Greetings Listlings:

While job hunting on the WEB recently, I accidently discovered that MONEY
magazine has a comparative cost of living component. You select the city where
you live and the amount of money you earn. Then you select your destination
city and anticipated salary. The site calculates the actual difference and the
real difference. Unfortunately, I don't have the address, but you can run a
search.

I used the site to compare salaries and postitions in Denver, Philadelphia,
and Washington, DC to what I had been receiving in LA. What I realized is
that, as a mid-career professional, most of the jobs paid about the same
regardless of which city they were in. In that light, Denver came out 15
percent ahead of LA with a $6000 reduction in salary! The same salary in DC
equaled less than it would in LA.

As a result of this information, I took a position in a small exhibition
development company right down the street. Even after compensating for loss of
my cushy institutional benefits, I came out better. I'm managing the creation
of a cultural heritage center that includes a museum, several historical
sites, and a conference center. I work side-by-side with the president of the
company, whom I respect. I am involved with content development, as well as
artifact collection, particularly appealing aspects of museum work for me.
Most surprising is how the lack of a buracracy sustained by meetings affects
the workday. It's all project focused. I go in, do my work, and go home, an
unexpected fringe benefit that may be priceless!

Good luck to those of you wishing/having to move. There's something out there
for you.

Ceres