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Currently trying to make my dream happen of relocating to Phoenix, Arizona from Charlotte, NC. . . . I've paid off all of my credit card debt which was at $13,000. I've managed to sock away almost $8,000 in savings.
You're just waiting for the house to sell, right? If you make anything on the house, you should be in decent shape. Do you know anything about the AZ job market in your field? Is there any possibility of transferring within your bank - even to a lower position?
Hmm, well, okay, if this is what you want, make it happen. I believe people can move, and make dreams happen on a dime, it just takes a mind set. Go ahead and make it happen.
1. Get rid of your stuff. Take only what fits in the car. If you can, store some things at your parents home.
2. Look at CL, for people renting out rooms, should be plenty.
3. Find a place, move, immediately find a crap job working midnight shift at gas station or something for cash. Meanwhile, look for jobs every day, hit the ground running, temp agencies, anything to find a real job. Remember, you can re-qualify for unemployment even if denied initally, save those check stubs for re-qualifying wages.
Sure, almost everyone will disagree with my plan...but the choices are stay stuck in a place you hate, waiting for life to start, or create your own path.
By all means work towards your goal. But get your job first. Your nice job with benefits allows you to live fairly well, no? I think you need to investigate the job market and salary schedules for your line of work to make sure you can be paid commensurately in Phoenix. Also, the cost of living. Since you are on your own, you have some amount of personal power, but also some vulnerabilities. Research, and visit. Save, save, save. Your $8,000 in savings needs to be triple or quadruple, especially if you go there without a job offer.
In order to make your dream reality, you will have to do the up front work. If you don't, you might be OK in the end, or you might not.
As much as you long to live in AZ, it is far better to have a secure job in NC than to be doing temp work in the place you have longed to relocate to. Perhaps, set a 12 month goal. X amount in savings, job offer, decisions about how to move, etc all met as goals. You should have the knowledge to set up a spreadsheet or some other plan, rather like a business plan. You meet objectives as you move toward your goal of relocation. Doing this would be empowering. Good luck to you!
Definitely not moving unless a job is lined up. I work for one of the major banks and could probably transfer.(fingers-crossed). But Im also open to opportunities outside the bank, especially if the opportunity is providing more $$$.
This all sounds sort of rash. You will definitely not find a similar job out west as a secretary and be able to own a home etc. So the move will lower your standard of living. Executive assistants are a dime a dozen and as a non-specialized kind of homogeneous profession, there is ALOT of competition and unemployed people from other fields can pick up these jobs. Long story short, I wouldn't leave the current gig.
Have you considered exploring some travel options in your spare time? New hobbies? Exercise?
All of these things can revitalize your life.
Resurrecting this thread because this quote that I posted above is exactly the kinda of "ridicule" that I get when I tell people my plan about relocating. Geesh people not expecting the grass to be greener,,but a little encouragement from others can make people go along...
I say go for it.
Seriously, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
You only live once.
Most people who discourage you are simply envious and WISH they had the courage to make a change in their lives.
What have you got to lose?
Don't let anyone else tell you what is right for YOU!
Good luck, you'll do fine
Definitely not moving unless a job is lined up. I work for one of the major banks and could probably transfer.(fingers-crossed). But Im also open to opportunities outside the bank, especially if the opportunity is providing more $$$.
Just my two cents here but I think a transfer with your current employer is your best bet. The job market is still pretty tight and many people that I know stayed with their current employer and simply changed locations. This could be your best solution. You're fortunate to work for an employer who has offices in other cities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by westcoastbabe
Resurrecting this thread because this quote that I posted above is exactly the kinda of "ridicule" that I get when I tell people my plan about relocating. Geesh people not expecting the grass to be greener,,but a little encouragement from others can make people go along...
Ah, yes. The naysayers. Don't you love them? They are out there ... everywhere ... and are more than happy to throw water on your fire. Best advice here is don't tell anyone. Just do it! Look into transfers and make your plans. Forget about getting encouragement from others because you won't. I tend to think that people who make discouraging comments about something you're jazzed about are just miserable and wish they could do what you're doing. Don't wait around for the "perfect" anything in life or, someday, you'll find yourself sitting in your wheelchair in a nursing home, wishing you had followed your dreams.
Resurrecting this thread because this quote that I posted above is exactly the kinda of "ridicule" that I get when I tell people my plan about relocating. Geesh people not expecting the grass to be greener,,but a little encouragement from others can make people go along...
Absolutely go where YOU will be happy. Everything else will fall into place. Try to get that transfer first though. If not, there are banks everywhere. If you paid off large credit card debt as you describe and saved at the same time, you have what it takes. Best of luck !
Good luck and go for it!!! I am also single and 40 and moving across the country. I am mid-road trip right now, and everything is going off without a hitch so far. Got rid of everything and packed it into my tiny Toyota, and off I went. And yes, everyone told me I was crazy. I suspect they are bitter and envious. A lot of people also told me I am very brave. But it's really no big deal. I mean, it is. But you'll get through it and be fine. People get too stuck in their comfort zones.
But...as a west coast native I have to ask: why Arizona? Ever been? It's ugly dry desert, with not much going on for a single, as far as I know. Not to rain on your parade, but make sure you like it before you move! I say this too because I am currently taking a detour through the Carolinas, and it is drop dead gorgeous here! But to each his/her own.
I was once stuck in a "one horse town" with two options, get married, or work at the motel as a maid. I left with $1000 and a car. I picked another track.
Never be afraid to take chances. You know what you are leaving, and you can always go back there.
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