Is the move to Colorado feasible?

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by Streetdoctor

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

Amen to that.

If every person who ever made a risky move hoping to find a better place had waited until the proverbial $100K+ job was lined up (or its equivalent), we'd all be living within 5 miles of the Atlantic ocean (or back in Europe or wherever) and "natives" would really be Natives. It takes guts, smarts, and perseverance to make it anywhere, and any one (or two) alone is not enough.

I moved to Colorado age 26, alone, no job, brutal economy (its always brutal, even when "good"), zero connections, determined to put down roots in a place I actually wanted to be rather than a place I despised. Was it easy? Ahem ... no. 15 years later, do I thank God several times daily that I'm here instead of there, with all the family/quality of life implications? Yes, yes, and yes.

[kellylynn111]

Hi! I wish you luck in your decision! Before you move though and give up all that stuff, be sure you have checked out other places as well that have even better "amenities" for us outdoors folk. I've never lived in Chicago, but I hate cities and know I wouldn't like it there! Having said that, I moved here 10 years ago from the east coast and only STAY here because my husband can't find work elsewhere. Yes, the mountains are gorgeous and I am a beyond active person. However, getting there absolutely sucks and it is not in your back yard like you think it will be. Be prepared for 5 hours sitting in a parking lot on I-70 to get up there on weekends in both winter and summer. I am simply waiting for the day when I can truly live in an outdoor-oriented community, somewhere in UT or WY. Sorry to be negative - the situation here just is disappointing!

[Where2live2011]

Your wife should look into being a "traveling nurse". They make more and have housing expenses paid for most of the time. It will give you some time to get settled and get a job. Check into it!

[NinettePKohler]

Have you ever thought about Eugene Oregon? It sounds like you would fit here "perfectly".

[RedSoxFanGoingWest]

Originally Posted by Streetdoctor

I'm going to start taking some online classes here, I can't finish the degree though due to my work schedule so I'm going to take what I can. I'm flying out in June to take a consortium test for a few departments, fingers crossed I do well. If I get a job we're out of here. My fiance is also planning on attending CRNA school in the next few years which will put her salary alone well into the six figures (locally at least). If I can't get a job we might be waiting for her to complete that program and we should be able to move much more comfortably. Our new plan is to form a list of at least 5 places we think we'd like to live and spend at least a week over the next year at each of them.

You guys are making 140k sound like a lot but you aren't taking into account the student loans that almost equal our combined annual income Does anyone know how in demand CRNA's are in colorado?

Thanks for all the advice so far. A lot of you are definitely nay-sayers... trust me the economy is just as bad if not worse in Illinois. Probably one of the worst in the country. Nothing is ever easy in life. If we got ourselves into this position here in the first place it certainly wasn't all by luck and doesn't mean it can't be repeated elsewhere. I'm often reminded of Teddy Roosevelt's speech:

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

I can't offer much more than what others have mentioned here. I can tell you that my situation was much like yours when I left Boston years ago - I was 27, with a stable, well-paying job, minimal rent, all of my friends and family still in the area. The problem was that I wasn't happy. I was entrenched in a rut that was getting deeper and deeper and I needed out. I left for Baltimore to a lower paying job, much higher rent, minimal friends. The first few years were tough, I scraped to get by. But I stuck it out even with the naysayers from home assuming I'd be back sooner than later.

Now, almost 10 years later, I realized my dream of living out West (been here almost 4 years), I'm in a job that I really enjoy (and I make 3x as much as I made then with a lower cost of living), live on a 35 acre ranch about to realize my dream of rescuing horses and I am truly happy. Something I am confident that I couldn't say if I played it safe in Boston.

It sounds like you and your girlfriend have good heads on your shoulders and you've thought it through. I wish you the best of luck.

A couple of quotes for you:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

"Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion." Jack Kerouac

[bovinedivine]

Well said, Idunn! Lots of great practical, analytical info on this thread, but I was wondering when someone was going to chime in on behalf of the heart and spirit.

Sometimes a house or city feels as though it is "kicking you out," and you know you simply cannot remain where you are. Economic considerations matter, of course, but they need to be balanced with a wide spectrum of other considerations.

At some junctures in life, one needs to take the leap even it it doesn't make perfect sense on paper. Plenty of people living in Colorado have done that, dealt with the consequences, and never looked back.

I'm one of them.

[my3boysTSZ]

You may want to wait until your wife finishes CRNA school because currently there is only a "remote" program in Denver which is part of a university in Texas for which I believe she will have to go to at some point for some kind of orientation. I think she may even be required to find her own clinical sites, I'm not too sure... I too want to move to colorado but for that reason we have to wait. Have her go to the AANA website to find all the states that have CRNA programs. AANA - Home And also she can go to GasWork.com - The Largest and Most Comprehensive Anesthesia Employment Resource Since 1996 to look at current job openings for CRNAs by state. Of course it doesn't show all jobs but it can give somewhat of an idea. I personally haven't seen too many in colorado especially for new grads. Something to think about. Best of luck!