The Pros And Cons Of Relocating

Job seekers tend to look for work in or around their area.  Who can blame them?  Nobody wants to have a long commute to work, especially with the rising price of gas.  The situation becomes a little more complicated if the job of your dreams is a little bit further than you would like.

Relocation is always a tricky situation.  Nobody wants to leave the comfort of their hometown or travel long distances for work, but sometimes there are good reasons to do it.  Let's look at some of the pros and cons associated with relocating to another city for work.

Pros:

• Working in a new environment can be a refreshing change of pace from your normal routine.  There's something to be said for starting anew.
• Staying in your area can limit your opportunities.  Opening yourself up to travel a little more can bring you new experiences you normally would not have access to.
• Salaries can be a little higher in the city.  If you are working in the suburbs, it may make sense to expand your search into more urban areas.

Cons:

• Leaving behind your friends and family can be intimidating.  You're going to be starting from a clean slate, which means you will also need to make new networking contacts.
• Money is definitely an issue.  Even if it's not so far that you would have to get an apartment, the commuting costs can be a real drain on your wallet.
• You may not like your new location.  If you are planning to move, make sure you are truly in love with the location.  Don't just judge it based on one visit.

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: 4/12/2011

If you live in the New York-New Jersey area, you are probably as tired of the rain as I am.  Seriously, I know "April showers bring May flowers," but can't we just have one week off from wet weather?  Now that I have that out of the way, here are today's links...

• 'Improve Your Job Prospects'-Arlington College in Virginia is offering courses to get a business management degree.  If you live around there, you should consider taking this to improve your chances of landing a nonprofit job.

• 'The Top 5 Job Seeker Mistakes'-Are you having trouble with your nonprofit job search?  It's not always something you are doing wrong, but there are plenty of mistakes job seekers make when looking for non-profit jobs.  This article from Jobs for Change goes over five of these common errors, and how you can avoid them.  Pay particular attention to #5: it's definitely key to ask for help if you need it.  Too often people try to be macho and go it alone.