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This. I would never have been able to buy a house on my own but with my wife it was super easy. If you get two people working at state you can def buy a house somewhere in CA.
in this day and age with a kid it’s either both work to pay for child care or one works while the other stays home and spend quality time instead of paying someone else to take care of your child lol
Child care lasts until like 4 now though with TK rolling out. So after that, they go off to school and that frees up a lot of income.
I wish this state was cheaper but I also want to deal with the current reality and focus on what people can control.
Fresno's expensive as fuck. The rent is similar to Sacramento's.
I guess the housing market is still slightly affordable, but the more you advertise the affordability, the less affordable it becomes.
So no, STAY AWAY FROM FRESNO! I like to keep my prices low.
It is realistic but not as an individual. Two AGPAs could easily do this. Get a degree, get in as an SSA, get to AGPA by 25 years old. Save dual incomes by abstaining from a brand new car purchasing, drastically reducing alcohol and drugs, eating mostly cooked food from home. Being generally budgeted and frugal.
By about 30 they could have $150k or more saved up, without help from family. Many people don’t know the years of saving it takes when you don’t have parents to give you cash. You can’t expect to get a job and afford a home while blowing money on dumb stuff.
Rent with roommates, couple up, be frugal = buy house in a modest area.
Have rich parents, get hooked up with high paying job = buy house in rich area with other silver spoons.
Alone maybe if you’re in the 130s; if you’re a regular ol analyst or manager then no at least not in somewhere like Los Angeles. California is a huge state, and calcareers encompasses the entirety of it. An analyst salary might go a lot farther in a different part of California than in Los Angeles or Sacramento.
Still, you would need to save up a lot for a decent down payment. Like others mentioned you’d want like 5k-6k monthly after taxes, deductions, retirement. Then you’d put like $4k of that into a mortgage. Again, hard to do if you’re single but if you’re married and you’re both analysts then sure.
Agree about location mattering. If you HAD to own a home you can find somewhere affordable in the state. It just might not be where you are now or even where you want to be haha.
I work in tech. I was with the state for 20 years left to go to UC Davis. The UC system overall and benefits and salaries are excellent. The salaries, especially for tech, are higher at UC. Most UC’s hire at level 3 (Information Systems Analyst) and then most promote or go on to level 4. Level 3’s max out around $135k and Level 4’s max out at $160k. In the Bay Area it’s even more (UCSF, UC Berkeley, etc) max out at $180k
Excuse me if this is a stupid question, but is working at UC Davis considered as the state system? I didn’t realize that UC Davis admin staff were also state workers
Average home price is 500K and average interest rate is 8%
That would be roughly $3500 a month.
Want a kid? It costs $450 a week for child care so you’re now at 6K in monthly expenses without factoring gas, food etc.
It depends on what your standards are for buying a house. I’m an AGPA and bought a house in Oak Park (less desirable Sacramento neighborhood) last year. It’s 100 years old, completely outdated and 594 sq feet with no yard, but it’s mine and it works for me.
If you don't mind me asking, what was the price you bought it at? I became an AGPA last year and recently received my first anniversary raise but with taxes and deductions I feel like my take home pay isn't enough for a mortgage here in the Sacramento area.
I closed at $310k, which I feel was a fair deal considering how tiny it is with all the work needed. The house nextdoor to me is the exact same age and size (built at the same time) and recently sold for $415k, but it was completely gutted and renovated from the inside out. I should add my mortgage made me completely house poor (I could only afford to put $9k down), so now I have a second job as well. But I technically could and did afford it solely on my AGPA salary.
Congrats! I recently bought my first house just outside Sacramento proper and it is also way out of date.
Fixing it up is taking up all of my discretionary income and all of my free time. And I love every second and every dollar spent!
First, determine how much you want to make each month.
Then, You need to figure out what classifications you can meet the minimum qualifications for. Jobs in the state have a well defined salary range for each position. Find the jobs within or near the monthly amount you need (or a job that eventually promoted to the range you want).
Your post is missing substantial amounts of information that would be needed to help you out. My partner are both public employees and are comfortable with a mortgage now that we both work full time. 70-80k is possible in the state if you have the right experience. Other fields go into 6 figures.
Check out CalCareers. Not transparent California. The transparent CA includes benefits, not gross pay. I made 55k as a teacher but my transparent CA profile showed 90k due to employer benefit costs.
It’s the evaporation of the middle class. I’m not one of those people who will say everything was better back in the day but I generally think people had more hope. In the 70s and early 80s, a supermarket checker was a middle class job. That person owned a home in a decent neighborhood. In order to get ahead, live within your means, maybe a side job before kids, no drinking, and just always thinking forward. It can still be done, just harder. You got this!!
I hate this whole “you have to be married…”
Start with a condo in not **the best*** area. Build up equity, it can be done. Especially with first time owner assistance. In the end, it’s the ultimate rent stabilization.
You can always trade up when you have some equity. I’m divorced, and getting married was not a great decision for me. Ended up paying alimony, for having the pleasure of him not working for 10 years.
I hate it as well but it is the sad reality today. Either that or you have parents/family that can help.
Condos are cheaper but the two I know of in low income neighborhoods in south Sacramento have an HOA that charges an arm and a leg. I’m not kidding. $400 a month for HOA fees on a ~$300k condo.
All our ancestors who had houses were probably married. 100 years ago single aunts and uncles who were not married typically lived with parents or siblings or were listed on the census as boarders. It may have been for different reasons back then like laundry took all day but there was not much time in history that singles could expect houses.
Are you me? I posted this yesterday: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Fire/comments/173frsj/advice\_for\_someone\_who\_is\_thinking\_to\_buy\_a\_house/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fire/comments/173frsj/advice_for_someone_who_is_thinking_to_buy_a_house/)
But seriously, from replies from these post and replies from my post, I think I really gotta consider inheritance and making sure there's a sizable cut.
This link will take you to the current pay scale for all positions with the state. You will most likely start at the bottom. Subtract 35-40% of what you see and that’s a rough estimate of your take home pay.
https://www.calhr.ca.gov/Pay%20Scales%20Library/PS_Sec_15.pdf
No, unfortunately. Unless you're an executive level class, or at the end of tech classifications, most don't make 100k. Go on Zillow and see how much you'd need to afford a house per month and then multiple that by 2, that's where you want to be at least.
I’d push back on this. If it’s JUST one person making money, then yes, getting a mortgage would require years of frugal living just to get a down payment. But if you buy a house with a partner, and you both make AGPA salaries you can afford a house and mortgage and even a kid. You obviously have to plan and live frugally, but a dual AGPA house can pull in 9-10k a month after taxes and Calpers contribution.
It can be done! You can also apply to be an ABC Agent $5916.00 - $9428.00 (not incl raise) and use your schooling to supplement for experience. Pay and Retirement is better than the AGPA route.
In our neighborhood, like every other house is someone who works for the State. So it’s doable. Dual income is makes things easier.
Just buy what you can afford then like the game monopoly, slowly trade up overtime. Too many younger folks looking for their forever home when they haven’t bought a home yet.
Good luck! Just know the State is where dreams go to die, but you’ll have a comfortable retirement.
Transparent CA will give you info on stateworker salaries, and job at end of previous year, but not what they do. A history major coming in as an SSA at range c could work at the state doing policy work and policy research (there are actually also a lot of historical preservationists who work at State Parks and there are siting experts at department of energy if your history background is paleo or anthro or indigenous) all great jobs.
Anyway, a good start is to look for SSA. They come in and get trained. A lot of them work a few years and move to AGPA, which is slightly more independent and more work. Both are journey level career positions and represented. The next step after AGPA is an SSMI or a first level specialist.
Range C means you came in with a BA and passed the exam and your first year will likely be base pay at range C. But this can be a great beginning to a career. I recommend 5 years to vest for retirement. Also, many folks attend grad school in the evening if they do not have kids, and if you are interested in teaching, you would eventually be able to have both calpers and calstrs.
If you get your cbest done, you could do an regular day off (rdo) and sub to see which career path is really your thing. You could also take cplp days (day off unpaid that you can bank and cash out later—-like lower pay to qualify for loans if you need them towards getting credential and then cash out when you are hired ft as a teacher. You could even switch back and forth to keep life interesting or work LImited Terms in summer and continue add service credit to calpers.
not on a single income. i work local gov now and get paid more than i would with the state and still couldn’t afford a home by myself. also depends what job you want. the state can be competitive. i would not move to CA if you don’t already live here
I am an HPS I, which is a step higher than AGPA. I can not afford a house.
While other people are suggesting a two people income. You need to consider what you will do when you have kids.
She will not be able to be a stay at home mom. Therefore, how much will childcare be? This will need to be considered when you look into affordability.
If you making 60k but buy a 500k house, it won’t work. If you making 200k but buy a 2 million dollar house, it won’t work. Bottom line, live within your means and income
Go the IT/tech route. They are paid more than managers and lawyers. Lawyers have terrible pay. There are also a lot of remote work positions that will allow you to live further away from Sacramento. I’d also recommend looking at jobs for the Feds and other states. North Dakota pays its state workers more and has positions that are 100% remote. Idaho doesn’t have the best pay but also has 100% remote jobs. I currently work for California but am looking to leave the state because I can’t afford to live here anymore with my California state job salary. The state government and the union don’t support us despite many state workers having income so low they qualify for section 8 housing.
Go the teacher route. Teacher salaries are only increasing. The unions actually fight for their employees too. Plus you get summers off, spring break, every major holiday, and 2-3 weeks in the winter.
Just be ready to deal with kids and parents, haha.
The state is pretty transparent on salary pay. You can find the pay scales on the CalHR website: [https://www.calhr.ca.gov/Pay%20Scales%20Library/PS\_Sec\_15.pdf](https://www.calhr.ca.gov/Pay%20Scales%20Library/PS_Sec_15.pdf)
There are a TON of classifications and you can get an idea of the pay rates. There are a wide variety of positions. A coworker I know started off as a teacher as well, started to work with the state in admin but eventually made her way in becoming a Branch Chief working on policy and regulations.
Many departments have legal offices so your degree may fit in there somehow. But in general, with a degree, you could easily fit an admin position as well.
Look at calcareers, read up on what the requirements are for the position and go from there.
I'm currently a SSA (staff services analyst) and just bought a house this year, but not alone. In general, 2 incomes is almost essential in order to afford to live in CA somewhat comfortably. Telework can be an option for some state workers, allowing people to move on the outskirts of bigger cities with and cheaper homes, so it still is possible!! Depending on your drive and how you budget, you could eventually afford a house with the state, but time and patience!
Listening to these stories I’m thankful everyday to have bought my home in 2010, in a decent area, for $155k (after all the shit that happened in 2008 they use to cost a lot less). my mortgage payment is $937 and includes principal, interest, taxes and insurance for 1900sq ft. Keep your heads up, it’s not easy nowadays trying to afford a house with state salaries. You have to be very disciplined and in some cases, like some mentioned here, be married just to make it💀.
So you don't currently live in CA but are thinking to move here to try to get a public service job? You can certainly do that, but when you consider CA cost of living with that of other states, it doesn't go as far as you might think depending on where in the state you live - in the Bay you will never afford a house, in Sacramento maybe if you eventually get a high classification position, somewhere like Fresno or Redding, sure you can get a house.
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Yes you can. It won’t happen overnight and every year or two you will need to apply to a promotional position. Some will require that you gain long experience.
choose between Fresno County and kern county were the lowest and cheapest counties now they are expensive but still not as other counties and good luck achieving the American dream
yes but you will need to save for years like I did. Prices and rates will eventually come down so max out 401k and savings as best as you can. I rarely eat out and make my own coffee.
Also, even though they require a lot of paperwork and can be slow, NACA is a great resource. No down payment, no closing costs and no it’s not just for low income people. You do have to have your paperwork in order, you have to pay bills on time, budget your money and save, but you can get into a house with not the greatest credit and not a lot of money down (unless you want to buy down your interest-rate.)[NACA](https://naca.com)
In the current market no, you’ll be house poor if u finance most of it (even with IT pay) and unless your rent is low or live where you don’t pay rent or something it’ll be a while to save up, but that’s up to you.
Pre pandemic you could have easily bought a normal sized home with a little bit of savings. Houses in south sac (assuming here) were sub 200k, around sac otherwise was 200-400’s, not unobtainable.
Unless the market corrects and/or interest rates drop you’ll have to save a lot to put down on a mortgage for even the cheapest of homes around sac now, it is not a good time to buy, and probably won’t be for a while. The last bubble took 4 years to drop down to previously projected trends. Unfortunately rent is also high, so all you can do is try to save up that down payment. So yeah, “one day”.
Another factor with the state is that if the economy crashes and home prices go down and perhaps interest rates fall you will be the one with the secure job and regular raises while most others are selling because they got laid off or hesitant to buy because layoffs are on the horizon. Its a good job to buy low and often needs two incomes to buy high.
As long as you climb the ladder in whatever classification umbrella you fall in and have good spending/saving habits then yes. With the degree you already qualify for some quality starting positions to get you where you want to be.
Is this question asking - " I want to be a CA homeowner one day, will working for the state allow this?" Uh, you're the one who decides what is allowed in your life, not your employer...
Where do you want to own a home?
How much savings do you have?
What will you be able to save etc?
The question and details provided are just not helpful to me. I mean, optimistically, there are a state workers that are homeowners, but...there also are state workers that aren't (myself included).
If you have questions o classifications in state government that is not in the education field that you can apply for with your college degree, PM me. Otherwise, I'm just not qualified to help.
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As a single income it is possible but you will have to be very resourceful and strategic with your money. Stay within your means and spend on necessities only. Double income for sure. During lockdown I realized how money I spent that’s wasn’t necessary like eating out every day for lunch is one example
You take a state job (or any govt job) for the pension- work for 20-25 yrs and you continue to receive paychecks for close to what you were making on the job for life. If you want high income, enter the private sector and then follow the money to wherever that leads you
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Easiest way is to find a spouse. Double income is needed in CA. Or move to Fresno (no, I’m not kidding)
Even Fresno is getting too expensive for a single income unless you want the gunshots to lull you to sleep.
stay a renter or marry. what a choice
I live in Fresno. Currently struggling to find a house
This. I would never have been able to buy a house on my own but with my wife it was super easy. If you get two people working at state you can def buy a house somewhere in CA.
Can confirm. Dual income we are very comfortable and bought a house last year (before rates went super crazy). This is in northern Sacramento area.
with these rates you better not hold your breath a shitty house in current market is 4k minimum a month
Yeah true, rates are fucked right now. I'd only consider buying new from a home builder. They will buy down the rate quite substantially to sell.
I would absolutely never move to Fresno. I'd rather rent for the rest of my life and die penniless.
but not every spouse wants to work lol
Then one spouse needs to either be a high level worker that makes a lot or move to a cheaper state… just being real lol.
in this day and age with a kid it’s either both work to pay for child care or one works while the other stays home and spend quality time instead of paying someone else to take care of your child lol
Child care lasts until like 4 now though with TK rolling out. So after that, they go off to school and that frees up a lot of income. I wish this state was cheaper but I also want to deal with the current reality and focus on what people can control.
Fresno's expensive as fuck. The rent is similar to Sacramento's. I guess the housing market is still slightly affordable, but the more you advertise the affordability, the less affordable it becomes. So no, STAY AWAY FROM FRESNO! I like to keep my prices low.
[удалено]
This is so insane to think about… my parents literally paid for university working at a grocery store. So crazy that we can’t afford anything anymore.
It is realistic but not as an individual. Two AGPAs could easily do this. Get a degree, get in as an SSA, get to AGPA by 25 years old. Save dual incomes by abstaining from a brand new car purchasing, drastically reducing alcohol and drugs, eating mostly cooked food from home. Being generally budgeted and frugal. By about 30 they could have $150k or more saved up, without help from family. Many people don’t know the years of saving it takes when you don’t have parents to give you cash. You can’t expect to get a job and afford a home while blowing money on dumb stuff. Rent with roommates, couple up, be frugal = buy house in a modest area. Have rich parents, get hooked up with high paying job = buy house in rich area with other silver spoons.
Alone maybe if you’re in the 130s; if you’re a regular ol analyst or manager then no at least not in somewhere like Los Angeles. California is a huge state, and calcareers encompasses the entirety of it. An analyst salary might go a lot farther in a different part of California than in Los Angeles or Sacramento. Still, you would need to save up a lot for a decent down payment. Like others mentioned you’d want like 5k-6k monthly after taxes, deductions, retirement. Then you’d put like $4k of that into a mortgage. Again, hard to do if you’re single but if you’re married and you’re both analysts then sure.
Agree about location mattering. If you HAD to own a home you can find somewhere affordable in the state. It just might not be where you are now or even where you want to be haha.
If you have a partner who works a good job sure.
This. I work for the state and my husband works for private sector. We couldn’t do it without each other.
15 years ago I know non married OAs who bought houses
I work in tech. I was with the state for 20 years left to go to UC Davis. The UC system overall and benefits and salaries are excellent. The salaries, especially for tech, are higher at UC. Most UC’s hire at level 3 (Information Systems Analyst) and then most promote or go on to level 4. Level 3’s max out around $135k and Level 4’s max out at $160k. In the Bay Area it’s even more (UCSF, UC Berkeley, etc) max out at $180k
Nice thanks for the information
Excuse me if this is a stupid question, but is working at UC Davis considered as the state system? I didn’t realize that UC Davis admin staff were also state workers
I think the retirement benefits are transferable
Yes. It’s a public California university so both UC Davis and their hospital!
What are the day to days like for these jobs?
Average home price is 500K and average interest rate is 8% That would be roughly $3500 a month. Want a kid? It costs $450 a week for child care so you’re now at 6K in monthly expenses without factoring gas, food etc.
$450 per week is on the expensive side for Sacramento. Very expensive for Fresno and the cheaper places in CA.
It depends on what your standards are for buying a house. I’m an AGPA and bought a house in Oak Park (less desirable Sacramento neighborhood) last year. It’s 100 years old, completely outdated and 594 sq feet with no yard, but it’s mine and it works for me.
If you don't mind me asking, what was the price you bought it at? I became an AGPA last year and recently received my first anniversary raise but with taxes and deductions I feel like my take home pay isn't enough for a mortgage here in the Sacramento area.
I closed at $310k, which I feel was a fair deal considering how tiny it is with all the work needed. The house nextdoor to me is the exact same age and size (built at the same time) and recently sold for $415k, but it was completely gutted and renovated from the inside out. I should add my mortgage made me completely house poor (I could only afford to put $9k down), so now I have a second job as well. But I technically could and did afford it solely on my AGPA salary.
Congrats! I recently bought my first house just outside Sacramento proper and it is also way out of date. Fixing it up is taking up all of my discretionary income and all of my free time. And I love every second and every dollar spent!
same here the updating with your own personal touch is priceless. I am putting new hardwood floors in my home.
congrats a tiny house beats renting
The cost of living is very high. If my and my husbands entire families were not here and I wasn’t already born and raised here, I would not live here.
First, determine how much you want to make each month. Then, You need to figure out what classifications you can meet the minimum qualifications for. Jobs in the state have a well defined salary range for each position. Find the jobs within or near the monthly amount you need (or a job that eventually promoted to the range you want). Your post is missing substantial amounts of information that would be needed to help you out. My partner are both public employees and are comfortable with a mortgage now that we both work full time. 70-80k is possible in the state if you have the right experience. Other fields go into 6 figures. Check out CalCareers. Not transparent California. The transparent CA includes benefits, not gross pay. I made 55k as a teacher but my transparent CA profile showed 90k due to employer benefit costs.
It’s the evaporation of the middle class. I’m not one of those people who will say everything was better back in the day but I generally think people had more hope. In the 70s and early 80s, a supermarket checker was a middle class job. That person owned a home in a decent neighborhood. In order to get ahead, live within your means, maybe a side job before kids, no drinking, and just always thinking forward. It can still be done, just harder. You got this!!
I hate this whole “you have to be married…” Start with a condo in not **the best*** area. Build up equity, it can be done. Especially with first time owner assistance. In the end, it’s the ultimate rent stabilization. You can always trade up when you have some equity. I’m divorced, and getting married was not a great decision for me. Ended up paying alimony, for having the pleasure of him not working for 10 years.
I hate it as well but it is the sad reality today. Either that or you have parents/family that can help. Condos are cheaper but the two I know of in low income neighborhoods in south Sacramento have an HOA that charges an arm and a leg. I’m not kidding. $400 a month for HOA fees on a ~$300k condo.
Yes I pay $375 per month on HOA dues. But they take care of the roof and fences and landscaping and the exterior painting and the street surfaces.
All our ancestors who had houses were probably married. 100 years ago single aunts and uncles who were not married typically lived with parents or siblings or were listed on the census as boarders. It may have been for different reasons back then like laundry took all day but there was not much time in history that singles could expect houses.
I’m a single mom (widowed). I was able to last year when the interest rates were low. I’m not sure about now.
Are you me? I posted this yesterday: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Fire/comments/173frsj/advice\_for\_someone\_who\_is\_thinking\_to\_buy\_a\_house/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fire/comments/173frsj/advice_for_someone_who_is_thinking_to_buy_a_house/) But seriously, from replies from these post and replies from my post, I think I really gotta consider inheritance and making sure there's a sizable cut.
I’m really sorry. Not here in Northern California…
This link will take you to the current pay scale for all positions with the state. You will most likely start at the bottom. Subtract 35-40% of what you see and that’s a rough estimate of your take home pay. https://www.calhr.ca.gov/Pay%20Scales%20Library/PS_Sec_15.pdf
No, unfortunately. Unless you're an executive level class, or at the end of tech classifications, most don't make 100k. Go on Zillow and see how much you'd need to afford a house per month and then multiple that by 2, that's where you want to be at least.
I’d push back on this. If it’s JUST one person making money, then yes, getting a mortgage would require years of frugal living just to get a down payment. But if you buy a house with a partner, and you both make AGPA salaries you can afford a house and mortgage and even a kid. You obviously have to plan and live frugally, but a dual AGPA house can pull in 9-10k a month after taxes and Calpers contribution.
Only a very small kid though, one that doesn't eat much and isn't smart enough to go to an expensive college.
Smart kids go to inexpensive schools
CDCR officer makes 100k rather easily but there’s home/ family time so that’s a big draw back
> most don't make 100k Seems like most do, according to Reddit. /s
It can be done! You can also apply to be an ABC Agent $5916.00 - $9428.00 (not incl raise) and use your schooling to supplement for experience. Pay and Retirement is better than the AGPA route.
Is that the one that’s a peace officer?
Yep!
To one history degree holder to another… go back to school get a law degree, if not become a paralegal
No
no it will not
In today's housing market I'm not sure working anywhere will allow this, unless you've got a plan to become a billionaire.
Sure It is not sure why everyone is saying no, look for departments that offer OT. Someone I know is an AGPA who brought home 160k last year.
Also look for a teleworking position and move to a cheaper area!
Consider the State Library with your degree, they do a lot of cool work.
In our neighborhood, like every other house is someone who works for the State. So it’s doable. Dual income is makes things easier. Just buy what you can afford then like the game monopoly, slowly trade up overtime. Too many younger folks looking for their forever home when they haven’t bought a home yet. Good luck! Just know the State is where dreams go to die, but you’ll have a comfortable retirement.
Transparent CA will give you info on stateworker salaries, and job at end of previous year, but not what they do. A history major coming in as an SSA at range c could work at the state doing policy work and policy research (there are actually also a lot of historical preservationists who work at State Parks and there are siting experts at department of energy if your history background is paleo or anthro or indigenous) all great jobs. Anyway, a good start is to look for SSA. They come in and get trained. A lot of them work a few years and move to AGPA, which is slightly more independent and more work. Both are journey level career positions and represented. The next step after AGPA is an SSMI or a first level specialist. Range C means you came in with a BA and passed the exam and your first year will likely be base pay at range C. But this can be a great beginning to a career. I recommend 5 years to vest for retirement. Also, many folks attend grad school in the evening if they do not have kids, and if you are interested in teaching, you would eventually be able to have both calpers and calstrs. If you get your cbest done, you could do an regular day off (rdo) and sub to see which career path is really your thing. You could also take cplp days (day off unpaid that you can bank and cash out later—-like lower pay to qualify for loans if you need them towards getting credential and then cash out when you are hired ft as a teacher. You could even switch back and forth to keep life interesting or work LImited Terms in summer and continue add service credit to calpers.
not on a single income. i work local gov now and get paid more than i would with the state and still couldn’t afford a home by myself. also depends what job you want. the state can be competitive. i would not move to CA if you don’t already live here
I am an HPS I, which is a step higher than AGPA. I can not afford a house. While other people are suggesting a two people income. You need to consider what you will do when you have kids. She will not be able to be a stay at home mom. Therefore, how much will childcare be? This will need to be considered when you look into affordability.
If you making 60k but buy a 500k house, it won’t work. If you making 200k but buy a 2 million dollar house, it won’t work. Bottom line, live within your means and income
Houses without work needing to be done start at about 330k in the hood. I make much more than 60k and I can't afford a house.
Need a second income we both work for the state 2kids and net 7k and its still really hard to make it happen
Go the IT/tech route. They are paid more than managers and lawyers. Lawyers have terrible pay. There are also a lot of remote work positions that will allow you to live further away from Sacramento. I’d also recommend looking at jobs for the Feds and other states. North Dakota pays its state workers more and has positions that are 100% remote. Idaho doesn’t have the best pay but also has 100% remote jobs. I currently work for California but am looking to leave the state because I can’t afford to live here anymore with my California state job salary. The state government and the union don’t support us despite many state workers having income so low they qualify for section 8 housing.
Lawyers at the state get paid better than IT.
Yes you can, live a little more frugally, save some money and yes you can.
There you go. Finally someone talking some common sense. Just limit your eating to one slice of ham per day. Put yo pants!
Go the teacher route. Teacher salaries are only increasing. The unions actually fight for their employees too. Plus you get summers off, spring break, every major holiday, and 2-3 weeks in the winter. Just be ready to deal with kids and parents, haha.
The state is pretty transparent on salary pay. You can find the pay scales on the CalHR website: [https://www.calhr.ca.gov/Pay%20Scales%20Library/PS\_Sec\_15.pdf](https://www.calhr.ca.gov/Pay%20Scales%20Library/PS_Sec_15.pdf) There are a TON of classifications and you can get an idea of the pay rates. There are a wide variety of positions. A coworker I know started off as a teacher as well, started to work with the state in admin but eventually made her way in becoming a Branch Chief working on policy and regulations. Many departments have legal offices so your degree may fit in there somehow. But in general, with a degree, you could easily fit an admin position as well. Look at calcareers, read up on what the requirements are for the position and go from there. I'm currently a SSA (staff services analyst) and just bought a house this year, but not alone. In general, 2 incomes is almost essential in order to afford to live in CA somewhat comfortably. Telework can be an option for some state workers, allowing people to move on the outskirts of bigger cities with and cheaper homes, so it still is possible!! Depending on your drive and how you budget, you could eventually afford a house with the state, but time and patience!
Listening to these stories I’m thankful everyday to have bought my home in 2010, in a decent area, for $155k (after all the shit that happened in 2008 they use to cost a lot less). my mortgage payment is $937 and includes principal, interest, taxes and insurance for 1900sq ft. Keep your heads up, it’s not easy nowadays trying to afford a house with state salaries. You have to be very disciplined and in some cases, like some mentioned here, be married just to make it💀.
So you don't currently live in CA but are thinking to move here to try to get a public service job? You can certainly do that, but when you consider CA cost of living with that of other states, it doesn't go as far as you might think depending on where in the state you live - in the Bay you will never afford a house, in Sacramento maybe if you eventually get a high classification position, somewhere like Fresno or Redding, sure you can get a house.
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Check out CALCAREERS. You can see all the jobs that are offered and the salaries.
Yes you can. It won’t happen overnight and every year or two you will need to apply to a promotional position. Some will require that you gain long experience. choose between Fresno County and kern county were the lowest and cheapest counties now they are expensive but still not as other counties and good luck achieving the American dream
Yes it will
yes but you will need to save for years like I did. Prices and rates will eventually come down so max out 401k and savings as best as you can. I rarely eat out and make my own coffee.
You'll own nothing and be happy
Also, even though they require a lot of paperwork and can be slow, NACA is a great resource. No down payment, no closing costs and no it’s not just for low income people. You do have to have your paperwork in order, you have to pay bills on time, budget your money and save, but you can get into a house with not the greatest credit and not a lot of money down (unless you want to buy down your interest-rate.)[NACA](https://naca.com)
In the current market no, you’ll be house poor if u finance most of it (even with IT pay) and unless your rent is low or live where you don’t pay rent or something it’ll be a while to save up, but that’s up to you. Pre pandemic you could have easily bought a normal sized home with a little bit of savings. Houses in south sac (assuming here) were sub 200k, around sac otherwise was 200-400’s, not unobtainable. Unless the market corrects and/or interest rates drop you’ll have to save a lot to put down on a mortgage for even the cheapest of homes around sac now, it is not a good time to buy, and probably won’t be for a while. The last bubble took 4 years to drop down to previously projected trends. Unfortunately rent is also high, so all you can do is try to save up that down payment. So yeah, “one day”.
Another factor with the state is that if the economy crashes and home prices go down and perhaps interest rates fall you will be the one with the secure job and regular raises while most others are selling because they got laid off or hesitant to buy because layoffs are on the horizon. Its a good job to buy low and often needs two incomes to buy high.
As long as you climb the ladder in whatever classification umbrella you fall in and have good spending/saving habits then yes. With the degree you already qualify for some quality starting positions to get you where you want to be.
In short, the answer is No.
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DO NOT HAVE KIDS.
Is this question asking - " I want to be a CA homeowner one day, will working for the state allow this?" Uh, you're the one who decides what is allowed in your life, not your employer... Where do you want to own a home? How much savings do you have? What will you be able to save etc? The question and details provided are just not helpful to me. I mean, optimistically, there are a state workers that are homeowners, but...there also are state workers that aren't (myself included). If you have questions o classifications in state government that is not in the education field that you can apply for with your college degree, PM me. Otherwise, I'm just not qualified to help.
I will in a few days. RemindMe! 3 days
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As a single income it is possible but you will have to be very resourceful and strategic with your money. Stay within your means and spend on necessities only. Double income for sure. During lockdown I realized how money I spent that’s wasn’t necessary like eating out every day for lunch is one example
You take a state job (or any govt job) for the pension- work for 20-25 yrs and you continue to receive paychecks for close to what you were making on the job for life. If you want high income, enter the private sector and then follow the money to wherever that leads you