Just got offered a job

So after a year of mucking about after college, finally got a job that works with satellites in an analyst role with a gov contractor that pays well and puts me on track for a sec. clearance. Only thing is I have 3 weeks before I have to move to another part of the country to begin working and just needing to get my affairs in order. Already am resolving the question of my car and put my 2 weeks notice at work.

Right now I just wanna know what’s people normal checklists for moving to another part of country since I’m worried about the logistical nightmare. I’m planning to take a trip to the Rack/Last Call with a friend to look for slacks and office wear. I need to also look for apartments but can’t decide between just creating a post on facebook/craigslist for a roomate and deciding on an apartment remotely or spending a week in a hotel/motel and looking at local apartments while there since photos can be deceptive. I was also hired in an analyst role with them fully aware of what I do and do not know, but would anyone here know the best resources, vids, or guides to learn some SQL or Tableau in a short amount of time since that the only thing on the job description I didn’t know?

And lastly is there anyway to transfer my grandfathered student rate to the Space to my brother before I leave? Otherwise anyone have any advice?

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I’d go for the hotel and look once you’re there.

I realize that employers have gotten meaner than they were when I was a fresh grad, but my first OOS employer encouraged me to take some time to look for an apartment on their dime. OTOH, they also paid for me to move… and the hotel…

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Congrats on the new job. Check with your new employer’s HR Department and ask them questions about housing in the area. Maybe request some assistance from a current employee to help you. A friend of mine did that and ended up marrying the person that HR assigned him to. Hey, after 5 years and 2 kids, the job and the marriage is still working out.

Before you leave this area make sure you have all your personal documents in order; car insurance, birth certificates, high school and college diplomas, social security card, drivers license, passport, car loans, credit cards, computer passwords, etc.

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ya I have a little over grand as mobility bonus and thinking of using it for clothes, rent deposit, and hotel rent

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Sounds good. Now that those rich wankers in congress stripped out the Moving credit, it doesn’t matter what you spend that money on.

I accepted a job across the US last year, what I found from a homing perspective is that AirBnb works great, it’s cheaper than a hotel, and you can easily live in different parts of town, trying out different areas and commutes before you settle.

I think I stayed in 10 AirBnb’s total :slight_smile:

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First thing, Congrats! Secondly, if you want to brush up on SQL I’d recommend https://sqlzoo.net/. It’s pretty straightforward but it can be helpful to have some baseline knowledge. For Tableau if you still have a .EDU account you can likely get a free license, but honestly without knowing what sort of data sources you’ll be working with you might not get much out of it. Tableau is easy to use and easy to impress people with, good luck!

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I don’t know nuthin about the technical stuff, and have lived in the same place since 1984, but i -do- know about shopping.

I would mention the Dillard’s Clearance Center as a fashion resource.
https://www.dillards.com/stores/irving-mall-irving-texas/0506
While you’ll probably have to do a lot of flipping through stuff before finding things you really like, but it’s usually a worthwhile hunt for the prices. (Cheap). Downside is that it may all be for a different season.

Be sure to consider possible climate differences between Texas and wherever, and consider that. In which case winter clothing acquisitions might be welcomed.

Enjoy the adventure!

Geez, it’s been a long time since I was in your shoes… I went to LA, and lived in a hotel on Hughes E-O Systems for 3 weeks, while we found a place. Those were the days…we had nothing, we lived on a company provided Thanksgiving turkey for a week, before the 1st paycheck. I hate turkey, now.

The best advice I can give is:

  1. Don’t spend a dollar you don’t have to.
  2. Plan your travel, because every mile costs you money.
  3. Be careful of the strangers you meet in strange cities, they might not share your ethics.
  4. Do good work, it counts for a lot, and people notice.
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I’ve had to move a few times between states for my career. Best advice one can give is do the leg work;

  • rent.com for apartment and average housing costs
  • location’s creigslist for seeing what kind of things they “value”
  • Google dork for dating sites to get Intel on the “night life” ie social sentiment
  • payscale, LinkedIn, and indeed for the corporate sentiment. ( Check for the main Street jobs not the ones on your career path )
  • check the public transportation in the location

Oh and call the local greyhound and u hail office to where your going. They can be a good resource for local knowledge more than the touristy stuff. Once there chat up taxis, bus, and Uber drivers.

Try not to get stuck in a hotel situation; that usually ends up bad quick but a general delivery address helps. Also try a extended stay Airbnb. Usual cost the same as the hotel at that point but one gets a residential address.

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whatever programming languages you are expected to know, just play around with the SQL api for that language. that’s a common divide in people that wan to “learn” sql when in reality sql is going to be implemented in something. therefore learn the implementations.

as far as moving, what city is this in? maybe some people here know things.

I’ve moved with a single suitcase and still had a great time. don’t bother with furniture, and just buy a mattress when you get there. i just hit up goodwill whenever i land and slowly accumulate the furniture. if you’re gonna be making satellite military money i would honestly just give up any pcs / electronics besides a single laptop and get new ones when you land. moore’s law is probably catching up on your stuff anyway right?

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+1. This gives you a feel for the local scenery, and where you want to be much better than ad-surfing, or visiting for a day or two.

P.S. Congratulations!

Congrats on the new job!

Prepare the information you will need for your security clearance. It sounds tempting to clean out all your old paperwork files before you move, but if you do that you may be unable to answer the questions required for your security clearance. (Regardless of the customer-specific clearances, they all start with an SF-86 for a “GENSUR” clearance).

  1. There must not be any gaps in your residential / schooling-employment history. If you have to drive around to confirm the address(es) where you used to live - do it before you move. Get the name/phone number/address of a contact at each employer. Get the name/phone number/address of one or more persons who knew you well (socially) at that address/job/school. (BTW - they know you’re only going to list people who would give you a good reference. The only thing they’re going to ask these people is to name someone else who might know you).

  2. You will have to list every time you’ve left the country (past 10 years?), with dates and countries. If you have shreds of papers, postcards, mementos, or whatever - construct that list now before you trash all that information.

Start getting your paperwork in order so you can get the proper documents at the new place. If you don’t have a certified birth certificate - request it now. You may need it for your new driver’s license - you will need it for your security clearance.

Check out the RealID requirements for your new state of residence. Chances are they will require proof of citizenship in order to issue a RealID compliant driver’s license - and that will require utility bill(s). It’s possible they might respect a Texas RealID compliant driver’s license and if so, it might be easier for you to get that here before you move - while you can easily prove you’re a resident.

If you own firearms that aren’t compliant with the laws of the new state, deal with that now.

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From experience. Put the things you want to move in storage here. Go with only the essentials for a month or two and stay in temporary housing (weekly rate hotel or Airbnb). Get the lay of the land and look at places to stay. When you figure it out then come back and get your things from storage. Let your employer know you’ll need a few days in a month or two to handle things. Keep all the info you gather for the SF-86 because you’ll need it several times for different purposes. This will save you many hours of repeat work.

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Honestly, the info you gather now is worth keeping, and keeping up to date against future uses. I periodically need a subset of that data, just applying for civilian jobs with background checks. And there are now a couple of addresses, and even exact time frames I lived there that I no longer remember.

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For everyone else reading through this thread for nuggets to keep in mind for job relocations… when asked how much in relocation money you’ll need, keep in mind that taxes are pulled out before they hand it to you.

I didn’t know that and barely afforded the move to Dallas and getting all the utilities turned on when I relocated.

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So decision process is my normal issue for things like this. Go for the purge, toss the crap you don’t want anymore and keep the stuff you do want. Take your want pile and separate it into the need in the next 2 months category and need after that category. Put everything in the later than 2 months category in a PODS storage and have it stored for 2 months. In two months have the POD delivered to where ever you end up. This is your second chance to purge. When the POD shows up toss or sell the items you didn’t need or think about in the last 2 months. Boom, now you are moved into a new place and ready to fully join the new community. I did this same thing when I bought and moved into my House during college. It really lifted a bunch off my sholders when moving in and made me fit to my new space rather than trying to junk it up with the hoarding I had done over the years. That said, I should probably do the process again now that I’ve been in the house for more than 8 years now.

Best of luck on your move!!!

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Congrats. You’ll be missed.

Don’t forget that your moving expenses are no longer tax deductible. IRS Form 3903 says:

Moving expense deduction eliminated, except for certain
Armed Forces members. For tax years beginning after 2017, you
can no longer deduct moving expenses unless you are a member of
the Armed Forces on active duty and, due to a military order, you
move because of a permanent change of station.

Thought you’d want to know, in case someone gives you outdated advice.