Here is the short story version:
I have to decide between living in an area where my personal life is great, but my professional life suffers (i.e. I lose my skill sets because the work that I do can pretty much be done by an 8th grader)...or I can move back home and have a poor personal life, but have a good professional life.
Here is the long story version:
I am originally from the east coast; specifically, Arlington, VA. I've lived there for most of my adult life (i.e. 12 years) and I didn't like it at all. Earlier this year, I received the opportunity to move to Washington state. I took the opportunity because I really don't like living in northern VA and I always wanted to know what it was like to live out on the west coast. I find living in the D.C. metro area too superficial for my taste. I really like living in WA and find the people and the environment more to my liking. Also, I don't know what it is about Washington state, but I find that the men actually find me attractive over here and I get a lot of positive attention. Back in D.C., I am not regarded as an attractive woman and I'm date-less for most (if not all) of the year. Living out here in Washington state has helped me tremendously feel better about myself and I now know that there was never anything "wrong" with me and my appearance. I've gained self-esteem when it comes to dating.
The stink of it is my project in WA is not challenging at all. In fact, most days I have nothing to do and I just sit there for 8 hours and surf the net. To some, this may be a dream job...but I like to actually DO something and keep my mind sharp. I contacted my old boss back in D.C. to see if he is willing to take me back on his team. He said yes. I told my current manager that I am not happy here in WA because the project isn't challenging at all and because I miss my family terribly. I didn't know how emotionally difficult it would be for me to move to the other side of the country and so far away from my family & friends. Also, my mother fell deathly ill last year and needed a heart transplant. Thank God she finally got one towards the end of last year and she is doing well now. She lives with my father and they are both well. My brother lives within a 30-minute driving distance from them, which is great for me due to peace-of-mind in case anything "bad" happens. However, I feel very guilty for moving so far away from my parents.
Another thing is that I do not like my IT career at all. In fact, I plan to return to school in 2013 to enter the medical field as a therapist. I have a few more classes to take before applying to school. The stink of it is that it will cost me $1300 to take 1 class in WA because I have to pay out-of-state tuition since I haven't been here for 1 year. Back home in VA, the same class will only cost me $550 because I am allowed to pay in-state tuition. If I get into the program, then I will start it in June 2013...that's only 18 months away.
Regardless of whether I stay in Washington or move back to VA, I simply do not like my IT career. The project back in VA would be stressful for me because there are some months where I have too much work to do and there are other months where there is very little to do. If there is very little to do, then there is always a chance of getting laid off, which causes me stress. That's part of the reason why I accepted a job transfer to the WA office. The project in WA may be boring as ****, but it is a solid/stable project. Fortunately, no one has gotten laid off on my old team. My VA management team is usually good at finding work for their subordinates. I would be put back on the same project according to my old boss. It's not fun work, but it would allow me to use my technical skill sets.
Staying in Washington:
PROS - 1. Low COL (Save more $$$); 2. Being able to live in the downtown area; 3. Great dating life (I have self-confidence); 4. Stable work; 5. Not having/needing a car (saves me money) due to living in the downtown area; 6. Getting away with dressing down (saves money) because most people dress down over here
CONS - 1. Far away from my family & friends; 2. Boring work (Losing my technical skills); 3. Weather during the winter months
Moving back to Virginia:
PROS - 1. Seeing and spending more time with parents and friends; 2. More job opportunities in the D.C. metro area; 3. Paying in-state tuition classes (therefore, being able to save more money on future tuition costs)
CONS - 1. High COL (Save less $$$); 2. Unstable work (i.e. some months I have too much work to do and other months there isn't enough work to do); 3. Crappy/non-existent dating life; 4. Not being able to afford to live in the city/downtown area; 5. Having to pay for gas because I'll need a car again; 6. Having to spend money again on buying suits & dresses (having to "dress up" because people judge you based on what you wear, what you drive, etc....very fake/superfical environment...it doesn't make me feel good about myself at the end of the day)
As you can see, there is no clear winning choice. Is there? FYI...I'm a single 30-something year old woman with no kids, so I do not have to consider other people in that manner. Which would you choose if you were in my shoes?
