The Financial Math of Switching to an IT Career (From Someone Actually Doing It)

There are a thousand articles about how to break into IT — get a cert, build a homelab, update your LinkedIn. Cool. But almost nobody talks about the financial planning side of a career transition, and that's the part that actually determines whether you can pull it off without going broke in the process. I'm currently making this switch. I work a service industry job making about $1,500/month, I'm finishing my IT degree through an employer tuition program, studying for CompTIA Security+, and planning a relocation from California to Texas. I want to share the financial framework I built because I think it's useful for anyone considering a similar move. The Geographic Arbitrage Play This is the part most people miss entirely. A $58,000 entry-level IT salary sounds the same everywhere, but it's not. Where you live completely changes what that number means. In California, after state income tax (6-9%), that $58K becomes roughly $3,250/month take-home. Rent for a basic apartment is $1,200-