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5 Things To Consider When Moving For Work
Does your state have some of the lowest wages in the nation or offer limited opportunity in your field? Moving to further your career is tough, and if you talk to your coworkers about it, they will probably confirm many of your fears about switching jobs. It’s a rough and real decision to make, but in the end, taking the risk of moving for your job often pays off.

5 Things To Consider When Moving For Work

1. Can You Move?

If you have some savings, all you need is a place to live. It’s convenient to find a new job right when your lease ends, but often that’s not the case. You can get out of your lease by talking it out with your landlord, paying a little extra, or finding a subletter to finish out your lease. If you’re a homeowner, then you could make money renting out your home until you know for sure that you are transplanted. If your home is in an area affected by the economic downturn, renting out your home is a smart move to wait out the market until you can sell

2. Can You Get A Job?

Of course, finding a job before leaping (or mid-leap) is the hardest part of moving for work. If you’re lucky, you’ve got a job already lined up, or just got a raise or promotion with your current company.
In larger markets (or depending on the niche), you might want to prep for your job search by improving your credit, polishing up your resume or improving your skillsets. Different job markets have slightly different requirements, so looking at the market in different cities may help you find a job quicker. Are there missing pieces in your skill set? Should you brush up on skills you know but your current job doesn’t require? Shifting back into career seeking mode before leaping into a new city with higher wages will help you land a career that you can grow into.
[RELATED: 4 Critical Questions to Ensure a New Job ]

3. Is Now The Right Time?

Is now a good time to change careers? Perhaps your children are mid-semester in school, or there is shifting infrastructure in your company or city. Now might be the time to leap. If you feel like it’s time to change, create a plan and do it! If something is holding you back, evaluate the validity of that worry and figure out how to work around it.
Sometimes there are easy fixes. Try finding a subletter, moving schools, or getting an “in” by attending the same conferences as your dream company. Taking some time isn’t the worst thing, as long you spend that time actively improving yourself. Moving is hard, and if you are trying to get a dream job, that can be even harder.

4. Can You Afford This?

What can you afford? Can you afford to move or can you not afford to stay? If you are moving for more money and the cost of living is less where you’re going, taking a minor financial leap might be right for you. If you are comfortable where you are and don’t have a guaranteed career in the new city, take advantage of networking.
Applying for jobs and setting up a week off for interviews will help you land a new career in a higher paying city while limiting your time away from your current job. There are many tools online that can help you determine how much rent you should spend where you’re moving. Larger cities with greater career opportunity also have wonderful public transportation (calculate that before you go, toll roads add up!).
If you can’t afford it now, would saving while honing your skills be a viable option? Does your new career offer a relocation allowance? These are all important questions to ask yourself.

5. Is This What You Really Want?

Is changing your job what you really want right now, or does leaving the city behind just sound endlessly alluring? Maybe you don’t want to leave your job. Maybe you just want to vacation. Perhaps you just have a lot of frustrations about an unprofessional co-worker that you need to address with HR.
Maybe all you need to do is straight up ask for more money. If you feel your work isn’t valued enough, explaining that to your boss is a superb thing to do.

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