Updated/Continuation of Thread
I currently live in Toronto, Canada as a fresh college graduate with my mother downtown and I am debating if I should start my career here or in San Jose, California.
>Money:
The career I am pursuing is a police officer. Cops in Toronto start off at 58k CAD which is 44k USD. Cops in San Jose start off at 84k USD which is 110k CAD.
If I were to join Toronto Police, I would have to stay 6 years to reach 110k CAD when San Jose starts at that salary (84k USD). If I were to stay 6 years in San Jose Police, I would be making 106k USD which is 140k CAD. It seems there is more money to be made in San Jose Police.
>Housing:
After researching, both housing markets are expensive without a doubt. Since I live in a condo in downtown Toronto, I know that the prices are ridiculous for the amount of little space you get. While in San Jose, yes the prices are expensive too but you get more space for your dollar. Plus it would be less expensive if you lived outside of the city in San Jose. I have a friend who is an Electrical Engineer and he wants to move to San Jose, so I might rent with him, keep costs low.
>Other Expenses:
The cost of living in San Jose is a little bit more expensive (27%) than Toronto. But you could argue that I am making more money in San Jose to be able to afford the high expenses. On top of that, you have to account that the Canadian dollar is 0.76 cents to the American Dollar.
>Other Reasons To Move:
Beautiful weather all year round, new experience, saving money, having independence and meet new people.
>Reasons Not To Move:
From what I heard, a lot of immigrants, ghetto areas, gang bangers, Spanish people, shit healthcare compared to Canada, gas prices and high car insurance.
>So it with worth moving for a possible better quality of life? Questions to me.
Things to think of.
If you are a police officer they may require you to live in the city you serve, the city I live in in us requires this, though there are ways around it.
Also Canada is much safer with less violence possibly why they make less money. Also have you thought about competition? I didn't think it was that easy to just get a police position in a large city, but if you are qualified then go for it. Also, the Bay Area/San Jose have many many towns and suburbs, Mayb keep checking the job postings/city websites of all of them as well.
>>1118606
Thanks for your input. Yes, obviously Toronto is safer than San Jose. I chose San Jose because its one of the highest paying cities in California beside the other factors.
>>1118609
And they're willing to pay more for another cop cause its probably a shitty area with too much violence and not enough ppl are applying
>>1118604
>>Reasons Not To Move:
>From what I heard, a lot of immigrants, ghetto areas, gang bangers, Spanish people,
No question, lots of immigrants--roughly 40% of the city's population was born outside the US. But that's not an inherently negative point. A lot of those people are just tech people. Most are just working- or middle-class, law-abiding people. Very few are criminals, and the biggest problem may be a potential language barrier to a Canuck police officer (better brush up on your Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Cantonese, among others). Spanish-speaking folks, mostly the same boat.
>shit healthcare compared to Canada
Quality of care should actually be similar or slightly higher. Insurance is the kicker--no national coverage. But you'd get coverage through your job that should be decent at least.
>gas prices and high car insurance.
Gas is always at least a little cheaper in the US than in Canada (whoever was complaining may not know that we have just about the cheapest gas in the developed world, outside the Gulf). It's more expensive in California than in most parts of the country (except Hawaii), but a quick search tells me that someone got gas this morning at a Costco in greater Toronto for about US$2.90/gallon, as opposed to the $2.46 someone spent at a Costco in greater San Jose. Of course, you'll drive more, so there's that.
To this list, you need to add immigration. I was curious, so I looked it up--to apply to the SJPD, you have to be a permanent resident who has applied for naturalization. Are you interested in acquiring US citizenship? If so, you technically have to renounce your Canadian citizenship, although that's only in the eyes of the US.
Even if you do want to naturalize, how are you going to get permanent residency? You can't just buy it or sign up for it--green cards are usually awarded based on some kind of 'permanent' link to the US, either an offer of permanent employment (so your job sponsors/vouches for you) or family/spousal ties.
Why did you start a new thread. Just because everyone called you out for your delusional ideas about how immigrating works?
I am also looking to move to San Jose as a mechanical design engineer.
If anyone can steer me where I xan put in my application, I would greatly appreciate. So far, I have put in my application just about almost everwhere I could find in the bay area.
San Jose born and raised here. I'm a graduate student at SJSU with two semesters left, after which I'm headed for greener pastures overseas.
Pic related, it's next to the 87 freeway on my way home, where a tent city comes and goes. We recently had the nation's largest homeless encampment "The Jungle" before being dismantled, then our over 3000 homeless moved across the city.
The average rent here is $3000/mo. To own is $800k+. Should something happen to your job, you'd easily find yourself on the street, with numerous articles about such people. Near my work many live in their cars. You might've heard the saying "Drive 'til you afford it", pushing many out to the east in Tracy, or to the south in Gilroy, facing 2-3 hour commutes everyday.
Our police department is notoriously understaffed and overworked. Of major US cities we have the worst ratio of cops to citizens. The pay isn't much relative to the cost of living, why they can't retain officers. Thus the SJPD's fleet of "Community Service" Ford Focuses driven by unarmed "psuedo-cops" who merely take reports, for a fraction of cops' pay. Meanwhile, East San Jose is an war zone with several drive-bys and stabbings a month.
If you're looking to be an engineer, our library is filled with F1 visa Indians with positions waiting upon graduation, as they're willing to take a fraction of a native grad's cost.
If you're a single guy looking to meet someone, Google our well-earned moniker "Man Jose". Due to our notoriously sexist tech industry, San Jose's young women usually head elsewhere to find work. Then the industry brings in more guys. The result is anywhere you go being a complete sausage fest. The women who do remain know their worth, and have high expectations.
Which brings me to the overall attitude of a place like this. Everyone's out to be top dog. Everyone's gotta have the fat check, the BMW or Benz, and a fat rock to put on her finger. Then if you can't hang, there's room under the freeway.
>>1118604
>The cost of living in San Jose is a little bit more expensive (27%) than Toronto. But you could argue that I am making more money in San Jose to be able to afford the high expenses.
This rationalization is what kills a lot of people.
Also i doubt cops make 27% more in SJ than they do in Toronto.
>>1119540
I got a call from this company and so say the gig falls through, I would be re-locating from Texas to the Bay Area. If the job is in San Jose, is the only viable rental apartment option only in Gilroy?
>>1119577
How much will you make?
>>1118604
fwiw this picture is roughly 6 hours south of san jose
>>1119540
Is this why illegal prostitution is booming in San Jose?
Someone needs to suck Raj's cock
>>1119626
Probably between $70k-$80k, I don't think that's enough given the rent.
>>1118604
your photo is a place a 7 hour drive away from San Jose. I'm sorry to pop your bubble if you were expecting to live close to anything like that.
>>1119540
>average rent is 3000
No it's not, you suck at finding housing.
>>1119540
>Man Jose
>rent is 3000
>move to gilroy
I'm glad as a recent college graduate with no real world experience you are out there giving totally solid advice
>>1118604
>Pic not related
That's Laguna Beach, homes.
San Diego is the best large city in California.
>>1119760
Not to derail op's thread but what's the highway situation like for rush hour in San Diego?
How far/cheap away from the city could I get and still have a ~1 hour commute?
>>1119764
San Diego is 8 hours away from San Jose and Bay Area people notoriously hate SoCal cities, so you aren't going to get any answers in this thread.
>>1119764
I have a 48 mile one way commute that's about 45-50 minutes, but I start work at 5 am. It depends on what direction you are from work too. Going N/S is generally worse than coming in from East County.
>>1119766
I would say that Bay Area people can suck my dick, but I'm afraid they would take it as a literal invitation.
>>1119776
That doesn't seem too bad. I'm used to the steel belt where some cities you can live 70 miles away and not have issues.
I'm interviewing for a programming gig out there next week. Seems pretty decent so far.
>>1119782
I grew up here, it's an awesome town. There's a little over 3 million people in the county, but it's really laid back. You have to deal with the sunshine tax though and a lot of the state bs. I don't think I could ever move away from the ocean though.
>>1119540
>Man Jose
>Census: 49.7% female
I'm sorry for your personal experience with women
>>1119565
OP's figure of 84k starting is in fact correct. It is very well advertised. If I were asked on the street "How much does a cop make here starting" I would have said 84k without thinking because of all the signs and billboards they've done over time.
>>1119639
>Probably between $70k-$80k, I don't think that's enough given the rent.
Not sure where the $3000 figure above came from; a quick scan of Craigslist shows me 2br places going for that much or more, but there are 1brs in (maybe sketchy?) parts of SJ or pleasant-enough nearby suburbs (Campbell, Milpitas, Sunnyvale) that can be found for $2000 or even a bit under. And there are studios too--plenty around for $1600-$1800.
If you want a lot of space, you'll have to be farther out. But you don't *have* to spend $3K to live in or near San Jose. You don't even need to spend that much to live in San Francisco, and we're even more expensive.
>>1119830
that person is an idiot with no life experience, talking about things they don't know anything about. Welcome to 4chan!
you can get a decent 1br for 1800, and a nice one for 2200. It costs more if you have pets, but 3000 rent is for a house or a luxury apartment.
>>1119843
That's what I saw as well, but given a typical engineer's salary of say $75k, I don't think that will be enough? I'm used to $900 rent here in Texas.
>>1119872
75k is definitely enough. If you rent a place for 2200 a month, that's 26400 a year, so you have 44600 left a year. Unless you have a lot of debt you are working on, you should be pretty comfortable.
My partner and I work low paying jobs and live fine on a combined 50-60k.
>>1119920
>75k is definitely enough. If you rent a place for 2200 a month, that's 26400 a year, so you have 44600 left a year
"what is 'before tax income', alex?"
I asked around and one guy said his company took care of his living situation and some other guy said to get a room mate. Trouble in paradise huh?
With $75k salary, a $2k rent would pretty much be 50% of your monthly paycheck. In my opinion, your housing cost should at the MAX 1/3 of your monthly paycheck.
Pretty much everyone that I've spoken to had to get at least 1 (if not multiple) room mates.
