<html> <body> Tom and Dave (and anyone else that cares), <x-tab>        </x-tab>I asked these questions about 2 years ago when I was considering a similar move. Ultimately it came down to staying put but there were a great many factors to consider. The family move was a big part of it as my kids are young and the quality of the schools was of major importance. Both my kids are very good students. Another was not just the obvious standard of living but really the style of living too! Different parts of the country have vastly different life styles as you well know. We in Cleveland, OH are somewhat fast paced but nearly as much as NY but a great deal more than some parts of the south. Ultimately it will come down to the same thing we did with the pros and cons lists. Failing that follow your gut! In my case that's not too hard as it's getting farther out there every year and I really don't have a choice anyway! Greg At 02:53 PM 6/14/2003, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Tom:   I really appreciate your openness and candor.  I am looking at some of these same issues.  One advantage I have is 17 years of history with these people.  I'm very fortunate in that regard in that this is a very collegial group and the infighting and ego-posturing is really quite minimal.  The piano faculty are very nice human beings.  I do hear some of the horror stories from other technicians at other schools, and I'm thankful for the people with whom I work.   I am past some of the issues you have in that both of my kids are now on their own, everything but my newest car is paid for.  The very highest regular expense I have is my health insurance.  The next highest is the tax bite, much of that the self employment tax.    I am trying very hard to look at real figures and not just kid myself about the issues. Sometimes it does seem like comparing apples to oranges and to some extent it really is.  We're both probably looking for some magical spreadsheet where we could plug in the various numbers and have an answer appear at column X row 73!  If I find one I'll be sure to let you know.   dave *********** REPLY SEPARATOR *********** On 6/14/2003 at 2:32 PM Tompiano@aol.com wrote: <dl> <dd>Dave, <dd>I am one of those younger energetic techs who currently puts the long hours in and can crank up the annual income into respectable figures. I have just put 1 child through college, one more graduating in the fall, and 2 younger ones in private school (5th and 7th grade).  When I add up all the perks I have to provide for myself (health insurance, schooling,nice neighborhoods to live in, vacations, etc) there's price that comes with the territory. At the end, there's obviously a net gain in the form of lifestyle I have become quite accustomed to. <dd>But on the other end of the argument comes having some true time off without the worry of "I need to be working".  Plus having the collective benefit of provided health insurance. Plus the added benefit of tuition tradeoff if you are a state university employee. Those come a very steep price and I'm trying equate how much is that worth.  <dd>And then there are the music school politics which can be an issue within themselves. Just ask any tech who has a disgruntled faculty member always second-guessing them. <dd>And then there is the obvious gross reduction in net pay one has to learn to live within. I assume that those who do work in the university sector also subsidize their income with outside work. <dd>So it with this I find myself doing some very deep soul-searching and wonder if I could (in fact) , make a major change and find solace in that sector. <dd>Yes, the grass does look green on the other side. Red-rose glasses are off and I'm trying to see the true colors. <dd>Tom Servinsky, RPT </dl>**************** END MESSAGE FROM Tompiano@aol.com ********************* <pre> _____________________________ David M. Porritt dporritt@mail.smu.edu Meadows School of the Arts Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275 _____________________________</pre> --- Checked by AVG anti-virus system (<a href="http://www.grisoft.com/"= eudora="autourl">http://www.grisoft.com</a>). Version: 6.0.486 / Virus Database: 284 - Release Date: 5/29/2003</blockquote> <x-sigsep></x-sigsep> Greg Newell Greg's piano Forté <a href="mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net"= eudora="autourl">mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net</a></body> </html>