Job thread

[Teleku]

What exactly is your assignment again (think you said it was monitor work in Sinai)?  Are you based out of Cairo, or are you going to be sleeping elsewhere?

Basically, yes, though I'll be based out of a...base, in southern Sinai. It was a pretty sleepy assignment in the past, but much more complicated now due to ISIS.

Though honestly, that's part of the appeal - much more interesting, in my opinion, than going and sitting in the Embassies in Kabul or Islamabad.

Ah, going to be interesting then.  

I somewhat envy you because it is exciting.  Being at a remote base will probably suck, because even if you get sent to Iraq or Kabul, its a self contained compound with its own malls, food courts, medical facilities, bars, ect.  Hundreds of people to drink, fuck, or fight with for a year and get out.  Might be rougher in a remote base with less support and people.  However, it could also have a significantly higher chance for a real community and inner circle of friends you get along with great.  Will be hell or heaven.  I was thinking of doing one of the war zones, but you really have to commit early, and I just gave up.  Stuck with my current list then.  By the way, how do you think Mexico City would be?  Two positions there for my job, and people rave about it , but really not sure.  

Leads me into another fun point.  How would all of you rank these cities if somebody put a gun to your head and said you had to go live in them for 2 or 3 years?

Hong Kong (3 years)
Vientiane, Laos (2 years)
Capetown, South Africa (3 years)
Dar al-salam, Tanzania (3 years)
Windhoek, Namibia (3 years)
Nairobi, Kenya (2 years)
Montevideo, Uruguay (3 years)
Lima, Peru (2 years)
La Paz, Bolivia (2 years)

Because that's basically what I'm looking at for my lobbying.  Mexico city and some other places I'm iffy on I left off.  Also all of Europe because I've done my first two tours in EUR bureau, and will not do a third in a row.  I'm trying reeeeealllly hard for Hong Kong, but its a really highly bid after post, so I'm not holding my breath.  After that...... sort of a crap shoot of what I want.  Hard to decide what I should lobby for.  How would you, randomly people of the internet, choose?

[Chimpy]

Uruguay and then Peru would be the tops on that list for me.

[Merusk]

I swear one of you just did Capetown, so I guess that was Straz.

Peru, Laos, Hong Kong, Uruguay are probably the order I'd go. Capetown maybe not, the rest are a mix, starting with Nairobi and going on down. Bolivia I'd just avoid because it's where so many folks retire to. I can't imagine dealing with rich entitled white ex-pats is appealing.  

[ezrast]

Laotian food sounds delicious.

[Strazos]

I swear one of you just did Capetown, so I guess that was Straz.

Peru, Laos, Hong Kong, Uruguay are probably the order I'd go. Capetown maybe not, the rest are a mix, starting with Nairobi and going on down. Bolivia I'd just avoid because it's where so many folks retire to. I can't imagine dealing with rich entitled white ex-pats is appealing.  

Capetown...hahahahaha, you thought I was actually in a civilized place. That's cute.
Also, many of these places would be no big deal for Teleku - as an IT guy, he doesn't have to deal with the public. Those are my clients, for better or worse.

Anyway, knowing what I know about some of those places and Teleku, I'd rank those cities something like this:

Hong Kong
Montevideo
Mexico City
Lima

After that, you might as well be throwing darts at a map, which is what I tell the junior officers to do when they get all wrapped up in their various lists. 
I could continue ranking them, but seeing as you're coming from Moscow...someone might cut you a bit of a break. We'll see if I ever get to even sniff a place as nice as those.

[Bunk]

Would I want to consider moving from Vancouver, BC to Scottsdale, AZ - assuming a similar job to my current one, with the same company, and assuming I retain my seniority benefits?

Don't know what the salary offer is yet, but considering the difference in the dollar and real estate prices (I could pay for a mortgage on a house for less than I rent an apartment for now), I'm actually considering applying.

[HaemishM]

Do you like feeling the feeling of both sweating profusely while being simultaneously unable to breathe due to the heat? Do you like the idea of various forms of extremely hardy wild life hiding in every crevice imaginable waiting to kill you? Do you genuinely hate trees and all form of vegetation? Have you seen all the rain you ever want to for the rest of your life?

If all the answers to those questions are yes, you may enjoy the move.

[Bunk]

I know... I've visited twice, once it was 113 in the afternoon. And I've livid on the nice temperate west coast all my life. Right now, its likely going to come down to how much more money it makes me.

[Rasix]

Scottsdale is a more expensive part of the valley, but it's surrounded by areas that are more affordable. I think the Phoenix (Chandler, Tempe, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, etc) real estate market is still a bit crazy from what I've heard, but nothing compared to Vancouver. 

The cost of living here is low. So, if you're making a lot more, it'll also go pretty far. You just have to be willing to put up with 5 months of pure hell. There's not a whole lot of personality to the Phoenix area as everything has gotten very chainy, but it's very convenient.

[Polysorbate80]

Do you like feeling the feeling of both sweating profusely while being simultaneously unable to breathe due to the heat? Do you like the idea of various forms of extremely hardy wild life hiding in every crevice imaginable waiting to kill you? Do you genuinely hate trees and all form of vegetation? Have you seen all the rain you ever want to for the rest of your life?

If all the answers to those questions are yes, you may enjoy the move.

Wait, is that Arizona or Australia?

[Rasix]

Phoenix has mostly lot the ability to kill people.  Too much concrete.

[Yegolev]

ChatOps: Amazing new paradigm or ultimate display of lazy?

[HaemishM]

ChatOps: Amazing new paradigm or ultimate display of lazy?

Too goddamn hot to be anything but lazy.

[Trippy]

Would I want to consider moving from Vancouver, BC to Scottsdale, AZ - assuming a similar job to my current one, with the same company, and assuming I retain my seniority benefits?

No.

[Trippy]

ChatOps: Amazing new paradigm or ultimate display of lazy?

"ChatOps" is just a stupid term for something that's been around since the early 90s.

[Yegolev]

As is most of the things I encounter in "DevOps", except it all now has a native OSX client.  I'm just glad everyone is on board with automation like I am.

[schild]

I know... I've visited twice, once it was 113 in the afternoon. And I've livid on the nice temperate west coast all my life. Right now, its likely going to come down to how much more money it makes me.

It would have to be a substantial sum, Arizona fucking blows. I was only able to stay out there as long as I did because of all the alcohol.

[Soln]

I know... I've visited twice, once it was 113 in the afternoon. And I've livid on the nice temperate west coast all my life. Right now, its likely going to come down to how much more money it makes me.

You better check the US visa they offer (assuming you're CDN) and confirm the US benefits.  Medical++ and childcare (assuming you have kids) can be very expensive.  Probably obvious, but States also differ on support for public education, health etc.  Personally, I would say no to AZ. 

[Bunk]

Thanks all, pretty much the responses I expected  .

I'm only debating it because I'm currently single and kidless, which makes the idea of just getting up and moving seem possible. The Visa stuff might be doable because its a management position and I already work for the company in a parallel role.

That said, I really can't see myself wanting to live there long term.

[Sky]

My painting instructor is a dual citizen and drives over 5 hours to Toronto to go to the doctor.

[Reg]

If you can wangle them into to getting you a green card it might be worth doing for a couple of years.

[schild]

Thanks all, pretty much the responses I expected  .

I'm only debating it because I'm currently single and kidless, which makes the idea of just getting up and moving seem possible. The Visa stuff might be doable because its a management position and I already work for the company in a parallel role.

That said, I really can't see myself wanting to live there long term.

Are there literally any other states you could move to for the company? Don't you live in Vancouver? You absolutely should NOT leave there for fucking Arizona if you do.

[Selby]

How's your Spanish? Barring the weather conditions, going from the Pacific Northwest to an hour and a half from Mexico is a major culture shock if you've never lived around it. I personally don't mind the heat, but Scottsdale isn't as cheap as it used to be and has gotten somewhat crowded.

[Yegolev]

Also stay away if you dislike young dumb latinas.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Also stay away if you dislike young dumb latinas.

Now I'm confused - are you trying to discourage him or encourage him?

[schild]

Having met Bunk, and having lived in Phoenix, these are not the young, dumb latinas he is looking for.

[Yegolev]

They sure are dumb, though.

[Merusk]

Hey, on the upside Arizona's cut its budget so far that it won't be able to maintain its GIS or geological and historical services through 2016. So you've got lower taxes or something...

But yes, stay away. I risked divorce and alimony rather than move to Arizona. Even though the fallout is still happening some 15 years later I stand by it as a good decision. Arizona sucks that much.

[schild]

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/scottsdale-az/85251/daily-weather-forecast/331798

buhhhh

[Yegolev]

AccuWeather?  Really?

[Strazos]

I've had a good time in Tucson both times I've been there, but I think that's more a product of the people I was with.

If you've worked for the same company for more than a year or two, and it'd be a subsidiary on both sides of the border, there should be no issues with the visa as long as your company is not incompetent.

[Bunk]

Having met Bunk, and having lived in Phoenix, these are not the young, dumb latinas he is looking for.

Schild's polite way of saying I am not a player/ladies man.

I don't know how much the job even offers currently, but if I go by online suggestions of ~ $72k, that isn't really enough of a difference, even with the dollar, for me to consider it.
And yeah, it's got to be the worst location we have a large office in (Santa Clara and Westlake Village being the others).

I don't think I was really even considering it, but occasionally we look at our cost of living here and get some crazy ideas in our heads.

[schild]

No, that was me calling Phoenix Latinas wildebeests.

Also, I pulled in around 6 figures pre-raxes post-commission when I lived in Phoenix, and even all that money at 25 didn't make Phoenix any better.

[Furiously]

Isn't Vancouver having some sort of horrid housing bubble right now?

[schild]

Here's what I know about Canada:

The only place worth moving to there is Vancouver.
The Canadian dollar is a total shitshow and their small businesses are taking a dump on themselves.
Most Canadians are secretly mean in the same way southerners are (bless their heart).