I have a situation where I’m being offered a new position within the company I work for that would relocate me to a new city (about 8 hours away). I’m 37 single with no kids, just a dog. I live close to family and have a great social network of friends that I spend my time with. I will say that every day feels like it’s groundhogs day and that I feel that I’m not working towards anything but retirement. I do have a lot of hobbies that take up my my out of work hours, but at the end of the day, I can’t help feel like I’m not happy. I understand moving won’t change this, and in fact would make my social life more challenging, as I won’t have my social group around me. Now, I can make new friends, but that’s harder to do at my age then at 25.
Financially I’m 6 figures, but this opportunity would a decent increase. Doing the math, over the next 27 years if I plan to retire at 63, I would increase my total earning over than span by $3.2M. Both positions provide opportunity for moving up, but the new position provides more. Cost of living increases by only 3.5% in the new area, so not too concerned about that.
The math says it’s a no brainer, but how to I quantify the social aspect?
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How often do you see your friends/family anyway ?
Only you can quantify the social aspect. Money isn’t everything. There’s many successful rich people who would want to part with some of their wealth for a richer social connection. At this stage what do you value more ? There’s no right or wrong choice, just what you want.
If you feel you need a change, do it.
Make the move. When you get there your first impulse will be “ this was a mistake “. Fighting it. You have hobbies, use them to meet others. You are 37 – too young to be comfortable in your life.
that’s a lot of math. I’m gonna simplify it.
is this change gonna make your life twice as good? Not just the money, but your whole life.
That’s what the old saying, a bird in the hand is worth TWO in the bush, is about.
Now only you can figger that out, so good luck.
I did this twice in my career. I was a few years younger, but otherwise similar circumstances. Thoughts:
– It helped me move up faster and make more money. However, around two or three years after the second move, there was a major corporate restructuring and my office was closed and my job eliminated.
– The company I worked for never made a lot of money and they were always looking to cut costs to make budget, etc. Long story short, follow the rule “A company that does not make money is not a safe place to work”
– Socially, the move was an absolute disaster. I lost touch with many of my hometown friends and they got on with their lives. Most of the friends I had in the new cities were work-related. So we got together and complained about work and so forth. When they office closed, I lost all those friends basically. I haven’t heard from any of them in years. I moved back to my hometown after all this, but my friends’ lives had changed and we simply weren’t as close any more.
– I kept in touch with family, but that was hard to do from far away. I came back home for the holidays and some family events, but it tended to make me sad and homesick when I did.
As I mentioned, I moved back to my hometown after this all happened. I realized the industry I was in was a dead-end and that I needed better credentials. I spent a year studying to beef up my resume and got a fresh start back in my hometown. My career took off after that. I guess I needed that not so happy experience to give me wisdom and perspective for my later career and life, but it was tough.
I did this around age 30 while also single with no kids; then-current employer paid to relocate me to another city halfway across the country. It was a promotion but not enough money to change my lifestyle in a meaningful way. I ended up being miserable and lonely in the new city. Meeting new people (either friends or a romantic partner) that I meshed with just didn’t happen despite my best efforts and actually putting myself out there.
Two years later they decided to close that office and I jumped at the opportunity for them to relocate me back where I started. I came back with a new perspective and ended up happier once I came back.