Escaping New England
As a junior in high school I knew I wanted to get out of New England, Maine especially. There was nothing “wrong” with living in Maine, but I needed to explore a different culture and lifestyle. My parents were understanding, we went on college tours all over the country, and I ended up applying to three colleges: Louisville, Temple and George Mason University. My parents pushed me towards George Mason for a few reasons, mainly the cost was in-line with any other out-of-state four-year college Maine, and the campus was to their liking. That is how I ended up in Fairfax, VA, and the Washington D.C. area.
Washington D.C. Living
Upon graduating college I had a job lined up (which many of my classmates were desperately looking for) at a large public accounting firm. This was a good experience, I lived all over northern Virginia, moved to Downtown Washington D.C., and eventually back to Fairfax, VA. What was I searching for? Why wasn’t I happy? How do so many people live in the rat race? These were all questions that formed during my time in the D.C. area. I have previously posted about the problems I had with DC (here) and have outlined who I am trying to become in my About Me, but these fail to mention the “Why” I moved to Denver and how moving to Denver helped me answer those questions.
On October 15, 2014 I took a bus to NYC with the hopes of finding the next place to call home by January 1, 2015. Denver became my choice, but there were still hurdles.
Putting a Denver address on my resume
My first hurdle was finding a job. I knew I needed something lined up before coming to Denver. I didn’t have the funds to finance an extended time unemployed. I also knew Denver is one of the top places for millennials to move to and hiring managers rarely took job applications from out-of-staters. So, I put my buddie’s Denver address on my resume. It worked, within the first day of applications I had an interested partner at a CPA firm and a recruiter feeding me with jobs. When asked if I could interview for the position in the next couple of days I said “of course” while sitting on my laptop in Fairfax, VA…
Flying out same day as application
I quickly booked a same-day flight to Denver (not cheap), knocked on my then roommate’s door asking for a ride, and texted my buddy to make sure crashing on his couch, for the foreseeable future, was okay. That night I was in Denver, and the next day I was interviewing for a CPA position. Call it foolish, call it determined, call it short-sighted.
I’d call it impactful. My decision to take that interview has changed my life.
The impact of changing cities
I am a firm believer that you cannot run from your problems. Whether mental, physical, addiction, or some other problem, you cannot run. The only way to get away from problems is to change yourself. However, changing cities led to me figuring out more about myself. The determination I showed myself in moving from the known, Washington D.C. to the unknown, Denver has had a lasting impact on my life.
I have also found the confidence in myself that if something isn’t working, I am in control to make the change. If I start asking myself questions about Denver’s culture or the life I’m creating, I now know I am the one who can make the changes. The lessons learned from changing cities will go down as one of the best lessons I’ve ever learned.
You can do it too
If you are even asking yourself “Should I try another city?” then I challenge you to do it. The lessons you learn will be worth it. Do it!