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I graduated college over a year ago now and haven't been going anywhere fast. I tried living in my college town for several months and applying for jobs there and no luck. I then moved back in with my parents and held numerous part-time jobs while shooting out job applications. In the meantime, I've had a few interviews, but nothing very promising and I am dying to get out of my parents' house. I've lived on my own before and even in a different country - so I'm not worried about not being able to take on that for the challenge. I just want some suggestions as to some places that I can up and relocate to - mostly larger cities. My field is quite broad, so any city is going to have SOMETHING for me to do. I'm not picky about weather, but it'd be nice if it had a good public/safe public transportation system. Some that I've considered are Chicago and Boston. I would LOVE to move to California, but that might be later down the road when I can afford the high cost of living and have more experience in such a poor job market. I also want to know what to do to prepare for it, and if it's just a stupid idea altogether. I could just keep living with my parents and hope that a job is going to fall in my lap, but I really don't see that happenning.
I have about $5,000 saved up - is that enough to relocate on?
Where should I go?
Any other basic suggestions about taking this leap? Is it a stupid idea to begin with? I don't want to end up draining my bank account...
As a college student who is about to graduate myself, my heart goes out to you a lot. Not sure if you will find this list helpful or not, but you seem to be looking for similar things as me in a city, so here is a list of the places I have been researching.
Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Seattle
Spokane, Washington
Portland, Oregon
Omaha
Austin
Madison
Denver
Bismarck
Anchorage
p.s. Can you tell by most of my choices that I am dying to get away from hot/humid climates? I'm roasting down here. But then again, you may like such a climate. To each their own.
I don't think it's a stupid idea. No one wants to feel trapped economically. Your young, and moving around to find out what and where you really like is very important. If staying in the city you are at now is making you feel trapped and restless...I think moving could be just the thing you need...with a job lined up before the move of course...
As a college student who is about to graduate myself, my heart goes out to you a lot. Not sure if you will find this list helpful or not, but you seem to be looking for similar things as me in a city, so here is a list of the places I have been researching.
Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Seattle
Spokane, Washington
Portland, Oregon
Omaha
Austin
Madison
Denver
Bismarck
Anchorage
p.s. Can you tell by most of my choices that I am dying to get away from hot/humid climates? I'm roasting down here. But then again, you may like such a climate. To each their own.
I don't think it's a stupid idea. No one wants to feel trapped economically. Your young, and moving around to find out what and where you really like is very important. If staying in the city you are at now is making you feel trapped and restless...I think moving could be just the thing you need...with a job lined up before the move of course...
Just my two cents, but if you are going to pick a cooler climate like those you listed, the larger ones will have much more to do. I would count Anchorage, Bismarck, and Spokane off the list for sure. They are overall pretty dull. The midsized ones may not be much better.The larger ones are good options: Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis, Portland and Austin. Austin does get pretty hot in the summer though!
Overall, Boston is just as expensive if not moreso than parts of CA (San Fran being an exception). Chicago often gets lauded as the most reasonably priced of the major urban cities. Seattle may be a good thought. But, that being said, the good thing about being young and moving to a city without a job is that people just out of college are fine with living with roommates, living in less fancy apartment, aren't trying to support a family, and can work in a restaurant, coffee shop, retail to make ends meet short term (even places like Boston and San Fran).
$5,000 is a decent amount of money to move on, but it can go fast if it takes you 6 months to get work. I wouldn't move blind. Even if you don't have a job, I would try to find some leads first (even if it's just temp positions or a job in a restaurant).
As a college student who is about to graduate myself, my heart goes out to you a lot. Not sure if you will find this list helpful or not, but you seem to be looking for similar things as me in a city, so here is a list of the places I have been researching.
Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Seattle
Spokane, Washington
Portland, Oregon
Omaha
Austin
Madison
Denver
Bismarck
Anchorage
p.s. Can you tell by most of my choices that I am dying to get away from hot/humid climates? I'm roasting down here. But then again, you may like such a climate. To each their own.
I don't think it's a stupid idea. No one wants to feel trapped economically. Your young, and moving around to find out what and where you really like is very important. If staying in the city you are at now is making you feel trapped and restless...I think moving could be just the thing you need...with a job lined up before the move of course...
Omaha is very humid and gets hot in the summers. It's also very windy, so the word "windchill" would be a daily part of your vocabulary in the winter, and it's not good!
I was in your exact same position three years ago. I was a college grad. living at home with the parents, working part-time, and dying to get out and live on my own.
I moved to Pittsburgh with $2500. I would say $5000 is a good amount, but it depends on which city you intend to move to. Cost of living varies dramatically depending on where you decide to move. Boston, New York City, Chicago, California, etc. would be very expensive in terms of rent and I would not recommend those places for your first adventure away from home.
This is what you should do. Get on Craigslist and research which cities have the lowest rents for a studio apartment. The lower your rent, the longer you will be able to stay there and look for employment.
Off the top of my head, one of the most affordable cities is Lincoln, Nebraska. You can rent a studio with utilities included for under $300 a month.
I managed to find a studio in Pittsburgh for $325 all included. Another thing that is important is a short-term lease, in case you can't afford to stay a full year!
I would check out some of the rust belt cities -- Cleveland, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, etc. These cities have low rent rates and unemployment rates are lower than the national average.
The OP just said "good and safe," not necessarily large and extensive or rail-based.
Those cities do not have a good rail system though.
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