@ItsJustSchool Instead of looking to the future, I looked to the past. During the Mesozoic and Paleozoic there may have been times when those states were coastal. Much of what is now the west didn’t exist.
To the OP, AZ is a booming state with lots of opportunity. We seem to be heading out of the slump of the recession. ASU is growing, U o f A probably is too. Lots of people do love the weather, but like anything super hot gets hard toward the end of that (very long) season. As they say, you can’t shovel heat. The best thing about being in the desert here is that it’s a 2 hour drive north and uphill to cool, even snow in the winter. In Tucson Mount Lemmon is even closer. Someone else said above, that this is the time to do these things. If she can get some sort of financial aid for being a teaching assistant or something, maybe she can make it work with some loans.
For my part, I had a reflexively disoriented reaction when I moved to Boston for school. The weather map always showed Boston to be north of New York. My orienting instinct was basically a rectangular map of the 48 with (generally) Washington and California holding down the two western corners, and Miami and New York City pinning the East coast (you know… “from California, to the New York Island…this land was made for you and me.”). New England was (in my mind) an appendage (to first order) off of that basic model.
My brain knew better, but i always had a disorienting reaction when I passed a TV set with the weather on.
It was funny to hear a student at my school claim he had been to the deep south (Virginia) and way out west (western Pennsylvania)- and actually mean it!
“I guess the thing that bothers me most is the ‘possibly online’ for grad school. I would be careful with that.”
I know several who have recently done grad school online. One just got a masters from Carnegie Mellon last spring. They are required to go to campus a few times during the program. He was living in NYC and working a “real” job while doing this program. Another got their MBA online from Indiana.
“And she needs to realize that she is currently in a narrow window when getting into grad school and/or getting that first job is going to be easiest”
Say what? I went back to grad school 8 years after graduating from college. My H went back after 11 years. Most of the people in both our programs had been out of college for at least several years.
I have been encouraging my son not to go to grad school right away. Not only does he need a break from academia but some real job experience. I also think waiting a few years, at the very least, helps one figure out exactly what they want to go for.
I even know someone who decided to go to Medical School, from a field that had nothing to do at all with health care, when she was in her 30’s (went to UVA Med School.)
“Perhaps not obvious to East Coast denizens.”
I went to college in Colorado and I referred to it as going to school “out West”, minus, of course, the coast bit.
Re: grad school. I think there is a difference between going back for professional degree versus pursuing a PhD in a research based field. For a PhD, schools want to see recent research, conference presentations, publications, etc. Those are most likely to be pursued in a university setting as an undergraduate or Masters candidate. Most people who have been out of school for a few years are unlikely to continue their research and publications.
I have both an MBA and a Masters of Divinity and both of those professional degrees preferred work experience.
My daughter worked for three years before grad school and her first job after graduation was in China. I was actually the one that suggested it to her so I’m on board with long distance jobs. However, I don’t think she would have moved without a job first. Once she decided to go back to grad school she did everything - application and expenses herself. She worked several jobs while in grad school. I think working after undergrad makes one a more appealing candidate.
As far as the general plan to relocate out west, I would suggest only doing that if she has a three month nest egg or a real job nailed down. This site has interesting jobs: http://www.coolworks.com/wyoming-jobs/
“For a PhD, schools want to see recent research, conference presentations, publications, etc. Those are most likely to be pursued in a university setting as an undergraduate or Masters candidate. Most people who have been out of school for a few years are unlikely to continue their research and publications.”
In life sciences and health fields where I have experience, those are just as likely to be pursued in a non-profit research lab or pharma/biotech setting. I know many PhDs who went to get their grad degrees after at least a couple of years of work in such settings. Once they made their minds about pursuing research, it was not that hard for them to come up with convincing applications. The hardest part, according to some, was giving up their current salary for a tiny grad assistantship stipend.
Can I say how happy I am to see actual geological history brought up as a fun topic? This is why I’m still on this forum … Ps. Tonight’s NOVA on PBS is incredible!
Being from PA I call it east- H calls it midwest . H is from TX and calls it west I call it south. I do think CO is considered west. In that case Utah would be west. We have these discussions all the time at home. Depending on where you look the definition of regions varies.
OK back to topic, I guess having a D live in another country makes me realize that living in the home country seems reasonable to set up shop after some exploration.
Ah, CO is west as is Utah; perhaps the Rocky Mountain West (Wyoming, Colorado or Utah) or the Southwestern Deserts (Utah, AZ), but the OP said, " she wants to live on the west coast~ Wyoming, Arizona, Utah". It’s the coast part that got people talking, I think. As a resident of AZ, I feel definitely feel the west but - believe me - not the coast.
I think it is way too late. As an avid skier and was a ski bum in my younger days, you must start to look for the ski area jobs right after the ski areas are closed in April for the next season, unless you are established workers with the area.