I want to move to Atlanta after college, but is it wise? (Jersey: loans, houses)

[908kiddo]

I am currently a college sophomore and I would like to move to Atlanta sometime after graduation. I am basically attending school for free, so loans won't be a huge issue for me (5-6k at the most). I also have a internship with a prestigious company so if everything turns out how I expect it to, I'll be able to pay off those loans in 1-3 years.

I want to move to Atlanta because of the prospects that come with it: I am an African-American male and I know that Atlanta has a rich AA population, the company I work for has an office in Atlanta, the housing market is cheap and affordable, the city seems to be robust and livly; I feel like I can start my legacy (for a lack of a better word) in Atlanta. I've been researching the houses down in the area and I really want the big trophy house (of course if I can afford it) but I also want to live comfortably (literally) and I feels like Atlanta can provide that.

Now of course, I'm saying this as a college student with very little experience of being in Atlanta. How is it really down there? Is it really worth it or am I just falsely fantasizing about living the dream? How are the job prospects? The schools? The atmosphere?

My parents recommend that I graduate and then come back up to where I live (New Jersey) to live at home (while hopefully working) for a bit until I pay off my loans and have enough money saved away in order to live comfortably if I actually decide to end up moving. I have no problem with that at all especially since everything will be free at home , however, I don't want to stay in Jersey because the houses (and everything else for that matter) are/is expensive as hell lol and I want to experience something new

Can someone give me some insight on Atlanta and tell me if this is a good plan?

[tonygeorgia]

It is a good plan to do whatever you dream about

[Iconographer]

Do you want to live independently in NJ? If so, you can probably live for less here and pay off your loan faster. Follow your dream.

[kasuga888]

If you gotten an internship at a prestigious company, you should have no trouble getting a gig in Atlanta.

Take a trip to ATL during one of your breaks and you can check out the "scene". It might be boring if you are expecting NYC.

[bear2531]

Plan a trip and get a feel for it. Depends on what you like to do, where you want to live, and all that good stuff. Atlanta has it's own vibe - definitely different from NJ. So you will have to see if it works for you!

[red92s]

My 2 cents:
- Do whatever you can to gain job experience now
- When the time comes, chase a career track, not a mailing address

[Strangejelly]

What part of Jersey are you from? If you are from the NYC metro then you will be bored.

[lastminutemom]

Originally Posted by red92s

My 2 cents:
- Do whatever you can to gain job experience now
- When the time comes, chase a career track, not a mailing address

This is great advice.

[Tarzanman]

Its a tough call. You would be better served in the long run to make sure that your first 1 or 2 jobs put you on a good career path which will have you either earning a decent salary, or positioning you with enough training to earn a decent salary.

However, there isn't really a reason that you couldn't do that here in Atlanta. Housing is cheaper, but so are salaries. I have not visited NJ in a long time, but the economy here is far less diverse than a huge NYC/NJ metro. It might make more sense to start up there getting paid NJ $$ and then move down here to Atlanta where your dollar will go a little bit farther.

Having said all that.... sophomore year in college is probably too early to give the move much serious concern. The job market and state of the economy will almost certainly have changed quite a bit by time you fill out your petition to graduate.

The one move I will caution you to probably not make is to move back home....at least not if your parents will live in the house with you! Every family is different and every person is different, but moving back home with either make you complacent mama's boy or frustrated 20-something chafing at still having to follow house rules.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by 908kiddo

I am currently a college sophomore and I would like to move to Atlanta sometime after graduation. I am basically attending school for free, so loans won't be a huge issue for me (5-6k at the most). I also have a internship with a prestigious company so if everything turns out how I expect it to, I'll be able to pay off those loans in 1-3 years.

I want to move to Atlanta because of the prospects that come with it: I am an African-American male and I know that Atlanta has a rich AA population, the company I work for has an office in Atlanta, the housing market is cheap and affordable, the city seems to be robust and livly; I feel like I can start my legacy (for a lack of a better word) in Atlanta. I've been researching the houses down in the area and I really want the big trophy house (of course if I can afford it) but I also want to live comfortably (literally) and I feels like Atlanta can provide that.

Now of course, I'm saying this as a college student with very little experience of being in Atlanta. How is it really down there? Is it really worth it or am I just falsely fantasizing about living the dream? How are the job prospects? The schools? The atmosphere?

My parents recommend that I graduate and then come back up to where I live (New Jersey) to live at home (while hopefully working) for a bit until I pay off my loans and have enough money saved away in order to live comfortably if I actually decide to end up moving. I have no problem with that at all especially since everything will be free at home , however, I don't want to stay in Jersey because the houses (and everything else for that matter) are/is expensive as hell lol and I want to experience something new

Can someone give me some insight on Atlanta and tell me if this is a good plan?

...If you really like Atlanta and you really think that Atlanta is the town for you then I say go for it!

The only thing that I would caution is that you should confirm that Atlanta is the town for you by getting an internship or temporary job with your company at an Atlanta office, if possible, for a summer or two so that you will get to know the lay of the land, socially, culturally and politically.

If possible, visit the town every chance you get, connect with any classmates and alumni and/or any family and/or friends that you know who may live in Atlanta (...definitely get in touch, make friends with and stay in touch with the Atlanta branch of your college's alumni association if you decide that you still want to relocate to Atlanta after graduation).

Also definitely try to have a job lined up first before moving here as the job market in Atlanta has been soft during the last several years because of the economic downturn that started in earnest in 2008.

The job market is showing signs that it is starting to recover from what has been a nightmare of a downturn but it is still somewhat very soft and most definitely not what one could call robust.

I don't see any reason why you would not like it here with the very-large metro African-American population, the very-lively nightlife and social scene (must more lively and robust than most cities anywhere).

There's also a VERY-LARGE population of people here from the Northeastern U.S., particularly from the New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania area, as the overwhelming amount of migration from that area (NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore-DC) has likely been responsible for much (if not most) of the growth that Atlanta has experienced as a metro region since the 1960's.