You toured the campus. You chewed cheddar curds at the Old Fashioned. You left the coding challenge early to catch your plane. After a few anxious days, you answered a call from your recruiter and learned that you landed the job. Congrats!
After weighing your options and scouring the Epic Systems Reddit for negotiation tips, you accepted the position.
Now, the move.
Epic orientation begins the first Monday of every month. I accepted my offer in the middle of the month. That left me with one week to pack and one week to secure housing and transportation in a place I knew nothing about. If there were guides for folks moving from NorCal, I could not find them.
I totally bungled the move. This is a guide containing all the stuff I wish I knew.
In order, I’ll cover:
Part 1: Initial Logistics
- The Moving Reimbursement:
- Temp Housing: AirBnB vs Hotel
- Packing
Part 2: Your First Week
- Permanent Housing
- Transportation
Part 3: After You’re Settled
- Orientation
- Gym Membership
Part 1: Logistics
The Moving Reimbursement
Size:
Part of the package includes a sum of money to cover your move. I don’t know the details of the size. I bet it depends on your distance and personal situation. I’m an early twenties single person. I moved 2,100 miles. I got $2,500. A buddy is the same. He moved 900 miles. He got $2,500.
Actual Size:
Your recruiter will tell you that the reimbursement will be taxed. They will tell you they cannot accurately disclose either the final amount or the margin by which it will be taxed.
You will receive 64% of the gross amount. I recieved $1,600. If you complete the info in the benefits packet sent to you, you will receive your reimbursement on Wednesday of your second week. If you configure direct deposit, you will wake on Thursday morn’ with a pleasant surprise in your bank account.
First Decision:
BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING:
Decide whether you want to live downtown or close to work.
Consider:
- Commute:
~30–40 min drive to Epic from downtown Madison at peak hours
- Cost of Rent
- Transportation — see below
- Nightlife Access
35min drive from Verona VS 15min drive from Fitchburg/West Madison VS 5min walk from downtown
Temp Housing:
AirBnb vs Hotel
This decision depends on your personality and where you want to live. Financially, there is little difference for the first 5–14days in Madison.
If you want to live downtown: book a hotel for a week while you bus around to check out rooms and apartments there.
Not living downtown: Google maps the distance between your ideal location and the Madison hotels. Go to the map view on AirBnB and find the spot closest to the
The hotel will cost you $35–50 a day. You’ll meet a couple new hires at the hotel. Breakfast will be free. You’ll wander to the “Fitness Center” at 7pm to perform dumbbell deadlifts. You’ll watch CNN respond to Trump’s new _________ on a TV between two treadmills before popping in earbuds to catch the Joe Rogan podcast. You’ll ask for recommendations from the hotel staff and then you will deduce that the Old Fashioned is the only restaurant in the entire Midwest. 9pm will roll around and you’ll have an amazing night at any of the fantastic bars downtown. On Wednesday, $2 Comedy Open Mic. On every other night, you can head to State Street for Munday’s stellar drink deals, where an unending stream of undergrads will show your why it takes 3 DUI’s to lose your driver’s license in Wisco. More fun: the Vintage, Red Rock Saloon, Thirsty Goat, Great Dane.
The AirBnB will cost $22–40 a day. You’ll meet the host and the other guests of the house. They’ll tell you about the area. They’ll give you food and event recommendations. They’ll show you pictures of their children and nephews and nieces and foster children and grandchildren and foster grandchildren. You’ll pet their cats and play with their dogs. You’ll cook groceries you’ve purchased from the grocery store down the road into a hearty home-cooked meal in your host’s fully-equipped kitchen. You’ll retire to your spacious, themed, 15×15 bedroom and wonder idly whether the other AirBnb guest was really flirting with you or just playing your emotions in order to eat more of your delicious dinner.
I first stayed at Ace’s Last Resort. Linda is a fantastic host. She worked in real estate and can offer a learned perspective about Madison’s recent history as well as EXTREMELY wholesome conversation. My heart grew three sizes after just an evening there. After three whole days, when I had failed to either procure a lease or purchase a used car, I booked three more at The Lacy Place. Rich is among the kindest humans I have ever met. His home is filled with 1970s antiques, shag carpet, and electric blankets. Linda’s spot cost me $28/night and Rich’s cost me $38.
Getting your shit there:
Flying or Driving?
In San Jose, I had a bike and a bus pass. I was a serial couchsurfer and had just enough stuff to fill my buddy’s car twice. I chose to fly. If you own a car and it doesn’t suck, you might consider a roadtrip. You might also consider leaving it with your family or selling it at a premium to the couchsurfer in your life who would sure appreciate a car of his own to sleep in.
Flying:
I flew United. Here are the baggage deets:
Here are the Delta Fees:
As you might have gathered, it’s gonna cost a lot no matter which airline you fly.
I wish I had known about this 3rd party luggage service.
Having chosen not to sleep the night before before my 4am flight, I stuffed >40lbs of my things into an airport garbage can when I learned my 70lb duffel was not something I could carry-on the plane. In addition, both of my checked bags were 30lbs overweight.
Why?
I DIDN’T USE A LUGGAGE SCALE!
(and, I’m a child in his early-twenties, incapable of making rational decisions under moderate pressure)
Packing:
Whether you fly or drive, you’re gonna have to get rid of a lot of stuff.
If you’re flying…
Step 1: Buy a luggage scale! AS SOON AS YOU ACCEPT THE OFFER, AMAZON THAT SHIT RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR! Don’t curl it to estimate the weight. Don’t plan on biking to Target sometime next week to pick one up. AMAZON THAT SCALE IMMEDIATELY!
Step 2: Buy some used suitcases. I found two international suitcases on craigslist for $20 each. Beware: international suitcases often weigh more than regularly sized suitcases. Filling one and not weighing it may cost you the price of an overweight suitcase.
Step 3: Fill your suitcases with your most important stuff. Weigh them. Triage the rest of your stuff.
Pro Tip: Jeans and paper weigh the most and matter the least! Sell your books and donate your clothes!
If you’re driving…
Step 1: Stuff your car with your most important small items.
Step 2: Make sure you can see out of all of your windows.
Step 3: Rent a trailer for your most important large items
Step 4: Sell everything else.
Selling your stuff:
Facebook Marketplace is the best. I sold most of my audio equipment and furniture there. Craigslist is great if you’re in a city or a suburb. The other two apps I used were OfferUp and 5Mile.
When you discover your beloved goods hold little-to-no monetary value, you would do well to rely on two of your most reliable assets:
- Friends
- Dumpsters
Gifting your stuff:
Nothing makes a better gift than all of your perishable groceries! Show your friends what they really mean to you by giving them the goods they always envied! Ratty Leather Jacket? Check. Home-Made Shrek Halloween Costume? Check. This holiday season, you’re Santa Claus and each presents comes with a mild sweat stain!
Dumping your stuff:
When it is 2am and you need to leave for the airport at 4am and you’re all out of containers and there’s no scale in sight, you need to maximize your time and minimize the harmful effects of your trash on your community. At the very least, dispose of your emotional horcruxes responsibly.
Part 2:
You’ve landed. Now you need housing and transportation. Also, you’re hungry. Whether you booked a hotel or an AirBnb, save some dough by investing in a loaf of wheat bread, a spinach and/or kale bag, fruit, and a jar of peanut butter. If I learned anything from living in the South Bay, it’s that pbj’s and store-packaged greens are easier to stomach than a copay.
With calories taken care of, you can focus on housing and transportation.
Housing
To find a roommate:
Find the Epic New Hire facebook page. Ask to join. Upon joining, search for posts from other new hires who want to share a lease. Comment on their post and message them. So that other new hires in your cohort can find your information, I recommend posting your info on the facebook page too.
To rent a house:
Hop on Craigslist>Housing. Filter the sort of living situation you are interested in with the menu at the top of the screen. My fav is Shared Rooms.
Set the filters on the left for your preferences.
Essential: There is a map function which will allow you to browse listings by location.
Nota Bene:
The benefits packet sent to you via email contains an excel with housing opportunities. When I called the best deals on the list, I learned that they were two-four months out of date and no longer available.
Apartments:
Many Epic employees live in complexes run by TRMackenzie. The two most popular include High Point Woods and Stone Creek. TRM will waive your background check and application fee because you are an Epic employee. They will also waive the app fee of any potential roommate you would like to live with.
My Preference:
Through Craigslist, I found a single room for $500/mo between Madison and Verona. I share a unit in a multi-family home with the landlady. A young couple lives in the other unit. The four of us cook together and hang out all the time. Living with locals has been an awesome way to adjust to a new place. In the case that you room with another new hire, I highly recommend getting to know people who work somewhere else and can give you opinions from beyond Judy’s big red bubble.
Transportation:
Buying a Used Car:
Read this Reddit guide. If you have the capital to invest in a car, buy one which you can sell without losing a lot of money. My car-friends recommend Toyotas, Hondas, and Subarus. When something goes wrong, there are many parts available and many auto engineers familiar with Japanese auto repair. My car-friends would never buy a used American-made car in the $3–7,000 price range.
For price reference and the initial search, use
- Kelley Blue Book (aka KBB)
- Car Gurus
You have two options for buying a used car:
1. Used Auto Dealer
Visit many dealers. Each salesman encounter is a learning opportunity. You will have to pay a documentation fee and state tax. I visited these four dealers:
- Farris Auto
- No Documentation Fee. The owner, Mr. Farris, is a religious man who (auspiciously) holds moral objections toward charging folks an unfair amount.
- A-Z AutoSports
- The week after I bought a 2008 Subaru Outback from here, a thermostat in the radiator broke and coolant ceased to flow. My engine overheated on the beltline during a snowstorm. They offered to send a tow truck. Following the theme of this article(I’M SO DUMB), I stubbornly drove the rest of the way (DON’T DO THIS), taking frequent breaks to let the engine cool(HOW AM I ALIVE). The firm lent me a luxurious car while their mechanic replaced the thermometer and many other potentially-fraught components. I was pleased with their customer service.
- Golden Cars
- Three brothers sell cars bought via auction which they fix up and sell below market-rate. What’s not to love?! They had a beautiful blue Honda Fit in stock when I went. I don’t drive stick but the leading brother taught me how so I could demo-drive the car.
- Zimbrick Auto
- They tried to sell me a variety of high-priced, mediocre-quality, American-made cars. Having never bought a car, this place was an excellent primer for the process. I test-drove several cars, played salesman-tactic-bingo with that aforementioned Reddit guide, and practiced negotiating in a safe environment.
2. Craigslist
Only buy a craigslist car if…
A: you know enough about cars to gauge its actual value
B: You follow the very specific list of tasks outlined in this thrice-referenced Reddit guide.
- TL;DR: Purchase a Car Fax report. Pay mechanic (Farris Auto charges $90) to run an auto diagnostic. Barter accordingly.
Rust:
Wisconsin salts its roads. The underside of every used car here will feature rust. If there is rust on the chassis, don’t buy the car. If there is rust anywhere else, don’t worry about it. Some people will try to sell you rust-deterrent or rust-coat. They’re full of shit. If any part of the paint-job is scratched and you don’t touch it up, it will rust. Use exterior rust-spots as a barter chip.
AWD vs Winter Tires:
This is a contentious debate. The four sections of your car that touch the ground at any given point are each about the width of a playing card. Some all-season tires are certified “Mud and Snow” tires. You can identify these tires by finding the characters “M/S” on the side of the tires. I have been told by many locals that M/S tires on an AWD are all anybody needs here.
Likewise, I was told to invest in Winter Tires if I were to buy a FWD car. Cons of winter tires include storing your All Season Tires in the winter and then your Winter Tires the rest of the year. I like to imagine the purchase of Winter Tires as a life-extension for my all-seasons. Now, that logic holds only if you intend to live in Madison for as long as it takes to finish off your tires. Although there is a market for used tires on Ebay, it is a buyer’s market. I would never want to sell a pair of partially used winter tires.
Insurance:
You’ll need to purchase car insurance to drive in Wisconsin. The price depends upon your personal information, driving record, and demographic. Geico and Progressive had the best rates for me. Go through each service they offer. You probably don’t need everything. For example, if you rarely park your car where nature might fall on it, you probably don’t need collision insurance.
The Bus
Several new hires in my cohort ride the bus. It is more reliable than SF muni, the SJ system, and the Seattle system. Epic will subsidize your fare. From downtown Madison, the ride takes about 45 minutes. You could sleep/read/swipe on it. It is clean and warm.
Biking
Madison is perhaps the most bikable city ever. In the Spring and Summer I bike everywhere. Many people bike to Epic.
Part 3:
Orientation Tips:
Make a Group Me
Remember Freshman Orientation? Same jam. Start a group me and add everyone. Once they’re in the main group, you can make more focused groups. Plans posted in the giant group resonate amongst its members like Greta’s calls for climate change. The giant group is the first step toward defining smaller groups.
Go Out Every Night
This is Syllabus Week all over again. You have one week to make plans with anyone you want! No one has anything better to do! These connections will carry you through your first two months.
Gym Memberships
Anytime Fitness
14day free trial includes:
- In-body scan
- Unlimited strength and endurance training sessions
- Group High Intensity Training (HIT) classes
- Tanning (I mean, if you really want that)
Below are the costs for a 1year contract:
$49/mo: 24/7 gym access
$99/mo: Monthly Workout plans catered to your goals
$150/mo: 1 training session a week
$350/mo: Unlimited training sessions
Epic Special:
- Cheaper monthly price if you get healthcare through Epic
Princeton Club
7day free trial includes:
- In-body scan
- A couple free training sessions
- Free access to their wide variety of group classes
- Pool, tennis court, basketball court, track
$40/mo (for Epic employees) + 1year contract:
- Gym, class, pool/basketball/tennis/track access
Epic Special:
If you are relocated, Princeton Club will transfer your membership to a gym in the area you are relocated to.
YMCA
$62/mo for age 21–26.
$22/mo for four people involved in a family plan. This requires proof of address.
The November Project
- Wednesday and Friday Mornings, Downtown Madison
- Meet fit young singles in your area!
If I knew half the things on this list…
I would have had a much better first month in Madison.
If you are coming from the West Coast, you will find that people are about as kind as your grandmother. This guide has a lot of gaps. When you need more information, reach out to anyone around you and they will likely give you something to get you where you need to go.
They may also laugh at you, like the time I asked my housemates if Bucky the Badger was a mascot for a state-wide, cross-industry, badger-related mafia.
It’s better to ask a dumb question than make a dumb mistake.
