Stay local or try to relocate? (moved from Unemployment forum) (average, alternatives)

[phxgreenfire]

I'm just curious: in this current economic situation, if you lived in a city you hated AND were out of work or underemployed AND in a position financially to move somewhere else, but only could move if you had a definite job offer, would you stay in your city until the economy recovers or take the opportunity to try to move?

I ask because I recently moved from Phoenix to stay with family until I find gainful employment, because the work I do now (online) just doesn't pay enough on its own. I absolutely loathe Phoenix and have no regrets at all leaving. However, I really have no interest in staying where I am now either. I know it's easier to find work in-state than out-of-state, but I think that being unhappy with where you live can affect your work performance and attitude. I'm personally ambivalent to the idea under circumstances, but would still try to eventually move even if I did find work here.

So, I ask you: what would you do in this situation?

[yellowsnow]

I did this. I gave up a great job in Minneapolis because I just couldn't stand it anymore. I did 15 years and that was 15 years too long. Nice people but the weather was gruesome year round and winter was half the year. If you don't hunt or fish there's little to do except maybe shopping and that's expensive. The bugs and humidity in the summer were awful. I had a neighbor who mowed his yard in a bee suit. I had a beautiful riverfront home and a life many people would envy. I did love the river and all the wildlife.

Every year I would get depressed when the Summer Solstice rolled around. Some years I still had snow in my yard from the previous winter. Another winter was coming with all the snow, ice, and shoveling. Months of sunless gloom and bonechilling temps. Some years, it snowed from September to May.

So I threw it all away and moved to Vegas. Now I live in a great place but I get to be poor. It's harder than I thought it would be. I was used to a very cushy life. But I'm surviving. I just wish that 'good' job had been anywhere but Minneapolis. I would have stuck it out longer. I could sure use those paychecks. In retrospect, I could have moved closer to work and had less of a battle with the commute, maybe a condo with no yard work. That would have made it easier to tolerate. Underground, heated parking even. There were other alternatives I should have explored.

I love living in Las Vegas. It's great weather and there's always something to do. IF you have money. It's always a tradeoff. I got something I wanted and I gave up a lot too. Life is too short to live in a place you despise. Just make sure you have looked for alternatives before you jump ship.

[phxgreenfire]

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

I had a neighbor who mowed his yard in a bee suit.

I'm sorry, that's just hilarious! I picture that character from The Simpsons.

I had a long inner-monologue debate about working in a city I don't like previously, and always get unsettling fears about looking for work in such a place. My biggest fears are not being able to get out of that city, or losing that job if I called out for a couple days to interview in a distant city.

I understand how you felt in Minneapolis. I had been trying to get out of Phoenix for three years until circumstances were just right to do so. It's always interesting to see the same situation through someone else's perspective. Thank you.

[fallingwater]

I voted other because we relocated for a job for my husband. I was still in school and could finish my degree on line through the campus. He has been the breadwinner for years even when I worked so it was kind of pointless to deny him this opportunity. It would make our lives better and I hated our hometown. Now that I graduated I feel a little cheated because what I went to school for does not have much of a calling where we live now. I did a little research before we moved but really didn't grasp how it would affect me long term. I don't regret the move but at times I wonder what my future holds. I am going back for my bachelors gearing it toward something more marketable here. We own a home and my son will be in high school. I do not want to move him again since he had a hard time adjusting. Also what my husband does for a living is a limited field so his options are fewer than mine in the long run. I have seen a lot of opportunities 2 hrs from where we live which really sucks. I don't think I could handle a commute like that. So for now I am hoping something comes along but if not, I have prepared my husband that we might have to make a move again once our son graduates. He is older than me and at some point I need to be the bread winner and that might not happen if we stay here.

[malingo7134]

I have been everywhere. Northeast, West, Northwest. I am currently living in Little Rock, Arkansas and it's absolutely great. I came here from Los Angeles and I dont regret the move at all. There are jobs here. The weather changes with the seasons and you get a little of all of them. The people are friendly and the cost of living is very low. You can live very good here on the income of an average job. Lots of fun things to do durring all seasons. If you really want to move, you'll never be happy untill you do. If you know where to look, you'll never be without a job. Some industries are thriving everywhere. I would suggest making sure you have a job in the other state before you move. If you're on unemployment, this is your chance to get it done. I wish you the best.

referrence- How 2 Find A Job

[buckeyenative01]

Stay. It's damn-near impossible to relocate anymore, and no matter where you look, there's already hundreds, if not thousands, of qualified applicants already living where you're looking to relocate that hiring managers would rather interview.

I wouldn't say this if I hadn't been trying to leave Arizona for the past four years. Americans no longer have the option to go where we please.