To Move or Not To Move...That is The Question? (lease, find a job)

[spiritmm]

Hello to anyone that may be reading this. So I currently live in NYC and love it. However, a little over a year ago I visited SF and fell in love with it more than here. I have a good paying job, good friends, and my dog Maxwell. Ever since leaving SF though I felt that I wanted to go back and live there. So as I am now on a "staycation" here in NYC, I've been pondering whether or not I should just pick up and move to the West Coast and see what is out there for me when my lease is up at the end of November. My biggest worry would be finding a job but I believe that if I am feeling drawn to SF than that will follow also. So I guess what I am looking for is feedback from others that may have made that transition or are planning on making that a similar transition. Life is good for me now but I believe that I can make it better. So I look forward to hearing some feedback and/or suggestions on places to live, visit (planning another trip in Aug/Sept to help make up my mind), and possible job ideas that are floating around out there.


Thanks for any input, Sean from NYC!

[mayorhaggar]

I am in the opposite boat from you, I was planning on moving to NYC from SF in September but decided against it because the economy is so bad and I was too worried about having to find a job there. I'm going to wait another year and see what the economy is like next year.

The economy is really bad here too in terms of jobs, NYC is supposed to be slightly better but still pretty rough right now. If I were you I would try and get a job set up before you move here. It would be a little tough because you're on the other side of the US but it would be better for peace of mind.

The economy could very well get better after the summer but the US has lost so many jobs that I think it will take a while before there are enough people employed to reduce the competition for each job.

It depends on your field though, some stuff like nursing is more in demand than other stuff.

[SickOfCalifornia]

Well, unlike 99% of the people who post on this forum, you at least don't have to be warned as to how expensive it is to live here. In fact you might be one of the very few who finds it less expensive.

Still, in this economy, moving without a job is a huge risk. This state is on par with NY when it comes to being in huge financial peril, maybe even more so. I would find a job then move. If you have an emergency fund that would allow you to live at your current expense level for 12 months with no income, then maybe you can pull it off -- but why risk it? A good paying job in NY is coveted. You should be able to find one out here -- but do it first.