April 4, 2016 at 7:16 am
I'm older and settled, so no, I can't imagine any job I'd move for. I own a house, done a lot of custom remodeling to it (converted one room to a library, for instance).
My girlfriend won't consider moving far from her grandkids either. My parents are getting advanced in years so I feel it's important to stay nearby just in case something happens to one of them.
In other words, I'm pretty much an oak tree at this point. 😀 Deep deep roots, impossible to transplant.
But then again I've never really felt the need to migrate, even when I was younger. IT jobs in my neck of the woods aren't exactly a dime a dozen but it isn't Death Valley either so that was never an issue.
April 4, 2016 at 7:22 am
I would move for the right job. I've dreamed of moving to Australia or Europe for a job, even move to a different state. I've got grand kids now that I would miss, so it would have to be my dream job. They live over 2 hors away from me right now so it's not that easy to see them as much as I'd like.
But that is all based on me having my job now and 'just looking' for something new. If I loose my current job then I would be open to moving just about anywhere.
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we travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us
Don't fear failure, fear regret.
April 4, 2016 at 7:26 am
I've done it two times now but for the same company. I moved from OKC to Houston to head up a SharePoint project which was decent. My only thing is ensure that your moving expenses are covered since you are doing the company a favor. Now that I own a home back here in OKC I don't see making that move again, unless it's for a really high paying job.
April 4, 2016 at 8:13 am
Nope.
I'm from the south and we have a huge family here. Moving away would kill my wife and her family from seeing their grandchildren. It would also likely depress my 4 year old from not being able to see his grandparents.
We tried the moving thing. I moved to Oslo, Norway for a year to help with a major product launch. Company paid for us to spend a few months to test the waters and we made the move soon after. We gave it a year and moved back.
The big thing for me having traveled all over the world is nothing beats home. I'm a country boy, love to fish on my bassboat at our family's lake house and enjoy being with the fam. Moving away is giving all of that up to start a new life somewhere else. So, I'm likely to stay where I'm at until I retire.
April 4, 2016 at 8:23 am
I found the question kind of strange myself. I never gave it any thought in that I've always gone were the work was and if that means moving then that is what happens. I've never felt I had the luxury of choice except once, then I was unhappy with the job I had and an offer came for a good job in another state and I took it. The rest of the time I was either in the military or working for the US Government and when the Job moved, so did I. I guess having been in the military so long, moving becomes just another thing that happens and not a really big deal. I know that if my job ends or moves then I will go where the work is, no matter where it is. I've never understood the people that are tied to a single place and go through long periods of unemployment when there are plenty of jobs elsewhere in the country.
I enjoyed reading all the other posts and why people have chosen to move or not, though it appears the majority of folks will move for job. Maybe not for just any job, but definitely most are willing to move when circumstances warrant it.
-=JLK=-
April 4, 2016 at 8:29 am
Andy Warren (4/4/2016)
Is it just a first world question? I get that if you're not working, all options are on the table, and the same if you can make a decent change in your standard of living (to a point). But even then, the tug of remaining near family vs the perceived opportunities of moving are real forces in our life.Gary, I saw your comment about it and I'd like to see someone tackle that editorial, preferably from the not first world view.
Yes, these are real career issues with real consequences. Believing that they are trivial 1st world issues doesn't change that fact. We're not talking about what brand of soap we like to use.
April 4, 2016 at 8:38 am
The rest of the time I was either in the military or working for the US Government and when the Job moved, so did I. I guess having been in the military so long, moving becomes just another thing that happens and not a really big deal.
I grew up an army brat, so I can relate to that. I've moved so many times I barely give it any thought even now.
As for first world issues. All of our issues are first world issues. It doesn't mean they don't matter.
April 4, 2016 at 8:57 am
Andy Warren (4/4/2016)
Is it just a first world question? I get that if you're not working, all options are on the table, and the same if you can make a decent change in your standard of living (to a point). But even then, the tug of remaining near family vs the perceived opportunities of moving are real forces in our life.
Not everyone has a family that they want to stay near, I know I wouldn't have an IT job if I had stayed near family. I know of other family members who basically live in poverty because they would rather live near family than move outside there comfort zone. And if my dad hadn't taken that leap to move away from his family I wouldn't be here today. It was hard as a young kid to be away from my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents, but I think it made me a better person. Family can be great, but they can also hold you back. And I'm not just talking financially here, I mean growing as a person.
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we travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us
Don't fear failure, fear regret.
April 4, 2016 at 9:15 am
Andy Warren (4/4/2016)
...Gary, I saw your comment about it and I'd like to see someone tackle that editorial, preferably from the not first world view.
Sorry. Not me. I don't qualify. Even though my 16 year old Dad fled Soviet invaded Hungary empty handed in 1956 he did a very good job and now I live a relatively cushy life the England having been given a reasonable education and good opportunities.
We must have at least a couple of people who have overcome the odds and left the 2nd or 3rd World to try and make it or even just escape. Are 1st/2nd/3rd World terms insulting? Go on. Write an article.
(Note that no one ever takes issue with poor English spelling or grammar. Even when it is a person's mother tongue. I have seen arguments about Welsh though.)
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
April 4, 2016 at 9:18 am
I think "the developing world" has replaced "third world" now.
April 4, 2016 at 10:01 am
It's all about disparities in the economic of supply and demand. You want to position yourself so that it's works for you rather than against you. Students who graduate from university with $$$,$$$ worth of student debt should seriously consider relocating to a geographic area where their pay scale is maximized and work like a dog, even if the ultimate plan is to move back to their home town and settle down. The same goes for folks who have been sitting on the unemployment bench for more than three months. Of course, if you're deeply tied to a specific community, then you probably want to take that into consideration before choosing a career, insuring that whatever it is you're becomming is compatible with the local labor market. That way where you live and where you want to work don't conflict.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
April 4, 2016 at 10:48 am
As my youngest daughter nears graduation from high school and I am officially single, I would consider moving for a job unless outside factors encourage me to stay here, in which case I would still be very interested in finding a position that allowed me to work from home and commit to the outside endeavors.
I'd like to think I am more than my job.
April 4, 2016 at 4:49 pm
Lynn Pettis (4/4/2016)
As my youngest daughter nears graduation from high school and I am officially single, I would consider moving for a job unless outside factors encourage me to stay here, in which case I would still be very interested in finding a position that allowed me to work from home and commit to the outside endeavors.I'd like to think I am more than my job.
Sometimes Lynn, those things are out of your hands. They are currently in my case. I was out of work for almost 9 months. I live in a state where the Great Recession is still keenly felt today. Where unemployment is near double digits. Where there are very few IT jobs, even in the good times. Things are still horrible in the state where I live. The home across the street from my house has been vacant for over 2 years. As is another house 4 houses down and a third house further down. But that point you encounter the first street that intersects the street I live on. And it's that way throughout my neighborhood.
I tried very hard to land a job elsewhere. I had several interviews for positions elsewhere, some jobs that I wanted so badly to have that not getting them actually made me cry.
Finally after 9 months, with my unemployment benefits having run out months before, the cupboard nearly bare, almost about to loose our own home, the only offer I got was for this position I'm now in. The commute is horribly long. I no longer have a social life. I can't go to user group meetings, etc. Because of my work, my life has become my work. But at least we haven't lost the house, there's food in the cupboard and I'm able to pay the bills.
Although I agree with you, in principle, that I don't want a job to be my life. My current reality is it has to be. That's the way it is sometimes.
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
April 4, 2016 at 7:01 pm
I can't stand living in Chicago anymore so, yes! If I have to live in the Midwest, Chicago is the place to be but I don't want to live in the Midwest anymore. I love oceans, mountains and warm weather. I actually took the job that I have now because we're allowed to relocate to another city where we have an office. We have offices everywhere so I'll likely be moving in the next year or so.
The biggest thing to consider when thinking about relocating IMHO is how easy it would be to find a new job if things went South. The big caveat is that I would/do want to be by a big city. My one concern about leaving Chicago is that there are few better job markets for SQL/Data/BI people. In Chicago (or NY, LA, Houston, DC...) I could get a job tomorrow if I lost my job today. It's not like that everywhere.
-- Itzik Ben-Gan 2001
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