sport, and toss live people under rolling tanks. We have bad actors, sure, but as rare outliers, not as standing orders.
Checkout_my_Six
Touchdown! Greaser!
fake news.....
SkyDog58
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I really don’t want to continue this thread hijack much more than I already have but I’ll just say that much of our history both home and abroad is far from noble.