Dan Robinson

M Ljin wrote:

There is a historical precedent, the Industrial Revolution. It took away the work of spinners, weavers, craftspeople of all sorts and started rolling out mass produced cloth, leading to lots of people losing their jobs. Then, the machine, even hungrier, had to pull a great chunk of the population out from the countryside and into the city for factory jobs. People weren’t satisfied with what the automated process could make, they wanted more! And so the machine got fed and now we’ve fast fashion and disposable clothes, a lot more worky work around and not much unemployment last I heard.

"not much unemployment last I heard."

I'm not sure where that came from. The last I checked, there is more unemployment than you can shake a stick at, especially in white-collar fields, including the high-tech sector. With 30,000 layoffs here and 24,0000 layoffs there, and on and on, after a while, it adds up to significant unemployment.

Have faith, get a college degree, and stand on the street corner with a sign that says, "Will Engineer for Food," or "Will Engineer for College Debt Maintenance."

We are all speculating about the future and how best to navigate it. Keep in mind that the fine print says, "Past performance is NO guarantee of future results."

History is not a linear mathematical function, and "black swans" and "tipping points" may appear. Therefore, predicting the future is like a local weatherperson saying it's going to rain when it doesn't. There is always a statistic to accompany the prediction. 80% chance means there is a 20% chance of the opposite. And sometimes that opposite really does occur.

At least the benefits of living frugally and planting gardens don't change with time, unless there is a nuclear war and zombies roam the earth. You won't get rich, but you might be happy, and you won't need to sell your soul to the company store. The founding people and pioneers of this country did that, and it worked. It wasn't easy, but it worked.

However, the post I quoted above makes a good point about the Industrial Revolution. The revolution brought significant economic benefits, lifting all boats. Yet, it could be argued that to obtain these benefits and promises, society sold its soul to the Devil.

In particular, Farmers, shopkeepers, craftspeople, and others who owned their own businesses and were self-sufficient were bought off to work in factories. Over time, educational institutions, industry, and government oriented themselves to support the Czars of Commerce.

Society was brainwashed into believing that indentured servitude was the new reality. Parents no longer owned their own businesses or maintained self-sufficiency, so they could no longer set an example for their children.

The government's goal for education was to produce people who stand in line, raise their hands, keep their mouths shut, and go to work in the factories.

When Henry Ford developed the assembly line, he had trouble finding workers. Craftspeople who used creativity and skills to build products end to end told Old Henry he was crazy. There was no way they were going to stand on an assembly line and turn bolts.

But Henry was brilliant. He raised wages until it became attractive to work for him. He later remarked that it was the best decision he ever made.

In other words, the love of promised money enticed society into indentured servitude. And it worked for a long time.

Over time, college became a significant issue in diplomarizing white-collar servants for the Industry Czars and Masters of Commerce. This high demand drove college costs to rise faster than medical costs.

The principles of Industrial Psychology were then studied and used to achieve high productivity from a workforce at the least possible cost. So, enjoy ping-pong tables, video games, free coffee in the break room, and recognition certificates to psycho-manipulate smart asses to high productivity (including overtime) without paying more money, while CEOs enjoy their yachts and top-shelf martinis as they hold hands and sing Kum Ba Yah with Wall Street elites.

Now we have AI promising to become AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), which will later become ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence), with the ultimate goal of replacing humans, as the AI prophets and gods assure us there will be heaven on earth and peace among nations.

Thus ends my short history of the Ghosts of Society Past, Present, and Future.

Go forth and be happy. Obtain a college degree and speculate about all the future riches that degree will bestow as you continue in servitude to the Powers That Be.

In the meantime, you might want to consider living humbly and planting a garden as a backup plan, just in case the SHTF.

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!

As Tiny Tim says, "God Bless us, every one!"

One last post (maybe) on this topic of college education.

Some people are adamant about getting a college education, and wet their pants when someone disagrees. Well, it doesn't matter whether there is any disagreement, because you're going to do what you're going to do. Godspeed.

My recommendation is that you DO NOT take on debt to get a college degree. If you plan to go into debt, sit down and run the numbers. How much will your salary be, given your major, and what are your monthly debt payments, and for how long?

If you cannot find a job, or you get laid off after obtaining one, can you make your debt payments? Will you have a sizeable cash stash to cover living expenses and debt payments?

Keep the following in mind. If you default on your debt, the government will withhold any tax refunds due in any year that you default and withhold from your future social security if the debt is not repaid by the time you retire.

Also, while you're partying in school and delaying adulthood, consider the lost income in your calculations. In other words, you could be working and making money, even if that income is less than your wishful-thinking future income.

Compare and contrast this situation with, for example, obtaining a trade school education debt-free in two years. And you will work and earn as an apprentice while going to school.

How much time will it take you at a higher salary with debt to catch up to someone with a lower salary without debt, who worked while you were not working? And if that lower-salaried person is also investing in, for example, a 401(k) and/or pension, add that fact into your calculations.

Also, your future salary depends on the career you choose. For example, if you major in psychology, you are toast. You will likely become a bartender because there are no jobs in psychology (except in extreme extenuating circumstances). Even if you find a job in that field, you might become a social worker, but you will not be making more than a tradesperson.

With a college degree, you will need to go where the jobs are. What will be the future cost of living if you're required to live in a high-cost-of-living area to find work in your field? On the contrary, people in the trades, for example, can not only find jobs (because they are in high demand), but they can likely find jobs just about anywhere they desire to live. For example, an electrician can find a job anywhere, from large cities to small towns.

Also, note that tradespeople typically get paid overtime. Salaried people do not, yet they may be pressured to work significant overtime, depending on the company. Salaried overtime is a disguised pay cut. Then you are visited by the Layoff Grim Reaper and thrown into the street, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So, that big hoped-for salary, along with debt maintenance, a high cost of living, extra taxes, and the potential of being laid off or fired, or replaced by AI, may not be all it's cracked up to be. But you won't know that unless you run the numbers and compare for your particular situation. Without financial analysis, everything else trying to justify college is emotional garbage.

One final recommendation: If you are hell bent on majoring in liberal arts, you can live at home and get a degree online for a lot less money than going to a campus.

Here is another recommendation that may ruffle some feathers:

You should not marry someone who is significantly in debt. Their debt becomes your debt through marriage. If a significant number of people follow this advice, you may become unmarriageable if you take on a sizable college debt.

Consider this situation. A debt-free woman marries a man with sizable college debt. The man loses his job due to downsizing, can't find another job quickly, and cannot make payments on his student loan debt.

Is Sally Sue going to be happy making Billy Bob's debt payments for him?  If the situation were reversed, would Billy Bob be excited about making Sally Sue's payments?

When someone goes down this debt rabbit hole, you never know what misery they may find.

Be wise. Count the costs.

Lina Joana wrote:

I can’t see this, or anything, preparing someone for 70% unemployment. For context, the height of the Great Depression saw 25% unemployment.

I don't think things will get that bad anytime soon. Keep in mind that the emperors of AI are mostly all talk and hype as they move toward AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). They need to attract trillions of dollars from investors to realize their dream of building the Tower of Babel, not to mention government regulations friendly to their cause.

The massive elephant in the room is energy. To achieve this dream of paradise (mainly for the elites behind the scenes), these data centers, which run the AI algorithms, will consume massive amounts of energy that the electrical grids cannot currently support, not to mention the increasing number of electric vehicles.

Therefore, research and development funding are needed for nuclear energy and micro-nuclear reactors. They are also converting natural gas and bringing back online coal-fired plants (to the chagrin of environmentalists) to supply this energy. Then there is computer chip production and research to support these efforts.

I believe many of the high-tech workers who recently lost their jobs did not do so because they were replaced by robots (i.e., algorithms). It is because these AI companies are diverting investment dollars to build out the infrastructure that supports their dreams of wishing upon a star. And they must do this in a fashion that keeps Wall Street investors happy; in other words, the financials must remain robust. Of course, these carnival-barking CEOs and executives are doing song and dance routines with the public to minimize negative PR.

Sooner or later, there may be a day of reckoning when the return on investment does not justify the money spent, and investors become frightened. If that happens, this house of cards might come tumbling down. Also, what happens if the economy crashes for reasons unrelated to AI?

So, there are obstacles that may prevent (or at least slow down) the construction of the Empire of AI.

Here is food for thought:

How much energy is consumed by AI algorithms to do simple things that humans can do with far less energy consumption than a robot?

How much money are companies (and consumers) willing to pay for AI, which requires massive energy consumption, to implement into their processes? And how much money will they save by doing so?

Unless a robot costs less than $200 and can massage my back, wash my dishes, bring me a beer, and keep its mouth shut, I'm not buying.

What is life going to be like with 70% unemployment?

If your whole life is set up with having a job, complete with cash flow, and you cannot get a job, but you still need money to eat, what happens?

I am suggesting that the smart people are those that have a humble home and a huge garden will be the wisest.  Far wiser than the people that need 40 years of strong, reliable cash flow.  


Perhaps this woman would be 1000x more comfortable if she spent those 2 years pursuing skip.  Or joining the bootcamp.



Paul makes many excellent points that I agree with.

One question might be: How does one obtain a "humble home" with which to grow "huge gardens" without appropriate financial resources?

Property in most parts of the country is becoming extremely difficult to obtain without significant financial arrangements.

I was fortunate to purchase approximately 12 acres of forested property using an IRA account during a real estate crash — one of the best financial decisions I have ever made. I have more space to grow gardens (and lots of deer and other critters to eat those gardens) than you can shake a stick at, not to mention other modern survival types of things I could do if I ever get around to doing them before I kick the bucket.

If I had waited until now, I would not have had the financial means to purchase that property; moreover, it would have been sold a long time ago.

However, the IRA account and future additional resources for property development were obtained through indentured servitude to Big Monkeys in the Corporate Jungle.

Most people are not this fortunate. And it is becoming increasingly tough to make a go of it out there in La La Land due to inflation and the rise of AIBC (Artificial Intelligence Bull Crap) taking over the world.

Therefore, people will need to be really creative in navigating this situation.

One of the things I appreciate about communities like this one is the idea generation and practical applications that lead to modern survival.

Here is the bottom line:

Things and the world are changing rapidly. Paradigms that served us well in the past no longer hold. Don't get caught up in holding onto those outdated concepts, such as "a college education leading to indentured servitude to corporate elites ensures nirvana and paradise on earth."

Become the CEO of your life. Stay in creative thinking mode, and learn from others. Grow gardens and barter with neighbors, even if the humble home is a tent with a rocket mass heater.

About comments by Ed Simpson:

... college for young people coming out of HS is still (almost) always a GOOD idea.

... there is NO way I could have what I have today without my college degrees.

These statements could benefit from additional clarification and supporting arguments.

For example, why is it "still always a GOOD idea?" And why is there "NO way" you could have what you have today without your college degrees? What exactly do you have that could not be obtained in some profession or activity (e.g., owning a business) not requiring a college degree?

Numerous professions require a college degree due to regulatory requirements. Therefore, if one desires to practice these professions, a college degree is required.

For example, some of these professions requiring a college degree include: Physician, Dentist, Pharmacist, Registered Nurse, Physical Therapist, Lawyer, K-12 Teacher, College Professor, Engineer, Architect, Scientist, CPA, Veterinarian, and others.

Therefore, if a person feels called or has a passion for a field that requires a college degree due to regulation by the government or other PTB (Powers That Be), there is no alternative.

Without a clear life plan, pursuing a college degree just because someone says, "it's always a GOOD idea," doesn't hold water. These college cheerleading statements should provide the following fine print: "Past performance is not indicative of future results, " and "Returns may vary and are not guaranteed."

As I write these statements in November 2025, there are millions of college-degreed workers without jobs. And if any of these workers have massive college debt (not to mention other debts), they are between a rock and a hard place.

If the wishful thinking of the AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) prophets and disciples is valid, many more college-educated jobs will be eliminated in the future.

If someone desires to play this cat-and-mouse job game, in which field should one pursue a college degree?

With a cheap piece of sweet-smelling paper called a "diploma," you are not "guaranteed" anything. And you will be competing with a massive crowd of people who also have diplomas for the same positions. In short, the markets are overflooded with diploma-carrying indentured servants.

In days of yore, due to many reasons believed valid at that time, we as a society were brainwashed by industry in bed with government and educational organizations to think that smart people go to college and dumb people go into the trades. Shop classes were terminated in many high schools due to faith in the college education religion. Parents and caregivers trained their children to think the same way. And it worked for a long time.

As a result of this massive push for students to go to college, the cost of a college education has risen faster than the cost of healthcare.

Those magnificent days of yore are fast approaching a tipping point. And, the trades are making a comeback for a very good reason.

When deciding on a career path, COUNT THE COSTS, both direct costs and lost earnings costs over 4 to 5 years (or longer, depending on the degree). If massive debt is involved, this significantly affects the costs. Additionally, what is the statistical likelihood of securing employment with a specific degree, 4 to 5 years after starting college?

Then make an informed decision on which path to follow, given your talents and desires.

And remember: "Returns may vary and are not guaranteed," and "Past performance is not indicative of future results."

College degrees themselves are not skills, even when you're talking STEM related studies.  

There is truth here. A college degree is a "certification" by diploma. Certifications alone do not demonstrate a "skill set." Usually, college students study to pass tests. Passing artificially created tests is not the same thing as mastering a skill.

Once a student completes a course, even if receiving an A-grade, they soon forget most of the material. Additionally, in the "real world," 80% (or more) of what they studied in college will never be used again.

Having served as a mentor to new engineers in industry, I can attest that a new engineer, regardless of whether they graduated from a top-tier university, usually does not know their practical rear end from a hole in the ground. Generally speaking, it takes about two years of industrial experience before an engineer proves their worth to the company.

Another example is "certification" by professional engineering licensure that is issued by individual states. I hold two Professional Engineer (PE) licenses in two states. To maintain these licenses, Continuing Education Units (or Professional Development Hours) are required to maintain licensure.

These continuing education units are typically earned by completing short courses and passing a corresponding written test, which usually consists of multiple-choice questions, similar to those found on college exams. An entire industry has developed to provide the so-called "training" mandated by state governments.

Follow the money. The government extracts tax dollars to give bureaucrats jobs who set the rules for licensure that require recipients to spend more money (by enriching test providers) to obtain education credits by passing artificial tests, all in the name of "protecting public safety." However, no real SKILL is being improved or developed - only the talent for passing tests.

The bottom line is that passing these certifications is nothing more than checking off boxes for a government bureaucracy. No real skill is being imparted or improved. It's the same thing as passing college tests to obtain a certificate (i.e., diploma).

I have heard engineering academics state that their job is to teach the "fundamentals." It is the industry's job to teach the "practical," in other words, to apply the fundamentals to practical problems.

To attack this issue, academic institutions have worked with industry to implement "internships" and "cooperative education" programs.

The company I worked for also had an Engineering Development Program (EDP), where new engineering hires could spend a couple of years rotating between departments. The idea was to expose the new employee to various areas of engineering, with the assumption that they would settle into an area of interest. [There were several issues with this program; I will not go into them here.]

So, I agree with the original statement, "College degrees themselves are not skills."

In the past, as others have stated, real skills were developed through "apprenticeship," not by passing artificial tests.

Therefore, given all the various issues stated in these posts by several people, including myself, why pursue an overly expensive college education that only demonstrates skills for passing tests, rather than solving real-world, practical problems?

The costs of pursuing college are tremendous, not only the direct college costs, but also the "lost earnings" costs, as well as the costs of delaying adulthood for young people who may have no idea what they are doing in college, other than partying until that great day of "indentured servitude" to corporate interests (assuming they can even find a job).

Reading through the comments, I see much speculation about the good and bad of AI.

Regarding the current wave of massive company layoffs, AI is not the issue in many cases. There is an economic issue. For example, in my previous post where I talked about being "encouraged" into retirement, AI had nothing to do with the layoffs. The layoffs were due to our customers stopping purchases of our product during an industry recession.

The company is indeed experimenting with AI. But it is not yet developed or implemented to the point of replacing many jobs. Also, at least for this one company, the current focus of AI is on developing tools to help the customers, not replace employees.

However, out in industry la la land, there IS a push to eventually replace employees, provided there is a reduction in costs and an increase in efficiency.

In my opinion (which is well-founded — ha ha), the disciples of AI are overstating their case. These are the Silicon Valley carnival barkers who have attracted trillions of dollars in investor capital to build this Tower of Babel. To keep the money flowing, they create hope and make promises.

Of course, the news media and journalists focus on anything sensational to line their pockets with advertising dollars. Most of them don't know their rear end from an AI hole in the ground.

The current "promise" is AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). And there is a race to the top by companies invested in this technology. AGI is the ultimate "god." The primary purpose is to replace humans, regardless of what the carnival barkers say.

While humans are being replaced, these elite businesspeople will be lining their pockets with dollars. In other words, THEIR jobs will not be replaced. They will be the Emperors of AI.

These wizards of iniquity imply that AGI will solve climate change, cure cancer and other diseases, and lead to paradise on earth. Based on these promises, disciples of AI are creating (figuratively speaking) a religious technology cult based on wishing upon a rainbow. And CEOs, politicians, academics, and others are falling for this storyline.

On the religious nature of this endeavor, here is an interesting quote from Sam Altman of OpenAI, who is one of the wizards and spokespersons leading this show:

"I heard this from Qi Lu; I'm not sure what the source is. It got me thinking, though -- the most successful founders do not set out to create companies. They are on a mission to create something closer to a religion, and at some point, it turns out that forming a company is the easiest way to do so."

Here's the problem:

Achieving these AGI goals requires massive amounts of energy (electricity) to run data centers and train algorithms, not to mention an enormous supply of computer chips, such as GPUs, etc. The amount of energy needed to accomplish these nefarious goals is NOT yet available.

Then there is the side issue of cooling, where massive amounts of water are diverted to cool the data centers.

The current U.S. electrical grid cannot handle the load. Data centers are already driving up electricity costs for customers in various locations around the country. Natural gas is also being diverted to power these data centers, not to mention almost defunct coal-fired facilities being brought back online.

There is a lot of talk and research into nuclear energy and micro-nuclear reactors to supply the required energy. But it takes a lot of time and money to build this out, not to mention potential regulatory issues.

I will attend a presentation in November by a guru who will discuss this resurgence in interest in nuclear power. The goal is to encourage colleges and universities to divert STEM students into nuclear energy programs. Believe it or not, the secret force behind this interest is partly driven by organizations associated with "clean energy" that have been hoodwinked by the Emperors of AI, who promise a solution to climate change.

If you want to find hidden agendas, follow the money.

If the big-money investors in AI ever smell a rat and don't realize a return on their investment, there is going to be a technology market crash like we've never seen. And there will be financial blood in the streets.

I, for one, am keeping my finger on the sell button of my investments related to AI.

And we have not even discussed the ethics of AI, which is another elephant in the living room.

Here is a book I recommend reading, which is very revealing of the dirt underneath:

"Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's Open AI" by Karen Hao

Look it up on Amazon.

When I tell you about my past and present, you might be surprised at what I'm about to say.

I spent my entire career in the corporate jungle as an engineer. This life meant living in various states and working for different companies.

I also experienced layoffs. Having a family financially dependent on me, I was unable to pursue a "passion." I could not live where I preferred to live. I had to move to where the jobs were, even if it was located in the State of Hell. Since I needed to put bread on the table, I did not have the luxury to wait for the "best" job.

Needless to say, I did not plant many gardens. I was an indentured servant to Corporate America.

That is the life that a college degree creates.

Society (government, industry, educational institutions, etc.) has brainwashed us into getting certified by diploma and "working for someone else." Heaven forbid we work for ourselves.

I have four engineering degrees, including a Ph.D. I did not pay for all those degrees. The first B.S. degree was paid for by Uncle Sam on VA benefits, due to the death of my father, who was a pilot in the Air Force. The second degree (M.S.), I paid for through a graduate teaching assistantship. The third and fourth degrees (M.S. and Ph.D.) were paid for by the companies I worked for at that time. Fortunately, I did not go into debt to get those degrees, unlike many students today.

Last year, I was strongly encouraged to retire (i.e., I had no choice) during a massive Grim Reaper layoff at the company where I had worked for the last 27 years, where I had produced multiple patents and trade secrets for the company. That "going above and beyond" for the company didn't even save my ass.

Rest assured that neither my brain nor my body has retired. "Retirement" is a dirty word invented during the Industrial Revolution.

In addition to the religion of the Empire of AI eliminating jobs, age discrimination is a real issue. You can have all the college diplomas you like, but if you are over 40, you will face this secret age-discrimination monster, even if you can find a corporate job that requires a college education that you are qualified for.

Judging from the news and social media, there is currently an employment bloodbath among the college-educated, driven by a multitude of factors, including AI. All of this is occurring at the same time that the stock markets are reaching all-time highs, while corporate executives who summoned the layoff Grim Reaper are enriching themselves.

I recently joined the Adjunct Faculty (i.e., part-time) at a local college. I will teach an engineering course starting in January.

Here is my unlikely advice:

DON'T GO TO COLLEGE!

[Of course, I need to be careful not to say that inside the college classroom. ]

Most college students either go deeply into debt or spend their parents' retirement money to party for four years. At least their parents can brag that little Johnny Blow and Sally Sue have been "socialized."

Then they can't find a job, unless it's asking people, "Would you like fries with that?" So, they move back in with their parents, play video games, and become depressed and suicidal through social media.

If you need intellectual entertainment, pick up a damn book and read it. You don't need to sit inside a classroom listening to old professor Einstein to learn something useful. You can also use AI to help research topics of interest on the internet.

Forget certification by diploma. Concentrate on self-learning.

An alternative for young people is to consider learning a trade. Trade schools typically require apprenticeships, where you get paid to learn. And you graduate debt-free in two years. Currently, the trades are in high demand, unlike college graduates.

AI is not going to replace electricians, plumbers, and mechanics anytime soon, and those jobs cannot be farmed out overseas. And you likely can choose to live in any location you desire.

You could also use those trade skills to start a business eventually. I have dealt with several contractors who did that.

Advice for parents: Train up your children to work for themselves. Otherwise, they might become indentured servants of Corporate America.

Here is a young success story:

My next-door neighbor (over the hill and through the woods) has a son who is a high school junior. He is a straight-A student. The kid started an external house-washing business. I hired him to wash the outside of my country house. His company is expanding, and he was recently featured on a local TV station. He also recently picked up some contracts with apartment complexes.

He works part-time during school and on weekends, and full-time during the summer. He is making a lot of money and not spending it since he currently lives with his parents (until he graduates high school).

I asked him what he plans to do when he graduates. He said he will continue with his business and has considered trade school. He will NOT attend college. Good for him!!

Here's the bottom line:

Forget college, plant a lot of gardens, and work for yourself. Barter with neighbors who are doing the same.

When possible, avoid Big Ag for food. If you don't raise it yourself, avoid the middleperson and go directly to a trusted farmer (or neighbor).

Otherwise, go to college, go into debt, and learn to be a good corporate slave, and hope that the layoff Grim Reaper doesn't whack off your head and cast you into the street where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

If you major in engineering, you can always hold up a sign on the side of the road that says, "Will Engineer for Food."

I have not participated very much in any forums, primarily due to my hectic work-life stuff.

Finally, when I get around to checking out permies again, I see this thread revolving around the pros and cons of discussing COVID.

First, let me say that I think the moderators are doing the right thing and doing a fantastic job.

Unfortunately, COVID has become a hot political topic, where it seems too many people think with their emotions, but not their heads (in public at large). This situation is why I think the moderators are doing the right thing. Topics like this could potentially detract from the big picture and the goal of permaculture.

We could view these forums as a "family-community." We shouldn't get upset such that we alienate family members. We're all in this together. We are not each other's enemy.

Isn't it amazing that a germ is naturally doing what germs do, and everyone's political hot bottom is pressed? Maybe the germ will go down in history as the famous Political Germ (PG).  

Anyway, my opinion is that we should probably steer clear of the "politics and philosophy of the germ," except under extenuating circumstances. I don't know what those circumstances would be. But I will leave it up to the moderators to figure that out.

I'm in agreement with J. Davis. I like Eastern Tennessee. I own undeveloped land, all forested, just north of Chattanooga, which is an easy 20 to 25 minute drive to downtown Chattanooga. I am well familiar with this area, having grown up in Alabama, and having spent significant time in the Chattanooga area. The problem for me is just getting down there permanently, so I can begin development.

As far as TN goes, the climate is to my liking, and there are no state income taxes. However, the sales tax is higher than where I now live. But, I've found that not paying the state income taxes I am now paying significantly compensates for possible other higher taxes in TN. If I could keep my same job, it would be like getting a significant raise to move to TN. My land tax on the undeveloped land of about 13 acres (two parcels) is currently around $400 per year.

From my perspective, anywhere east of Nashville is worth considering. Obviously, the closer you get to large metropolitan areas, land prices go up significantly, such as Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, etc. I don't know much about western TN, but I've never had the warm fuzzes for that area.

Before moving to a new area, I would recommend spending at least some extended time there, getting to know the area, and meeting people (if possible). At a minimum, you could possibly spend your vacation time there. Before purchasing my land, I met some of the "country" neighbors in the area. Even now, when I travel down there, I just go up and knock on doors, and chit chat with them. I found that if your neighbors like you, they tend to keep an eye on your property while you're not there. They can also be a treasure trove of information on the area. This also helps establish some tentative relationships before you move there.