Being willing to relocate for a job can open up exciting new job possibilities. And maybe even shake you out of a career and / or life rut. But there are also things you need to think about before you take the leap!
I speak from personal experience having made the leap myself once. Not only was it a job working for an organization I was proud to be part of, but it was in San Francisco — a city I loved visiting. What could go wrong?
What went wrong
I had reached a crossroads in my career life and was willing to relocate if no job I wanted magically appeared where I was. And a longshot job in San Francisco with a great organization contacted me for an interview. It was pretty exciting.
Meanwhile, I did have a job offer where I lived, though not an exciting one. So, after a trip out West and another job offer I didn’t expect, I decided to pack up my things and take me and my cat Harry across the country to a new city. And a new life.
Visiting and living
are two different things!
Without going into all the details, I was miserable. A stranger in a strange land with everyone I knew and loved almost 3,000 miles away. And a job that turned out to be a struggle because of key partners who hadn’t bothered to be part of my interview process. And weren’t thrilled I was on the team.
But even more surprising? The new city just didn’t fit me. Oh, I know it takes time to make a new place home and make friends (I did make a few good ones). But I knew in my heart I needed to be back on the East Coast, even without an exciting job to come home to. Which I eventually managed to do.
There’s more to the story, but I’ll leave it there. I will add that one of the friends I made, a talented artist and lovely person, took 3 years to make San Francisco his home. And then he loved it passionately, no longer missing the East Coast where he came from. So each “willing to relocate” story is different.
What to consider if looking to relocate
If you’re thinking of a job in a new city — especially somewhere far away from where you live now — I just want you to think about all aspects of the move carefully. Your story and mine are different. Your needs are different. And your reasons for looking to live elsewhere are probably different.
But what’s not different is the value in taking time to really think it through — beyond the excitement of what could just turn out to be a “grass is greener elsewhere” dream. So here are a few things to consider when making a major relocation life change for a job or for anything else:
- Culture of the area as well as the new company.
- Each place is a different world with things that may surprise you / be hard to adjust to.
- People may stereotype you based on where you’re from.
- Similarly, people may judge you in a way you never were judged based on cultural, belief, or ethnic differences.
- Missing familiar things, friends, and loved ones more than you imagined.
- Job demands and / or expectations that may turn an exciting opportunity into a “OMG … what have I done!”
- Leaving yourself an escape hatch / way to return just in case you have buyer’s remorse.
A few more thoughts
Although it takes time to get used to any new circumstance, if you’re willing to relocate please also take the time to thoroughly evaluate the pros and cons in the light of reality.
You definitely should give any job opportunity a chance to succeed. But also factor in the possibilities and “what ifs” when making your decision. While much is unknown, research as much as you can about the area and job using online resources.
BTW, even knowing all this and how horrible some of my experiences were, I’m glad I did it. And I’m more glad I came home. But, as with my artist friend, some people find a new life they love when they venture into the unknown.
Good luck with your decision!
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