When do you say it's time to call it quits and move back home? (New York: real estate, how much)
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I am debating whether or not I should stay here in New York City, or if I should move back home to Michigan. I came here in April, after completing my bachelor's in psychology and getting paralegal certification. I have been waiting tables since then, making about $2K per month after taxes. My living expenses are about $1250 a month total, but I have no quality of life and am basically just "scraping by". I keep applying for paralegal positions, executive assistant positions, etc. and have been on about a dozen interviews. I had one offer, for the princely sum of 20K a year, no benefits, at a real estate firm downtown. Yes, I am not making this up. 20K a year for a job that requires education in the most expensive city in the country. I am just really sick of waiting tables and living this miserable, half-assed lifestyle where I'm not sure how much I'm making from one week to the next, having uppity Manhattanite women look at me like I'm scum on the bottom of their Manolos. I miss my family. I miss my dog. But there are no jobs in Michigan either, so I really don't know what I would be going back to. I just feel so... lost. Hopeless. What should I do?
I am debating whether or not I should stay here in New York City, or if I should move back home to Michigan. I came here in April, after completing my bachelor's in psychology and getting paralegal certification. I have been waiting tables since then, making about $2K per month after taxes. My living expenses are about $1250 a month total, but I have no quality of life and am basically just "scraping by". I keep applying for paralegal positions, executive assistant positions, etc. and have been on about a dozen interviews. I had one offer, for the princely sum of 20K a year, no benefits, at a real estate firm downtown. Yes, I am not making this up. 20K a year for a job that requires education in the most expensive city in the country. I am just really sick of waiting tables and living this miserable, half-assed lifestyle where I'm not sure how much I'm making from one week to the next, having uppity Manhattanite women look at me like I'm scum on the bottom of their Manolos. I miss my family. I miss my dog. But there are no jobs in Michigan either, so I really don't know what I would be going back to. I just feel so... lost. Hopeless. What should I do?
Some months ago, I was in the same boat, but in reverse. I created a list of all the quality of life factors that are important to me and evaluated my life in Madison v. my life in NYC (pros and cons). Madison came up so extremely short in terms of my career, my artistic work, the socio-political climate, and a sense of friendship/community that it became obvious that it was time to make a creative u-turn back to NYC--with no regrets one way or the other.
It is good to have concrete reasons to stay and tough it out or to return to Michigan. Ultimately, if you follow your heart as well, you will know what is best for you. No one can tell you what to do, although I am sure some will try.
I am debating whether or not I should stay here in New York City, or if I should move back home to Michigan. I came here in April, after completing my bachelor's in psychology and getting paralegal certification. I have been waiting tables since then, making about $2K per month after taxes. My living expenses are about $1250 a month total, but I have no quality of life and am basically just "scraping by". I keep applying for paralegal positions, executive assistant positions, etc. and have been on about a dozen interviews. I had one offer, for the princely sum of 20K a year, no benefits, at a real estate firm downtown. Yes, I am not making this up. 20K a year for a job that requires education in the most expensive city in the country. I am just really sick of waiting tables and living this miserable, half-assed lifestyle where I'm not sure how much I'm making from one week to the next, having uppity Manhattanite women look at me like I'm scum on the bottom of their Manolos. I miss my family. I miss my dog. But there are no jobs in Michigan either, so I really don't know what I would be going back to. I just feel so... lost. Hopeless. What should I do?
No shame in moving back home or at least somewhere else. I moved from NYC to LA 6 years ago and although financially I'm living better, I just dont care for the overall vibe in Cali. With that said, I dont think I could ever move back to NYC but I would like to live nearby (Conn. , Northern NJ) where I could have a nice quality of life but still be close to my family and friends in NYC. At least u went for it and admit the reality of things as opposed to someone who moved to the city, lives in less than ideal circumstances, and still acts like everything is rosey.
Hang in there. NYC can be a very difficult place to live finacially. You and only you can decide if you've had enough and are ready to go back to Michigan or you might decide that you will make the sacrifice and continue to search for a job that meets your needs, and in turn be able to enjoy yourself here. I'm not sure what your faith is but if you believe in a higher power, I would definitely pray and see which direction you are pointed to. Perhaps you can start to apply to positions in both Michigan and here and go from there.
This may be unrelated to your exact question, but you may want to look into why you are not doing well enough in the interviews to get the offer. You might be able to sign up for free mock interviewing at a city-run career center or at the public library. There are right and wrong things to say in interviews and perhaps you've been saying the wrong things. Of course you might just have tough competition. But the fact is, you are getting the interviews (they like your resume) but not getting the job.
Signing up for mock interviewing... interesting idea. I have read numerous articles and books and know the classic "dos" and don'ts" of what to say/not say on interviews. But maybe conducting one in front of another person who can provide some concrete insight would do me well... I think the competition is one issue I am facing, also that I have an underlying bitterness about all that I've been through. I try to mask it, as I know it is unattractive. But there is only so much acting you can do, and most intelligent people can read through you. Maybe I should also consult the Broadway actresses? Lol
At the very least check out these good and bad interview answers on youtube. Actually, they are actors and not real interviewees but they're quite good. You only need to see a few of the bad ones to get the idea. You can get more ideas from the good ones.
At the very least check out these good and bad interview answers on youtube. Actually, they are actors and not real interviewees but they're quite good. You only need to see a few of the bad ones to get the idea. You can get more ideas from the good ones.
Thank you for providing me with this resource. I watched most of the clips and am going to keep referencing it before interviews so that I can remember the vocabulary/rhetoric used. Thanks!
I don't want you to think I'm making light of your situation by only singling a few words out and responding to them. I just have to say that if everything else isn't breaking the right way, these would be enough to make me want move back if I was away from home. A friend of mine who is here with me right now said "their dog?". Well, you mentioned your dog, which means you probably are as nuts for your dog as I am for mine. That's not a bad thing. And missing your family on top of that. It's a lot to take on when everything else isn't going the way you want it to go.
What about going home for a week and spending some time with them? Is that something you can do? Maybe after a few days back home something might make your decision easier for you one way or the other. You might figure out that you don't want to leave them again, or you could also find out that you just needed some family in your life for a few days to get you motivated to give the city another chance.
Whatever you do, it's nice to know you do have a place to go back to if that's what you decide to do. That's not a bad thing at all.
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Good vibes.
