I need Advice from the GRM Gods...

So, here is what i have going on in my life right now.

I have been moonlighting over at Chris Smith Racing, working on various club cars and the World Challenge BMW. Since then, i have joined up with Kinetic Speed Shop (yes, the Kia Team) to help with their GS M3. Kinetic was so impressed by my performance on the M3 that they have "tentatively" offered me a spot on the Kia Squad for next year. From there, I am gonna go up to the shop and have a chat with them this Friday to see what they have available.

Revo Technik, my current employer, is currently in a "reshaping" status. They summed it up basically as my role here is "redundant" and they are shutting our regional office down on November 1st. The General Manager of the US has come down to two decisions for me:

A: If the ship goes down (the office), I am going down with it (by staying in GA)

B: Pack up and move out to California and be apart of the re-vamped company. My role would change from what i am doing now which is answering phones and email to being the Warehouse Manager since we will begin selling of the shelf parts like Turbos and Exhausts.

Problem is, the pay rate will basically be the same as it is now, even though the cost of living is alot more. He has said he would have a contract and a pay raise for a little later in the year next year. Also, i have a girlfriend and daughter here in Georgia that i would need to haul and be responsible for since we won't have any family to turn to out there.

We have been going back and forth about pay and benefits, but this would mean if I go out to California, that means NO MORE RACING OR RACE CARS.

I have until November 1st to decide what to do.

How bad is the general job market in Georgia? Unless you want to live in CA, option B doesn't seem to have much going for it outside of avoiding a job hunt...

Unemployment in Georgia is alittle over 10%, if memory serves me right

If the company is re-organizing and outsizing you, I'd say it was a good time to jump ship. Plus CA has lame smog laws.

Also, who would find all the ATL deals if you left? I say go work at the race shop if you can do it.

I can't think of any reason to live in California, especially if it meant a hit to my quality of life.

Wait and see what Kinetic has to say to you this Friday.

But I would go ahead and start putting out feelers.

Bail.

Stay there, use your unemployment while finding new work (hopefully with the race team full time...).

From talking to my friend who moved from Huntsville to Cali, I can't see a single good reason to move unless they are giving you a pay raise.

see, this seems to be the same consensus that close friends and family has said to me as well.

I think its a way of him putting me in a position where i would be force to leave...

Unless that contract has a very fat pay raise that would support your housing and pursuit of happiness in CA, I see little reason to go out there. Cost of living is nuts, traffic sucks, (not that ATL is any good anyway) and the smog laws are horrid. Not the place for a car guy on a budget.

Bail. The People's Republic of California is "a good place to be from." No one moves there. If they doubled your salary, you would still not like it. Except for the weather. When the earth isn't shaking. Moving from a place in the South to the PRC would be pure hell. Just try to buy a boom stick and see how that works out there.

Oceanside area has a really awesome mexican joint. That was probably my favorite part of california from my visit end of July.

Not a good place to raise kids, either. Gangs, drug wars. Miami is rough, but not like that.

And they're being tricksy about making you leave. From what I know of unemployment law, the company is not responsible if they've done due process to offer you an equivalent position, however that may be.... and it sounds like that's exactly what they're doing. I'd do whatever I could to stay the hell away from CA though.

I think Hess got the nail on the head in that Cali is a "good place to be from," but not to move to unless you are away from the city. We get people who move here to make it rich in silicon valley and that is there sole motivation in life. There is a new internet bubble happening and the companies are building the E36 M3 out of frisco. The people who move here are constantly wheeling and dealing on the phone and treating people like pawns, these outsiders are really ruining the SF bay area. This place is getting packed and if I wasn't from here there isn't much reason to stick around. 12% unemployment and 9.25% sales tax doesn't make for good living but the state is nice once you get away from the cities.

DukeOfUndersteer wrote: I go out to California, that means NO MORE RACING OR RACE CARS.

What? No it doesn't. Infineon, Buttonwillow, Leguna Seca, Thunderhill... yeah, all in California.

Sure, we have lame emissions laws, but if you're smart about where you register your cars you only have to deal with those when you transfer the title of the car. Even if you have to deal with the biannual checks, it's not the death of fun that everyone claims it to be. You just learn to leave the motor alone and concentrate your money on suspension (which we all do anyway, right?).

And earthquakes? I've lived in this state for over 30 years. I've felt 3 or 4 in all that time. Earthquakes are so overblown out of proportion it's funny.

Now, all that being said, I'd jump ship to the Kia Team rather than move out here with your current company. Cost-of-living out here is crazy high unless you live in the boonies.

Fight for the Race Team job.

I've made a lot of career decisions over the years based on logical thinking, and as a result I've never really done what I wanted to. My advice is decide what you want to do the most, and go for it. The rest will fall in place eventually.

Well, to begin with, I'm from Southern California, so i know what the cost of living is, how bad the traffic is, the crime, schools, earthquakes, ect.

When i say no more race cars or racing, that means Im exclusive to Revo, meaning i am no longer allowed to crew for or work for any race teams while employed by Revo. I can attend races, but that is it.

And if they downsize you once you get to Cali then you're stuck there.

DukeOfUndersteer wrote: When i say no more race cars or racing, that means Im exclusive to Revo, meaning i am no longer allowed to crew for or work for any race teams while employed by Revo. I can attend races, but that is it.

What? Why? Is that a contract that everyone has to sign?

I don't see how working in sales/parts has anything to do with crewing or working for race teams...

HAHAHA! - Just went to Kinetic (which is a mile away from Revo) to go give them my license and SS# for my check for the weekend, two girls in the office said "You are Paul from last weekend that they just hired?"

HAHAHA I guess so. I'll take it! They handed me my employee handbook...

Best job interview EVER.

"So you're the guy they hired" as you walk in for said interview. WELL DONE! And as an added bonus, the CL finds shall continue!

Sweet. Good luck and keep us posted.

Congrats on the job.