This can be a complex topic as you could be leaving your home
town, friends, family, and your comfort zone. You may want that
hot internship or job, but how much do you want it? Are you
willing to relocate or at least go somewhere else for a period
of time? If you are like me and you live in sunny California,
are you willing to go somewhere that has vastly different
weather? Likewise, if you are from a large or small town, are
you willing to go to where the work is? It is in your best
interest to evaluate every opportunity that comes your
way.
Risk Versus Reward Perspective
I like to look at things from a risk versus reward perspective.
For instance, is it worth it for you to take a great
opportunity in another state if it could set you up for
long-term growth? What are you risking and what do you have to
gain?
You may want to do a "Personal SWOT Analysis" similar to how
Shannon Reed suggests you do with your personal brand.
View Relocation Through a Lens
I think that the best way to look at relocation is through a
combination of factors including:
-
The market
-
Your life situation
-
Your values
-
Realizing that all things are temporary
Use these four sections to understand the impact of
relocation and if it makes sense for you.
#1 The Market
The market is probably the most significant factor when looking
at relocating.
If you are not able to find work or you find that the majority
of the jobs you are interested in aren't located near you,
there are choices to consider. You can either pursue your
dreams in a new area or you can try to find similar work if
available near where you live.
Additionally, if you are considering moving to another location
you should examine the cost of living for that area. For
example, your rent and living expenses will highly differ
depending on the location you move to. This can be surprising
when you factor in the cost of rent, gas, and other living
expenses.
The
About.com Career Calculator and
Community Information are great resources
to help you examine the costs of relocation.
#2 Your Life Situation
Your life situation can dictate if you are able to make a
move.
As a student you may have concerns such as finishing your
degree, finding a job/internship, and other stressors. However,
after you leave school your concerns may change. You may get
married, have children, buy a house, or have other life
changing experiences. Wouldn't it make sense to examine if
relocation is something you should do before you encounter
these stressors?
This is something you should carefully consider with your
significant other, family, trusted friends, and others in your
inner circle. Consider making an appointment with a counselor
at your school's career center to process some of these ideas
with an objective source.
#3 Values Can Help Make Decisions
Values are the core principles that should determine what you
do, who you spend your time with, and how you think about the
world.
I try to incorporate the exploration of values into my work
with students as much as I can. Your knowledge of your values
can assist with any job search, but you may want to think about
them even more if you are contemplating relocation. When
examining a job opportunity, it is important to understand if
your system of beliefs and the core values of the organization
where you may work are in alignment. If your values conflict
with what you will be asked to do, it will present a
significant challenge to your satisfaction and possibly your
integrity.
If this is something you haven't thought about, the following
are two exercises I use with students to examine their
values:
-
Values sentence completion
-
Ordering of values
#4 Everything is Temporary
In the beginning of your career, it is important to remember
that some experiences are temporary stepping stones that can
lead to additional opportunities.
It is pretty common knowledge that you will work multiple
careers throughout your lifetime. I have seen quotes that state
that people will work anywhere from 5 to 9 careers in their
lifetime. Therefore, if you relocate for 6 months or two years-
in the grand scheme of things how long is that really? This may
very well be the stepping stone you need to get your career on
track.
While moving away from your home town may be a tough decision,
you do not have to make this decision alone. Think about some
of the aspects that I have highlighted to get a head start on
this subject.
Have you ever considered re-locating for work? Have you ever
done it? Let us know!
Author:
Joe is a career counselor at San Jose State University. His
areas of specialization include: experiential education, resume
development, interview preparation, job search strategy, and
assessment inventories. In his role, he also serves as the
community manager for the Career Center's social media outlets.
Connect with Joe on Twitter or follow samplings of his work via
the SJSU Career Center Blog and Facebook fan page.
