Pros and Cons for moving (college, want to move, suburb, cost)

[the city]

I will be done soon with my paralegal program at my junior college. I will have a BA in sociology and a parelegal certificate and a yr of experience once I'm finished. Once I finish I have the choice of staying at the office I'm at and getting the state certification for CA or take a plunge and move out of state or to another part of the state.

I am trying to decide what reasons are there for me to stay and what reasons to leave.

I just realized my life so far has been playing video games alone. I am thinking why the hell am I paying alot for the cost of living when most of my free time is playing video games? Now I don't like playing video games alone. It's really because I don't have alot of friends, so I made online friends. I do want to be outgoing and do things out of the house. I do go to the gym and that's about it. But I don't go to the beach or surf. When I had more friends, I used to hike alot. So I took advantage of that and went to the zoo once in a while. Of course, if I left, I could find another place with a zoo. I like our downtowns here.

What I have liked about CA: zoos, hiking, health food markets (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Farmers Market, public markets), going to the gym, and going to coffee shops in a downtown.

What I haven't liked about CA: the citys, too much suburban shopping, too much traffic, too much crime, lack of outdoor activities

Disneyland and watching big city baseball games would be the only draw for me to want to visit a big city, but not enough reasons to want to live there at all.

I have one friend who left CA for Portland and one who left for Reno. The one who left for Portland is married and the one who left for Reno is single.

I'd probably consider NV over OR because I value warmth and sunshine.

Anyways, one thing I haven't thought about is how much paralegals make out in other states or other parts of CA. I know what I'd get paid here, but not sure about what else is out there. I mostly haven't looked too hard out there because I don't know if I want to move out to who knows where.

Anyways sorry for long-ish rant.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by the city

I am trying to decide what reasons are there for me to stay and what reasons to leave.

MONEY.

If you can earn enough to make and maintain a life while remaining in SLO County...
then you tough out that awful existence.

The other 99% in this situation will move where they CAN earn enough.
btw, do you KNOW what that "make and maintain a life" number needs to be?

[the city]

Originally Posted by MrRational

MONEY.

If you can earn enough to make and maintain a life while remaining in SLO County...
then you tough out that awful existence.

The other 99% in this situation will move where they CAN earn enough.
btw, do you KNOW what that "make and maintain a life" number needs to be?

Yes for my lifestyle I do. I don't question that the pay where I'm at. I'm probably at the upper end for what most paralegals starting off make because I networked and got in with a good law firm in the area.

The problem is I DON'T FEEL like a have a life. I can remember what it was to have a life in SLO county and I loved it and I never wanted to leave. I would hike, I would play computer games at night with friends, I would go out bowling and to the movies, to the beach, and farmers market. I don't know if I can ever get that back. Now I'm like will moving make me happy? What makes me happy? Video games is about the only thing right now. That is a short term solution. I bought a handheld video game system and it made me happy but then I realized oh gosh this is a short term remedy to a long term problem.

I want a girlfriend and more friends. I thought of maybe trying to find like a pickle ball grp but then like I think it's going to be mostly people in their 30s + I tried a board game grp before and I should have figured they weren't very social.

I feel like my only hope is to maybe look for a club while I'm still in my paralegal program, but I'm pretty pessimistic about that.

It really frustrates me on these boards because some people think it's SOOOOOO easy to create a social life, but if you don't have the tools to do so it's SOOOOO NOT easy.