OT: Career advice

[Edge]

This IS NOT crap advice. A lot of New Yorkers need to hear this unless they already have equity.

I love the NE, but the reality is that your options are broader elsewhere.

I love my home town, but there’s a reason I never went back after I left. At some point it’s nice to have the money and ability to visit when you want, and then return home to a lifestyle that doesn’t require bleeding a stone.

 

[egelband]

Well I'm currently in Tallahassee, FL. I go to Florida state. But I'm looking to relocated when I graduate. Hopefully move up north.

I’d love to work in the south, actually. Someday.

That said, and I know it’s a bit...far-fetched, maybe. But I would suggest to any consciencous, diligent, creative worker to consider something more entrepreneurial. Bet on yourself, as they say. There are so many options out there these days, freedom to learn independently, produce informally. I’m so impressed by what people are doing for themselves. It’s not for everyone, of course. And the maps are still being drawn. But it seems to me there’s so much opportunity for that kind of person.

 

[Edge]

I’d love to work in the south, actually. Someday.

That said, and I know it’s a bit...far-fetched, maybe. But I would suggest to any consciencous, diligent, creative worker to consider something more entrepreneurial. Bet on yourself, as they say. There are so many options out there these days, freedom to learn independently, produce informally. I’m so impressed by what people are doing for themselves. It’s not for everyone, of course. And the maps are still being drawn. But it seems to me there’s so much opportunity for that kind of person.

This times a thousand. I always tell younger talent I work with that they can’t be afraid to fail...forward.

You need to network constantly, and sometimes the road into town doesn’t always come with an immediate paycheck, but there is gold in them there hills.

You need to treat your career like a portfolio - balancing risk and reward.

I know NY and LA and other cities are “attractive again.”

Don’t tell me what everyone else already knows. Find me the new frontiers. Tell me how Nashville looks, tell me how Florida looks, or Vegas, or Atlanta, or Charlotte, or Houston.

There is a world outside NY. You can always go back, but your window to build something for your future and not your past is a fairly small window indeed.

 

[egelband]

I did an 8 month internship at a start-up company as a student, finished undergrad and got hired immediately after graduation. I genuinely love my job and coworkers, but I've been applying to places over the past few months that are more in line with my financial/career aspirations. The team manager who trained me left the company in August, so a lot of responsibility has fallen on my shoulders and I feel leaving on such a notice would hurt the company. At the same time, I had been promised an expanded role for other projects during my 2nd stint here which has not come to fruition - always being pushed off as later/after September/after Halloween/after Christmas now, etc.

What is the best way to leave without burning bridges?

If you’ve been at a place for a while and have a good track record, no one worthwhile will criticize you for moving on. You might consider giving your current company a chance to match the conditions your prospective company is offering, if you’re so inclined. And you should always give sufficient notice. The next company should understand and give you enough time.
Unless you’re needed on a rocket ship determined to blow up an asteroid steaming toward Mother Earth. Then you had better hurry.

 

[Jabroni]

This times a thousand. I always tell younger talent I work with that they can’t be afraid to fail...forward.

You need to network constantly, and sometimes the road into town doesn’t always come with an immediate paycheck, but there is gold in them there hills.

You need to treat your career like a portfolio - balancing risk and reward.

I know NY and LA and other cities are “attractive again.”

Don’t tell me what everyone else already knows. Find me the new frontiers. Tell me how Nashville looks, tell me how Florida looks, or Vegas, or Atlanta, or Charlotte, or Houston.

There is a world outside NY. You can always go back, but your window to build something for your future and not your past is a fairly small window indeed.

I am starting to subscribe to this mode of thinking, Edge.

Right now I don't think it makes sense in my current situation to leave the tri-state area, I have a lot up here and there'd have to be quite a bit of coordination to make it happen. But eventually I think I'd want to move somewhere else.

Where the culture and work environment is different, the weather is warmer and, honestly, to almost "reset" and start with a clean slate.

Having the comfort of knowing the places around your hometown and where you currently live can make life a bit more "cushy", but taking that leap to the unknown, which can definitely be scary, has the potential be a wonderful learning experience.

 

[Cassano]

If you’ve been at a place for a while and have a good track record, no one worthwhile will criticize you for moving on. You might consider giving your current company a chance to match the conditions your prospective company is offering, if you’re so inclined. And you should always give sufficient notice. The next company should understand and give you enough time.
Unless you’re needed on a rocket ship determined to blow up an asteroid steaming toward Mother Earth. Then you had better hurry.

16 months total here so not exactly a vet here Lol.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Would you call in sick the day you have conflicting interview timings?

 

[SnowblindNYR]

This times a thousand. I always tell younger talent I work with that they can’t be afraid to fail...forward.

You need to network constantly, and sometimes the road into town doesn’t always come with an immediate paycheck, but there is gold in them there hills.

You need to treat your career like a portfolio - balancing risk and reward.

I know NY and LA and other cities are “attractive again.”

Don’t tell me what everyone else already knows. Find me the new frontiers. Tell me how Nashville looks, tell me how Florida looks, or Vegas, or Atlanta, or Charlotte, or Houston.

There is a world outside NY. You can always go back, but your window to build something for your future and not your past is a fairly small window indeed.

With all due respect, you're basing this off your own priorities. Some people like living in NY. Not everyone wants to move.

I feel like people always say this but liking the city you live in is a huge part of quality of life.

 

[Edge]

I am starting to subscribe to this mode of thinking, Edge.

Right now I don't think it makes sense in my current situation to leave the tri-state area, I have a lot up here and there'd have to be quite a bit of coordination to make it happen. But eventually I think I'd want to move somewhere else.

Where the culture and work environment is different, the weather is warmer and, honestly, to almost "reset" and start with a clean slate.

Having the comfort of knowing the places around your hometown and where you currently live can make life a bit more "cushy", but taking that leap to the unknown, which can definitely be scary, has the potential be a wonderful learning experience.

I’m a Queens kid. Grew up in Middle Village. At 18 I landed an internship with the Rangers. That led to a job offer and work in the industry.

I went my own path in my 20s, not because I couldn’t make a go of it doing what I was doing, but because I wanted to see what else was beyond the horizon.

I lived in Vegas for a number of years, pre-NHL, pre-NFL.

Why?

Because my talent was worth more there than anywhere else. Not so much on straight salary, but on cost of living, ability to get anywhere in the world, etc.

I missed NY terribly. I missed Annie Moore’s, my favorite haunt. I missed my family. I missed good Italian food, and good Chinese food, and people who knew what the hell a knish or empanada was.

I missed people who didn’t think the Sizzler was a night on the town.

But I found ways to make it work. I visited family, I found what I missed, and I built a life.

Along the way, I met my wife, we brought a hockey lineup worth of kids into the world and we built the life we wanted.

That exists for people out there. But it might not come in the exact form, in the exact location, and in the exact timeline we imagine.

I love NY. It’s in my DNA. But it’s not the edge of the map. I NEVER could’ve done what I did if I stayed.

Not because I wasn’t talented. Not because NY is flawed. But because it just wasn’t going to line up.

Life is tough. It’s not fair. And frankly, there are times we feel alone, and afraid, and like we’re spinning out of control.

But we also do a really good of limiting ourselves, especially as New Yorkers. There is life beyond our borders and it’s not all rednecks and/or people in a fog.

Growing up in NY is almost like Catholic guilt, we can’t imagine anything else. But, if we so desire, there is a lot to discover out there. And we probably end up liking it more than we intitially thought we would.

 

[Edge]

With all due respect, you're basing this off your own priorities. Some people like living in NY. Not everyone wants to move.

I feel like people always say this but liking the city you live in is a huge part of quality of life.

No disagreement.

But I also think a lot of New Yorkers have a certain fear/bias/whatever we want to call it against what lies beyond the rivers.

If that’s what someone wants, God bless. Make it work and power to them.

But there’s also a lot of people who literally drive themselves into poverty, madness and worse because they insist this is what they WANT.

You know what? It’s not.

It’s what they KNOW.

And that difference between those two terms is tremendous.

You’d be amazed how many people bleed themselves dry insisting, swearing they love the very thing that is taking years off their life, only to realize too late that their destiny was elsewhere.

You’re right, it’s not for everyone. But each of us reaches a crossroads — we either go with what we’ve got and find happiness in it, or we do a different path to arrive at the same level of satisfaction. And that requires taking an honest look at what we truly want and being willing to live with the consequences.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

No disagreement.

But I also think a lot of New Yorkers have a certain fear/bias/whatever we want to call it against what lies beyond the rivers.

If that’s what someone wants, God bless. Make it work and power to them.

But there’s also a lot of people who literally drive themselves into poverty, madness and worse because they insist this is what they WANT.

You know what? It’s not.

It’s what they KNOW.

And that difference between those two terms is tremendous.

You’d be amazed how many people bleed themselves dry insisting, swearing they love the very thing that is taking years off their life, only to realize too late that their destiny was elsewhere.

You’re right, it’s not for everyone. But each of us reaches a crossroads — we either go with what we’ve got and find happiness in it, or we do a different path to arrive at the same level of satisfaction. And that requires taking an honest look at what we truly want and being willing to live with the consequences.

Well, I've lived in two other cities. And I liked them but most of my family and friends are here and I didn't want to move AGAIN. I just feel like for the last 4 years I've been getting lectures about how "picky" I was for wanting to live in NY. It's just tiring. Not saying you're doing this, but everyone has their own priorities.

 

[Edge]

Well, I've lived in two other cities. And I liked them but most of my family and friends are here and I didn't want to move AGAIN. I just feel like for the last 4 years I've been getting lectures about how "picky" I was for wanting to live in NY. It's just tiring. Not saying you're doing this, but everyone has their own priorities.

1. You never have to, or should, apologize or justify yourself for choosing your own priorities.

2. But for each of us, our priorities come with consequences — both good and bad.

3. And it’s on all of us to accept those consequences — both good and bad.

So long as you’re okay with the second and third point, remember and hold to the first point.

 

[ReggieDunlop68]

Well, I've lived in two other cities. And I liked them but most of my family and friends are here and I didn't want to move AGAIN. I just feel like for the last 4 years I've been getting lectures about how "picky" I was for wanting to live in NY. It's just tiring. Not saying you're doing this, but everyone has their own priorities.

Do you live on Green Acres?

I get allergic smelling hay...

 

[Jabroni]

I’m a Queens kid. Grew up in Middle Village. At 18 I landed an internship with the Rangers. That led to a job offer and work in the industry.

I went my own path in my 20s, not because I couldn’t make a go of it doing what I was doing, but because I wanted to see what else was beyond the horizon.

I lived in Vegas for a number of years, pre-NHL, pre-NFL.

Why?

Because my talent was worth more there than anywhere else. Not so much on straight salary, but on cost of living, ability to get anywhere in the world, etc.

I missed NY terribly. I missed Annie Moore’s, my favorite haunt. I missed my family. I missed good Italian food, and good Chinese food, and people who knew what the hell a knish or empanada was.

I missed people who didn’t think the Sizzler was a night on the town.

But I found ways to make it work. I visited family, I found what I missed, and I built a life.

Along the way, I met my wife, we brought a hockey lineup worth of kids into the world and we built the life we wanted.

That exists for people out there. But it might not come in the exact form, in the exact location, and in the exact timeline we imagine.

I love NY. It’s in my DNA. But it’s not the edge of the map. I NEVER could’ve done what I did if I stayed.

Not because I wasn’t talented. Not because NY is flawed. But because it just wasn’t going to line up.

Life is tough. It’s not fair. And frankly, there are times we feel alone, and afraid, and like we’re spinning out of control.

But we also do a really good of limiting ourselves, especially as New Yorkers. There is life beyond our borders and it’s not all rednecks and/or people in a fog.

Growing up in NY is almost like Catholic guilt, we can’t imagine anything else. But, if we so desire, there is a lot to discover out there. And we probably end up liking it more than we intitially thought we would.

Great insight, thanks for sharing. I can relate to a lot more of this now having a full time job and owning a home (condo).

1. You never have to, or should, apologize or justify yourself for choosing your own priorities.

2. But for each of us, our priorities come with consequences — both good and bad.

3. And it’s on all of us to accept those consequences — both good and bad.

So long as you’re okay with the second and third point, remember and hold to the first point.

Important points here as well. I felt that once I moved out of my parents' house on my own, I was finally able to start living my own life, rather than being a dependent.

I had a full time job and was pretty self-sufficient, but as long as you live under your parents' roof, it's tough to forge your own path.

Everyone has to be able to live their own life; don't be afraid to pursue something you feel strongly about because it's not what someone else wanted, or what someone else thinks is "right" for you. You have to be able to weigh options and make decisions for you and your life.

 

[Gardner McKay]

Obviously, I'll be disciplined if I'm too off the cuff, but for these reasons, I try to be as real with my students as I can be.

I think education can be a great thing, and I fancy myself an important factor in their lives, even if only for a few months, but I see where education has failed us. We've left young people with a lot of debt and a lot of skills that aren't taking them anywhere, with some missed lessons along the way. I do my best to impart things that will actually help them.

For example, we do presentations in my class, and every time, half the class tries to opt out because "I'm not comfortable with public speaking." No. We're doing it. In most workplaces, you're going to have to present. So we're doing it. And I'm not harsh on these. Most of them get good grades. But you're ****ing doing it. When we do written assignments (and I tell them this straight up) I don't care if it's not William Shakespeare. I care that you follow directions. I just graded a pretty bland paper today but the girl got an A because she followed the format 1000%. Another student gave me really deep, intelligent stuff, but he didn't get an A because he was too cavalier. If you wanna get introspective, come sit in my office and I'll make coffee, but on the paper, you better follow directions.

That's not to say I discourage creativity. There's something to be said about innovation in the workplace and I think it's also an important part of being a healthy human when you go home for the day. But you have to do it within the parameters you're given.

Another student of mine gave me something similar. Really intelligent, spectacular thoughts, but not what we asked for. But this student did something the other didn't - he sent me a draft. He got some work done early and asked for feedback. That's a relevant skill. That's applicable to jobs. And because he did that, we got his deep thoughts into a system that works, and he got a perfect score. That guy has a bright future.

The advantage I have is that, on an assignment, I absolutely can give honest, candid feedback. And again I'm not gonna kick your **** in for not being a wonderful writer, I'm gonna kick your **** in for being irresponsible and not following directions. I hope and I pray, since I can give honest feedback, that because I tore you a new one, an employer will never have to.

Of course, don't mistake this for me being some hardass. I'm a marshmallow. I put chocolate out in my office and stay late for students who want extra help. But if you don't follow directions and aren't willing to try things you don't wanna do, we're gonna have a bad time. Many students, unfortunately, say "oh well" to that and take their C. They're adults, I can't force them. But other students dramatically improve, and those are the people that get me up in morning.

When you finish my class, frankly, I couldn't care less if you remember facts about sociology. I want you to leave with self-confidence, the ability to follow directions, and the notion that you're able to present your findings, work with peers in a productive way, and work with supervisors in a productive way.

Your knowledge of Emile Durkhiem isn't going to make you money. Your ability to give your boss exactly what they asked for to your highest standards is going to make you money.

I do my humble best to get them working that way. If I can get 2 or 3 of them out of the 25 they put in front of me to get their **** together, I feel pretty good at the end of the day. I would love for it to be all 25, but I know them for four months. I can't parent them. And unfortunately, the school system they went to until they were 18 is more concerned with teaching them how to pass tests than teaching them how to work. I mean, sure, many jobs will test you on basic stuff, but it's hardly the most relevant skill. It's the only skill they get in public school.

You and I may disagree on a lot of things when it comes to life but I couldn't be more in agreement with every single word of this post. It is great that you are candid with your students. Also, you're right about the system failing students. I am a big, big believer in self-responsibility. You know this. But parents and high school teachers did a piss poor job at preparing students for life. No parent should allow their child to rack up $100k in debt for a degree in basket weaving (obviously being facetious on this particular degree). No guidance counselor should have encouraged it either. They should have told their child that if you want to pursue basket weaving, go to a significantly cheaper state school to ensure you won't spend 20 years paying back those loans.

These are the same parents that complain about their 30 year old still living at home. Well, maybe if you were a f***ing parents for 5 minutes, your child wouldn't be saddled with absurd amounts of debt preparing for a career that will never pay more than minimum wage + 20-30%.

Regarding the presentations piece, I would love to fly to NY to give you an applause for this. The uncomfortable will never become comfortable until you do it a few times. YOU are helping these kids more than they will ever know. Also, you're spot on about giving a boss exactly what they want. Giving them a creative piece that sounds good but misses the mark entirely is not going to fast track anyone for a promotion.

Continue to do what you do. You're one of the good ones.

Thanks, yeah I decided to take the job. Who knows, maybe this will help my career. It is somewhat of a financial role and maybe it could get into finance which I've flirted with quite a bit in my career and at some point I'll have my pick of banks, making my job search easier.

That is great. Look at this role as the job that gets you THE JOB, the one that leads to the lifestyle you're hoping to achieve.

Always remember to take sites like Glassdoor with a grain of salt. You get a lot more grumpy employees and former employees posting there than happy employees.

Correct. The corporations that have 4+ star ratings, they are fluff ratings from fake employees.

This times a thousand. I always tell younger talent I work with that they can’t be afraid to fail...forward.

You need to network constantly, and sometimes the road into town doesn’t always come with an immediate paycheck, but there is gold in them there hills.

You need to treat your career like a portfolio - balancing risk and reward.

I know NY and LA and other cities are “attractive again.”

Don’t tell me what everyone else already knows. Find me the new frontiers. Tell me how Nashville looks, tell me how Florida looks, or Vegas, or Atlanta, or Charlotte, or Houston.

There is a world outside NY. You can always go back, but your window to build something for your future and not your past is a fairly small window indeed.

As usual, you're 100% spot on.

With all due respect, you're basing this off your own priorities. Some people like living in NY. Not everyone wants to move.

I feel like people always say this but liking the city you live in is a huge part of quality of life.

Which is fine, as long as you're willing to accept the trade off that comes from living in that particular city.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

So the other job that I was emailed about for an interview finally got back to me. I will have an interview tomorrow. Here's an interesting wrench. I'm interviewing with the VP, not HR. Do you guys think that this is just how they do interviews or is it a good sign? I have been interviewed before without a phone screen, but it's been very rare.

 

[Vinny DeAngelo]

So the other job that I was emailed about for an interview finally got back to me. I will have an interview tomorrow. Here's an interesting wrench. I'm interviewing with the VP, not HR. Do you guys think that this is just how they do interviews or is it a good sign? I have been interviewed before without a phone screen, but it's been very rare.

Probably a standard 2nd round thing. They always want people you’re working for/with to interview you

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Probably a standard 2nd round thing. They always want people you’re working for/with to interview you

Yeah, but usually you get a phone screen. Surprised I didn't get it this time. I don't know if I should take as good news or if I'm overthinking it.

 

[Trxjw]

So the other job that I was emailed about for an interview finally got back to me. I will have an interview tomorrow. Here's an interesting wrench. I'm interviewing with the VP, not HR. Do you guys think that this is just how they do interviews or is it a good sign? I have been interviewed before without a phone screen, but it's been very rare.

It varies from company to company. At my current job I was scheduled to do an on-site with my direct manager and 4 additional phone screenings over the course of a week. After my on-site and 2 of the additional 4 screenings, they cancelled the other 2 calls and I thought I was out of the running. The next day the CIO called me personally and we spoke for 45 minutes. Here I thought I had lost the gig, but I was actually fast-tracked to the final step because they liked me that much.

If they're actively talking to you it's always a good sign. Good luck with the interview.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

It varies from company to company. At my current job I was scheduled to do an on-site with my direct manager and 4 additional phone screenings over the course of a week. After my on-site and 2 of the additional 4 screenings, they cancelled the other 2 calls and I thought I was out of the running. The next day the CIO called me personally and we spoke for 45 minutes. Here I thought I had lost the gig, but I was actually fast-tracked to the final step because they liked me that much.

If they're actively talking to you it's always a good sign. Good luck with the interview.

Thanks, man. Sounds like possibly a good sign then! Anyway, it's nice that things might be coming along! A job and a possibly better opportunity. This job sounds super interesting.

 

[Edge]

Thanks, man. Sounds like possibly a good sign then! Anyway, it's nice that things might be coming along! A job and a possibly better opportunity. This job sounds super interesting.

And your interest and excitement about it is something they're going to be looking for.

Companies like to see you're interested in what they need you to do. If you're interested, you're likely to dedicate your talents to making it work. And making it work, and work well, is what they're looking for in the first place.

 

[East Coast Bias]

So the other job that I was emailed about for an interview finally got back to me. I will have an interview tomorrow. Here's an interesting wrench. I'm interviewing with the VP, not HR. Do you guys think that this is just how they do interviews or is it a good sign? I have been interviewed before without a phone screen, but it's been very rare.

Try not to read into this stuff. Companies do it differently. And it could be down to scheduling, time off, etc. It’s not always a strategic move, it could just be coincidence or timing.

Just go into it with a mindset that you’re going to get your shot. You can’t control all that other internal stuff.

 

[NCRanger]

This times a thousand. I always tell younger talent I work with that they can’t be afraid to fail...forward.

You need to network constantly, and sometimes the road into town doesn’t always come with an immediate paycheck, but there is gold in them there hills.

You need to treat your career like a portfolio - balancing risk and reward.

I know NY and LA and other cities are “attractive again.”

Don’t tell me what everyone else already knows. Find me the new frontiers. Tell me how Nashville looks, tell me how Florida looks, or Vegas, or Atlanta, or Charlotte, or Houston.

There is a world outside NY. You can always go back, but your window to build something for your future and not your past is a fairly small window indeed.

It looks like crap to a 48 year old. Not good for families. Not good for people who want that next and final step in their work career. Too many entry level and mid-range opportunities. Not stable. Culture clashes daily, whether that be traditions vs progressiveness (neither side is good), race issues, urban vs suburban (both exist within city limits). Public schools are an atrocity. Traffic is insane (in some ways worse than NJ/NYC). Property taxes starting to look not so attractive.

A "starter home" hasn't been built in the area since 2008. Therefore, property values have skyrocketed. Pieces of garbage homes in marginal neighborhoods are going for over $200k. (True market value should be about $125k). With that, gentrification takes place, meaning rents are skyrocketing as well, exacerbating an "affordable housing" problem. Homelessness is on the rise. A lot of that caused by the "Charlotte is awesome" memes that float around the country. Marginally skilled people flock in and find the best job they can find is $8.25/hr, and quickly discover there's no place to live...

Also, it's a very blue city in a very red state (outside of the cities).

It would look exciting to an educated 25 year old. The "uptown" is growing like a weed, lots of places to live in an urban setting. Plenty of jobs for you and you may be able to grow somewhat. Lots of younger people here. Still cheaper than a larger city and you have the many of the benefits of a larger city.

(Though, what millennials seem to like at age 25 is in direct contrast with what Gen X liked at age 25, so I have a difficult time explaining social life.)

I can't exactly put my finger on what I dislike so much about Charlotte because there's so much to dislike about it. It's really a matter of perspectives and what's important to you at different times in your life.

 

[Edge]

It looks like crap to a 48 year old. Not good for families. Not good for people who want that next and final step in their work career. Too many entry level and mid-range opportunities. Not stable. Culture clashes daily, whether that be traditions vs progressiveness (neither side is good), race issues, urban vs suburban (both exist within city limits). Public schools are an atrocity. Traffic is insane (in some ways worse than NJ/NYC). Property taxes starting to look not so attractive.

A "starter home" hasn't been built in the area since 2008. Therefore, property values have skyrocketed. Pieces of garbage homes in marginal neighborhoods are going for over $200k. (True market value should be about $125k). With that, gentrification takes place, meaning rents are skyrocketing as well, exacerbating an "affordable housing" problem. Homelessness is on the rise. A lot of that caused by the "Charlotte is awesome" memes that float around the country. Marginally skilled people flock in and find the best job they can find is $8.25/hr, and quickly discover there's no place to live...

Also, it's a very blue city in a very red state (outside of the cities).

It would look exciting to an educated 25 year old. The "uptown" is growing like a weed, lots of places to live in an urban setting. Plenty of jobs for you and you may be able to grow somewhat. Lots of younger people here. Still cheaper than a larger city and you have the many of the benefits of a larger city.

(Though, what millennials seem to like at age 25 is in direct contrast with what Gen X liked at age 25, so I have a difficult time explaining social life.)

I can't exactly put my finger on what I dislike so much about Charlotte because there's so much to dislike about it. It's really a matter of perspectives and what's important to you at different times in your life.

I've had different people try to get me to Charlotte over the years and it just wasn't my thing. Hell, where I live currently will not be my permanent home.

 

[Vinny DeAngelo]

Yeah, but usually you get a phone screen. Surprised I didn't get it this time. I don't know if I should take as good news or if I'm overthinking it.

Any news is good news. Be excited to talk to them. All you can control now is your mood...

As far as living in a city goes.. I'm in west palm beach, FL.. Traffic sucks because its nothing but old ppl and whenever Trump comes into town he screws up traffic all over. I took the only job i could get down here. I work in the right industry but im in the wrong part of the company for me. Housing is either mansions or the hood. Theres no inbetween. I want to move to somewhere with opportunites but im not sure I have the correct background to get my foot in the door. I have over a years experience in the legal and operations department of an investment firm. I don't think i can move to a big city and swing the move to the FO in the same move.

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

I love the NE, but the reality is that your options are broader elsewhere.

I love my home town, but there’s a reason I never went back after I left. At some point it’s nice to have the money and ability to visit when you want, and then return home to a lifestyle that doesn’t require bleeding a stone.

I agree with that. I'm looking to make a move with my company or another financial institution if that doesn't work out, somewhere in VA or further south.