Wherever the wind may take me...

May 5, 2009 5:33 PM

Playing with the idea of dropping it all and moving ... but where?

So, I'm a 27 year old IT professional living in Atlanta right now, and I'm feeling the pull of restlessness. I want to sell everything and move somewhere ... but need opinions as to where to move, and maybe even some advice / firsthand stories? What's a good city for a single 27 year old? What things should I be aware of before even trying this?

posted by frwagon to travel & transportation (22 comments total)

<>>>>>

Ummmmm, a job?

What are you not happy with about where you are now, and are you looking for something stable where you can throw down roots for a while or something where you hitchhike across the US or backpack across Europe? Do you like cold weather, warm weather, lots of culture, etc?
posted by texas_blissful at 5:43 PM on May 5

Definitely looking for a place to reside... no backpacking or hitchhiking for me. Don't know about setting down roots just yet, but it could be a possibility. Weather doesn't matter... but I'm definitely biased towards large cities... really want an active culture - people to interact with. Job is.. well, a given. Right now I've been relatively recently laid off... my job currently is just enough side stuff to keep myself alive - and much of it I could do from any geographic location. (ie telecommuting)
posted by frwagon at 5:48 PM on May 5

Also, I've grown up and lived in a 20 mile radius my whole life... part of the reason i feel like maybe i should break out of it.
posted by frwagon at 5:49 PM on May 5

I picked up and moved to Mexico (La Paz, BCS) for a year. Loved living there (as did other expat friends that moved to various parts of Mexico), and internet connectivity was good and I was completely able to telecommute -- as an IT worker you may well be able to keep on working. Cost of living was lower of course, although not dramatically so if you keep living the same lifestyle.

Go for it! You're young enough that you can always slink back if it doesn't work out, but you may not be able to make a big move again once you're older with kids/responsibilities/etc...
posted by glider at 5:54 PM on May 5

Or how about moving onto a boat for a while?
posted by glider at 5:55 PM on May 5

Hawaii. The Big Island.
posted by KokuRyu at 5:55 PM on May 5

I'm pretty sure this is exactly what New York City is for.
posted by willpie at 6:15 PM on May 5 [1 favorite]

At 27 you're still below the cutoff for a lot of working holiday visa programs. I believe BUNAC is the agency that handles these kind of visas for Americans travelling to other countries.

Come to New Zealand! The culture is laid-back, most people I know have found it easy to find a job (especially if you are an IT professional) and it's a beautiful country to explore. I'm living in Wellington, the capital, which has a great culture, and you can walk everywhere.

Australia is another great place to work and travel.

I was hesitant but this has been the best move of my life and I don't want to leave.
posted by Flying Squirrel at 6:17 PM on May 5

arcosanti : arcosanti.org. It is the future of cities, 40 years into construction. Do a six-week work-study, then stay for a workshop. Learn a skill. Talk to Paolo Soleri before he turns 90. Build Arcology.
posted by sfz at 6:18 PM on May 5

Not New Orleans. That's all I can recommend, because I did the whole "drop it all and live in New Orleans" thing and it was a disaster -- shit economy + corrupt cops + full of criminals + way too many fun distractions = total financial collapse. Details on request.
posted by paultopia at 6:35 PM on May 5

You really have to clarify what your outer bounds are, if any.

For example, I might say good things about Athens, GA, or eastern Europe.
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 7:02 PM on May 5

Clyde, I'm fairly certain i'd like to leave the state... and beyond that, I think i'd like to stay on US soil, but that's not written in stone.
posted by frwagon at 7:04 PM on May 5

In addition to my earlier post, I did get up and move from Atlanta at about your age, though before that I did get up and move from Dallas to go to Atlanta (and a whole bunch of cities before and after). For me I learned that I would tend to think that "the grass is always greener on the other side". Having a job you're happy at is key.

And BTW, I would love to be an expat somewhere out of country, but have no idea how feasible / challenging that is. Otherwise, I'm most familiar with Texas, and Austin is a great city, though it's definitely growing - urban sprawl comes to mind - besides that it would be a fun place if you can get past the other competitors.

The only other major thing I can think of is friends. You must have a lot of friends in that area if you've been there so long. But it's much more difficult trying to start from scratch to build a new friend base.
posted by texas_blissful at 7:14 PM on May 5

I am about your age, also working in IT (web development in Singapore), and feeling the same kind of restlessness as yours. Are you considering to move within USA, or would consider other countries as well?

My only options would be either graduate studies or directly finding work overseas -- not exactly easy since I'm still pretty junior in the field (2 years and counting). Being a native English speaker and an American citizen, you have a few more options compared to me:

- Language teaching in mostly Asian, you'd probably need to get a cert for this, which is pretty easy to obtain.

- Working holiday visa: Take advantage of the fact that you're below 30. Apart from NZ, Australia is another place that has WHV arrangement with the USA.

You didn't mention how experienced you are in IT and the specific field that you're in. I believe that given sufficient skills and experience, it shouldn't be hard to find IT job anywhere in the world.

Also, I've grown up and lived in a 20 mile radius my whole life... part of the reason i feel like maybe i should break out of it.

You should. Being out of your comfort zone will force you to mature in ways that you'd never thought of. I was sent away from home (overseas) when I was 16, and I think of myself as a more mature and independent individual largely thanks to that.
posted by joewandy at 7:21 PM on May 5

Bermuda. Not too far (direct Delta flight from Atlanta, I believe). No income tax. Safe and friendly. I lived there between 82 and 85 and go back about once a year. Loads of single women (big assumption, I know). Get into sailing and/or scuba diving. Loads of IT jobs. Good luck!
posted by HarrysDad at 7:59 PM on May 5

San Diego.

Or anywhere really. It's not like they are going to close Atlanta when you leave. You can always go back later.
posted by 26.2 at 8:21 PM on May 5

I have to recommend my hometown(s) of Minneapolis/St. Paul. There are a surprising number of similarities between MSP and Atlanta (besides the weather).

There are a lot of parks and outdoor recreation areas. The colleges and universities are a big part of the cities, so there are plenty of bars, restaurants and things to do without it being too overwhelming. It's a fairly low cost of living with decent job opportunities in a variety of sectors. There are nice houses and apartment buildings and a decent sort of nightlife for any crowd, whether you're a clubber or a coffeehouse sort of person.

It's not quite as adventurous as Bermuda, or teaching abroad, but it's a nice area and has a decent concentration of "young professionals". Let me know if you have any questions about the cities!
posted by JannaK at 8:35 PM on May 5

I'm 25 & also in IT... just got settled in here in Fort Worth, TX... but if I get that feeling you've got in 3 or so years it's PORTLAND all the way.

Either Portland. (Portland, Oregon or Portland, Maine) ... both are big cities by my standards, but not BIG cities by the standards of people in Dallas / NYC / Miami / Chicago / LA / etc ...

GO TO PORTLAND!

(note: i've never actually been to either Portland... they're just "My Ideal" ... specifically the one in OR)
posted by eli_d at 10:30 PM on May 5

Portland is pretty great, but don't expect to find work there right now..

You might consider San Francisco, there's still tons of tech jobs here and it seems to meet what little criteria you've laid out.
posted by cj_ at 10:58 PM on May 5

(One word of caution: San Francisco, and the Bay Area in general, is hilariously expensive to live in. If you don't have a lot of savings, I would look for work first and see about relocation if you get an offer. But that's just me.)
posted by cj_ at 11:01 PM on May 5

I'd recommend getting out of the USA for a bit if you can. In global terms, all US cities are pretty much the same.

I moved from Sydney to London about a year ago (had job lined up). And even London is pretty smilar to Sydney I think. just different weather. But good thing over here is being able to travel to Europe and see some really different shit.

I've always wanted to packup and take off somewhere crazy for a few years but its hard to do.. particularly when I want to go to say Russia or northern China or some Eastern Block Country.

The USA is just so bland get the hell out of there.
posted by mary8nne at 7:08 AM on May 6

Seconding Arcosanti. I just came back from Soleri's 90th birthday party there.
posted by dmd at 7:41 AM on June 24