Not sure where to ask this, need advice about my job opportunity

[TheShaker]

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So...nobody around me has much life experience and can't really give me much useful advice as they've never really faced this decision but I figured SDN knows better so I will ask you guys. Mods, I promise, this is somewhat premed related.

So I've been offered a job as a scribe which is great. The problem is that the job is in El Centro, CA which if any of you know about it, it's basically CA's unwanted illegitimate child with Mexico. Basically it's a 130 degree, crime ridden area next to the US/Mexico border with almost nothing of interest. Hell, even my interviewer had to ask me 3-4 times if I actually want this job... Anyways, I don't know if I can scrape by a living on minimum wage in this heckhole of a place so I want your guys' input on whether I should take this job.

Pros:

Adcoms seem to like scribes
Cool experience
I need a ****ing job

Cons:

Living in, quite literally, hell
Not sure if minimum wage will support cost of living
Mexican drug cartels

I hate the place but I love the job. What do? Seriously, sorry if I sound a bit frazzled but this is a decision that I need to make in a day or two and I'm just completely at a loss. Is the value of a scribe job worth it? Is it even possible to live alone on a scribe's wage? I'm so undecided... 🙁

 

[BLACKMD]

I have no clue about scribe wages but if its cartel run as much as you describe then I'd say no. I'm haunted by bestgore's cartel videos. Those guys are nuts.

 

[speeddemon]

Health > money always

I highly doubt scribing for a year will help your application more than being alive would haha.

 

[IncognitoGuy]

Any way for you to contact scribes who currently work there (if there are any) and see how they like it?

 

[Strudel19]

I work in Highland Park, MI. Look it up. You'd be okay.

...But just find a different medical experience. Probably not worth it.

 

[survivordo]

Somethings just aren't worth it. If it's as bad as you describe I would say this is one of them. Anyway you can live somewhere else and commute in in a armored car? 🙂

Survivor DO

 

[lilyroots]

Congrats on the job offering! It might be better to live elsewhere and take transportation/drive to work if that's possible. I doubt that crimes are likely to occur in the workplace. I don't think it would be a good idea to live in a neighborhood with high crime. I did that for a year and it was a miserable experience. I was living alone and constantly worried about safety, and I was afraid to be in my home. There were two break-ins at my apartment and I will be moving out soon. I feel that after what I have been through, I definitely wouldn't want anyone else to go through the same thing.

I still think that working there might be a good experience if you don't have to live there. If you need a job, as long as you're not on contract, you can continue to look for other jobs and leave this one when you want to. I do think that it will help your application, but so will other clinical experiences. What is the cost of living like in that area? If it's as high as the rest of CA, then minimum wage will not be sufficient to support yourself.

 

[solitarius]

yeah, I'd pass on this one.

 

[cerno]

How bad are we really talking in terms of crime? That would be the determining factor (of most importance) in whether I would take the job or not.

 

[amethystyuan]

You should be able to work somewhere else safer, and make some money

 

[milkphlegm]

You're planning on living there? If not, are you concerned about your safety walking into the hospital? Being in the hospital? You can always get security escorts to and from parking garages and security inside of hospitals, especially ones in "bad" areas, is fairly tight. I used to work as a scribe in a questionable area as well. I don't know how it compares to El Centro, but it was near Compton. It made for really interesting ER experiences.

Also, when you say minimum wage.. do you literally mean $8.00/hr? Other scribe companies pay more. Southern California is FULL of different locations. For example, Hoag in Newport Beach has scribes and you could be chilling on the beach with rich hot moms after work. I might try a different company, as you shouldn't be at a shortage of opportunities in Southern California.

 

[armybound]

sounds like an interesting life experience.

 

[sinombre]

The crime rate doesn't seem to be that bad after a quick Google search (of course I have no idea how reliable any of these websites are):

http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-El-Centro-California.html

I worked in a pretty sketchy area (read: ghetto) as a scribe for a year, and it was an amazing experience. Every single shift I learned a million new things. The biggest downside of working as a scribe is that it pays terribly, but if you can get by on $10ish/hour, I think it's something you should at least try for a few months.

 

[TheShaker]

Thanks a lot for the responses everyone! A lot of points were repeated so I'll address each one.

1. Mexican drug cartels have been known to have activity there and I would like to stay in one piece (again, literally). Another poster is right though, gang activity tends to be reserved to other gangs so I don't think I will get in trouble with them unless I get addicted to meth or I get cancer and creatively use my spankin new degree...

2. The violent crime rate has seemed to drop dramatically over the last couple years but the property crime rate is still double the nation's average, which is consistent with the 30% unemployment rate of the area. This area consistently makes the #1 highest unemployment rate in the entire nation.

3. Living in another city and commuting to work is not possible. This city is roughly 3x3 blocks in area and the nearest cities are San Diego which is 1.5 hours away and Tijuana which isn't much better. I have to live in El Centro itself.

4. The rent is much lower in El Centro (400-600/month) but the electric bill skyrockets in the summer months (300/month). Not sure if I can afford it as I don't know how true this is. No consistent source tells me how much utilities cost.

5. The job is supposed to pay 8.00/hr for the first 2 months and you get a raise based on your performance. Most get payed 9-10/hr. Honestly, this is my first time moving out. Do you guys think I can afford to live alone on this wage?

6. It indeed is a great life experience. Poor, rural, underserved, high crime, non-English speaking community...not to go full gunner but this pretty much hits every single population that any medical school could ever ask for.

7. The job market is tough right now. I'm not sure if I'll ever find a job if I give this one up...

 

[xffan624]

Thanks a lot for the responses everyone! A lot of points were repeated so I'll address each one.

1. Mexican drug cartels have been known to have activity there and I would like to stay in one piece (again, literally). Another poster is right though, gang activity tends to be reserved to other gangs so I don't think I will get in trouble with them unless I get addicted to meth or I get cancer and creatively use my spankin new degree...

2. The violent crime rate has seemed to drop dramatically over the last couple years but the property crime rate is still double the nation's average, which is consistent with the 30% unemployment rate of the area. This area consistently makes the #1 highest unemployment rate in the entire nation.

3. Living in another city and commuting to work is not possible. This city is roughly 3x3 blocks in area and the nearest cities are San Diego which is 1.5 hours away and Tijuana which isn't much better. I have to live in El Centro itself.

4. The rent is much lower in El Centro (400-600/month) but the electric bill skyrockets in the summer months (300/month). Not sure if I can afford it as I don't know how true this is. No consistent source tells me how much utilities cost.

5. The job is supposed to pay 8.00/hr for the first 2 months and you get a raise based on your performance. Most get payed 9-10/hr. Honestly, this is my first time moving out. Do you guys think I can afford to live alone on this wage?

6. It indeed is a great life experience. Poor, rural, underserved, high crime, non-English speaking community...not to go full gunner but this pretty much hits every single population that any medical school could ever ask for.

7. The job market is tough right now. I'm not sure if I'll ever find a job if I give this one up...

Bolded the last two as I think it's the most important. Get away from the womb of parents and a college dorm. I think this experience will definitely give you some maturity that might have been lacking in your previous applications.

$8x40 =$320x52 = $16640 salary. Pretty much below poverty level but that location is pretty cheap so you could probably get by. Buy cheap furniture, rent a studio apartment, live with the ac a little higher and without cable. Yeah, you could do it. Are you going to be the most happy camper during that year? Probably not, but it will be worth it.

 

[sinombre]

Bolded the last two as I think it's the most important. Get away from the womb of parents and a college dorm. I think this experience will definitely give you some maturity that might have been lacking in your previous applications.

$8x40 =$320x52 = $16640 salary. Pretty much below poverty level but that location is pretty cheap so you could probably get by. Buy cheap furniture, rent a studio apartment, live with the ac a little higher and without cable. Yeah, you could do it. Are you going to be the most happy camper during that year? Probably not, but it will be worth it.

I agree... I'd do it if I were you.

 

[sinombre]

oh I didnt realize OP had to live in the location and not commute.

sinombre is notorious for giving terrible advice. pass on this opp!

It's true. I was only successful last cycle because I ignored my own advice.

 

[TheShaker]

I'm not really worried about the pay but I'm more worried about my safety. It's a high crime area of almost all Hispanics. I don't know if they'll be kind of an Asian... Not being racist, just acknowledging the fact that these areas tend to be racist...

 

[BillrothI]

El Centro isn't all that bad, but there is certainly more violent crime there than in somewhere like La Jolla or Pacific Beach. I don't know how the job market is down in San Diego these days. However, if you're really worried about it, I imagine you could find something else that is healthcare-related in the area.

I would suggest that you trust your instincts and only take the job if you are committed to keeping it for some time. It wouldn't be fair to your employers to sign on and then leave after a couple of months, so make sure you put a lot of thought into your decision. Will you really be okay living in El Centro for an extended period of time? Is this something that you feel will help you grow as a person? Are you doing this just for brownie points or are you truly interested in the experience?

Good luck with whatever you decide.

-Bill R.

 

[xffan624]

I'm not really worried about the pay but I'm more worried about my safety. It's a high crime area of almost all Hispanics. I don't know if they'll be kind of an Asian... Not being racist, just acknowledging the fact that these areas tend to be racist...

I lived in El Paso for four years, another notorious city (due to its proximity to Juarez, murder capital of the western hemisphere) with a high hispanic population. Never had any issues with racism or with crime. It's actually relatively safe compared to other large cities. Granted, I'm not Asian.

Imperial, CA is like 5 miles away, looks like a significantly lower average for the crime rate. Not sure about housing options for you, though.

 

[Sassafrass23]

You may need to wait tables on the side to make ends meet. I struggled hard living on $10.50/hour my first year out of college but it's good budgeting/general life experience. Scribe work sucks, in large part due to the crap pay, so you should try to find it in a better area if that's what you're committed to doing. Good luck!