University graduates who have spent the last few years of their lives surrounded by the same familiar faces often find themselves overwhelmed by the fresh possibilities offered by the prospect of graduation, particularly as it offers the chance to move to somewhere entirely new and different. This prospect can be as scary as it is exciting, but you should never let fear prevent you from taking the leap. Go ahead and help to ensure the success of the move by following a few key pieces of advice.
The most important piece of advice is to make sure that you do your research. It should really go without saying that every city is different and so you need to take a look at what the personality of every neighborhood is really like and how the kind of lifestyle it offers would fit in with your own lifestyle and personal goals. You also need to take a look at the average rent price and see how that compares with the salary you expect to be earning. If you do not yet have a job lined up then you need to think about the kind of supplemental income or freelance jobs that you can make a small living from at the very beginning.
It is very important at this time to make good use of your interpersonal network. Social media is not just a way to kill some time on the internet, it can also be used to let all of your friends know about the big move you intend to undertake, and see if there are any unexpected opportunities that may arise as a result of this. When you have made your move, it can be tough in a new city where you do not know anybody or have any friends. The best advice at this point is simply to join everything; look for anything that sounds appealing and go along. Patience is a virtue, and it very important to keep this in mind at this juncture. It can take time to find a job that you love and a new group of friends, and you need to try to find something positive about your initial struggles and stay confident that the eventual rewards will make everything worth it in the end. Avoid putting too much pressure on yourself to get everything perfect from the start.
The last piece of advice is to make sure that you do what you really want to do deep down and not just what your friends want to do. Everyone is on their own particular path in life, and everyone will encounter different hurdles along the way. Your friends are going to be going on their own journeys and you need to make sure that you are going on yours and not just blindly following someone else’s. Stick to your own path and move on with your life.
Jon Huser
