Ever get the urge to start from scratch in a new place?

[WillToPower]

Hey All,

 

I'm nearing the end of my undergrad, with one more year to go unless I decide to do my honors, and I'm at a crossroads. I have an idea of what I want to do for post-undergrad education, at least in terms of a general career path, but I'm still not 100% sure how to get there. I'm currently doing my own research and will be working with a career counselor to figure out my options. I know for a fact that I can't do much with the undergrad, so more education is a must. But that's not why I started this thread...

 

This will be the seventh year that I've lived in this particular city, which is the entire length of my post-secondary education. Prior to that, I lived in the rural village (yes, village - too small to be considered a town by any means) where I lived from the moment I got out of the hospital until my high school graduation. I'm starting to think that I want some change.

 

Yes, I have friends here and am a member of several local communities/subcultures. However, the friendships don't feel particularly close for the most part and some of the communities are really small. I want to experience what these communities can offer me in places where they have a greater following and a more solid foundation; I want more than I'm getting here. As for my social life, I feel that I won't be able to escape my awkward phases, that I'm going to be stuck in my current identity due to everyone seeing me as I am right now, or as I was in my less proud moments.

 

I don't know if it'll even happen, or if it will be a temporary thing that will end in me returning here, but it's been on my thoughts for a while.

 

Anyways, ignoring the exposition, here's the question I want to ask:

Has anybody else thought about this? Has anybody here actually gone through with it, be it successfully or not, temporarily or not?

[Oramac]

I've absolutely thought about it.  I live in St Louis, and before I got my current job I was working at a bank.  The people were cool, but the job didn't pay squat, and I felt much the same way you do.  I was seriously that close to just picking up and moving to Phoenix when I got hired at my current job.  Just going.  I didn't have a place to stay in Phoenix, didn't know a soul, no job lined up, nothing.  Why Phoenix?  I like warm weather.  

 

Obviously, I didn't go, but I do sometimes wish I had.  None of us can make the decision for you, but there is something to be said for new locations.  

[Grifball]

YUP.

 

Lived in the same city for seven years where I went to school, now working for the school. An hour away from where I grew up.

 

I want to move badly. Preferably somewhere warm. Preferably Texas. But currently I'm lined up for an interview in another very similar city with the same exact climate one state away. Not the fresh start I was looking for, but at least it's something.

[Suited hippy]

I did it... 

 

Moved from just outside of Toronto to the west coast. Left behind my entire social network, and drove off into the sunset.

 

There have been bumps(Read as mountains) along the road, but it was the best thing I've ever done. When you have no other options but to grow, you are forced to. You will make new friends, you will discover new favorite pizza places, you will find a path even if you are not sure which way to walk.

 

It's been 8 years for me now, I found a career, I lost, and found a new life partner, and best of all, I found myself. 

 

Be bold, live, be.

[IslandGirl_Becks]

I've cut anchor and re-settled 3.5 times, and regardless of location life isn't that different. Yes, it's a chance to re-invent yourself, but you are who you decide to be regardless of where you live. Yes, you leave your support/social system, and there are days that you will be lonely, but there are wonderful people to meet absolutely everywhere.

 

NW Washington State to Michigan to the southeast corner of WA to Austria or sort-of moving to Charleston, you're going to find things you like and things you don't. Personally, I love exploring new places, trying new foods, digging through local history. I haven't re-invented myself in each place, but I have become more me-ish, sort of a distilled version of myself who's closer to who I want to be. That's the result of growth, though, whether you do it by relocating or other means. 

 

 If nothing else, it's an exercise in taking command of your life. 

[Thrillho]

That is my default state of being.  We did that a whole bunch when I was younger, either with my then-gf or without.

 

Now, with a wife and a kids and a job in a very volatile industry, we've cut ties and moved four times in six years (which is four times more than anyone wanted, and generally into a smaller, crappier, poorer-paying job, house and town.)

 

When the kids grow up and move out (eleven years! WOO!) me and my wife have agreed to essentially take a year off.  I'm going to drive around for a year, and I think she's going to fly around for a year.  We'll meet back and compare notes.

[IrishMartian]

Every damn day at the moment. I live and work in Australia and I'm looking at jobs in Canada. Mostly for the maple syrup.

 

Okay, ENTIRELY for the maple syrup.

[jfreaksho]

Someone rather wise once said, "No matter where you go, there you are."

 

You are still you, no matter if you are in a small town or a large city.

 

That being said, some environments can be stifling to who you really are or really want to be.  Stepping outside of where you've been might expose you to an aspect of yourself you've never considered before.

 

TL,DR: Do it.  Go.  Explore the world.  Explore yourself.  (Not that way, sicko!).  You may lose touch with some people, but you will gain so much more.

[IrishMartian]

 

 Explore yourself.  (Not that way, sicko!).  

 

Ignore him it's completely natural!

[jfreaksho]

Ignore him it's completely natural!

Agreed, but in this context it is not a good way to get out of the house.

[IslandGirl_Becks]

Every damn day at the moment. I live and work in Australia and I'm looking at jobs in Canada. Mostly for the maple syrup.

 

Okay, ENTIRELY for the maple syrup.

 

As a half-Canadian, I heartily support your decision. Life's good here

[Oramac]

As a half-Canadian, I heartily support your decision. Life's good here

 

Unless you dislike snow.  Then it's slightly less good.  But the maple syrup still kicks ass.  

[Thrillho]

Unless you dislike snow.  Then it's slightly less good.  But the maple syrup still kicks ass.  

 

Unless you move to BC.  Depending where you are here, you'll either get WAY less snow than average, or WAY more.  I'm in the "way less" section. 

[Estrix]

All the damn time. And then Facebook recommended three groups about joining the French Foreign Legion...and I gave it some serious thought...that's when you know your life is either a) bad or your depressed or c) your mad or d) all of the above

[Raincloak]

Go ahead, move to the big city. If you want more nerds and weirdos to pal around with, that's where you'll find them.

I grew up in the suburbs and spent my first adult years in the city. Eventually the noise and pollution of downtown became too much and I moved to a quieter neighborhood but I spend a lot of time in town and like it.

I've pondered moving to a more rural area, because I love nature (and you wouldn't believe the rent here, forget buying a house). But I think the limited social scope would probably drive me more nuts.

[Suited hippy]

Unless you move to BC.  Depending where you are here, you'll either get WAY less snow than average, or WAY more.  I'm in the "way less" section. 

I'm in Victoria BC. Not a flake of snow this year.

 

 

December 31st I ran a 10k Shirtless along the ocean. (it was chilly, but manageable)  

[IslandGirl_Becks]

I'm in Victoria BC. Not a flake of snow this year.

 

 

December 31st I ran a 10k Shirtless along the ocean. (it was chilly, but manageable)  

 

Victoria, no joke?? *Waves from the US side of the Sidney ferry*

bummer, our lack of snow this year. 

[Thrillho]

We went back and forth between "RECORD SNOWFALL!!!! 18" in 18 HOURS, BITCHES!" to "Aaaaaaand it's warm again.  Bye, snow."

 

Several times.

[Oramac]

bummer, our lack of snow this year. 

 

These words confuse me.  There are people who want snow?  I'm baffled.  

 

We went back and forth between "RECORD SNOWFALL!!!! 18" in 18 HOURS, BITCHES!" to "Aaaaaaand it's warm again.  Bye, snow."

 

Several times.

 

Sounds a lot like St Louis.  No joke, we've had days that I'd use the heater in the morning, and by noon I'm turning the AC on.  Then around 8 or 9pm the heater comes back on.  

[Nefiros]

I read the title as "start TO scratch in a new place"....

But yes. Yes I do. All the damn time. Unfortunately money is keeping me stuck where I am for the time being and the foreseeable future.

[IslandGirl_Becks]

But yes. Yes I do. All the damn time. Unfortunately money is keeping me stuck where I am for the time being and the foreseeable future.

 

Moving can be really expensive - opportunity cost of not working, transporting stuff, etc. Best option is to line up a job where the company is willing to cover at least the transportation costs! Otherwise, craigslist a temporary living space for a few weeks of job hunting. 

[Nefiros]

Well Craigslist is out of the question seeing as I'm an Aussie haha.

[Raincloak]

These words confuse me.  There are people who want snow?  I'm baffled.  

We do. The skiers and snowboarders love it. Also, it being very hilly here and snow being kind of rare below the mountains, one good inch is enough to paralyze most of the area. Offices and schools close, and everyone stays home and parties and builds snowmen and guzzles hot cocoa and sneaks lunch trays out of McDonald's to go sledding. When I was a kid, we would pray for snow every time the temperature dipped into the 30s. We got lucky about one day a year.

(We used to have only one snowplow owned by the city... Then one year it blizzarded several times, no work got done for ten days, and they tried to use sand instead of salt in a misguided attempt to protect local waterways. Turned out sand was almost as bad for the streams and didn't fix the ice, either. The press dubbed it "Snowmageddon" and the mayor lost his job next election. They bought more plows so chances are that won't happen again... Too bad.)

[Son of Rylos]

Definitely have thought about this many times.

 

Born and raised in the Detroit suburbs, lived somewhere within an hour's drive of Detroit (I'm using it as a frame of reference, not that I really went there that much) until my later 20s then moved just outside of South Bend, Indiana (Notre Dame country, totally NOT a fan though). The job that I'm in now could go anywhere really so traveling elsewhere has sounded like a great idea at times. 

 

I would love to get somewhere a little more south but not too far south, I'm not the biggest fan of humid heat. Somewhere that could be a close enough drive between the ocean and the mountains would be nice, Virginia or the Carolinas could be possible spots. 

[jfreaksho]

I would love to get somewhere a little more south but not too far south, I'm not the biggest fan of humid heat. Somewhere that could be a close enough drive between the ocean and the mountains would be nice, Virginia or the Carolinas could be possible spots. 

Have you ever looked at the west coast?  Washington state is the only place in the world that I know of where you can start at the ocean, drive through a rainforest, over the mountains, and into a desert, all in the same day.  Portland/Seattle/ Northern California are all pretty nice, though very different politically from the east coast areas you mentioned.