Arlington / Washington DC Area

[Lalato]

Jesse...
I go to DC every year for work. We can talk about my experiences there at our next gaming session.

 

[Tuerny]

Jesse...
I go to DC every year for work. We can talk about my experiences there at our next gaming session.

Hahaha!

I had no clue.

Actually, you want to get together for lunch this weekend?

We can talk about some things re: your character too.


Jesse D.

 

[Tom Cashel]

What can you tell me about these "associations"?

They seem to be more focused on people with degrees in the humanities and pure sciences.

I'm not sure what gave you that idea...there's an Association for just about every profession you can name...which makes the concept of "focus" meaningless. You just need to find one that serves your interests, or requires your skills. Many of them should fit the bill. Check it out.

 

[Tuerny]

I'm not sure what gave you that idea...there's an Association for just about every profession you can name...which makes the concept of "focus" meaningless. You just need to find one that serves your interests, or requires your skills. Many of them should fit the bill. Check it out.

Cool.

Any suggestions on where to start?

 

[TiQuinn]

Well, I knew that.

I was just wondering what major hurdles I would have to deal with if I had a mostly clean record.

Jesse D.

If you've basically kept your nose clean, getting the clearance isn't difficult, per se.

The trick is that you can't go out and apply for one. You have to be sponsored by the company or organization hiring you. The problem with that is it costs them some hefty bucks to do so. It also takes a year or more to get the clearance, however you usually will be granted an interim clearance after an initial background check. When I was looking for a job about a year ago, most of the companies that I was looking at wanted somebody who already had a clearance. That probably eliminated me from 90% of the jobs that I was applying for. However, if you're looking at an entry level position, it could very well be that either a clearance isn't needed, or they may be willing to get you a clearance once you've been with the company for a while. But really, pretty much every job will tell you what they're looking for up-front, so if none of your prospects have even mentioned a security clearance, then chances are it's not going to be a roadblock for you right now.

 

[Tom Cashel]

Best job-hunting database for DC...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wl/jobs/home

and for a list of Associations, check this out; it'll give you an idea of the dizzying amount and variety...

http://www.marketingsource.com/associations/state/DC

Good luck, man!

 

[Storm Raven]

If I come out there next August/September I will have a B.S. in Computer Science. I am already planning on applying to the Patent and Copyright Office (I have an interested in copyright and patent law and think that would be an interesting place to see if I want to spend the time to go to law school for it before committing to paying all the money for law school) and the big three intelligence agencies (FBI, NSA, and CIA). What other sort of big computer/technology employers are there in the area?

There are more computer/technology employers in the area than you can shake a stick at.

But, I'm going to give you some advice about law school. If you want to eventually go to law school, establish residency in Virginia. That way, you can apply to the Virginia law schools (UVa, George Mason, William & Mary) and get in-state tuition, which will reduce your bill for the education. George Mason has a very good patent law program too. There are good law schools in D.C. too (Georgetown, George Washington, Howard, Catholic, and American) but they don't care where you live, so you don't get any benefit out of living in D.C. There are only a few law schools in Maryland, and they are clustered around Baltimore, and generally aren't as good what you'd find in D.C. and Virginia anyway.

 

[Spatula]

(I think DC is 4th ? worse in US traffic)

2nd worse, after LA. Having lived in & driven around both, I'm glad that I no longer live in either.

DO NOT drive more than 8-9 miles over the speed limit in Northern Virginia. You WILL get pulled over, unless you know where all the speed traps are. Even then, you'll probably still get pulled over. The speed limits are ridiculously low and the cops are very agressive about nabbing anyone that doesn't follow them to the letter.

If you do move there, buy a Thomas Guide so that you can get around easier. The roads, especially in DC, can be very confusing, and the signage is terrible.

Not much culture in the areas outside DC, but DC itself has a ton. Same with the nightlife.

 

[Voadam]

There are a lot of nice parks in Maryland and Virginia (and Rock Creek in DC).

There are a ton of free cool museums (smithsonian) and the national zoo is free (but gone a little downhill, you will see vermin in some of the exhibits).

There is one arena downtown (MCI center).

There is the Kennedy center for Ballet and other cultural performances.

Congestion is getting worse in the suburbs and people drive poorly, nobody can apparently handle the two weeks of snow that come every year.

Cost of living is pretty high, even metro is not cheap, and it is getting more and more crowded.

Many parts of DC that are not super expensive are pretty high crime.

 

[Psion]

You wouldn't be running Arcana Unearthed by any chance?

And an hour commute isn't thaaat bad. I think. What day do you play on?

I have it, teased my players with the thought of playing it, but they opted for d20 modern/second world instead. But now we are back to D&D near-epic level gaming.

I run Fridays. My players play assorted days of the week. They are addicts.