Posted on 04/16/2005 4:33:18 PM PDT by Thoro
I have been debating whether or not to post a vanity about this, but the more I think of it, the more I realize I have a resource here that would be informative and helpful.
Here's the predicament in a nutshell, I have the opportunity to leave my home area and go pretty much anywhere else. I also have the luxury of being picky about what job I take, partly because of this. If I don't move away, I feel my spiritual health will suffer. The point is: staying here even with a good job is NOT an option.
Now, here's the predicament in a bit more historical and personal context. Thanks to the support of family, friends, and even surprisingly my old job, I was able to go back to school and earn a B.S. as a technologist in the medical field, which means I can go to pretty much any hospital or medical facility in the U.S. I am about to graduate, and really need to start being serious about my career choices.
I currently live in a coal region in the north east. It's a nice place to live (low crime, scenic, small communities) if you're settled down and trying to raise a family. The problem for me is that it's not really an environment where you can meet good single people so that you can settle down and raise a family. I'm 33 now, and have been unsuccessful in this pursuit. Additionally the social circles I have been a part of, even family, have proved disappointing in helping me in this area. Meanwhile I have been unfortunately very aware of too much of the typical soap operas that take place in the single social circles of small communities, much of which clashes with my personal philosophy and morality(and I'm hardly a prude). I'm trying hard to simplify this so it does not sound like a personal essay of blubbering and whining, but I think this context is important. Making friends is not a problem for me. Finding friends so that I can bust out of this cycle is.
Now with all of that context out of the way, the question that I'm posing and hoping for some constructive advice from the Freeper community is "Where to and why would that be a good suit for me?" I need to move somewhere where my career can grow(preferably at a large hospital to start) and where social circles will mix me into a greater number of new people.
Here are some of the job offers I have been considering:
Boston; Brockton, MA? (I know how Freepers in general feel about Taxachussettes, but the field I am going into seems to have some of the best departments there. Brigham and Women's hospital especially.)
Nashville, TN? (I figure it has to be one of the largest cities in the state, but what's the con?)
Florida (Pretty much anywhere, so where?)
New Jersey? (I'm concerned about traffic and commutes of an hour to travel 15 miles. I hear Princeton's a nice area, but pricey.)
Maine? (I see job postings for here all the time, but I get the impression I might be moving from the area I'm in to a state full of those areas)
Arizona? (I see higher rates in the job postings there, but I really don't know the first thing about what the state's like).
Houston, Texas? (ditto)
Any suggestions with any kind of geographical and dynamic comments about any area that I could then go and research further would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Go West
Our local ladies have a joke...
"What do you call a good-looking man in Jackson? A tourist."
Thought you'd appreciate the dark humor.
Go west young man!
Am a Houston native, who lived in other locals, including Bermuda, for a number of years.
Houston is not scenic. People don't come here to retire, they come here to work.
There are plenty of opportunities, particularly in the medical fields.
Why don't you visit the city and see for yourself.
Look into Colorado. I have lived in Colorado Springs for almost 19 years. It's great living where people go for vacation and it has no humidity.
But not too far west. It's getting a little too crowded out here.
"Go West"
California? Washington?
I hear Seatle has some of the highest pay rates in the nation for my field, but I suspect they're also behind the curve technically.
I agree with the Go West! people. If I were starting all over again, I'd go to the Southwest myself. If Arizona's your only choice, then 'Zona it is!
JMO
PS. I like Colorado the most.
Go west, young man! (just stop short of California)
I want to move to Tennessee, near Dayton site of the
"Monkey Trial". It's nice rural semi mountanious,
Cumberland plateau on the west side, the tennessee river/
Watts Bar lake on the other, and property values are
reasonable.
No state income tax.
People are friendly.
I can retire early in three years at 62
and am looking forward to moving there then.
There's your problem, NE. Springfield, MO is a growing area with beautiful scenery. Don't know about the available chicks ;-) There are several hospitals there as well. Something to consider.
Consulted there for 6 months at LSI Logic right on the road that takes you to the Garden of the Gods. Nice place but cold as hell in the winter.
"Nashville - but what's the con?"
They're trying to be Atlanta. Noisy, congested, road construction all over the place and goes on forever, etc. Infested with liberals.
But the best damned healthcare anywhere.
Look on the web, go for a visit.
In a major medical center you can change jobs without having to relocate if things just aren't right in your first or second.
Don't worry about the weather, no one goes out in it. Everything is connected by underground tunnels.
SO9
Hey if you move to maine I have a cute sister who is single 27 and is graduating from vet school and she is still single. let me know I'll hook you up after I do a background check (oh yeah can I have your fingerprints):)
PPS. They don't call Houston the Armpit of America just for kicks..
(no offense! :)
Stay out of Connecticut and Massachusetts
Ontario, Or. on the Idaho/Or. border is just big enough to have life after haystacking time, small enough to avoid the Rats nests(Portland, Salem, Eugene,), and 40 minutes from a big city(Boise metro). I would be there except my arthritis can't handle cold winters anymore.
I always tell peeps, Rochester would be a great place to live if it were not part of NYS. NYC and Albany drag the whole state down ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.