Chicagoland area members

Finding a job not in Illinois. Or asking for a shit ton of money, working there for 2 years then finding a new job somewhere else

last job I interviewed for in Chicagoland, I told them $150k was the minimum I’d even consider for relocation..

 

So other than that, any other suggestions?

 

Try looking at Geneva

 

Traffic sucks. Live close to work or the train.

Get an iPass for tolls.. they are half price when you have one. Justifies cost with one trip.

don’t live on the south side

be sure to account for cost of living differences..

 

Oh yeah, I know it's going to be wildly different. I told my dude that it would be a big change going from low cost to higher cost so pay would have to be worth it. More discussions will be had before any final decisions. I've worked for him from KC and traveled to the job location. My earnings can potentially be much greater than what I'm making now, not including any bonuses or other. Plus I will be expanding on knowledge for other things like welding, design, construction, blueprints, marketing, etc.

 

Oh for sure. Just don’t underestimate what that dollar amount is and you still need a pay bump on top of that.

for comparison, $50k here, needs $75k in chicago just to account for cost of living.

KC is 50k to 65k in Chicago

I know lots of people that see big dollar amounts going from rural Midwest to Chicago then only to get there and realize they aren’t making any more money.

A buddy of mine lived in oak forest for 10 years or so. Moved a couple years back and wishes he had done it sooner. I think everyone I know that lived in Chicagoland is glad to have left lol

 

Yeah, that is something I have considered. I still have plenty of time to try and find better work here as weather gets better. But this job is pretty much somewhat a lock if I wanted to move. More experience I get, more money I could make with em or the experience to be used elsewhere.

 

Suggest you start saving now to fill that Tacoma! Gas in Skokie is $3.29
Wait till Memorial Day...$3.50-$4.00
lol


Don’t live in cook county!

 

@ResearchMonkee my father works in west Chicago, lives in St. John indiana... the 1:30 drive is worth it just because of the savings. Illinois isn’t cheap... but that drive isn’t for everyone

 

Yeah, my coworker linked me a house in Indiana as a thought. I'm not opposed to long drives if the money is good.

 

Indiana to Batavia? Oh god. That’s like a 2 hour drive each way.. assuming you dont get stuck in traffic.. which you will.

Unless you work 2/3rd shift. Then it might be doable..

 

Depends what style of living you are interested in. Contrary to popular belief here, not all of Illinois is Chicago and you are looking to work in the very far west suburbs, 1 hour from downtown.

You are extremely accessible to rural IL and working in Batavia. Burlington, Elburn, Sugar Grove, Plano, Somanauk are all nice small towns to live in/near. Not very expensive to live in either.

If you want the upscale suburban life, you're extremely close to the nice western suburbs. St Charles, Geneva, S Elgin Batavia, Warrenville, Naperville, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn. Be prepared for the corresponding price tag. Cheaper but still nice burbs are Montgomery/Oswego too.

If you want more of the urban-ish life, where you are pretty close to the city but still drivable to Batavia, I'd look at Lombard, Oak Brook, Downers Grove, La Grange

None of the area around 30 mins from Batavia is truly bad. There are some neighborhoods I'd avoid buying in Aurora, Bolingbrook, and Elgin, but no kind of place that you don't stop at red lights at night.

 

Batavia, Geneva, St Charles, west aurora, are all nice. Pending on how close you want to be. Oswego, Yorkville, Plano, Naperville are all nice as well

 

This is the kind of solid information I needed. Thanks, folks.

I did bring up that I was "scouting" places in IL to my employer and he did suggest Sandwich. Most of the houses I'm seeing are 55+ communities though. I have to figure out what I would be looking at in terms of income, but he implied that I would get a living wage as to not be homeless. Told him I had no qualms living out of my truck for awhile though, lol. "Free" rent with car payment.

I've visited the company HQ there and driven to Chicago from Naperville during rush hour traffic so I have some idea of what to expect.

 

Sometimes depending on where in Indiana, the 94 stretch is backed up for hours in a accident or snow! I live in Wisconsin and cross the border daily(1 to 1.5hrs each way ) 56 miles one way. If it’s a Snowstorm? 2-3hrs ! Fun times but half price houses and property tax around $2k, I’ll drive.

 

Sandwich is nice too.....just a few miles west of Yorkville off Rt 34. I didn’t name it initially because I didn’t know how far west you wanted to be. I’d just stay out of the city or anything in cook county for that matter. Plainfield, and far west end of Joliet isn’t bad either

 

Just getting a broad idea on where to look. Your suggestions are definitely appreciated.

Hopefully you IL folks get together for meets. I'll need some new friends out there.

 

When you narrow it down, ask again to further narrow some more.