Over the past few years, I have seen friends come and go from city to city and country to country. Some people hear that and think “oh I could never do that” and others don’t even think about how much work, sacrifice, and planning goes into such a move.
“Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.”– Victor Kiam
I always knew that I wanted to live in Chicago, hell I even wrote about it in a senior year high school project titled “My Predictions for the Next 10 Years.” So sometime in 2003, I wrote “I would like to graduate from college and buy a loft apartment in Chicago. I would then like to open my own business…. I just want to be comfortable and kinda go with the flow and not be uptight and miss out on anything that life has to offer me.” So off to Chicago I went! I didn’t even really consider all of the implications of moving out of state and away from family. I am extremely close to my family and it literally never dawned on me that I would never live at home again. To this day I find that very strange.
After 7 years in Chicago, it really felt like my home. I loved the friends that I had made (which took quite a bit of time), the local bars, wonderful restaurants, mountains of snow, and the intense summer heat, I just loved it all! I flew out to San Francisco for work and my husband came out to enjoy a long weekend with me when my meetings were done. That was the first time he seriously asked me if I would ever want to live out here. I didn’t even think twice, said how much I loved Chicago and I couldn’t imagine starting all over.
Fast forward 8 months and we were now having a serious moving conversation. Jake was interviewing for a job in Chicago and then they asked if he would consider taking a position in San Francisco. I had been looking for a new job in Chicago for months and wasn’t having any luck, so I figured I would consider the idea of starting new out here in the tech mecca.
Are you contemplating a big move? Here are some thoughts to consider:
- Will you be able to find a new job? In a reasonable amount of time, doing what you LOVE to do.
- What is the cost of living difference between the new place and old? SF vs Chicago rent, HOLY SHIT.
- Will you have any family close by? Or if you don’t give a damn about your fam that’s fine too.
- Can you or your family afford to fly and visit cross country? Will you spend Thanksgiving on a guilt trip because you couldn’t spend the cash to go home?
- Do you have any kids or are you planning on having kids? Having kids away from family is a topic for another day.
- Is your new city pet friendly? Can’t leave the fur kids behind!
- What life stage are your friends in? Getting married, having kids, are your friendships evolving?
- Do you have any weather preferences? Hate snow, you probably shouldn’t move up North 🙂
- How are you going to pay for the actual move? Shit is expensive, no matter how you look at it.
Clearly we ended up making the move (more on that to come in later posts). I want to hear about your biggest move, fear of moving, or where you wish you could move. Over the next few weeks I will be featuring interviews with people that have relocated near and far, and I would love to hear your stories!
84 Vintage 