Moving from Michigan to the Bay Area?
Like many others, I live in the Midwest (Michigan) and have an opportunity to double my income if I take an onsite position in San Francisco. Yes, I've read the other similar posts and all of the comments! Given every situation is unique, was hoping to get your feedback on mine. Forgive my ignorance in advance. I've lived in MI and FL only, so the West Coast is all new to me!
First things first -- I'm a single mom, with a child in middle school. Her Dad passed away 7 years ago. So I've been hyper-focused on trying to make-up for not having a 2nd income ever since.
About me: Early 40s. Own a modest home in a nice area in MI with good schools (house is not paid off, but I have about $200k in equity. It would sell in 3 weeks or less if I listed it.)
I'm Mid-Senior level in my career. Working an extremely high stress job. I pretty much work all the time (6-7 days/week) sometimes pulling 2-3 days straight, no sleep. Always 12+ hour days. The worst part is that I am out of state, and away from my daughter, M-F. (Was formerly with the same company for 12+ years, and, well, Covid shook things up, and I was laid off in round 3 of cuts.) After over a year unemployed (and burning through my savings) I accepted a position in another state, out of desperation. All would be well, IF the company wasn't run by a micro-managing, OCD, work-obcessed narcissist, who has wildly unrealistic expectations, and zero respect for boundaries. It's bad. Really bad.
*Enter friendly recruiter from Bay Area company, offering a little over twice my current salary and a whole lot of shiny dream benefits that are unheard of here! *
Good thing I can maths! I've read a lot about making this move. And the numbers barely support it (income would be around 250 w/a potential 80-100k addition if my boyfriend joined us). Usually I wouldn't consider the move. But my current situation is so unsustainable, trying my luck at making too little $ in the U.S. city with the highest cost of living almost sounds more viable!
Help me w/this decision please! Some other things to know:
-- My daughter and I are both adventurous in spirit, but not very physically active. I'm always working.
-- Is 250k enough to live off of? I understand it will not be enough to buy a home. I plan to keep mine in MI and rent it out.
-- I'm open to homeschooling or remote-schooling my daughter if we can't afford to move into a good school district.
-- The company offering me the new position is known for good work-life balance.
-- I am sometimes socially awkward. It's mostly just verbal communication that I struggle with. I'm intelligent enough, but it's hard for me to be very polished when I speak. And it seems like all my peers from the West Coast are so ... well-spoken and just "smooth". I'm worried this will be a problem for me, both at work and socially.
-- Question: could I just live in MI and fly-in weekly for our 3 days mandatory in-office? I feel like this could be possible with planning. And would be similar to the crazy schedule I'm already on. I was also thinking about maximizing the 90-day grace period that they give new hires to relocate - so accepting the position and working just for the first 90 days and then trying to extend that window as far out as possible. I know that's shitty ... but I also know companies wouldn't hesitate to lay me off if it made fiscal sense. So hate the game.
-- Is it possible to live in something alternative? Like an RV or maybe rent a work space and just stay there for the 3 days I'd be onsite and then commute much farther away for the other 4?
Any and all advice is welcome. I realize how ignorant I sound. I'm considering it because what I have now is not sustainable. The stress from the extreme gaslighting and mental games at work is taking a big toll on my health and wellness. And me being away from my daughter isn't ideal either.
TLDR Got a typical "big offer" from a Bay Area company and I need help deciding if I should take it and move from MI to CA.
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