Is it possible to move to Mass?

Submitted by GolfingDad81 t3_11w6q0z in massachusetts

I grew up in Massachusetts, but moved to Florida back in 05. For the last couple of years my wife and I have been talking about moving back up north. Florida is nuts and getting nuttier by the day.

We're ready to make the jump back home. However, we're not sure where to look, or if its even possible with housing prices. I grew up around Boston and that's just not feasible. My wife is a school principal, has her doctorate, and would like to teach or work at the college level. I'm in social services and run a fairly large government agency, although tbh I'm getting kind of burnt out from that. I'm not sure what our earning capacity could be up there. Here we make about 190k.

Is there anywhere in Massachusetts that has reasonable access to colleges or universities for jobs and a somewhat reasonable cost of living? Or if you were in our situation where would you start looking? We have 3 kids so a safe community is one of our only priorities.

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SandyBouattick t1_jcwofbv wrote

It seems fairly obvious, but you should probably look for jobs here before you move. That way you have a much better sense of your income here and general location in the state. Boston is the hub for colleges, but we do have some scattered throughout the state. Academic jobs here are very competitive, so landing one before moving makes a lot of sense. Once you have jobs, you know roughly where you will need to live and can search the areas commutable to your jobs for housing. Nobody here can tell you what's affordable without knowing where you have to be for work. Generally the farther you are from Boston, the cheaper housing becomes. Central and western MA are much more affordable, but you have fewer high-income jobs available so most people have longer commutes as the trade off for more land and cheaper housing.

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Unique-Public-8594 t1_jcwovs7 wrote

If it were me, I would pick one career to prioritize (whichever one will pay more or harder to find a job).

Check indeed.com.

Get a job offer.

Search for real estate within 30-60 min commute (during rush hour) of that job location.

Go back to the potential employer and use the cost of real estate as a way to negotiate higher pay.

Best of luck to you. With your job skills, the two of you, and in this job market, I think you will do well.

So many colleges.

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denis0500 t1_jcwowmi wrote

The Worcester area has 11 colleges I believe and assuming you can get jobs in your fields you should be making more than enough to live in the area. There are safe towns with good schools all around Worcester that you should be able to afford making those salaries.

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[deleted] t1_jcwpcsc wrote

Not unless you have a shitload of money. Even renting is insane these days

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Coggs362 t1_jcwqqzi wrote

Bridgewater, or Foxborough. Both have commuter rail access and some nearby smallish schools. Worcester/Framingham line communities would be good, too.

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twoscoop t1_jcwr7gj wrote

Replying to denis0500 (#2,276,490)

Yeah you can find some pretty good houses above worcester that has good land and schools for the kids. your niehgbors being cows and old people who hate flies, but also be half an hour from woosta and 60 minutes from boston by train and 35 by car.

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humanzee70 t1_jcwxdas wrote

You make more in Florida than my wife and I make here, and we own a 2 family home. You should be just fine.

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mom_with_an_attitude t1_jcx01mh wrote

There's the five college area in Western MA. Smith, UMass, Mt. Holyoke, Amherst and Hampshire. And houses are a lot more affordable in that area as compared to Boston.

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AnteaterEastern2811 t1_jcxknng wrote

Worcester is a very good option and checks all your boxes. City is currently growing very fast and has 12 universities plus commute access to others. Direct flights to/from FLL if you're looking to make a short visit.

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ajmacbeth t1_jcxomuk wrote

I suggest the two areas to look at first are Amherst and Worcester. You should be able to find something affordable within a 30-minute commute of either area. This map might be useful: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1CfjizbRDVX-ZmBnsUJVTpsdQYbA&hl=en_US&ll=42.083819970917894%2C-71.4394416796875&z=9

One piece of advice that I often see for people considering a move is to rent for a year first. This gives you an opportunity to explore areas before you commit to one.

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SliceProfessional461 t1_jcxp8jq wrote

Find comparable jobs here in MA. They will likely pay more. You’ll be able to find something in a decent town around/inside 495. (The new 128)

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machautshine t1_jcxtyro wrote

I agree with those who suggest following the job offers. Just to add, Academic jobs are always scarce: it’s really a defining part of that neck of the job market. My 2€: you search for a job in your field (there is some public infrastructure here at least) and have your wife look in education: lots if options in the school system, both public and private. As for housing prices, there are really decent options in the west if the state. I live in Franklin County, and a lot of decent houses here go for 250k. Not a lot of jobs though…

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[deleted] t1_jcxu5x5 wrote

Replying to humanzee70 (#2,276,956)

And no jobs lined up in Massachusetts. He's a social worker running a government program there's less than 0% chance he'll do that well if he leaves that position. Also the wife is a principal but wants to get into teaching which do you think pays better. Average teacher salary in mass is 60K dramatically less than half of 190. Sure there doing alright now but they don't have anything lined up

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GolfingDad81 OP t1_jcy0aeu wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#2,278,466)

So my share of the family income is 75k. Is that unreasonable for a public sector salary in Massachusetts? Florida is one of the lowest paying states for public employment so I figured I would make more up there.

And my wife is wanting to break into secondary education if that makes a difference. She isn't looking to be a 4th grade teacher (not that there's anything wrong with that). But she isn't opposed to adjunct work while finding a job in administration. She's a principal now but she's also an adjunct professor who teaches two classes a year in local university's school leadership track. She just really enjoys adults and wants to shift focus.

We wouldn't be moving up without jobs identified. We have some money saved up but it's definitely not "move out of state and hope to find ourselves" money. Schools are starting to hire for their fall semesters which is why we're trying to identify a plan now. Realistically the earliest we could move is July or August.

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GolfingDad81 OP t1_jcy0jv6 wrote

Thank you, everyone, for your input. Sounds like we can make this happen after all.

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Easy-Progress8252 t1_jcy32xb wrote

Lots of public school and social services agencies jobs up here, but agree with the other posters that it’s best to have jobs in hand before moving. The spring is a good time for school jobs, particularly late spring, as the inevitable shuffle begins between systems and positions and budgets finalized. Consider a job at the state, they are always looking for talented administrators and someone with a background in state government is a big plus. Plus most state agencies in MA offer hybrid work schedules.

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DangerPotatoBogWitch t1_jcy5fzm wrote

Replying to GolfingDad81 (#2,278,856)

Your wife could make bank as a K-12 administrator if she gets her license, and many districts are always looking. Higher Ed is pretty hard to break into; schools really like to hire people who have been following a straight line in higher education. (We’ve had to leave the five college area because of lack of jobs, and we’re not teachers, we’re support staff).

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Hoosac_Love t1_jcyb9da wrote

There are decent colleges in the pioneer valley area and towns like Easthampton and Ware are less expensive and put you close to 5 good colleges

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rubbish_heap t1_jcynj84 wrote

https://www.higheredjobs.com/
hireculture.org
are good for teaching/creative jobs
I moved here 5 years ago with no job - now own a duplex, you can do this.
I like the Northwest Metro - I can get to Boston, Worcester, Framingham, up to Nashua/Manchester, Franklin Pierce or even Keene is within reach.
https://cthrupayroll.mass.gov/#!/year/2023/ has state employee payrolls if you would like to see what your job might make here.

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borkmeister t1_jd02cv8 wrote

If you live somewhere halfway between Worcester and Northampton you would be living within a 30 minute drive of a dozen universities and you could buy a very nice house for $350k

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