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I was thinking Knoxville is good for the outdoors enthusiast and has a pro hockey team but if you want to play hockey outdoors --- not gonna happen. There are some manmade beaches on the nearby lakes.
There are some good community colleges & a trade school if you want to go back for more eduation. You will probably need a car at this point - plus you will like having a car for outdoor activites. There are parks and greenways close to town but the mountains / cumberland plateau are the best.
There are affordable alternatives closer to an actual beach, but you will need a car for day trips.
I appreciate everyone's insight so far. My next question is how should I go about finding work? I intend to apply for jobs and such before I leave for wherever I decide, but is it common for people to start off somewhere fresh and not have anything lined up?
Your lack of a basic college degree or any relevant job experience is going to be a big handicap when looking for a job as most candidates you will be competing with for a job will have the required educational criteria .
If i were in your shoes i'd take some of that $10K and go to a quality truck driving school and get that big rig license,it'll guarantee you'll always have a job or at least a job skill to fall back on....
Just the first link in a Google search for "truck Driving jobs in NJ" comes up with 2800+ jobs http://www.indeed.com/q-Truck-Driver...rsey-jobs.html
I would suggest Michigan, partly because I'm biased. But in all seriousness, here's why I think it might be a good fit:
1. Michigan has a strong hockey culture and plenty of outdoor activities.
2. Great Lakes beaches are almost like the ones at the ocean, and Michigan has miles of those.
3. There is definitely a hard working mentality here due to the manufacturing culture that predominates in Michigan. Education is beneficial, but not a requirement - many people (especially the old guard) seem to value working your way up from the bottom. Unemployment was very high here a few years ago, but has improved a lot. Plus, there are several good community colleges around if/when you'd like to start doing that.
4. You might have heard scary things about Michigan or certain cities in the state. You won't be living there anyway, and crime is not rampant everywhere, so don't worry about it.
5. It probably won't be a big culture shock from New Jersey (unless you go to a rural area or something.)
6. Cost of living is low to moderate.
7. You'll need a car, but you'll need one in most places.
Ohio and/or Pennsylvania might also be good options with slightly lower unemployment but also less hockey culture and beaches.
I appreciate the idea of truck driving and I am researching that now. Is there anything else that has a quick certification process similar to truck driving that is applicable in most markets?
Well I like work involving the outdoors, I don't mind working with people but can work just as well by myself. When I was younger I worked at a restaurant and liked that, also I worked warehouse for FEDEX and delivered for them and really enjoyed that. I have an associate in the Daytona Area that I use to work with at a meat warehouse that apparently started a moving company done there while I was away in the service. I do also have a second cousin down in Florida. Other than that I would have to ask my parents.
As for classes I would eventually like to go back to school, I do have 30 credits already and at this point and time I don't have a car but am able to get one if I need be. I would rather not sink money into a car in the beginning. Hope this helps!
Thanks a lot for everyone's help so far!
In Jacksonville, FedEx is opening a new distribution center which has been speculated to be in the $60 million range. We're not too far from Daytona. But you'll need a car in this region for sure.
In general, considering the type of work you're hoping for and the fact that you wouldn't know a soul, I would imagine it would be hard to get by in most places without a car. You're best off looking in the 15 or so cities with good mass transit or a smaller town with large walkable areas. Do you have any options for tuition assistance given your military background? Oh, and are you wanting to go far away from home?
I feel like Philly has a lot of hard-working blue-collar types and offers good mass transit with a slightly lower cost of living than the other big northeastern cities. Perhaps Chicago might also offer you something exciting, while not being prohibitively expensive. Texas and Florida are nice and low cost but lack the same level of convenience if you choose to go carfree. In my experience, college towns will also give you a good balance of affordability, things to do/young people, and ability to live without a car.
I still feel like this is such a blank canvas to work with, but hopefully it's a start. Job hunting might be very tough from a distance. You may need to work with connections or just take a leap and move first. Good luck!
You could try Minnesota as hockey is huge here and there are a lot of beaches (not quite like the ocean though). There is the best of both worlds; St. Paul is a more laid back, manual labor, down to earth type of city, while Minneapolis is the fast paced, degree oriented, with a lot of transplants type of city. I prefer the St. Paul lifestyle, but I have no doubts that you would be very comfortable here no matter which lifestyle you prefer.
What about getting a job with a national chain so you could transfer after you have some experience under your belt? Of course you don't want to tell the manager that when you interview.
I appreciate the idea of truck driving and I am researching that now. Is there anything else that has a quick certification process similar to truck driving that is applicable in most markets?
I had a couple of buddies go through a trucking course up here in Montreal about 10 years ago it was a 6 week course and recruiters were after them as soon as they graduated, after much driving all over the continent one has now graduated to dispatcher and the other is now chief of safety related stuff at a large trucking company.
May not be what you had in mind but it can be a good paying adventurous job that beats moving boxes around in a warehouse, unless its a high paying union warehouse. Truck Driving Schools in New Jersey | Trucking Schools In New Jersey | New Jersey CDL training facilities.
I'd also lean on those friends who maybe in a position to help you get a job.
I would have suggested joining the armed forces to acquire a trade but it seems you've already tried that.
Any chance of going back to school? A nursing degree would have you in a job anywhere in the country.One of many links http://www.degreetree.com/resources/...-in-new-jersey
There is a chance of going back to school, I just have no idea of what to do that is one of the reasons I joined the military in the first place, I am looking for quick training in a career, not really trying to go to college for four years.(well 3 I have a year done already)
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