| Project Income vs Desired Lifestyle Check |
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macedonia
New Poster
Cash: $ 0.45
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Joined: 08 Nov 2014
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| Project Income vs Desired Lifestyle Check |
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Hello all
As I am thinking hard on what direction I should go in college, I felt like it would be a good idea to have some people check my current plan to see if it will all work out.
I want to major in computer science and get a job as a software engineer. If I play my cards right, hopefully I can make around 100k.
As for my lifestyle, I want to live in a warm sunny place, most likely southern California as the computer science field is doing good down there. Living costs will be higher than average there, I know. I have been interested in penthouses recently. I know these are way out of my budget, but I was hoping you guys would know of a type of housing that I could look into that is similar to that?
I would like to spend a little bit of money on some nice clothes. Not imported silk or anything, but also not Wal-Mart ties. Other than that, I don't think that I will spend very much more than the average person. My hobbies are very inexpensive, I don't have the stomach for expensive foods. I might travel once a year or so, and probably just domestically. I guess the biggest draw on my money compared to other people would be housing and clothing.
So, how am I looking? Will my desired job support a lifestyle that I want? Any tips on how to cut costs? Thanks for all the help
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Sat Nov 08, 2014 5:02 am |
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Wino
Senior Member
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Location: Dubai
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Try looking at Austin, TX and environs. It meets all your criteria and is also a much lower (though still high for TX) cost of living..
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Sat Nov 08, 2014 2:25 pm |
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oldguy
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Location: arizona
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quote:
I want to major in computer science and get a job as a software engineer. If I play my cards right, hopefully I can make around 100k.
Don't short yourself on the education, short-cuts will be costly later. Ie, don't get a BA in Comp Sci, get a BS in Engineering. Eg, a SW engineer that needs to have the math, calculus, thermodynamics, written out for him before he can write the SW is not nearly as useful to an employer as someone who understands the whole process. If you get the education first, you will be in a higher pay-grade right at the start - and $150k could happen in just a few yrs.
quote:
I want to live in a warm sunny place, most likely southern California
Well, SoCal is pretty crowded - and it has nowhere to build but upward. It's bounded by an ocean on one side and by the Inland Empire (desert) on the other - so it is mostly a 50 mile wide strip. And it's packed with 10's of millions of people who are stuck in traffic and have learned to breath air that you can see, lol.
Austin is nice, not too big, lots of opportunity.
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Sat Nov 08, 2014 3:19 pm |
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macedonia
New Poster
Cash: $ 0.45
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Joined: 08 Nov 2014
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I chose South California mostly because of all the tech opportunities there - does Texas have those same opportunities? I have never really checked out other places, so that might be a good thing for me to do. oldguy: Can you explain what you mean a little bit? I'm not trying to get an easy major that pays, I actually enjoy the subject. But maybe a major in computer engineering would be better? Or a BS in CS with minors in math or some other field of science? I guess I would be happy with any major as long as it ends up with me sitting behind a computer typing up code (and paying 150k wouldn't hurt). Thanks for the input, guys
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Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:49 pm |
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Wino
Senior Member
Cash: $ 113.80
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Location: Dubai
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quote:
Originally posted by macedonia
I chose South California mostly because of all the tech opportunities there - does Texas have those same opportunities? I have never really checked out other places, so that might be a good thing for me to do.
It was a mistake on my part. Check out Austin, TX. They are known as "The Silicon Valley of Texas." Lots and lots and lots of computer jobs near there, especially out near Round Rock. Of course, you can give most of you money to CA instead, if you like. Texas has no State income tax, and if you get outside the cities, the property taxes aren't too bad. Sales tax is a bit high, but two outta three ain't bad.
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Originally posted by macedonia
oldguy: Can you explain what you mean a little bit? I'm not trying to get an easy major that pays, I actually enjoy the subject. But maybe a major in computer engineering would be better? Or a BS in CS with minors in math or some other field of science? I guess I would be happy with any major as long as it ends up with me sitting behind a computer typing up code (and paying 150k wouldn't hurt). Thanks for the input, guys
Look into things called "embedded controllers." I also second oldguy's suggestion that you look into engineering. Electrical engineers do at least as much programming as computer guys, if you want to. Of course, you can get into non-programming fields as an engineer, as well. I can verify that engineers get paid very well, but they must produce. I tell my guys, "Engineers do two things: They make decisions, and they fix things." If you won't make a decision and you didn't take apart most of your toys as a kid, you probably aren't going to be top-of-the-crop as an engineer.
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Sun Nov 09, 2014 4:01 am |
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