We've kidded a lot about Arkansas. Well, I just got off the phone with my daughter who lives in Colorado Springs. She got an offer for a shit load more money if she transferred to her companies location in (you guessed it) Arkansas. A town called Bentonville, not to far from Little Rock. Well, do any of you guys know anything about the town or the state. Funny, I was suppose to visit them in September in Colorado, I may be going to Arkansas now.
Hey Rick, I have a good buddy I've known for 48 years, and went to High School with him, he was my neighbor too.... He originally came from Arkansas, and moved back a few times. This last time he moved back to Sherwood, also a suburb on the outskirts of Little Rockl; he has also lived in Bentonville. He likes Arkansas, yet complains often he is not making but half what he would be in Caly or other Industrial areas, doing the same job...Yet, that won't be a problem. (Kim lived in Little Rock when she was a kid for a few years, tho' she's from Maine)....It's honestly not that bad in Little Rock... Now if you go to some of the small rural towns, there is some strange shid that goes on in those weird dreary places, and alot of poverty too, which your daughter may be stunned by. Certain Areas of the Southern States, (not all of the states but some), like Ark, LA., MS. have some real downtrodden segregated towns. BTW-don't go out in the woods alone, and if you hear dueling banjos, run like hell, or use a M1 Tank, and pack a AR-15 on each shoulder, with a pocket full of grenades, and a 2 way Recon Walkie Talkie to call in Air Strikes on a moments notice....(J/K)...! Overall, if she's getting a "huge raise in pay", it may behoove her. She can go online and find a chart, showing how much she makes in the Springs, and the chart will tell her how much she will need to make in Arky, ie. When I moved to GA. I used a online chart, which showed I only needed to make 15 grand less, than what I was making in CA. to equal the lower costs of living in GA. My personal advice***- would be to take a week, and take a serious look around, a long deep look, as what appears as a great move, can easily turn into a nightmare, in some situations or places afar from home. and-*** Can she take a look around on the company? One thing Northrop did, with the people I hired from out of state, was we gave them a 3-5 day look around. So they could come into work, see how and what was going on. (Basically how dis-organized and f'kd up, it was in the new program)...Tho' I loved my personal life in Ga. and considered it the 2nd best place I have lived. Great food, very friendly people. Yet, for work, the job was one of the worst jobs I've ever had. I was promised a 4 day work week, and never ever saw anything less than a 6 day 10-12 hour work week. Even on Sundays when the plant was in Church, I was stuck at work, whether I wanted to be or not...I felt betrayed, and the program was the one of the most f'kd up I've seen, other than the beginnings of new programs, see*** below- I didn't get a raise to move, the company did pay every dime of moving expenses, and 45 days of a Hotel, Food, Gas, Travel costs, everything then some, and the pay I made in Caly, which I also made in Ga. was like getting a nice raise.... The Weather is a problem tho' in Arky, esp. compared to the great summers & springs in CO. The humidity is a killer, the tornadoes frequent, and this winter was the hardest for most of the country, and as far as Little Rock goes, they had snow, and ice storms, yet the worst part was by far the Hail the size of Softballs, which alot of homes in the South only have car-ports and no garages. A real serious prob when you get that kind of hail....Personally, I'd not consider such a move, even with a huge increase in pay, ie, if she is happy with her job, her current wages, and esp. the City & state itself, I would stay put. But, that's my take, and she's got a big decision to make. What was strange being in the Bible belt, in Ga. like Arky too, was seeing over 20,000 church goers in the small town of 10,000 citizens, on Sundays. Plus reading in the papers how, this preacher or this Holy Roller was busted, (published in the local papers), for driving drunk while coming out of a strip joint topless bar, which had motels behind it, and as rumor had it, doubled as a under ground brothel, in some cases. Where their is a strong ethical society; so is there a strong hidden suppressed hypocrisy...! Other than that, I think she will like it, if she likes a more rural, yet redneck life. For instance, Cannabis is legal in CO. its a felony in Arky. Not saying she's a cannabis smoker, I doubt it, just saying such to show the mind set. Tho' my Son lives in Luzianna, and IS a Cannabis smoker, he's taking a risk by doing as much, since it IS a felony there as well....legal here with a medical certificate. Alot of other differing laws. Yet overall, if I lived in the Springs, it would take 10 Mack Trucks to tear me away from God's 2nd home. I AS YOU KNOW, have relatives in the Springs, and spent alot of my childhood years living in the south, even played in a Travel Lg. LL tourny in Texarkana. I loved it as a kid, my favorite place of all to live in. The SF Giants had their AAA club their too, which was f'n fantastic, since the Giants always played 1 or 2 exhibition games in Shreveport, during ST. I hear the AA Giants or some other AA team plays there now.... Alot to consider, if she's happy in CO. my own advice would be, stay put. I enjoyed & loved living in GA. (Joe-Jah), yet the people were not ready to change to a Total Quality Management Self Inspection System, I had to bring with me, to integrate/incorporate into a new work routine. Generally speaking what I witnessed was a strong resistance to change, by workers who did not know better enough to resist. Yet, I said generally speaking, I'd say half n half, the other half were great hard working people with great ethics/values, and still some of my best friends live in both Joe-Jah, and Luzianna. The one reason I left La. was the Humidity/Heat, made it prohibitive to afford the electricity for my 10 acres. Had a pool, a 3,000 sq ft. house, ran the air conditioner/central air, 24/7 8 months of the year. Plus, we left just a year before Hurricane Katrina and Rita, so yep, I was happier than hell to of left just in time. My buddy a big Rock n Roll fan's one complaint is the big R&R concerts rarely if ever play in Arkansas, not even Little Rock. For instance Jeff Beck, and ZZ Top touring the nation now, will not pit stop in Arky. My buddy is a big Pink Floyd Fan also, and PF has never played Arky, not even in their heydays.....yet a British knock off group called Brit Floyd plays there every year, and does almost as good a light show, and covers of nothing but PF. In other words, the cultural entertainment she may enjoy in CO. may not be even an after thought in Arky. *** contd from above- (building aircraft), ie. the Stealth Fighter was so screwed up, & was right here in Burbank, yet no one had a clue what they were doing, and the Top Secrecy of the program, made it even harder for anyone to learn where or what they needed to do their jobs. The Bird Strike Mod, on the B1's was by far the worst job I ever had, and was right here in my backyard figuratively speaking, so the locale is not what creates a good or bad job, its the locale that determines the living conditions. On the Bird Strike program - I spent only 6 months on that POS, out on a 130 degree flight line in this desert in the summer, with a lack or no air ventilation, and little work could get done, without air, (a lack of fans, & even fans were NOT sufficient. Some guys had no choice but to go to Minot in the Dakota's in the Winter, and THAT was the worst Hell of a job, I have ever heard of)...40 below and NO HEATERS outside of a Hangar, which had no heaters either. Needless to say the work conditions were deplorable on those 3 programs. Funny tho' when I took my 3 day look around in Ga. (it wasn't so much about the state or town at all, as it was about a f'kd up Commercial Program, that was moved from Hawthorne CA., so the problems inherent in the program to begin with, were utter surprises once the work arrived in GA.), might as well of also been a brand new program, and in a way it was to those workers who had not an idea of what they were inheriting...My point, the inherent probs, were hidden out of sight and never mentioned, during my 3 day look around. Yet once I got there for good, the Job was atrocious, every day was like fighting a dozen fires on all different fronts, one could only bring a fire down to a smolder, then go fight another out of control blaze, and by the time, one reached the last fire, the 1st was blazing back out of control)...hope this lengthy rambling monologue of musing isn't over whelming, or more than you needed to know...
Geezus Chrissss, I didn't realize I was writing a moving manual....oh well, hope it helps, sorry for the LONG ass monologue or Manual.... I still have a lesson or two to learn from you & Ron on how to keep post/threads short, concise & to the point. Tho' I believe this much was necessary, a major move like this your daughter is looking at is a life changer. Keep in mind, you may remind her, as I'm sure she already knows, "Tho' the grass appears greener on the other side of the fence", it may bust you in water bills to keep it greener, or it may be spray painted grass...not grass at all, rather dirt painted green.....
She's the head computer analist for the entire branch of Walmart & I believe the main branch is in Arkansas. So she's been to Arkansas twice for business & says its beautiful. Currently she's earning in the low 6 figures, this offer would increase here salary near 50 grand a year. Hard money to ignore. And between Colorado & Arkansas her expenses would DECREASE approx 30%. Oh & did I mention that the company will pay her entire expenses for moving. Including air fair. Anyway, its something to think about. Thanks for your input.
I've been through Arkansas, the squeezes brother and wife live there and they seem to like it. They have invited us out but I'm not inclined to fly out there. For that kind of money though I'd have to say "We ain't left yet" 50K raise damn that is hot.
Wow, in that case Rick, I'd say hell yeah, or when can I start...! I'd bet she will be working directly for and AT Corporate Hdqtrs. A career can really blossom if one is working at a Fortune 500 Corp. Hdqtrs. That is where the real opportunity comes, and sounds like it HAS come...Kudos to your daughter, and you for raising her to be the hard worker she is....Congrats Grand-Pa, Dad,..... ;-)
Idk how much more money it is, but one thing I've learned is money isn't everything. It's all about being happy, and money and happiness don't necessarily go hand in hand. A phrase I like to by is "Why do anything that doesn't make you happy, ever?" Now if she's so so on Colorado and thinks Arkansas may be comparable, than it's a nobrainer. But if she's really happy in Colorado, and is worried how she'll be in Arkansas, she just be happy in Colorado. Just my opinion
^^^ you're right, some of the richest people I know, are also some of the most miserable people I know. ...they're so damned consumed with safeguarding their money, they don't have time to enjoy life.
Very True, if one is NOT happy in their Job, then no amount of money can buy it.... Nothing, not a million $$$ a year salary is worth it, IF one is not happy doing what it is they do...IMO...best point yet...!
4 years in the air force, 3 years working for the DOD. she's earned her way to whatever she can get. I' am so very proud of her.
My dad spends a lot of time in Arkansas (near Fairfield Bay) and I've heard him mention Bentonville before... Nothing bad, just in passing... so I don't know anything about it... but I could ask him. IMO, though, it comes down to more the trade-offs... more money and living in disgusting heat or staying near the snow, the mountains, the great outdoorsy stuff, leaving her local family/friends, etc. I don't know her or her situation completely, but I would probably stay in Colorado personally... then again, I'd move to Antarctica if I could get a job there...
The only family she has there is her husbands father who'll be going with them. I've read the the average temperture during the summer is 86 & the average winter is 46. Colorado is such a beautiful place & she'll miss it but she's very out going & excepts change better then most.
She's already been in 4 5K triathalons (forgive the spelling) this year. So sweating a little doesn't bother her at all.
Well if its a shit load more money....keep the house in CO and rent it. Same company so they can always move her back.
There you go. Always go where the job and money is. I know too many folks that balked at the relo, only to find out later of the plant/site closure and layoff.
