Crazy to think about moving to a new city for a job?
My company laid off the entire acquisitions department roughly 4 months ago. I live in a major market but it's very competitive right now for investment/acquisition//development roles. Any time I've applied to a role outside of my city - it feels way less competitive. My family and gf are all here and gf wouldn't be able to move for 2 years. Am I crazy to think of moving to a different city to get a job? My issue isn't money as I have enough savings and other things i can do to last another 8 months before I have to take something. I'm more worried about how it will look if it gets to the point of having a 1 year gap. I don't want to make a decision based on fear but I do feel like i will have to make a decision down the road if I don't get anything in my city. I've been getting interviews and have had the opportunity for back office roles and D&E but have turned them down as they both seemed like terrible roles/workplaces after going through interviews. Perhaps I should consider taking something I don't want even if its for 6 months-1 year even though I dont particularly want to work for a place I dont see myself long term/burn a bridge.
I’m a huge advocate for moving to new cities for opportunities. I’ve changed jobs twice and both times I was able to maximize the quality of the job (and my comp) by looking for work in multiple cities.
Everyone’s situation is different but for me, my story went something like this: I was struggling to land a REPE job and eventually something came up in Boca Raton at Kayne Anderson. Top firm but not a lot of finance people live or want to live in Boca, which makes the process much less competitive. 2-3 years at KA Real estate and I was able land somewhere super institutional in my favorite city. I’ve fabricated this story to protect my identity, but I did something very similar.
It depends though, is your GF the one / are you closer to marriage age? Maybe not worth leaving.
Do you have a super strong group of friends that you would miss dearly if you moved? Maybe not worth leaving.
Is the new job NOT a material step up that changes the course of your career? Maybe not worth leaving.
If your heart isn’t in it, moving cities can be tough. You’ve gotta consider lots of factors. I lived in a city I didn’t love for 3 years, but it put my in the exact spot I want to be career wise. May not play out that way for everyone so be sure to consult mentors
Did something very similar to the above. Worked in consulting, wanted to get into development. Got a job at a satellite office in a midwestern city, stayed for a year then transferred to HQ in a large east coast city working in development and also getting msre
Your one year gap is a sabbatical bro - problem solved
Marriage age, definitely don't want to leave if I can avoid it. I'm just wondering at what point am I damaging my career with a long gap but I suppose it's how you spin it.
When did people become soo risk adverse? Yea, moving to a new city is lonely and can be difficult but are you really going to slow down/stop your career progress over that? This honestly must be an American thing because of the amount of people who will turn down offers in other MSA's just because they don't know anyone is crazy. I can't say I have heard anyone say "I wish I would have just stayed in the city I grew up in!". Its actually quite the opposite. When people hit the 50+ age they always regret not taking more risks in life.
The GF is a pretty big part of that decision, is my guess. I personally would not have moved to a city that my long-term girlfriend (now wife) did not live in when I was at this stage of my life, but I also knew that she was the one.
Say you signed on NDA and cant talk about it
Maybe this is just way too much optimism on my part, but I don't think you get dinged for getting laid off during economic troubles. The entire real estate industry is cyclical and a lot of higher ups were shit canned back in the financial crisis so they remember it well.
Your girlfriend not being able to move for 2 years is definitely a problem, so you DEFINITELY have to ask yourself where that relationship is going.
Yes I will add to this. Lots of people are being laid off, its very hard times right now. As long as you got a good letter from your previous employer and can explain the story, you are fine.
I could be overthinking it that it's the laid off/gap part as it usually is easier to find something with a job but could just be a difficult environment across the board plus being in a very competitive market. I do like this girl a lot and leaving for another market would definitely put a strain on the relationship. I could go to a different market but ultimately will probably want to move back and I would imagine it will be tougher to come back/and network with people in my current market. I'm not worried about going to a new market and making new friends etc. Mainly thinking that life is short and would be great to be where I currently am for the longterm with family/friends and not put stress on my relationship. Having said that, I also don't want to hurt my career by taking a huge gap so not sure how long of a timeline I should give myself before potentially exploring the move to other markets.
I don't know what stage you are in your career, but you might offer to intern somewhere for free. I was looking to switch industries and did some intern work for a developer I met through ULI just to get some RE experience; he ended up writing me a rec for my current job and people liked it on my resume. Keep your skills sharp or learn a new product type instead of sitting around doing case studies 24/7, and will probably help your network.
If you're contemplating marrying your GF, do not leave if she's important in your life.
I've moved 3 times for jobs. I've always been an advocate for taking a chance and doing something new (why I love travel in general).
But I always did it when I was single, so not sure how to account for your GF. Some of it for me would depend on how I saw the future with them and part of it would be if I thought I could/wanted to make long distance work.
Yea, if not for the relationship, it would be an easy decision.
If she was up for trying long distance, then I would still give it a shot. But only you and them can decide if it could work.
I think also the aspect of 8 months of runway, it's solid but also that could be what's needed to find a job in your current market. In NYC for example things seem frozen on the job front until maybe the new year or longer.
Im much older now with a wife and kids. I'll tell you something I wish I told my younger self. Career progression will always happen, but family is more important than anything. Eventually you can find another job, but hard to just find another family. Also it seems you and your GF have a strong relationship. Do not go long distance. Enjoy your time together. If you plan to get married, trust me, you'll look back on this period as happy years, dont give that up. Just my two cents.
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