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Alaska. I know a guy who made a million dollars in two years working as a lineman at the top of utility pole in a windchill of -80F. There are towns in Alaska you have to fly to, they have medical facilities, they pay plenty to get people to come there.
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And you'll also pay through the nose to live in those sorts of places; utilities, rent, forking out a lot in freight to mail order basics, and pay more for everyday products. The reality is, most of what people buy and use on a daily basis all has to be shipped up to AK from producers in the south 48. Not exactly a good place to live if you want to pay off a lot of debt. You won't be saving much once everything gets paid every month. If you are lucky they may pay some sort of incentive to move there but it won't cover all of your moving expenses. Living in those remote towns is tough...there are reasons they have to pay people incentives to move there and it isn't just the COL.
Question though, would moving into a room or hotel be a good short term option? And what's the quickest way to get into a job after/before I move? I don't want to be out of work for more than a month really. Being in healthcare I figure I may have an advantage.
I moved a couple of times in my life somewhere before I had a job. I stayed in Extended Stay Hotels. If you stay for a month, you don't have to pay the luxury taxes, so the cost comes way down. It's easier to get a job when you're already staying where you want to work. It also gives you flexibility to find the job first, then look for an apartment, in case the job ends up in a nearby town, etc.
You'll be fine. You have skills. If your loans are government loans, you can get them deferred depending on your income. So, if you move without a job lined up, get them deferred while you don't have income.
I think paying off your loans will make you feel good. It's obviously a goal you want to accomplish and they're hanging over your head, so you should do what is best for you.
I'll address one point that no one else has mentioned - Until you get a drivers license stay in NYC! In most of the country not having a car severely limits your options. Also is your LPN license transferable to other states?
Wait! You're doing 3 12 hour shifts? Why not five?
36 hour weeks, 3/12's are the common shift for nurses, country wide. My son is an RN, and believe me, they work their @sses off in that 36 hours. Then, they can/frequently get "mandated" to cover even more hours, when other nurses call in sick or whatever.
As for me, I couldn't be in that sort of job, emotionally. I'd be in a corner crying uncontrollably within a couple days, and I'm a 60 year old man. It takes a lot of guts to be in healthcare, ESPECIALLY as an LPN, as they are unfortunately pretty much considered only one step up from a CNA, and both those get all the worse jobs that the RN's are able to dodge.
It takes special people that think they'll really love the job, are emotionally strong, and have a lot of empathy for others to handle those jobs.
My hat is off to them, as it can be thankless at least towards dealing with their highly-stressed co-workers for sure.
I like the extended stay option. I was actually looking at a few in Seattle. I can transfer my LPN license anywhere in the 50 states. Fees altogether are around..I think no more than $200? I know the endorsement alone is $85. And then there's finger prints you have to get. And transferring your license takes anywhere from 1-3 months (the bigger the area you are transferring to the longer, usually) Right now as a new grad, for certain states in the northeast (PA) I don't have enough experience to transfer. I definitely will be getting my license this year. I jave enough money to take classes. But I gotta find a plave first. Since I started my current job in October and started renting my place in October I will see about sticking it out until October. I may visit at the end of September to get some of the last bits of the Seattle summer.
In homecare I don't get mandated to do extra shifts. And it's very easy for me to call off. There was one time where the agency had to pay me an extra $200 to stay on a highly undesirable case so that sort of thing tends to happen instead. If I was in a nursing home or in one of the hospitals where they do still hire LPNs (there are several in nyc) I would definitely be at risk for mandated overtime. This is the major reason why I don't desire to work outside of homecare. And home care options are limited for LPNs in nyc unless you want to work at a bad agency. Just one of the reasons why I am moving for expanded opportunities. And potentially a place where I may get my RN (but not until I get rid of the debt) I want my time to be my own and working extra when you're exhausted puts your license at risk.
I can't move in with parents. My mom is severely mentall ill. Plus, she steals money and credit car info when people aren't atound.
Cheap places are cheap because they are not popular places to live. One of the reasons they're not popular is wages are low. The best way to find good wages in a cheap place is generally with government.
Or with healthcare (which just happens to be the OP's field). Sometimes the wages in the healthcare field are VERY good in cheap places because they need to be in order to attract healthcare workers to the otherwise less-than-desirable area. That's an avenue the OP might consider exploring. Living someplace like Fargo for a few years before moving to a more desirable area might go a long way to boosting her savings and paying down her debt.
I'll address one point that no one else has mentioned - Until you get a drivers license stay in NYC! In most of the country not having a car severely limits your options. Also is your LPN license transferable to other states?
No DL ever? IMHO getting a license is a lot more critical than paying off a student loan!
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