Hey everyone.
Kind of facing a decision & would like input. First, I currently work remotely & it has been a big push for our company. I can live where I want to within reason & already live an hour away from my home office (spent 2.5 yrs there before rec'ing a work at home offer but it was cheaper for me at the time to move back to where I am now). I occasionally have to drive in to the office---mostly meetings & 2 times for tech issues.
Where I live now is a city w/a metro area of maybe 400-500k. It is a college town & where I grew up. My close friends live here and most of my immediate family. It's an inexpensive area, still growing & fairly nice place to live, especially for families (maybe a bit too slow & not happening for single professionals). The job market is good for certain professions, not really for the corp type such as myself as we don't have tons of companies hq'd here. I think it would be hard for me to replace my income if I ever lost my job but maybe that's just me being a pessimist. I don't hate it here + feel comfortable w/my circle of friends being here but occasionally wish there was more to do close to where I am. Usually have to get in the car and drive---to airports for better prices on travel, to concerts, to lakes or other outdoor recreation.
I have been wrestling w/the idea of moving to a bigger city, one more to do and a better job market. Nashville to be specific (currently live in the upper South so not a big stretch in terms of location). It would be about 3 hrs from my home office. I have one immediate family mbr & a few distant contacts living there but that's it in terms of people I know. I have visited quite a few times and believe it is a pretty good place to live + has a growing economy. It does seem very spread out though so I would have to adjust to that & decide if that's for me.
Few questions for you all....
Do you think it would be best for me to stay as close as possible to my home office? A lot of our company is now WAH & I don't foresee any networking damage but I guess it is possible. I don't expect to try for any promotions for a few yrs as I was just promoted. There's always a chance I may job hop to a new company.
Do you think this potential move comes down to preference?
Do you think it is smart to be in a place that might offer more opportunities if something were to happen to my current job or do you think it is smart to avoid the move/associated cost & just look if/when something were to happen to my current job?
I'd like to settle in and get out of the apartment thing but want to feel comfortable knowing I will be able to find new opportunities if I have to. Maybe you all have been in similar scenarios. Thx for the input.