[mmxylorider]

Most IT companies with multiple city presence do not have a city based salary structure - but the 'out of sight,out of mind' action takes over. I'm sure most people in the age group of 30+ would look at work-life balance as the deciding factor. Second would be established social circle. Third would be the current investment made. For instance, I might decide to move to a tier 2/3 city if that gives me more family time, a good social circle and ability to purchase foothold without letting go of current residence.

Infrastructure is fast catching up and quite a few non-metros have reputed educational institutions.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by jigbarai

Taken it a bit too far I think.

30+ CTC with zero work stress ?

I for one (and I am sure most of us here) would like to understand more on this.

Companies are not there to do charity. If they pay 30+, for sure they would be extracting 50 + worth of work from that individual - and that CANT be stress free.

Sorry off topic, but somewhat relevant because one should not ignore the importance of a huge job market.

I don't want to name the companies because then suddenly it will be an open secret and shareholders might try to correct the situation :-) But here is a typical profile of such jobs:

- MNC *PRODUCT/R&D* company with large employee pool. No direct customers like Infy/TCS to breathe fire constantly.
- Long-running and stable products where things are assumed to take lot of time to build - strategy flows top-down but decisions/dates flow bottom-up.
- High quality, super-motivated junior engineers hired from top colleges who do not need constant supervision and prodding. Being a large MNC that pays big bucks, such talent is very easy to come by.
- Very employee friendly work culture (work-from-home, flexible hours, etc.) one can relax as long as things are getting done - you don't have to look busy or put up a show.
- Lot of R2I (returned to india) employees who have remained with the company for 10+ years. (THIS IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SIGN)

Of course, these people also happen to be very smart and capable - they do challenging and interesting stuff - that's why the high salaries, but without rigorous stress that is typically associated with high-paying jobs. If these employees are made to sweat it out, they would rather do it by starting their own company rather than for a big MNC.

Let us get back to the topic.

[deep_bang]

Originally Posted by jigbarai

Sir, we are talking stress here, not work hours.
And if you are talking VP levels and 70 L salaries here in the way you are, dont think you have much idea into what stress is - at those levels.

I will partly agree with you on the stress part - I am not a VP earning 70L, and i dont know the stress associated with that salary. But my point was, stress is not related to the money you earn.
If you disagree, then i think we should just agree to disagree.

[GTO]

Stress is self-created. I know people who work 12 - 14 hours a day handling multiple responsibilities, and still emerge fresh as daises in the evening. On the other hand, there are some who have simpler jobs for 8 hour days and end up fagged out. Stress is all in the head. Learn how to deal with it.

Back to the topic, I could never live in any other Indian city except for Bombay. At the same time, I will accept that this metro is in a mess, headed toward a complete breakdown of systems. The infrastructure is poor, while crime rates are shooting sky high. If I wasn't born here, I probably would never move to Bombay either. It's just like the States...I was very happy in Boston which I considered a lot more liveable than New York. NY was fun for weekends & holidays, yet I'd choose Boston over NY as a home 10 times out of 10.

The main problem in metros is the time lost in travelling. To travel the same distance, I used to spend 60 - 70 minutes in 2004. Today, it takes me between 120 - 150 minutes of travel. Yup, I'm going to set an office within 1 km of home in 2011.

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by vishnurp99

I feel that medical facilities and school facilities in tier 2 cities are actually better than metros. For cutting edge medical care/education(post grad) you might have to still go to a chennai or say a Delhi or where ever it is offered but for normal health care/education till plus 2 i think the smaller cities rule from my personal experience. Would definitely like to hear other views on this.

You are correct. The schools in my native place a tier-III city have very knowledgeable teachers. Simple reason, good talent can be got at a nominal price for the school management, wheras in a big city the good talents never ever work in a school(they will be in blue chip companies). Agree about the medical part too.

Originally Posted by GTO

Stress is self-created. I know people who work 12 - 14 hours a day handling multiple responsibilities, and still emerge fresh as daises in the evening. On the other hand, there are some who have simpler jobs for 8 hour days and end up fagged out. Stress is all in the head. Learn how to deal with it.

When you do your own thing even if you work 16 hrs a day you wouldn't feel stressed, but when you're working for someone else(i.e company not owned by you) even 4 hrs work can make you stressed.
Yes travel makes the biggest contribution to stress. Everyday i leave my home and hit the polluted and dusty roads i feel like going into to a coal mine.

@ Vishnu. i'm trying to change my wife's mindset and relocate to a smaller town, for the past 3 yrs. She's yet to budge. I'm going to show this thread to her and hope for the best.
Another very attractive thing is friends who stay in tier-II towns own much better and costlier cars eventhough they earn less than me(because they are able to save more as day to day expenses are much lesser in tier II cities)

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Daewood

Another very attractive thing is friends who stay in tier-II towns own much better and costlier cars eventhough they earn less than me(because they are able to save more as day to day expenses are much lesser in tier II cities)

That is debatable. Companies pay according to the cost of living of the city. You should also take that into account.
True, spending is less, but so may be income.

But I am aware of start-ups in Tier-II cities in Karnataka where even if motive would have been some thing else, it still is financially viable.

[hallik9]

Any day,I'd love to move to my home town(Udupi,Kundapur or Mangalore)
There is a certain amount of peace associated with the tier 2 and Tier 3 cities which a Metro cannot offer you.
True,you have ample opportunities in a large city.But looking at a long term option,I'd want my kids to be grounded and not get involved in the mad race in the Metros.

Hopefully in the next 10 years,I see myself working at Mangalore or Udupi

[kutlee]

GTO, what if majority of stress is created by driving alone (assume no driver/chauffeur) including short drops to schools etc. Time to buy an auto-box.
Work at office is mostly manageable (assume professional setup). I keep living space not more than 5 kms from office always.

[lohithrao]

So true, i did this a year back and more then pleased, its not actually about traveling with all the fast paced life in city it actually will make life stressful..

finding a good open space or park or green area is a big challenge in a city...

Originally Posted by hallik9

Any day,I'd love to move to my home town(Udupi,Kundapur or Mangalore)
There is a certain amount of peace associated with the tier 2 and Tier 3 cities which a Metro cannot offer you.
True,you have ample opportunities in a large city.But looking at a long term option,I'd want my kids to be grounded and not get involved in the mad race in the Metros.

Hopefully in the next 10 years,I see myself working at Mangalore or Udupi

[alpha1]

The only real advantage a large metro offers over smaller cities is:
1. Job opportunities
2. Income levels

Thats it.
All the other facilities and mod cons are prevalent at least in Tier-2 cities, if not below (Tier 3 etc).

Quality of life is also better.

In fact, if you can gauge the winds of change, then business opportunities are also better since there is less competition (compared to the Large metros)

[honeybee]

Having spent all my life in and around Mumbai, does it make sense to shift base to a tier 2 city ike Nashik? Any thoughts on this?

[drmohitg]

Why do you want to shift? Only after knowing that can we comment. I can never leave Delhi and move to a tier 2 city.

[honeybee]

There's a good career opportunity plus I get to live an easier life at a lower cost of living.

To put things in a slightly better perspective my travelling time of two hours could reduce to about half. Plus I don't need to drive to work so I do save on the fuel bills. Less time spent in travel means more time for relaxation or maintaining fitness levels.

Of Course there are grey areas. But has anyone done this? Have they been happy about their decision?

[null]

without knowing the details, first feedback is, it is not a good idea considering all the dependencies others with you will have by this move. Moving from an tier1 city to a tier2 city will have its gaps & will take time to adjust. Everyone in the family may not be OK with this approach. Aspects like travel (airport I mean) will be a pain. Even from your career perspective, this may not be a wise move.

This idea is good to consider if you are retiring or nearing your retirement. If you are still in your early/middle life of your profession (esp. if working for someone), it makes sense to stay in your main office rather than relocate / remotely work.

[rajeev k]

Shifting from Mumbai to Nashik is recommendable if there is any specific purpose at Nashik. If one work in Mumbai and stay at Nashik and then commuting daily, does not make any sense.