JUST GETTING INTO A DISCUSSION ABOUT COST OF LIVING AND HOW THAT EFFECTS COACHING HIRES. I'M NOT TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT ANY JOB THAT MAY OPEN, SHOULD OPEN, OR I WANT TO OPEN.
I've often heard that the high cost of living in the Chicagoland area vs many college towns makes NU a less desirable place for coaches to be at. I don't get this. Yes, the cost of living is higher than in Iowa City, Champaign or South Bend... but isn't that because it's a place where people want to live? I found some 2012 stats. NU coaching staff were unavailable, but I saw the lowest paid Big Ten coordinators in the 300-400,000 range. I found some Purdue position coaches were making $120,000 a year. So let's use those numbers.
You can live really nicely off of $300,000 a year in Chicago. Hell, you can live really nicely off of $120,000 a year. I would LOVE to be living off of $120,000 a year. I am single with no kids, but I've never made that... and I save money every year. I'm a city guy. I like living in the city. The last thing I'd ever want to do is to live in a town who's economy is based entirely around a University. 98% of the places in town are designed for college kids. Where do you go for dinner? Where do you do for fun in Iowa City if you're not a college kid? What can you do for fun in Chicago? Anything from bars and clubs for a young assistant to art museums and operas. You've got 1000s of restaurants, a million things to do. The schools in the suburbs surrounding Evanston are excellent if you have kids.
So why in the world would an assistant coach who is making 6 figures want to take a job in the middle of no where college town just to save a buck?
I've often heard that the high cost of living in the Chicagoland area vs many college towns makes NU a less desirable place for coaches to be at. I don't get this. Yes, the cost of living is higher than in Iowa City, Champaign or South Bend... but isn't that because it's a place where people want to live? I found some 2012 stats. NU coaching staff were unavailable, but I saw the lowest paid Big Ten coordinators in the 300-400,000 range. I found some Purdue position coaches were making $120,000 a year. So let's use those numbers.
You can live really nicely off of $300,000 a year in Chicago. Hell, you can live really nicely off of $120,000 a year. I would LOVE to be living off of $120,000 a year. I am single with no kids, but I've never made that... and I save money every year. I'm a city guy. I like living in the city. The last thing I'd ever want to do is to live in a town who's economy is based entirely around a University. 98% of the places in town are designed for college kids. Where do you go for dinner? Where do you do for fun in Iowa City if you're not a college kid? What can you do for fun in Chicago? Anything from bars and clubs for a young assistant to art museums and operas. You've got 1000s of restaurants, a million things to do. The schools in the suburbs surrounding Evanston are excellent if you have kids.
So why in the world would an assistant coach who is making 6 figures want to take a job in the middle of no where college town just to save a buck?
