Release, Rethink, Relocate!
There are two things I have learned about opportunity. First, OPPORTUNITY ALWAYS EXISTS. Always. Second, it may not come down your street and knock on your door. YOU JUST MAY HAVE TO TRACK IT DOWN AND GO TO IT. It may be in another city, state or different part of the world. It is out there. You must decide if you are willing to go after it.
It is really interesting to watch people, especially young people, love and attach themselves to places that do not love and support them or their careers. Yes, I know there is more to life than work, but hear me out. WHY IS IT SO HARD TO TRY A NEW CITY? What is the worse thing that could happen? You may not like the place. If that happens, move back to the old place.
In my late 20s and early 30s, I lived and worked in “Hot-lanta.” It was and is a happening place. While it was hot stuff saying I lived there, my career was creeping along in a fast city. I was not satisfied with the creep and started opening my mind to the possibility of living somewhere else. ONCE THE MIND OPENS, THE EYES SEE. There it was, right in my face in my same company, the perfect job for me. Not in Atlanta but Birmingham, Alabama. I went after it, got it, and found Birmingham to be a beautiful city. I moved three more times with the same employer. Each time, relocating was the boost my career needed and I gained incredible experience in the process. The rest is history.
Does it feel as though your career is creeping along? Are you having a hard time finding the kind of position you want? Relocation may be the thing for you. Upward mobility on many jobs requires a willingness to relocate. While all employers may not require relocation, most value experience gained in other locations. SOMETIMES EXPERIENCE GAINED “SOMEWHERE ELSE” IS ALL THE EDGE NEEDED IN THIS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE JOB MARKET.
Successful relocations demand that you release the notion of permanent attachment to the old city. You must rethink your place in the new space, and doggedly pursue new alliances. IF YOU RELOCATE WITHOUT RELEASING AND RETHINKING, YOU WILL MOST ASSUREDLY WASTE VALUABLE TIME COMPARING THE NEW LOCATION WITH THE ONE YOU LEFT BEHIND.
THE LESSONS:
First love the work you do. Then learn to love the city where you work.
Discuss relocation possibilities with your spouse or partner long before an opportunity in a different place presents itself.
Study the backgrounds of others who have achieved the levels you aspire to in the organization. Did they relocate over the course of their careers? But a word of caution: women and people of color should not totally rely on following the career map of white men. It may be different for you.