# Moving cities with no job, no friends and not much money. Am I crazy?!



## MysteriousMel (Sep 10, 2015)

So not entirely sure this is the right place for this post but here we go...

I've been contemplating moving cities even though I don't have much savings or a job lined up yet, though I have been looking and started applying for jobs in my chosen location. My plan is to spent a few weeks renting through airbnb (I've found a few places that aren't too expensive) then job hunt like crazy (im not fussy with what ill do to begin with) and then find somewhere to live. I won't know anyone there so it's kind of risky but I'm just reached a point where I really need to do it for my sanity. I'm going to be 26 soon and am still living at home which I hate, I don't like where I live anyway (outskirts of london if anyone's interested) and this is something I've wanted to do for a long time but it just hasn't been the right time for various reasons (or really excuses). I broke up with my boyfriend before Christmas so now I feel like I have no more excuses and it's now or never.

Anyway I was interested if anyone on here has done something like this before? If so how did it go and do you have any tips? Did you end up homeless and living in a skip?


----------



## letter_to_dana (Jun 4, 2013)

Hey there!
I haven't been in your situation - or not very similar but I do know that if you decide to do something so drastic, so out of your comfort zone, you need to make sure you have something secure behind you in case your expectations about the experience will fall short.
Otherwise, you will only scare yourself more than you need and you will complicate your life a lot more than it actually is right now.
Moving out before having any job options in mind? Err ... doesn't sound too good, isn't it?
What do you hate so much about your situation right now that you can't stand it any moment longer?
You need to be able to have at least your own person to rely on.
I'm sure we all have situations we are in that we sometimes hate but doing something extreme before being sure it is actually going to work it's rather silly than courageous. So if I were you I'd try to find ways to see if this is a good moment to move out or not.

I believe this thread would be better in the Advice Center - however I'm not a mod.


----------



## Kerik_S (Aug 26, 2015)

I did that and ended up on the streets. It was too stressful without friends with me. Social isolation creates the same neurochemical messages in the brain as physical pain, and pain tolerance becomes lower when stressed out:

Not having adequate savings will trigger your mind's fight-or-flight response, raising cortisol and stressing you out.

The stress will make the social pain very difficult, and none of that will change the fact that you'll need to be on your A-Game with strangers in order to land a job.


----------



## Caveman Dreams (Nov 3, 2015)

I have moved to a new city twice, only thing was I got the job first before the move.

As far as friends go, I used Google Meetup and found the social groups, after a few meetups in bars and what not, I had made a few friends, made friends and acquaintances with randoms in those locations. 

The second time I did a move, it was more a prove it to myself that I am capable of making friends in a new city and it wasn't just fluke, Probably my ego at work. But its worked out fine.


----------



## Goya (Nov 26, 2015)

I've thought about it many times... Like I'd like to live abroad fo a while, but not too long, just to have the experience. 
However I'm scared about what @Kerik_S said, I wouldn't go with basically nothing. I've considered moving initially as a volunteer (so I'd already have some security) and meanwhile, try to find a job.
If you're a native english speaker you can probably find a job in teaching.


----------



## Another Lost Cause (Oct 6, 2015)

Do you have marketable skills? If not, you should get training in a skill that'll be in demand before moving. There might be some at a local college you could learn, just overload on units if possible so you can complete it quick. You're antsy to move on with life, but you might find yourself in hell if you don't think things over first.


----------



## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

What kind of skills do you have? I moved across the US without a job but I work in IT, which is highly demanded. I also had a buddy where I could crash on his couch as well as savings that would last me a long time without a job (although I did have a job offer in a couple days). I would say what you're looking to do is doable but without savings and/or a cheap place to stay, you're going to burn through cash fast and unless you have a highly demanded skill, it may be hard to find a job.


----------



## Kiriae (Oct 2, 2015)

I am actually wondering about the same thing recently.
I almost finished my 2nd college (IT associate) so I will be looking for a job soon.
I live in small city with not many options so I think about moving to a bigger city and getting a late taste of "students life" (renting a room at shared flat - I was living with parents my whole life so I have no idea how it is like to live away from home and I would like to try that) while looking for a job.
Fortunately I have some savings. I have no idea how much living costs are but considering monthly "minimal wage" I should be able to live up to 8 months without working. I am a saver so probably I would make it even longer.
Unfortunately I am totally clueless about how to make such a huge step (I have Asperger) and I don't have friends close enough to help me out. Or rather I don't want to bother my friends with my problems.

So I will probably end up doing nothing out of anxiety.
Any tips on making it less scary/confusing/sounding like stupid idea?

BTW. I just checked some rooms to rent and job offers in the city I have in mind. I am not sure how much food costs but the "room+power+water+gas"costs seem pretty cheap (less than half of "minimal wage" per month, if I wouldn't have to eat I would be able to live there 18 months on my savings). And there is quite a lot of jobs I could try applying to if I were living close enough to get there for interview(well... at least more than in my own city, theer is about 10 any field job offers in my city at any given time, in that big city it seems to be about 500 job efforts in IT alone right now). Maybe I could try doing it after all? But it still scares the hell out of me.


----------



## Coburn (Sep 3, 2010)

MysteriousMel said:


> So not entirely sure this is the right place for this post but here we go...
> 
> I've been contemplating moving cities even though I don't have much savings or a job lined up yet, though I have been looking and started applying for jobs in my chosen location. My plan is to spent a few weeks renting through airbnb (I've found a few places that aren't too expensive) then job hunt like crazy (im not fussy with what ill do to begin with) and then find somewhere to live. I won't know anyone there so it's kind of risky but I'm just reached a point where I really need to do it for my sanity. I'm going to be 26 soon and am still living at home which I hate, I don't like where I live anyway (outskirts of london if anyone's interested) and this is something I've wanted to do for a long time but it just hasn't been the right time for various reasons (or really excuses). I broke up with my boyfriend before Christmas so now I feel like I have no more excuses and it's now or never.
> 
> Anyway I was interested if anyone on here has done something like this before? If so how did it go and do you have any tips? Did you end up homeless and living in a skip?


Decide which cities you are interested in moving to. Then do research on the job markets for each city. Find out how easy it is to get hired, what the biggest industries are, which type of skills are most in-demand, how preferential the market is to people with your skill set and work history. Go to job sites and put in keywords that match your skills and see how many new jobs crop up each day for a person like you. Is it 100 new jobs? 10? Maybe less?

Look for data that tells you how long the hiring process is in each city and for each type of job. What can you expect? Does it fit within your budget?

Also, if you're willing to get a part time job to help yourself get by while looking for a full-time gig, check out how available those are. Sometimes part-time positions are available for people transitioning careers. Sometimes they aren't. It depends on the job market and city. 


Find recruiting companies in those cities and call them. Send them your information, schedule phone or in-person interviews if possible. Have them work on your behalf to help find you jobs long before you even make the move. 


Most importantly, have a deadline and a backup plan. If you make the move, at what point do you cut bait if things don't go rosy? If you have to re-evaluate your decision, where do you go? Who do you live with? How do you make your way there?


By not planning, you'll be your own worst enemy. If you are intent on moving, explore every which way to make it work and be realistic with your expectations, time, and money. Know what the likely outcome of your choice will be long before you make the move. 


Best of luck however you go about it. Had to make a similar decision myself last year, so I understand how nerve-wracking (but exciting) it can be to uproot one's self and try something new.


----------



## MysteriousMel (Sep 10, 2015)

Thanks for all the replies and tips!
Just to clarify I will have some savings, enough to last me a couple of months if I live cheaply (which I do anyway). I found a hostel in the city that rents beds cheaply on a weekly basis so that is an option (albeit not an ideal one). Anyway I've already booked 3 weeks in an airbnb room which wasn't too expensive so I will have a base for a while at least. Also my sister has kindly offered to loan me a bit of money to help (mixed feelings about this, I feel guilty but she doesn’t seem to mind. I think she wants me to move as much as I do – she’s sick of hearing me talking about doing it but not going through with it!). And I do have something of a backup plan. Even if things go terribly it’s only a few hours on the train back home. And really it’s not that much different to stuff I’ve done in the past. I was away traveling for a huge chunk of last year and often didn’t know what I’d be doing from one week to the next so I’m used to the uncertainty aspect of it (I even quite like it).

The place I’m going to is very touristy so it shouldn’t be too hard to pick up seasonal work at least in a café or hotel or something. And the time to be applying for those jobs is right about now just before the tourist season starts. I’m planning on just walking around the city and surrounding towns just handing out CVs once I’m there. I did this in my hometown for a temporary xmas job a few months ago and was offered the job on the spot so I must come across well! My work experience is all a bit messy and all over the place but I think that can work in my favour sometimes depending on how I portray it – I have experience of lots of different things and am flexible in what I’ll do.

And I have actually been to the city I’ll be moving to before - was there early last year for a few weeks so I do know the area at least.

Anyway I just wanted to put everyone’s minds at rest! maybe I came across a little like I was just doing this on a whim in my original post but I have thought about it.


----------



## MysteriousMel (Sep 10, 2015)

Kerik_S said:


> I did that and ended up on the streets. It was too stressful without friends with me. Social isolation creates the same neurochemical messages in the brain as physical pain, and pain tolerance becomes lower when stressed out:


I'm curious how this happened - did you completely run out of money? And how did you get yourself out of that situation?


----------



## MysteriousMel (Sep 10, 2015)

Kiriae said:


> I am actually wondering about the same thing recently.
> I almost finished my 2nd college (IT associate) so I will be looking for a job soon.
> I live in small city with not many options so I think about moving to a bigger city and getting a late taste of "students life" (renting a room at shared flat - I was living with parents my whole life so I have no idea how it is like to live away from home and I would like to try that) while looking for a job.
> Fortunately I have some savings. I have no idea how much living costs are but considering monthly "minimal wage" I should be able to live up to 8 months without working. I am a saver so probably I would make it even longer.
> ...


With savings to last eight months I'd say go for it! But then maybe I'm a little biased ...


----------



## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Coburn said:


> D
> Find recruiting companies in those cities and call them. Send them your information, schedule phone or in-person interviews if possible. Have them work on your behalf to help find you jobs long before you even make the move.


Definitely this. I think one of the main reasons I found a job so fast is I was in contact with TekSystems prior to moving down and they were able to get all my references and everything else done before I moved down so it was easy for them to get me interviews and that's how I ultimately got my job.


----------

