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Well, I am not really in a position to just "try out" places and hop around every 1-2 years. I'm a professional person in the accounting profession, and employers don't want to see someone who hops around from place to place like that too much. So I need to retain a certain level of stability in my life.
If I were to pursue employment and apply for jobs in a new metro area that I've never been to, I would think employers would be hesitant to take me seriously as a candidate, right? I tried it before and they asked me questions like, "have you ever been here before?" and "do you have family in the area?" and "are you familiar with the area?" They give preference to people who are familiar with the area or have family around. You know? So I think a lot of people on this forum are being a bit too carefree/unrealistic.
So, I'm wondering why you asked. Do you have a problem with "carefree". Is accounting that hard to find a position in? If that is the case and you have a job, I would stay put. We have been moving around for 30 years, 20 of them with a federal contractor that my husband kept asking for transfers and the rest, just moving because the place didn't suit us. What about trying to work with the federal government or a contractor for the federal government? It is nearly impossible to get a decent position a great distance from where you are living because it is much less of a hassle to hire a local, someone with ties. SO many people move to a new place only to return shortly to "home" and employers know this. They like "strings". And, if an employer can't hire someone decent locally for a rather common position, they have been burning their bridges and there are many employers that fit that description.
All of my life, someone chose where I lived. As a kid, I always lived where my parents chose and as an adult, it was Uncle Sam. When I first realized that I was getting out of the military, people asked me where I was going to go. That question floored me because I had never thought about it before. After thinking for about 20 seconds I said, "Vermont." They asked "Do you have a job there?" I said, "No." Then they asked, "Do you have friends/relatives there?" I said, "No." They looked at me perplexed and asked me, "So, why are you moving there?" I gave them the most bizarre answer they have ever heard, "Because I WANT to."
I had not been to Vermont in my adult life. We used to go as a kid and I remembered that I loved it. I must admit that I did have a false start at first. The area I first moved to just wasn't quite right for me. But then I moved to another area of the state and now I am HOME!!! It was the best decision I have ever made in my life. Now, I can't imagine living any place else.
NYC isn't cheap but there are a few (temporary) alternatives to renting an apartment until you find employment-- when I moved to NYC in the late '90s, I stayed in dorm-like housing until I found both a job and an apartment, in the housing I had my own room and there were shared bathrooms in the hall-- it even included meals (if memory serves it was run by the Salvation Army- which makes it sound far sadder than it was, LOL, but it was great as a 23 year old--- it was much like an extended stay hotel). There are also youth hostels and similar dorm-like housing (most are restricted to men-only or women-only) throughout the city.
A lot of the dorm style housing and hostels have closed since the late 90s, and most of the ones that are still around have turned into "luxury" hostels where the prices are $100-$150 per night. That said, NYC is still the easiest place in the USA to find a temporary living situation. People are always moving in and out, wanting to go to Europe or the Hamptons for the summer or a semester, needing a roommate for a few months, etc. In most other US cities it's pretty hard to find inexpensive accommodations for less than a year.
I was just south of Westminster, I think. I went to Chiptole (it was on the corner of an intersection, near a Planet Fitness. I was like wow....the people here are very alternative/goth looking. I also went to Whole Foods and saw many people that just had a very earthy crunchy dress style that I totally didn't see myself fitting into. I tend to appear more conservative/preppy in dress style, being from southern New England and prefer that. It seems like a lot of people wore flannel shirts too, which I don't like.
However, I did find the people to be quite friendly and they would smile and say hi even though they were strangers. That is not common in New England, but it was nice to see.
I also thought the overall Denver area appeared brownish and dry. Granted, it was December when I visited, but still. It had a very isolated, brown feeling, with a surprising amount of uninspired tract homes everywhere.
I'm sure it's a much nicer place in the summer though.
Also, one observation I had is that the white men in this country, outside of the northeast, are TALL. As a short 5'6 Italian guy, I felt totally different everywhere I traveled, Florida being an exception.
I understand what you're saying. I'm a big fan of a blog called The Daily Prep. For me it's like a peek into a totally different culture (preppy New England) in our own country. I've often wondered how these folks would feel being transported into Denver's culture. Now I know! Good luck in your search.
Depends on your sense of adventure, and your financial ability to pick up and move if things don't work out.
Personally, I'd never do it, but I need to research things to death to be comfortable with my decisions. We thought we'd like Portland, Oregon, and decided to take a visit before we set any plans in motion. We got there and hated it. But then we took a side trip up to Seattle and fell in love at first sight. That's where we ended up researching, with much help from City-Data, and we made the move about two years later. That was four years ago, and we're still happy Seattle-area residents.
I know, but just because I have the ability to move and am unencumbered doesn't necessarily mean that a move would be good for me. I keep finding serious problems about every place other than Hartford County, CT.
But like I said, the biggest impediment is convincing an employer to take me seriously. I do NOT want to move somewhere with no job. I attempted that last year and lost $14,000 in the process due to being unemployed for 7 months. Never again.
According to the location marked on your post, you're currently IN Connecticut. If it's not problematic for you (as you indicate above), why are you wanting to move? It took awhile to get settled, but you now have a job. Finding out what is wrong with where you are now is the key to finding out where you need to go, it seems to me. And if where you are now is OK with you, why would you not put down roots? If you hated winter weather, surely you wouldn't have looked at Denver in the first place. And if you think Denver is overloaded with people who are too "hippie/liberal," then you better not consider any metropolitan areas of the far west. (I didn't know people still used the word hippie, except ironically.)
I don't think your problem is job-related as much as it is the inability (or perhaps just unwillingness) to reveal what it is you're looking for that's not in Connecticut.
A lot of the dorm style housing and hostels have closed since the late 90s, and most of the ones that are still around have turned into "luxury" hostels where the prices are $100-$150 per night. That said, NYC is still the easiest place in the USA to find a temporary living situation. People are always moving in and out, wanting to go to Europe or the Hamptons for the summer or a semester, needing a roommate for a few months, etc. In most other US cities it's pretty hard to find inexpensive accommodations for less than a year.
According to the location marked on your post, you're currently IN Connecticut. If it's not problematic for you (as you indicate above), why are you wanting to move? It took awhile to get settled, but you now have a job. Finding out what is wrong with where you are now is the key to finding out where you need to go, it seems to me. And if where you are now is OK with you, why would you not put down roots? If you hated winter weather, surely you wouldn't have looked at Denver in the first place. And if you think Denver is overloaded with people who are too "hippie/liberal," then you better not consider any metropolitan areas of the far west. (I didn't know people still used the word hippie, except ironically.)
I don't think your problem is job-related as much as it is the inability (or perhaps just unwillingness) to reveal what it is you're looking for that's not in Connecticut.
Yes, currently I am in CT. I'm in the Fairfield County area, which is a significantly different lifestyle than living in the Hartford area. Even though it's only 70 miles away, it's a big difference, because of the NYC influence, which I can't stand. I can't stand areas that are crowded, fast paced, expensive and full of rude people. I don't mind the climate so much, though I wish winters were a little shorter. But I've GOT to get out of here hopefully this summer. I started my job here last June, after being unemployed for 7 months and had to relocate to this area down from the Hartford area and I hate it here. I would much rather be back in greater Hartford than here. However, at the same time, I am not excited about the idea of going back there, because I've lived there almost my entire life and at the age of 29 I'm just "over" it.
Currently, I have been researching Houston, TX. I never visited it, however, but I drove though it along I-10, which obviously isn't good enough to evaluate whether I'd like it or not. But I know that the cost of living is excellent there, and there are lots of jobs, a large gay population and it's car based and has lots of trees, which I like.
Do you think it's a good idea to pursue employment and plan to relocate somewhere that sounds good on paper, but you've never visited even once?
A couple years ago, I did tons of research and concluded that I wanted to move to Denver. However, when I visited Denver afterward, the general area did not appeal to me at all. I was a bit shocked at how hippie/liberal it was, and my research didn't quite paint an accurate picture enough as to how the place was in real life. I mean, I KNEW that it was a liberal environment, but just the way people carried themselves, their appearances/styles, flannel shirts, guys with long hair, goth girls, snow hats, etc. just weren't quite captured in my research. I just couldn't see myself fitting in there culturally. I spent hours looking at various spots in the area on Google Maps street view, but in real life it just appeared and felt different than I had imagined. So I decided not to move there.
But now my research is telling me that a few places in the country might be good for me, but I've never been to them. So I don't know what to do.
What would be your best advice on this matter?
When you head out there to interview for your job, spend a few extra days checking the area out. After all, you'll want to know if you want to live there, and if so, what areas are of interest to you.
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Do you have a problem with "carefree". Is accounting that hard to find a position in? If that is the case and you have a job, I would stay put. We have been moving around for 30 years, 20 of them with a federal contractor that my husband kept asking for transfers and the rest, just moving because the place didn't suit us. What about trying to work with the federal government or a contractor for the federal government? It is nearly impossible to get a decent position a great distance from where you are living because it is much less of a hassle to hire a local, someone with ties. SO many people move to a new place only to return shortly to "home" and employers know this. They like "strings". And, if an employer can't hire someone decent locally for a rather common position, they have been burning their bridges and there are many employers that fit that description.
