2L with SA but also big grade improvement, try for new job? Forum

[thesealocust]

Counterargument: the line to get into the Union Square trader joes is like 4-5 hours long on the weekends.

[Kronk]

The only way I would be paying $400 a month for transportation is if I traveled like this:



And I mean yeah, maybe you could make up for some of the difference in things by not going out to eat, not going out to drink, buying clothes and other things online instead of in NYC stores, etc. I just don't think doing all those things is realistic all the time (especially when you spend so much time in the office / don't have time to cook food as often as you'd like / have to grab things quickly before or after work or, and all those things add up little by little. Maybe locust could chime in on whether or not it's actually feasible to avoid consumer costs in NYC since (I think?) he is already out of LS.

That doesn't even begin to address the lost money you'd have in a bigger city like SF or NYC due to rent after awhile, considering in a lot of secondary markets you'd be able to buy a very nice home after a few years of BigLaw work and you'd be making a solid real estate investment.

[nouseforaname123]

I don't think transportation costs as much as you think it does here. If I moved back and had a job downtown and lived outside the city like I had just put out there, I could ride the bus all month for less than $100.

+1. As a SA in Dallas I was able to use the local rail system about 90% of time even though I lived about 20 miles from my offices. Plan on continuing the practice once I'm full time. My drive to the station was less than a mile. NYC has a superior public transportation system, but I would think that most cities with Biglaw have workable public transportation.

Phoenix didn't. And if living by yourself in NYC is important as a BigLaw associate, having a car is just as important everywhere else. Gas/Insurance/Maintenance used to cost as much as my rent, and that ignores the cost of monthly payments on the vehicle.

By the way, Trader Joe's brags about having the same prices nationwide. Since I shop there, I spend the same amount on groceries now as I did in Phoenix. My rent went from $400 to $800, which was shared in both places. Since I am prone to impulse purchases, have little self-discipline when it comes to eating out, and struggle to live in a space which can't fit a pool table, I do spend a lot more here than I used to, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Weird that you say that about PHX. My best friend was a commercial banker there for one of the big banks. Most days he left his Lexus in the garage and rode the bus. Guy had a sweet setup: Enough space for the wife and kids, nice community pool in their gated-neighborhood and if he had to drive it took about twenty-five minutes to get to his office. House payment was like $1100/month and another $100/month on HOA.

Serious question, say I want about 2000 sq. ft., above average public schools, enough outdoor space for two medium-sized dogs to run around and an outdoor space for a big green egg, how much would I be looking at in NYC? Door-to-office commute time of about 30 minutes.

[Tiago Splitter]

Counterargument: the line to get into the Union Square trader joes is like 4-5 hours long on the weekends.

Trader Joe's is a truly awful experience. I certainly don't prefer NYC to other cities.

you'd be able to buy a very nice home after a few years of BigLaw work and you'd be making a solid real estate investment.

--Kronk Kronkman, 2006

Weird that you say that about PHX. My best friend was a commercial banker there for one of the big banks. Most days he left his Lexus in the garage and rode the bus. Guy had a sweet setup: Enough space for the wife and kids, nice community pool in their gated-neighborhood and if he had to drive it took about twenty-five minutes to get to his office

I once had to take the bus when my car broke down and was able to go the entire 20 miles to work in just two short hours.

[thesealocust]

Serious question, say I want about 2000 sq. ft., above average public schools, enough outdoor space for two medium-sized dogs to run around and an outdoor space for a big green egg, how much would I be looking at in NYC? Door-to-office commute time of about 30 minutes.

I'm no expert, but my first instinct is that's sort of like asking how much you would have to spend to get an apartment near Broadway theatres while living in Texas, or what the going rate for an ocean view in Chicago is.

[romothesavior]

2. Don't be openly looking to leave your firm before you've ever worked there. If the one thing that a firm knows about you is that you look to leave before you get there that's a bad thing.
4. Do everything you can to get an offer. Buy in completely to the firm's summer program. Do not be the guy who thinks he's too good for the firm and is leaving the minute the summer ends.
.

OP here, THANK YOU! This is exactly what I was looking for. (and didn't really trust my CSO to tell me, since they stop trying once you're employed in any capacity)

...I'm not sure how this thread turned into a debate about the purchasing power parity between markets.

#2 and # are key, because I would be surprised if you are going to be able to trade up to NYC/DC/LA/etc., unless your school feeds well into one of those markets already. Certainly give it a shot if that's what you want, but I think the job you have now is pretty much your sweet spot for your grades/school. I don't say that to deter you from pursuing your dream, but try to enjoy your summer and learn to appreciate your current firm, because in all likelihood, that's where you'll be headed after graduation.

And let's stop derailing the thread guys. Midwest is Best. The end. Let's try to stick to OP's topic and not get off track debating how much NYC sucks.

[nouseforaname123]

Serious question, say I want about 2000 sq. ft., above average public schools, enough outdoor space for two medium-sized dogs to run around and an outdoor space for a big green egg, how much would I be looking at in NYC? Door-to-office commute time of about 30 minutes.

I'm no expert, but my first instinct is that's sort of like asking how much you would have to spend to get an apartment near Broadway theatres while living in Texas, or what the going rate for an ocean view in Chicago is.

I'm not an expert either, that's why I asked. Are you saying that the generic things I would be looking for can't be found in NYC?

Let me ask this: If I lived in an apartment in NYC, would it be realistic for me to own a big green egg? What would be the logistics for owning something like that? Would that be a luxury? Sorry for my ignorance, I've only lived on the West Coast and in Texas.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Serious question, say I want about 2000 sq. ft., above average public schools, enough outdoor space for two medium-sized dogs to run around and an outdoor space for a big green egg, how much would I be looking at in NYC? Door-to-office commute time of about 30 minutes.

I'm no expert, but my first instinct is that's sort of like asking how much you would have to spend to get an apartment near Broadway theatres while living in Texas, or what the going rate for an ocean view in Chicago is.

I'm not an expert either, that's why I asked. Are you saying that the generic things I would be looking for can't be found in NYC?

Let me ask this: If I lived in an apartment in NYC, would it be realistic for me to own a big green egg? What would be the logistics for owning something like that? Would that be a luxury? Sorry for my ignorance, I've only lived on the West Coast and in Texas.

You'd have to live in the suburbs for what you're talking about, or maybe buy a house in Brooklyn or Queens (though I suspect you might not be happy with the size of the backyard you'd get even owning a house in the boroughs). A 30 minute commute isn't impossible if your office is near Penn Station or Grand Central but it's on the very low side for a suburban commute in NYC.

[romothesavior]

And let's stop derailing the thread guys.

[Anonymous User]

I don't think transportation costs as much as you think it does here. If I moved back and had a job downtown and lived outside the city like I had just put out there, I could ride the bus all month for less than $100.

+1. As a SA in Dallas I was able to use the local rail system about 90% of time even though I lived about 20 miles from my offices. Plan on continuing the practice once I'm full time. My drive to the station was less than a mile. NYC has a superior public transportation system, but I would think that most cities with Biglaw have workable public transportation.

Phoenix didn't. And if living by yourself in NYC is important as a BigLaw associate, having a car is just as important everywhere else. Gas/Insurance/Maintenance used to cost as much as my rent, and that ignores the cost of monthly payments on the vehicle.

By the way, Trader Joe's brags about having the same prices nationwide. Since I shop there, I spend the same amount on groceries now as I did in Phoenix. My rent went from $400 to $800, which was shared in both places. Since I am prone to impulse purchases, have little self-discipline when it comes to eating out, and struggle to live in a space which can't fit a pool table, I do spend a lot more here than I used to, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Weird that you say that about PHX. My best friend was a commercial banker there for one of the big banks. Most days he left his Lexus in the garage and rode the bus. Guy had a sweet setup: Enough space for the wife and kids, nice community pool in their gated-neighborhood and if he had to drive it took about twenty-five minutes to get to his office. House payment was like $1100/month and another $100/month on HOA.

Serious question, say I want about 2000 sq. ft., above average public schools, enough outdoor space for two medium-sized dogs to run around and an outdoor space for a big green egg, how much would I be looking at in NYC? Door-to-office commute time of about 30 minutes.

I'm a current BigLaw associate in Phoenix and I pay $1500/month to live in a 3 bedroom house with a big yard and pool in a decent neighborhood. I have a 15 minute commute to work by car (or 30 minute by rail). I used to live in a $900/month luxury 1 bedroom apartment that was walking distance to work.

And for as much as secondary market lovers have shit on NYC in this thread, NYCers overstate "transportation costs" in secondary cities. If you drive something cheap and don't live in the suburbs, you can get by spending $300/month to $400/month in total transportation costs.

[kryptix]

Serious question, say I want about 2000 sq. ft., above average public schools, enough outdoor space for two medium-sized dogs to run around and an outdoor space for a big green egg, how much would I be looking at in NYC? Door-to-office commute time of about 30 minutes.

I'm no expert, but my first instinct is that's sort of like asking how much you would have to spend to get an apartment near Broadway theatres while living in Texas, or what the going rate for an ocean view in Chicago is.

I'm not an expert either, that's why I asked. Are you saying that the generic things I would be looking for can't be found in NYC?

Let me ask this: If I lived in an apartment in NYC, would it be realistic for me to own a big green egg? What would be the logistics for owning something like that? Would that be a luxury? Sorry for my ignorance, I've only lived on the West Coast and in Texas.

You'd have to live in the suburbs for what you're talking about, or maybe buy a house in Brooklyn or Queens (though I suspect you might not be happy with the size of the backyard you'd get even owning a house in the boroughs). A 30 minute commute isn't impossible if your office is near Penn Station or Grand Central but it's on the very low side for a suburban commute in NYC.

2000 sq ft would run you in the 2 million range in NYC, so you better be a partner already.

There are a few first floor and terrace apartments in Manhattan that would let you have a big green egg that I kind of liked but your probably looking at Jersey or way out in Queens to do this, which means your commute will be closer to 2 hours than 30 minutes.

In Manhattan, on a biglaw salary, what your realistically looking at is 500-700 sqft with a kitchen you might not be able to really used to cook, lack of good ventilation etc. 500 is standard for a studio which will run you ~300k to buy or 1800 to rent in Manhattan. 700 is for a 1 bedroom so around 500k+ to buy or 2500 to rent (very rough numbers here).

Your either going to have to give up the 30 minute commute or the size

[fatduck]

this seems pointless to think about before summering at your firm