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Ever move to a new city/state that you never been to and with no job lined up? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter eoMMan
- Start date
General Malaise
Footballguy
Yeah, but I had a job lined up. Split Texas after splitting Mississippi for the PNW. Been here since '96. But yeah, I don't know what you do about the job part unless you've got significant savings.
Judge Smails
Footballguy
I hope you have at least visited these places to try them on for size first
nirad3
Footballguy
Kind of. Back in 2006 I kinda-sorta "left" my stable job at a real estate development consulting firm in California to attempt doing similar work for myself in Texas. Fortunately said company still needed me around, they just couldn't offer me a regular salary w/ benefits. So I "consulted" for them remotely for over a year or so while I tried my hand at my own consulting gig.
Of course the timing couldn't have been worse as the real estate market took a giant dump and I was scratching the bottom of the barrel for absolutely anything in my wheelhouse.
I ended up trying to sell playground equipment and delivered chicken wings.
I guess it would depend on your industry and your ability to weather any kind of storm in terms of not being able to keep steady employment. If you're solo without family nearby to keep you around and think you could easily find a job in your industry (and keep it), then why not go for it?
Of course the timing couldn't have been worse as the real estate market took a giant dump and I was scratching the bottom of the barrel for absolutely anything in my wheelhouse.
I ended up trying to sell playground equipment and delivered chicken wings.
I guess it would depend on your industry and your ability to weather any kind of storm in terms of not being able to keep steady employment. If you're solo without family nearby to keep you around and think you could easily find a job in your industry (and keep it), then why not go for it?
Eephus
Footballguy
I believe you've been to California before
El Floppo
Footballguy
LA? I mean... I've heard of the place- but live there?
Snoopy
Footballguy
Did you ever hear the song It Never Rains in Southern California by Albert Hammond? It is about someone moving there and unable to find a job.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Sounds made up
Runkle
Footballguy
Yeah. I knew people, but had never been there and didn't have a job lined up. Just got in my car and drove across the country with a few thousand dollars to my name. Worked great. But this was 25 years ago, don't know if I'd recommend the same to anyone else nowadays. Depends on your age and prospects I guess.
urbanhack
Fight The Power!
Not quite that dramatic. But in 2016 I felt I just needed a change. Lived in the midwest all my life, my dad had just passed and I got wind from an old co-worker about a job in cannabis in PDX.
I flew out for a weekend in February 2016 to check it out. I liked it and it was a HUGE risk. Two weeks later, I flew my SO out so she could see the city and she approved (at the time).
Finally got a job offer a few months later. Took more than a 50% paycut with no benes and said F it...let's do it. Moved out here in May of that year. In less than four months turned my life upside down and while I have regrets about how this has probably hurt me financially in the long run I love it out here and haven't looked back.
nirad3
Footballguy
also - I had been to Austin a year or so prior before the then-gf and I went to check things out and secure an apartmentKind of. Back in 2006 I kinda-sorta "left" my stable job at a real estate development consulting firm in California to attempt doing similar work for myself in Texas. Fortunately said company still needed me around, they just couldn't offer me a regular salary w/ benefits. So I "consulted" for them remotely for over a year or so while I tried my hand at my own consulting gig.
Of course the timing couldn't have been worse as the real estate market took a giant dump and I was scratching the bottom of the barrel for absolutely anything in my wheelhouse.
I ended up trying to sell playground equipment and delivered chicken wings.
I guess it would depend on your industry and your ability to weather any kind of storm in terms of not being able to keep steady employment. If you're solo without family nearby to keep you around and think you could easily find a job in your industry (and keep it), then why not go for it?
Drunken knight
Footballguy
a little different. changed careers at 30 to attend culinary school in colorado. moved back to san francisco in 11, but did not know anyone in industry.
Hastur
Footballguy
I've told this story on here before, but it bears mentioning given the title of the thread.
In early-ish 2008, my wife and I decided to move out of the area we were in(New Jersey). We had a 3 and a 1 year old. We found a website(no longer up) that asked you 300 questions about preferred climate, education, crime, environment, etc. and spit out a top 20 list of cities it thinks you would be happy in. The city we settled on was 4th on my list, and 2nd on my wifes. We packed up the kids in the car and drove 9 hours to the new city suggested to us by the website and spent a week roaming around and getting a feel for the place. We also located a home to rent and put down a deposit.
No jobs. No family. No support system in place.
Went back up the 9 hours to Jersey, got a POD, packed up, and moved down within 2 weeks.
That was 17 years ago. We moved in July of 2008, and that November the economy tanked. Whew. Talk about 'character building' lol. We were selling furniture to pay rent and put food on the table.
In the end, I'm glad we did it. I wouldn't be the person sitting before you if I hadn't had to climb the mountain we forced ourselves to climb. We stepped outside of our comfort zone in an extreme way. It was hard. Very hard. I'm glad we did it though.
In early-ish 2008, my wife and I decided to move out of the area we were in(New Jersey). We had a 3 and a 1 year old. We found a website(no longer up) that asked you 300 questions about preferred climate, education, crime, environment, etc. and spit out a top 20 list of cities it thinks you would be happy in. The city we settled on was 4th on my list, and 2nd on my wifes. We packed up the kids in the car and drove 9 hours to the new city suggested to us by the website and spent a week roaming around and getting a feel for the place. We also located a home to rent and put down a deposit.
No jobs. No family. No support system in place.
Went back up the 9 hours to Jersey, got a POD, packed up, and moved down within 2 weeks.
That was 17 years ago. We moved in July of 2008, and that November the economy tanked. Whew. Talk about 'character building' lol. We were selling furniture to pay rent and put food on the table.
In the end, I'm glad we did it. I wouldn't be the person sitting before you if I hadn't had to climb the mountain we forced ourselves to climb. We stepped outside of our comfort zone in an extreme way. It was hard. Very hard. I'm glad we did it though.
FarFromHome
Footballguy
Uh. This is my jam buddy. We love big moves. Life's short.
First big move was to Hawaii from Oregon. We literally sold everything except 14 foot lockers of stuff that we flew with. It was literally cheaper to add them via airplane then ship them. Brutal. Arrived to a 2 week time share rental. No jobs. No place to live. 2 kids. 1 guinea pig. It was basically ready, set, go. In the end, although stressful in the beginning, it turned out great.
We then moved from Hawaii to Georgia. We learned. Shipped both vehicles and rented the u haul cubicle to pack stuff. Had 2 days to pack they cubicle as tight as we could. Waaaay better. No jobs upon move. The following day of arrival had apt with realtor and then had offer accepted next day. Stayed in hotel for 35 days while house closed. Been here now 4 years and we are currently scouting Myrtle Beach for the following summer.
Before all that we moved from Oregon to Alaska then back to Oregon.
Never had jobs beforehand in any of our moves. We have moved and bought homes in cities we had never even been to beforehand. When your on your death bed you never look back and think I should have taken less chances. Play hard
First big move was to Hawaii from Oregon. We literally sold everything except 14 foot lockers of stuff that we flew with. It was literally cheaper to add them via airplane then ship them. Brutal. Arrived to a 2 week time share rental. No jobs. No place to live. 2 kids. 1 guinea pig. It was basically ready, set, go. In the end, although stressful in the beginning, it turned out great.
We then moved from Hawaii to Georgia. We learned. Shipped both vehicles and rented the u haul cubicle to pack stuff. Had 2 days to pack they cubicle as tight as we could. Waaaay better. No jobs upon move. The following day of arrival had apt with realtor and then had offer accepted next day. Stayed in hotel for 35 days while house closed. Been here now 4 years and we are currently scouting Myrtle Beach for the following summer.
Before all that we moved from Oregon to Alaska then back to Oregon.
Never had jobs beforehand in any of our moves. We have moved and bought homes in cities we had never even been to beforehand. When your on your death bed you never look back and think I should have taken less chances. Play hard
UncleZen
Footballguy
In 92, I had just got out of the Air Force and was living in Montana. I was playing in a band and wanted to pursue music for a career so my bass player and I moved to Florida. I knew 1 person who lived here and allowed me to stay with him for about a week until I could find a place to stay. I walked to the plaza next to his place and took a job as a stock person in a grocery store. I have been here in Florida ever since and love it. The music thing didn't exactly work out but I did take my electronics training and eventually turned it into a pretty good career. I have no regrets.
STEADYMOBBIN 22
Footballguy
As someone who’s more than interested in settling in Hawaii, may I ask why you left?
FarFromHome
Footballguy
Not a day goes by where my wife doesn't question the decision to leave. The only reason we left is because I'm wanting to retire soon. It wouldnt have happened on Maui for 20 years. Here in the south it can happen in a couple years. Cost of living on Hawaii is as bad as you read about. From gas to milk. My HOAs on my townhouse were 700 a month and my mortgage was 3300. Here in the south we could mathmatically live entirely off that same 4000 a.month. Having said all that, living on Hawaii for that stretch was some of my best moments in life. Go get it buddy.
joker
Footballguy
I moved from MN to South Florida without a job or even an idea of where we (gal and I) wanted to live other than it being in South Florida. We passed West Palm Beach and the huge map book we were using for a guide back then indicated we were starting to get close to the end of the line for I-95, so a little further down the road we found an exit sign that sounded cool and pulled off on Hollywood Beach Blvd. We drove towards the beach and then south a little before ending up at a motel on the beach in Sunny Isles. Found an apartment a week later, then jobs a few weeks after that as a bartender and server at a pool hall. We spent the next eleven years living on the beach in Sunny Isles/NMB and then Hollywood Beach. Totally agree with FFH that you should take chances, especially when you're young - you can always move back home if necessary.
General Malaise
Footballguy
I will say, it does take some intestinal fortitude to make a drastic change, especially if you're moving from an area of the country where folks are open and friendly (Texas as an example) to a place where people are little more closed-off and not as outwardly friendly.
If you've got a wife and kids with you, maybe that helps with the acclimation. Going solo without any built in friends in place is pretty tough. I'm sure with technology and social media, meeting friends might be a little easier. Back before the internet, it was not easy - that was a tough thing for me at first, but over time, I made friends, relationships, work colleagues, and have felt like this is my home for 20+ years now.
But those first 2 years were pretty challenging. At least for me.....pre-internet, at least. But I'm glad I stayed with it; think I'm tougher for it. I think nothing of being out by myself as a result - in fact, I actually kind of like it.
If you've got a wife and kids with you, maybe that helps with the acclimation. Going solo without any built in friends in place is pretty tough. I'm sure with technology and social media, meeting friends might be a little easier. Back before the internet, it was not easy - that was a tough thing for me at first, but over time, I made friends, relationships, work colleagues, and have felt like this is my home for 20+ years now.
But those first 2 years were pretty challenging. At least for me.....pre-internet, at least. But I'm glad I stayed with it; think I'm tougher for it. I think nothing of being out by myself as a result - in fact, I actually kind of like it.
Ron Swanson
Footballguy
The Road Goes on Forever.
nirad3
Footballguy
One of my favorites... :thumbs-up:
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
Challenging with a spouse as well. Wife and I visited my in-laws in FL in Feb. It was 80 when we left. It was 0 at ORD when we landed. As I was scraping the windshield, all I could think about was how stupid it was that we still lived there.
That, along with some health challenges, prompted us to start thinking about alt locales. By June I was moving into an apartment in Phoenix. She joined a month later. I got a job consulting.
30 didn't seem young to pick up and move cross-country at the time. Lol. But we had a ton of friends and family we left in IL, and we knew 1 person here. You get there, but man it takes time. Once you have kids, that helps a LOT. Eventually. After you lose all the party friends you made when you first moved, you can leach off your kids to meet new people.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
Yes, but my wife had a job lined up. I quit mine and then looked for work.
Moved from Oakland, CA to Baltimore, MD in 2011.
Moved from Oakland, CA to Baltimore, MD in 2011.
Zow
Footballguy
This technically doesn't fit your question because I did have a job lined up, but in 2008 after graduation I took a job sight unseen in northwest Arizona simply because I had been to Las Vegas for Spring Break and loved the vibe and weather. In reality, I took the job because the economy had tanked and the job offers I had received in Minnesota were "frozen" and I needed to move to escape a bad breakup (the one well documented on here). So, when my application was accepted, I jumped at it just happy to know I was moving somewhere warm and where there'd be a paycheck waiting for me.
When I rolled in there was definitely a couple weeks of, "uh oh, what did I just do?" because the Arizona area wasn't nearly as nice as Vegas and I had never experienced heat like that before (it was over 120 degrees my first day there which I think broke a record) but there was really no turning back because any money I had went into my down payment for the apartment and furniture and I needed the paycheck as student loans were about to start.
Thankfully, online dating had become a thing so initial dating and being close to Vegas kept me occupied and I loved my job. But the best thing I found - which is why sports are great - is that I was willing to show up to fields and courts, ask to play, get noticed and within a year or so I was on a very good softball team, a basketball team, and a flag football team as well as finding a local fantasy football league (that I still play in). This got me "in" with a tight-knit local community which led to the perfect local girl for the type of relationship I needed at that point in my life (low maintenance, great physical attraction, and a mutual understanding that the relationship would not be long-term).
Definitely no regrets and an experience I look back on fondly. @eoMMan I think you and I played some poker around this time. I met a FBGs for poker in Vegas around then.
When I rolled in there was definitely a couple weeks of, "uh oh, what did I just do?" because the Arizona area wasn't nearly as nice as Vegas and I had never experienced heat like that before (it was over 120 degrees my first day there which I think broke a record) but there was really no turning back because any money I had went into my down payment for the apartment and furniture and I needed the paycheck as student loans were about to start.
Thankfully, online dating had become a thing so initial dating and being close to Vegas kept me occupied and I loved my job. But the best thing I found - which is why sports are great - is that I was willing to show up to fields and courts, ask to play, get noticed and within a year or so I was on a very good softball team, a basketball team, and a flag football team as well as finding a local fantasy football league (that I still play in). This got me "in" with a tight-knit local community which led to the perfect local girl for the type of relationship I needed at that point in my life (low maintenance, great physical attraction, and a mutual understanding that the relationship would not be long-term).
Definitely no regrets and an experience I look back on fondly. @eoMMan I think you and I played some poker around this time. I met a FBGs for poker in Vegas around then.
Zow
Footballguy
To address the issue being discussed about whether it is either to move with a significant other, my anecdotal experience is that it is tougher to make the move because you will be concerned about how your wife/girlfriend is doing. And women don't seem to make friends as easily as it is for us guys.
For guys, it really seems as simple as:
"Hey, I like to play golf and drink beer while doing it, do you? Yep! Did we just become best friends? Yep!"
My wife is a very kind, outgoing person but even she has struggled to make friends. We've made two significant moves (to two wholly different areas in AZ - both times for good job offers) and the first move, despite us living there for like 7 years, she made no real friends and the second move, which we have been at for 6 years now with no intentions of leaving, she's got one friend but will even acknowledge that that friend isn't great but they remain friends and still do stuff together because making friends for women is hard or some such.
For guys, it really seems as simple as:
"Hey, I like to play golf and drink beer while doing it, do you? Yep! Did we just become best friends? Yep!"
My wife is a very kind, outgoing person but even she has struggled to make friends. We've made two significant moves (to two wholly different areas in AZ - both times for good job offers) and the first move, despite us living there for like 7 years, she made no real friends and the second move, which we have been at for 6 years now with no intentions of leaving, she's got one friend but will even acknowledge that that friend isn't great but they remain friends and still do stuff together because making friends for women is hard or some such.
glvsav37
Footballguy
Not helping the original question, but since we're telling stories....In HS my parents moved from NY to Florida....as most NY'ers did back then (late 80's). The RE construction company we bought the house from, offered my father a job in management, ready to start once we moved down. So my father sold his 1/2 of the business he owned up here to his brother and moved mom and the 3 kids down south.
Literally a day after the moving trucks unloaded, the construction company told my father that things changed and they couldn't hire him now.
He ended up managing a Sherman Williams paint store for the year we lived there. However my uncle was running the old company into the ground, so we packed back up and moved back to NY.
Literally a day after the moving trucks unloaded, the construction company told my father that things changed and they couldn't hire him now.
He ended up managing a Sherman Williams paint store for the year we lived there. However my uncle was running the old company into the ground, so we packed back up and moved back to NY.
Chemical X
Footballguy
yup, moved from nyc suburbs to raleigh area. found work. greatest thing we ever did. even better than moving to eataly.
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