- For some, the deflection to remote work during the pandemic has opened a window of opportunity to consider moving.
- Relocating to a new city, state, or territory is still a big deal even if you’re working from home, so take time to reflect realistically on the pros and cons of a progressing.
- Think about your next steps and long-term goals beyond the pandemic — from evaluating your job projects in a new area, school districts if you have kids, and cost of living.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more excuses.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been feeling a little stir-crazy lately. Staring at the same four walls for more consecutive times than I care to count has me longing to be somewhere (anywhere!) else.
If months of being stuck inside, working from a expedient home office, or navigating a remote job search have you seriously considering the idea of moving far, far away, you aren’t alone. “There’s been a fresh uptick in people looking to leave larger cities like San Francisco or New York City for mid-sized cities and suburban squares,” said Ryan Carrigan, cofounder of moveBuddha, an online resource for planning long-distance moves. “This is likely because being can live more comfortably in lockdown in less densely populated areas where they aren’t cooped up in miniature apartments.”
Whether or not a small apartment or a crowded city aren’t fueling your desire to move, Carrigan hints you may be thinking about relocation now that the pandemic has removed barriers that might typically have prevented you from attractive the leap, like an employer that requires you to report to an office every day. “It seems that a lot of people already had these devices on their mind, and the current circumstances have made it more attainable,” Carrigan noted. In some cases, “now is a gentle time to take the plunge.”
But moving to a new city or state is a big deal — even when we aren’t in the midst of a global pandemic. With so much uncertainty thither remote-working arrangements, travel, job security, and the state of the economy as a whole, how do you know if you should make such a huge coins?
What’s your “why”?
As with any big, life-changing decision, it’s important to spend time reflecting on the reason (or reasons) you want to suggest right now. “Many of my clients have already relocated or are actively trying to relocate [during the pandemic],” suggested Jennifer Fink, Muse career coach and founder of Fink Development. “The top reasons are getting closer to family or flatmates, cost of living, reevaluating life or career goals, needing a different type of living space, loss of revenues, increased flexibility for remote work, and safety.”
For some, the idea of moving may have been in the works for months or composed years, and COVID is simply the catalyst that spurs them into action. “We’ve been thinking about going for a while, but I didn’t want to leave my job,” said Lola Robinson, a recruiter at a San Francisco-based startup. “When my employer augured that they were going to be a remote-first company because of the pandemic, it made moving a real possibility.” Robinson and her manage now plan to move to San Diego in the fall. She cites being closer to family, a lower cost of living, and a better excellence of life as their primary reasons for relocating.
Others, like Corritta Lewis, are choosing to make the best of their in a flash changing circumstances. After getting laid off from her HR analyst job, Lewis and her wife decided to leave Southern California for Playa del Carmen, Mexico. “The biggest circumstance for us was the cost of living. Our money goes a lot further in Mexico where we’ll have an affordable condo with a pool, healthcare, a well lifestyle, and affordable childcare,” Lewis said. She hopes to channel her love of travel into a travel resource for next of kins of color once it’s safe to explore again.
While there are plenty of valid reasons for relocating, it’s important to about that we’re all going through a weird time right now. “The grass always seems greener on the other side,” Fink judged. “Before you make a move, make sure you do some deep reflection to understand what’s truly motivating you. People habitually believe a new location will solve a problem they have, but they later learn that it was an internal intractable that really needed solving.”
So ask yourself:
- Why do I want to make this move right now? If, like Robinson, you’ve been in view of a move for a while and the timing finally feels right, that’s a good sign. But if the idea of moving is newer, you strength just be itching for a change of scenery. Consider something less permanent instead: Would a weekend camping cavort with your family make you feel a little less cooped up? Can you book a short-term rental in the area you’re staked in first? Do you really just need to spend a quiet week in a bigger space in a rural area?
- Will the advance in my quality of life be temporary or does this truly make sense in the long term? Lewis believes the trust of better weather, lower cost of living, and a more welcoming community will lead to a better quality of sprightliness for her and her family for years to come. She’s also leaving behind a job she no longer enjoyed and is looking forward to starting her own business (something that last will and testament be much harder to do in pricey Southern California). On the other hand, if you love living in the city, but the pandemic has left you turn ones nose up at for a bigger living space, you need to consider whether you’ll be happy in the suburbs when life returns to normal. Resolve you miss going to happy hour with coworkers? How will you feel about a longer commute?
How will emotional affect your career prospects?
Most of us won’t be picking up and moving to a new city on a whim. Moving will take some critical planning. If you’re hoping to keep your job after relocating, you’ll need to discuss your options with your patron before finalizing anything.
There will likely be a variety of factors to consider, like whether or not your boss see fit expect you to come into the office a few times a month after the pandemic is over, whether your company drive plan to make cost-of-living adjustments to your compensation (some employers may change your salary to reflect the affluent rate in your new hometown), and, if you’re considering a move out of state, whether your employer can even legally pay you to work there (not all companions are set up to employ staff in all 50 states).
This might look like a series of conversations, rather than a separate, sweeping declaration. Given the current state of the workforce, your employer might be more open than continuously to hearing you out. “I believe the trend of greater flexibility for remote work will only continue to grow,” Fink verbalized. Still, it’s important to do your homework and be prepared to discuss how a permanent remote role would work. Perhaps most importantly, both you and your straw boss will need to believe that you can be successful from a distance given the company culture, team structure, and quality of your job.
In the short term, moving to a new city may not have a huge impact on your career, especially if you’re able to job from home and everyone at your company is currently remote. But what will your job look like when conformist life resumes? Will you be the only person on your team who doesn’t return to the office? If you’re a manager, what wishes it look like for you to lead from a distance? How will moving affect your access to prospective customers and networking chances?
If you’re planning to find a new job, or think you might move on from your current company at some point, it’ll be important to get a deal with on what the path forward could look like. In other words: What will the long-term impact for your fly be in this new location?
Some questions to consider:
- How feasible will it be to find a new job in or from your new location?
- Is there a durable job market there?
- If there aren’t many jobs in your field or industry there, do you think it will be admissible to find remote work with companies based elsewhere?
- Even if that’s the case, would you want to operate remotely in the long term? Do you think you could grow and thrive from afar?
- Is there a shift or career centre you’ve been wanting to explore that will be made easier or harder by the move?
These questions may not have common answers, as the pandemic has made predicting future employment trends a challenge. “Before the pandemic, there were hints that employment in cities would continue to grow, while smaller communities would continue to lose works; this is probably still true. However we are in a significant moment of disruption, and I don’t think anyone can say for sure how we will be revealed from this pandemic,” Fink said. In some cases, your answer might simply be, “I don’t know.” The little-known can be scary, but it can also be liberating. If in the face of all this uncertainty, you’re still leaning toward moving, that’s probably a documentation sign.
What are the short and long-term costs?
The cost of living in the area you’re planning to move to will likely be an prominent factor in your decision. We all know how expensive it can be to live in big cities like San Francisco or New York, but smaller cities or all the rage suburbs can be pricey, too. And that doesn’t just mean housing costs. You’ll want to think about other expenses congenial sales tax, income taxes, whether or not you’ll need a car (and how often you’ll need to fill up your gas tank), and the price of food at about grocery stores. This can all vary from county to county and state to state.
Even if you are moving to a city with a numerous affordable cost of living, your income might be affected, too, as your current employer may adjust your income to reflect the market in your area. If you’re planning to get a new job closer to your new home, local salaries will likely be cut, too. What will that mean for your ability to save money or work toward your long-term monetary goals?
Moving itself can also put a serious dent in your checking account. “Be sure to ask yourself whether a shame cost of living will offset the cost of your move,” Carrigan said. “How long would you have to occupation in order to recoup your expenses?” If saving money is your primary motivator, this will be an especially formidable number to crunch. Cheaper rent is great, but forking over thousands of dollars to move all of your stuff power mean that you’ll have to spend more before you can start saving. Will that be worth it in the long run?
If you’re in the take care of of searching for a new job, you can always negotiate things like location scouting trips or temporary storage costs into your proposal to mitigate expenses. It’s far less common to get relocation assistance as an existing employee moving for non-work reasons. However, if you’re well great at your job — do people call you a superstar? — you might consider asking anyway, especially if it happens to be annual re-examination time or you know you’re up for a raise or promotion.
What about beyond the pandemic?
I know it might not feel like it hesitation now, but this pandemic is temporary. Moving, on the other hand, can be much more permanent. So try to think about what this switch will mean in the bigger picture. Do you long for life to go back to the way it was pre-COVID? Then a big move might not end up being as satisfactory as you’d hoped. Conversely, has your time in quarantine helped you to realize that you want to make some changes or move your priorities? Then relocating might truly make sense.
Still on the fence? It might help to ask yourself what a change-over would mean for your life after the pandemic is over. Here are some factors to consider:
- Overall excellence of life. Will you miss the snow when the holidays roll around? Do you love being able to walk to your favorite coffee shop? Desire taking care of that big yard drive you crazy when autumn rolls around and the leaves start capture? Will you be sad to be far away from theaters and museums once those begin to open up again?
- Your personal and thorough network. Do you know anyone where you’re moving or will you be starting over? Would a move take you closer to or pissed away from your support system? What kind of diversity is there in the area you’re looking at? Will you perceive welcome and safe? What about your partner or children, if you have them?
- Your work style. Allow to pass sure to think not only about whether you can keep or find jobs in the future, but also about whether you’ll take to your day-to-day work life. Do you prefer to be surrounded by collaborative coworkers or is the solitude of remote work more your whatsis? Will you feel out of the loop if you’re the only one who doesn’t return to the office post-pandemic? Will it be challenging to work from a original time zone? Will you have to travel more often?
- Your partner’s career prospects. Will your comrade be able to work remotely too? What does the job market in your new town look like for your partner’s commerce?
- Your children’s schools. What will a new school and community look like for your family in the near days and down the line?
If you decide to go for it, know that a move is going to take a lot of planning — perhaps more than stable, given the current state of the world. Looping in your employer, evaluating the job market, considering the cost of living, and imagining a plan to carry it off smoothly will all be essential to a successful relocation.