We are having an interesting conversation as S2 continues to job search in advance of his graduation this spring. Is it more advantageous to take a job in your chosen field but not your chosen location, or job of any sort in your first-choice location but continue to look for something in your field?
DH and I feel like a job in the field he has trained for is paramount, or you end up derailed before you begin a career. S2 feels like why live where he would never stay, when he could at least have the location part settled and continue to look for a better, more career-driven job. (Insert parental eye-roll). I will say that he is applying much more widely than his chosen locale, but is in a creative field so his resume will only ever be as appealing as his latest work. S1 had a job offered to him before he had graduated, so this is new territory.
I think you don’t need to worry until you actually have those offers on the table.
Careers aren’t necessarily straightforward, anyway, and we’ve made dozens of moves all over the globe for interesting job offers. We’ve also said no to job offers in places we thought wouldn’t suit us, but the offers themselves were pretty sweet. They have to make them sweet because the place is not We didn’t want to get trapped like that.
Currently we feel somewhat trapped because the girls need to finish high school in one place, and we’ve been here for 8 years. We’re both super antsy to move and start doing something different, but we have a few more years to wait.
So, I’d say neither of the extremes you are suggesting-but look for a job that would be interesting in a place that would be interesting versus the perfect job in a crap city.
But, that’s just been our experience-some people like staying put and that makes them happy, too. It’s whatever is going to work for your kid. It’s a lot easier to be a tumbleweed when you’re young, though.
My brother graduated from UofM sick of winter and moved to San Diego without a job. He started out in a low paying retail position and now lives 2 blocks from the beach in LA. Worked for him.
Greenbutton, I agree with you and your H. When your S gets a couple of years of experience in his chosen field, he will be more marketable, and this marketability will open more doors to him in other job markets, possibly his dream location. That said, maybe your S is not super satisfied with the “chosen field” and is using this as an opportunity to use his transferrable skills to find something he would love to do.
I graduated from architecture school the month the biggest architecture firm in NY laid off 300 people. I chose location (4 years of long distance romance seemed like enough). My first job was working in a planning firms office, but doing graphics. I got laid off after a few weeks, and then they hired me part time for a while. (Idiots.) Then I worked for a while at Caltech as a librarian for a professor’s library. It was a part time job and I really enjoyed it. Finally found a real job after close to a year of applying to every single listing I was remotely qualified for.
Good point, musica. But if he is trying to get out of it prior to making it into a career, it would not matter. Has he expressed any regrets about his chosen major/field?
No, he has no regrets that he speaks of – and if he did, he’s the kind of kid who would have said so in spades. I think he has the normal worries of “what if I can’t find a job” but that’s going to be the case regardless of his career. This first bunch of job hunting can be very daunting. Jobs are not super-scarce, but then again, he’s not aiming to be a teacher or an engineer so he won’t be able to limit the geography of the hunt forever if something doesn’t turn up in the next months.
This subject is a bit uncomfortable for me because there’s a significant possibility that Lake Jr.'s first “career job” will be located in one of those out-of-the way regions, far from home, given his present academic and professional interests. He recently finished a co-op at a company facility situated nearly two hours from the nearest major metropolitan area. He enjoyed it and I guess that’s the most important thing. But when I hear him discuss job options in far flung towns where the cultural and social opportunities are very different from what he is used to, I get a small sense of despair.
It’s probably most advantageous to expand your horizons a bit. I think that having one chosen location could get you in trouble. But having a range of locations might work. Maybe you want to live in the South, for example. That’s probably do-able. Or maybe you like large metropolitan areas. That might be OK, too. But if you say “I’m only willing to live in Atlanta,” you may end up spending your days operating a cash register in Atlanta.
S had 3 job offers – two were in HI, where he claims he ultimately wants to settle but not doing work he is interested in pursing (tho he would get training and it’s HI). The other was in DC, which has its own attractions, more interesting job, and had/has lots more opportunities for transfers and promotions.
We urged S to follow his heart, especially as he has no dependents and why “settle,” just due to location. He did take the DC job, and so far has not voiced any regrets. We miss him but are happy for him.
I’m mixed. My g/f’s twin daughters wanted to return to our area. I advised one to get the best internship in mental health, and no locations in our area. She returned to home area, took a lesser internship, but she is happy. Still dating a good guy she met in this area. Both twins have shifted jobs and moved to nearby cities, but remain here in SE FL. Friends and future spouses are top priorities.
Others I know move where the best job opportunities are. One of son’s friends took a job near Madison, and liked it so much he bought a house. Another went to Portland, and is looking for a house. They are far from family, but like their jobs and want to settle down.
My S is in a non- preferred location (small city, not really a great place for young people) but hopefully his current job will give him contacts. I think young ones just starting out need to be flexible on location.
Here are my 2 cents…I would get a job in your field, work for few years then look for a job in the location of your choice. Employers are always looking for people with experience, what most young people are lacking is experience. If they get stuck at a low paying, minimum wage type of work at a location of choice there is no guarantee he/she will be able to get a job in the chosen field later. My nephew wanted to work in NYC, but he got a dream job in Chicago. He took that job instead of taking a lesser job in NYC. With his experience he will be able to get another job in NYC soon.
Yes, we hope that the experience S is gaining in DC will give him a wide variety of positions to choose among in the locations of his choice. He is acquiring a nice skill set. Because he had 2 summers of internship, we was hired and paid as having two YEARS of experience at his 1st full time position and was their #1 recruit! In June, he will make 5 years in DC–how time flies!
It will really depend on the job offered and the location he wants. If the job is great in all aspects, except location, the wise choice may be to go with the job. OTOH, it is not always easy to change jobs or to live in limbo for a number of years. If there is the potential for the kind of job he wants in his preferred location, it may well make sense to be very picky about taking a job in a place he doesn’t want to live.
A 22 yo has a lot of time to be practical and to set a career path. If he really wants to live in a certain area, maybe it does make sense to go for it.
We didn’t want to get trapped like that.