Let’s be real, moving sucks. Whether it’s 10 miles or 5,000 miles away, moving is an incredibly taxing experience. For college students, moving especially sucks come graduation when you have to leave all your friends and memories behind at your alma mater. And if you go to college in a small town with little to no job opportunities, moving is most definitely something you’ll face come graduation. If this is you and the job prospects aren’t looking too bright in your town, consider moving to the following cities to kick-start your career in the right direction
1. New York, NY
As Alicia Keys once said, New York is the “concrete jungle where dreams are made of.” Most people move to the big apple with big plans for their future, and to be honest, I don't blame them. Some of the most amazing companies in the world are in New York and with that come endless opportunities. Although it is one of the toughest places to live, this city breeds hustlers.
2. Seattle, WA
Aside from being home to Starbucks and Amazon, Seattle is an amazing place for recent grads. It's the largest city in the Northwest and according to Nerdwallet.com, ranks number 1 in the top 10 for the percentage of residents ages 25 and older who have bachelor's degrees. With the surge of recent grads moving to Seattle, it's no wonder that it's one of the cities people are most likely to Instagram their move, according to InvitationHomes.com.
3. Raleigh, NC
If you're looking for a relatively smaller city with all the big city luxuries, Raleigh is your place. It's got a small-town feel but big city mindset as the population has grown 60% since 2000. Now, that's a whole lot of new residents coming to the oak city. To top it off, Raleigh was voted as the number one city in the U.S. for jobs by Glassdoor.com in 2015. If that isn't reason enough to move there, I don't know what is.
4. Columbus, OH
Columbus is a wonderful place to move if you're looking for a great job market in a city with a lower cost of living. A recent article from TheStreet.com states that Columbus' cost of living is 3% lower than the national average. That's great news for cost-conscious grads looking for an affordable place to live. Not to mention, because of the robust job market in Colombus, the cities unemployment rate is far below the national average.
Remember, opportunity only knocks if you do. While picking up and moving your life to another town, state, or even country may be hard, you have to do what’s best for you. Your friends don’t pay the bills — you do.
