Moving for a Job - Is it the Right Choice?

If you're pondering on moving for a job, there's more at stake than just your professional pursuits. The choice includes making both profoundly personal and future career considerations. You'll often need to make a retrospection to know if you've made the right choice, which requires time. So, what's the best you can do now? Take all the things into account and make a choice but prepare an exit strategy.

What does the change imply for you?

What makes a job change so tempting in the first place? Most likely, if you're considering a relocation, it's because you either expect a:

It's not all about the job even when moving for a job

The next step, however, involves considering your other priorities. Ask yourself as many questions regarding your current and expected lifestyle. Cross-compare the results and see if the change will notably improve your quality of life.

Most specifically, ask yourself if you'll be able to:

• Afford to visit your friends and family regularly. A long-distance relocation puts stress on familial relationships.
• Make new friends with ease. Not everybody is outgoing and makes meaningful friendships with ease.
• Adapt to the local climate. Local weather has a significant impact on your health but also your lifestyle.
• Create a better work-life balance. Are you leaving long hours in the office, maddening commutes, and job burnout behind?
• Indulge in favorite sports or cultural activities. Discover if there are adequate substitutes and options worth exploring and enjoying.

Even if the move proves to be the best decision you've ever made, it won't come without little compromises. However, its benefits should vastly outweigh the things you have to surrender.

You're not alone

Pursuing your dream job and taking your career to the next level are all worthy goals. But what happens when they collide with the goals and dreams of your significant other? What's the alternative when it boils down to giving up on a great opportunity or becoming perceived as unsupportive? No one should make that sacrifice and become a so-called trailing partner. And yet, it often happens, resulting in a failed relocation, at best.

A partner is not a burden but a helper

Talking openly about each other's expectations when going far away will help you determine the best course of action. After all, moving for a career can prove to be exciting for everyone included! Perhaps the destination offers excellent new job opportunities for the other partner. Or they can set up a home office in your new home, create a productive space, and work remotely with their current employer. Making a balance between your and your partner's goals starts when you imagine yourself in their shoes. You will know you made the right choice when you both stand behind the decision and support it wholeheartedly.

What kids want is what they can imagine

If moving for a job with a partner or a spouse seems demanding, add children of different ages to the equation. Uprooting little kids is easy, but you may not be that lucky. Although the advance of social media has made remote friendships possible, nothing can substitute personal engagement.

Even if you're on the same page with your partner, breaking the news to the kids can be challenging. Presenting the relocation as a positive experience is a good start but isn't enough. As kids generally have difficulties visualizing the unknown, fill in the blanks with specific activities you're sure they will love. It requires brainstorming, research, and visiting the destination, but the results are worth it.

Smart moves to help you decide

Overanalyzing the pros and cons of relocation for a job can lead you to a stalemate. However, it is possible to overcome getting stuck in a decision-making process.

A satisfied employee is a motivated employee

It is in everybody's best interest to make your relocation a success. Asking for a trial period, a short-term move to test your and your employer's expectations, should be welcome. Whether you're moving to your current company's new office or an entirely new job, your current or future employer will understand that your goals are compatible. Long-distance family relocations are expensive; try-out is the least costly way to ensure everybody's on the same page.

Rely on other people's experience

While every professional needs to make this critical decision for themselves, other people's experience is still highly relevant. Acquaintances that were in a similar situation as you're in now can share valuable insight. It will help you get a clearer picture of what's ahead, help you adapt to the change, and reveal aspects of the relocation you haven't thought about yet. Keep in mind that choosing who to ask plays a key role. Those invested in you, like your boss or your family, will more or less consciously provide biased advice.

What if it isn't the right choice after all?

You will accept the failed relocation more graciously if you timely prepare an exit strategy. Talking openly about it with your partner will help you create a plan B. Being cautious doesn't mean you don't believe in success. Explore other possibilities for employment in the new location in advance, look for more affordable housing, and give yourself a second chance.

Sometimes, relocation is just a project that didn't work out. It will make you smarter. It will make your family ties stronger. And it will also bring you a host of new contacts, experiences, and fresh perspectives needed to jumpstart your career. Even if moving for a job doesn't always get the expected results, it never fails to deliver important life lessons. One of them is: don't burn bridges.