Jobs in Fairfax, VA

JabbaJawz

Be about it
Any of you work/or have worked in that area? I'm looking at a potential job in Fairfax, just off of 123/Chain Bridge Road. From looking at Mappoint it appears that it'll be about 1 hour from Prince Frederick. How is the traffic out that way? Not sure if I'm even considering the position yet - a lot of it depends on commute time.
 

SmallTown

Football season!
Depends on your working hours. Your main bottleneck would of course be the wilson bridge, which will change once the new bridge is finished, but that won't be for awhile. Your next tie up would be at the springfield interchange, which again will be somewhat better once construction is over which won't be for a few years I believe. Your next problem with be the interchange with 66. Is the job closer to tysons corner mall or 66?

Either way, it would be quite a treck from maryland.

My job is in the same basic area as the one you're looking at. For the location, I wouldn't give it up for the world, but at the same time I wasn't going to make the drive from maryland every day. (hence the reason I live in Va now!) Basically when I went their for my interview, I left southern maryland (great mills area) around 7:30am and got there around 9:45. From PF, it would of course be a little shorter.

And coming from southern maryland, a MAJORITY of the time was used up in the area from waldorf to the beltway (I used 210. route 5 is the same way in rush hour). Once on the beltway, it is slow, but it normally moves (unlike 210 and 5 where you just stop)

Don't know if any of this helped or not! I'm not sure how bad the commute would be from your place to the beltway. That would be the biggest factor, IMHO.
 

JabbaJawz

Be about it
I knew you'd be the 1st to respond :biggrin: , lol! Very good information, thanks! The trek from PF to the beltway is a breeze - it's the trip into VA that concerns me. I'm willing to do an hour commute, but no more than that. And would definitely leave early to beat the traffic - both to and from work. I wish I knew the exact address of the building, but all I know for now is that it's off of Chain Bridge Road. We rode through the area today and took 66, but when I got home and got directions via mappoint, they took us a different way - from 495 to 236. That shows Chain Bridge Road only being about 6 miles off of the beltway. At any rate, the mappoint directions are a lot shorter and faster than the way we went today - but it's hard to judge 'really' unless I go at the same time I'd be making the trip daily.
 

SmallTown

Football season!
yea, that is little river turnpike (236) which cuts through south of 66. Once you get to 66 (or 236) you're doing a "reverse" commute so traffic their wouldn't be a problem at all. All I could suggest is to take a day off and drive it during rush hour to see how it is. But normally, I don't see nearly as many maryland tags in fairfax as my wife sees in crystal city. In fact, I don't recall seeing any in my parking lot, so there may be a good reason for that
:smile:

The whole NoVa area is just an incredible place to work. Especially the fairfax area because everything just seems so nice. I just don't think it would be that great to drive in from Maryland.

Then again, there is the $$$ issue.. if the job is good and pays well, you'll have even more things to consider!
 

willie

Well-Known Member
I think you will see some traffic backups like you never experienced. If you are seriously considering the new position the best way is to get your own opinion. Take a test drive one morning at the same time your new job would require.
 

sleuth

Livin' Like Thanksgivin'
you can't take that job lauren...
i need you here at pax for my lunch hour... :biggrin:
 

JabbaJawz

Be about it
Originally posted by SmallTown
The whole NoVa area is just an incredible place to work. Especially the fairfax area because everything just seems so nice.

Oh yeah - it seemed awesome!!!! Balconies from the buildings, fountains everywhere, gorgeous landscaping!! I could deal with that!

Then again, there is the $$$ issue.. if the job is good and pays well, you'll have even more things to consider!

Ding ding ding!! :biggrin: I've never even considered a job up that way, so to be honest I'm not sure what sort of pay they're talking about yet. I'm doing well at Pax, and this position (in my opinion so far) seems fairly comparable to what I'm doing now. I'm intrested to see how the pay scale differs, if any.
 

JabbaJawz

Be about it
Originally posted by sleuth14
you can't take that job lauren...
i need you here at pax for my lunch hour... :biggrin:

:biggrin: You sweet thang, you! Never fear, the position is only in the works - and they did seem a little anxious to find out if Fairfax was even an option for me (so that could be a bad sign...). If I drive it during regular hours and it's hellacious, they couldn't pay me enough to do it! So - we'll just have to wait and see!
 

SmallTown

Football season!
Originally posted by laureng
Oh yeah - it seemed awesome!!!! Balconies from the buildings, fountains everywhere, gorgeous landscaping!! I could deal with that!



Ding ding ding!! :biggrin: I've never even considered a job up that way, so to be honest I'm not sure what sort of pay they're talking about yet. I'm doing well at Pax, and this position (in my opinion so far) seems fairly comparable to what I'm doing now. I'm intrested to see how the pay scale differs, if any.

Not sure what you are in to, but the money for my field is definately in the fairfax area. The Pax area wasn't bad. Seemed like the starting pay is pretty good, but the pay ceiling in fairfax is much higher. Of course, there is the cost of living difference. But if you could find a way to make the commute decent, it would be great to have the fairfax salary and the prince frederick cost of living.

The amazing thing (to me anyways) is how much "green" there is around the office complexes in fairfax. You would think it would just be all concrete. The coolest thing about my drive in the mornings is making the turn onto the street where I work, and it looks like a park. Dark green grass, trees lining all the streets. Just doesn't "feel" like a city atmosphere at all. No fountain at my building though... Would need to go a couple of buildings down to see that, but oh well. Can't have everything :biggrin:
 

JabbaJawz

Be about it
Originally posted by SmallTown
Of course, there is the cost of living difference. But if you could find a way to make the commute decent, it would be great to have the fairfax salary and the prince frederick cost of living.

Right! That's just what I was thinking. Dean works in Landover and I'm at Pax - so he's looking at a 1 hour commute if he leaves early, and a little longer commute if he goes in later (like 1 hr. and 10 or 15 minutes). Mac's new preschool is only a couple minutes from the house and on the way for either of us to take her in the a.m. Only thing is that it doesn't open until 6:30 - so one of us has to leave later. In our current situation the choice is easy - Dean is going to leave earlier while I wait around and take Mac to daycare. I could get to work by 7:15 or so, leave shortly after 3pm, still making it home by 4pm and also beating the traffic. If I took a Fairfax job where the traffic would be much more of an issue, I'd trade with Dean and leave much earlier, and he'd wait around to drop off Mackenzie.

Aaahhhh, so much to think about. At any rate, looks like I'll be up that way one afternoon next week. Hopefully timing will work so I can at least judge the afternoon commute. If not, I'll definitely make a day of 'commute practice' before making a final decision.
 

http

New Member
Not sure what industry you're in but for technology, Chain Bridge is the entrance to "Silicon Domin'eon", or nowadays "Silicon Swamp" (where only the strong survive). Companies like AOL, UUNET, DynCorp, MCI, Sprint, PSInet (I think they're sinking though), Booz Allen, SAIC and EDS all line the Dulles corridor starting at Tysons.

As far as the commute, trust me there is only one way, I've been doing it for years. Anything to 66 (don't worry about the reverse traffic on 66, it is apparent and brief (due to lights at the tops of the local exits)) then to 395/Suitland PKWY either from downtown 17th st. (yep, I'm suggesting going through downtown) or via rt. 1/110. Avoid the Wilson bridge at all cost for the next 10 years. I promise you, just believe me.
 

JabbaJawz

Be about it
Re: Re: Jobs in Fairfax, VA

Originally posted by http
As far as the commute, trust me there is only one way, I've been doing it for years.

So you think the commute would be decent going this way from Prince Frederick - or absolute hell? I'd plan to leave early.
 

http

New Member
Re: Re: Re: Jobs in Fairfax, VA

Originally posted by laureng
So you think the commute would be decent going this way from Prince Frederick - or absolute hell? I'd plan to leave early.

Its all relative really. From my tollroad/Reston PKWY exit to DC via 66 leaving between 3-4 it takes me 1/2 hour to the DC line (Try rt. 1/110 too). Then from Con. Ave/17th street to Ches. Beach, it takes me about 1 hour. I take 17th to 395 to 295 to Suitland. So total afternoon trip, 1-1/2.

In the morning out to Reston it takes me about 10 or 15 minutes less because 66 flies.

Now you're about 10 minutes closer on the VA side but about 10 minutes further on the Prince Fred side. So all in all you're probably looking at the same thing, 1 hour 20 in the morn (time you leave doesn't really matter), and an hour 1/2 in the afternoon. Leave after 4 and you're looking at 2.

You can play around with VA shortcuts all you want, but the sum total is going to be the same, I've tried them all. Personally I hate driving, so twisty one lane shortcuts and lights I already try to avoid. If you're good, you can make it from Fairfax to Prince Fred with no light stops, I swear.
 

SxyPrincess

New Member
Lauren,

If I were you, I'd try to avoid Fairfax. My ex used to work in Tyson's Corner, and it usually took him 2-2 1/2 hours to get home to Waldorf. My parents live in FX and I've had to travel some days during rush hour, and it's always been a parking lot.

If you get some good hours (7-3) it might work a little better for you. Good luck! :cheers:
 

JabbaJawz

Be about it
Originally posted by SxyPrincess
If you get some good hours (7-3) it might work a little better for you. Good luck! :cheers:

Thanks for the info.!! If I did it I was planning on doing a 6-2, leaving at 5am and hoping to get home shortly after 3pm. I'd have to do a test run and see how it went - but from what you guys are saying I should probably steer clear. I definitely don't want to end up in traffic hell every day, it wouldn't be worth it!
 

SmallTown

Football season!
Originally posted by laureng
Thanks for the info.!! If I did it I was planning on doing a 6-2, leaving at 5am and hoping to get home shortly after 3pm. I'd have to do a test run and see how it went - but from what you guys are saying I should probably steer clear. I definitely don't want to end up in traffic hell every day, it wouldn't be worth it!

Now that is a whole different story. Not saying you won't hit traffic, but won't be nearly as bad at that time.
What kind of work do you do that allows that kind of schedule??
 

JabbaJawz

Be about it
Originally posted by SmallTown
Now that is a whole different story. Not saying you won't hit traffic, but won't be nearly as bad at that time.
What kind of work do you do that allows that kind of schedule??

Gov't contracts, program mgmt., financial mgmt. - that sort of thing. I used to keep an early schedule like that, but due to the hours of Mac's preschool I had to start going in later.
 

http

New Member
Originally posted by laureng
Thanks for the info.!! If I did it I was planning on doing a 6-2, leaving at 5am and hoping to get home shortly after 3pm. I'd have to do a test run and see how it went - but from what you guys are saying I should probably steer clear. I definitely don't want to end up in traffic hell every day, it wouldn't be worth it!

Well 6-2 is a different story. You'll have absolutely no problems at all. You might even be able to do it in an hour. You'll miss traffic on both ends. I definitely recommend it. 6-8 do nothing and basically leave for a 1/2 day everyday. Perfect schedule, golden...
 
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