8 Things I Learned Moving States Alone

The Road Trip Is Worth It. 

As I planned my route from Salt Lake City to Jacksonville I couldn’t help but make it an adventure. I had spent the previous six months racking up points at my hotel job by signing people up for rewards. I did so well that I accrued three free nights. I set up stays in Wyoming, Kansas City, and Nashville. Using the northern route saved me on gas prices and thick dessert. While Wyoming wasn’t the most fun drive, once you hit the eastern humidity everything becomes so colorful and green that you can’t help but smile and soak it in. 

Wyoming treated me to good home cooking and hospitality. 

Kansas City treated me to jazz music and New York style pizza. 

I used my hotel points in the first two cities but for Nashville, I did my research and found a fantastic hostel right in the middle of everything fun. It only charges you $35 a night to bunk with other travelers from around the world. The moment I stepped into the common room beaming, a late 20’s Australian bombshell  scooped me up under her wing and offered me alcohol from her pouch. That night, 20 years old and fresh faced I experienced my first bar thanks to the Aussie girl’s Passport and matching brown hair. We tagged along with an eccentric marketer from Atlanta, two french guys, and a belgian guy. Three of them did their best to win over my foreign American self. In the end I found my bunk and crashed with two nice girls from Manchester who I shared breakfast with the next morning. 

Before zipping off to Jacksonville on my last day I took an incredible walk along the Nashville River, and thanked the universe for bringing me that far. 

It won’t match your expectations right away. 

In your new city. everything will be new. Roads, highways, gas stations, weather, people and culture. Most likely you have a picture of what it might look like in your mind. Then you’re going to get hit with the reality that even though you’ve moved, that doesn't mean you’re settled. You have to integrate into the new pattern of this city's bustling society and find your place. 

The right job, home, and friends. Likely you’re gonna have to go through a few of each before you find one that sticks. Thankfully, good economy or not, there are always new jobs appearing and new places to live. New people moving to town and finding friends. Just be patient, stay open minded and don’t isolate yourself because something seems different than you thought it’d be. 

It’s okay to quit your job, and quit your job again. 

The great thing about moving to a new city is that it basically resets your resume. You can try different jobs and if they don’t feel right, find another one that pays the same or more and quit. Since you just moved, testing the waters is totally fine. You don’t have to add every dead end job to your resume. Just your best past three.  Employers know it takes time to find a job in a new city. A lot of them love to hear that you’ve moved, from where and why. People like newness and unique stories. 

It took me 5 employers in two years to find the job I moved to Jacksonville for. I refused to stay anywhere doused with bullshit and bad energy. Complacency was never in my blood so when the drama toll outweighed the worth of the pay, I moved on. Which truly rewarded me. While not a forever career I’ve found a spot that suits me perfectly. A beautifully lit craft beer cafe with 50 taps and the need for only one worker at a time. The customers and I have a great dynamic and my manager is a fantastic person. Even through coronavirus issues I still feel lucky and considered as an employee. I can only believe I fought for this and reaped a reward for always finding what I deserved.

My next career step is to begin earning my license as a loan originator for mortgages, something many of you should look into if you would like a profitable, positive career with no college degree. Even through this I will continue working to bartend and use it as a marketing tool. 

Rent a room and save. 

This is a good idea if you're an early adult, on your own and still figuring things out. It sounds dangerous, but actually many college cities are surrounded with apartments that lease to college students by room. They have an age cap and will put you with roommates that you’ll be comfortable around. You don't even have to be in school, just a certain age range. Or, you can just find one on facebook. If you look hard enough there are some fantastic people and opportunities hiding there. Just always be mindful and conscious of who you’re talking to. 

Switch all your state info asap

Trust me- when you move, you don’t want to have to deal with switching your information two years in. It will get complicated. Switch these things as soon as you can. 

-license

-insurance

-car registration

-mailing address

-loans and credit (if your account was at the previous state’s credit union)

Trust me, taking care of these things immediately will eliminate a massive amount of stress later. I would even look into every fee and rate before making the move to account for surprise changes. Like car insurance, unfortunately I went from paying $200 a month to a surprise $400 by moving states. I didn’t figure that out until my UT registration expired and then i had to pay for it all at once. 

Old friends will fade, new friends will surprise you

I was of course, convinced that my every friend spread out over the Utah valley would never forget me, and I would keep updated with them constantly. I was naive. They probably knew that too. Life is meant for others, yes. But it's also meant for you. Don’t bog yourself down with guilt, regret or sorrow over what you left behind. Those that supported you when leaving will not suddenly change their mind and hate you. Likely you will remain social media friends and catch up every once in a while. But moving states is a whole other world and I can’t even explain fully to you how impossible and heartbreaking it can feel like to keep your old ones close. 

Don’t fret- new ones are right around the corner. Often you don’t immediately know they'll become your closest friend. We all know it takes time and trust to cultivate relationships. So if you don’t have a ton of super genuine and trustworthy people surrounding you within the first year or so, don’t worry. Just let go- those who are meant to be around will stay. Those who aren’t, won’t. If you moved, you moved for a reason and that act of bravery will be rewarded with the life and people you deserve. 

Become an expert on your surroundings

From the best coffee shops in town, to the prettiest hidden trail; the big sight to see less than a day away, make sure you know about it. Research, write and record what you want to see and attend in your brand new state. Make a calendar and put it on your wall. Preferably a big one. Plan and mark days to go do things so you don’t enter a void of uncertainty for what to do. Even if you can't do everything on your calendar, it's way more likely that you will get excited and go do things if you plan them. It will also help when getting to know new friends and dates because you already have ideas in the books. Planning is the first step of a good adventure. 

Always keep a plan ready for edits

The world will constantly contract and change. You have to be ready to make quick edits to your life plan. It’s important for long term success to always be pliable. 

Even after working hard to land in a job Teeming with good energy, fantastic people and three of my life's biggest paychecks, the government took that away faster than i could get used to it. Away from the people whose choice was to serve beer and be served. So I had to return to my quick edits and make some new plans. I needed something to rely on in my house, out of and always. One thing people will always need is a house.

I came into the new information that loan origination is a hidden Florida gold mine. Many success stories I’ve heard of started there. This helped me decide where the next investment in my future needed to be. It was easy to find because I was open and pliable to change. 

Dreams for writing, travel and fun aside, I was learning that when life got real I had to as well. Good things only come with a balance of hard work, purposeful actions and selfless moments. Nothing you’ve ever wanted will come to you without facing trials and completing them.  

Moving states alone is a heavy trial. 

You definitely need to decide if this is what your dreams cost. If it is, listen closely; the trial is worth it. It visibly grows over time and will stun you when integration occurs.  Just don't underestimate the weight of it, you are not the exception. The life of mine you see in these photos came after many misturns. I created this life, as I continue to. You can too, so make the jump! Or don’t. Either way I stress for you to be prepared and safe. Don’t talk to strange people in the street and don’t rely on anything but hard work for wealth.