>I am sure you know that there are many programming positions in my area and >that the cost of housing is sky high. What a trade off - a job with the >highest rent/housing cost in the nation. What do the people do in my area that >do not earn a high wage? Seems like in my area you trade a job for quality of >life.

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People in Idaho are compromising wages for less crime and less people in general. The cost of living in Boise is no different than any suburb of a major city or Austin for example. To me, it's not worth cutting 50% of my income to be able to look out my window at a ski slope I never have time to ski on, or be able to walk on the street safely at 3:00AM. On the otherhand, I turned down several positions in the Bay Area because the pay was the same as Austin but they expect you to work in the city on country money, and, spend your mornings and evenings sightseeing Marin county for a couple of hours on your way to and from work. I guess the trick is to find a happy medium.

Then again, you're talkin to a guy who was perfectly happy coding for 200 a week in Thailand. ;)