As you approach college graduation, it’s a sign that major changes are coming to your life and the phase you were so familiar with for seemingly forever (school) will officially be in the rearview mirror (possibly for good). One of the things you must consider is whether you will be moving back home or head to another city, which is a huge decision to make. Here are some factors that may influence how you choose the potential right city to head to after college:

Family Ties

Maybe the town you live in doesn’t have a breadth of opportunities, which may sway you to look in the nearest large city to your hometown. If not, the location of close relatives may play a factor into where you search for a gig. Having close family nearby your job location is a huge plus, and it makes any potential move less daunting compared to traversing NYC daily knowing close to nobody.

Market for Jobs

In some situations, it may be necessary to move farther from family due to more opportunities being in different regions of the country. Of course, planning to apply somewhere with ample opportunities in your field makes it easier for you to possibly find something and advance up the ladder through finding other positions in that same city.

Nowadays, with the competition and difficulty recent grads face in finding work, it’s advisable to look in the strongest markets for your field, whether it may be the prototypical big markets like New York or San Francisco or booming regions such as the South and Southwest, which features cities like Phoenix, Dallas, Nashville, and Austin.

Price

There’s some true grappling when deciding about relocating to a large city because of the sky-high prices. Though it’s only natural to want to look away from overpriced places like California and New York, the amount of jobs for recent grads there may be overwhelming compared to smaller, cheaper markets. This may lead to a tough decision about affordability, if the opportunity is worth it, so forth.

Vibes

Some places are a better fit for you, plain and simple. Therefore, the atmosphere, culture, and likability of a location also plays a huge role in which area you decide to potentially move to. Big cities may be too much for some, while smaller cities may lack the amenities others desire. Maybe it’s your dream to leave the Midwest and head to the coast or go to a different region of the country. It could be harsh winters that leave you wanting to go somewhere warmer.

Either way, likability plays a factor into this situation despite sometimes having to take the job because of the opportunity.

Everyone’s path after college is different. As opposed to picking a college nearby your home, you may choose to expand the search geographically when looking for jobs after college. Often, many college graduates have a desired region they want to head to, but many factors play into considering that move. Just like you should love what you do for work, you should love the place you are, whether it’s right after college or getting the necessary experience and heading there in the future.

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