I move to the new department on Monday, I had an in person interview for the field I'm trying to move into and didn't get the offer, and that was the only lead. I have an exam coming up in October that I need to put 2-4 hours a night into studying for and by all accounts it will increase my odds of landing a job by 0% because clearly something else is the issue. I vest with a pension and 6k company contributions in my 401k if I make it to January 2nd, but my assignment is set to end January 1st or February 1st so I either end up vesting and losing a job or not vesting and going somewhere else knowing I was 95% of the way there. The only positive I can think of is that I now have the ability to try to find a broader type of job in another area or state with a low cost of living (Boise? SLC? Phoenix? Texas? Tried everywhere, am finding nothing), but that is more difficult to get in terms of landing an interview with so much local talent that will apply. And I can't move to the middle of nowhere. If I apply for something in a small town in Montana, they'll immediately disregard the application and assume I'm blindly applying everywhere - 'why are you leaving sunny CA with tons of high paying tech jobs to move to the middle of nowhere and take a 20-30% pay cut?'. So, I still have no idea where I'm going and the only thing that's changed since I made this post was I landed a decent location to rent and got 2 months older.
Sometimes -- even when you don't get the answer you think you want ("clearly something else is the issue"), it's appropriate to ask for feedback on what that issue is. While most of us may fear it, it does help you move forward a little more clear-eyed about what you can expect from your current employer -- if anything at all. Life is full of "clarifying experiences," and the older I get the more I appreciate people who are straight with me. Most corporate culture is awash in uncommunicative managers who either don't clarify expectations, who know that the task at hand is futile and so don't get behind it, or who know what they want to say but lack the courage to say it.
I would approach the powers that be and try to influence sticking around until February 2, so at least you can be fully vested. Even just raising the issue so that they know you're aware of it will make them uncomfortable and they may decide that cutting you loose before you vest isn't worth it.
I would challenge your assumptions on the last point about "leaving sunny California to take a pay cut" and "I can't move to the middle of nowhere." First of all, there are plenty of reasons people leave California and clearly enough people leave it for elsewhere that you wouldn't be that much of an anomaly. If I were a hiring manager and the person I were interviewing had very specific reasons they were looking to relocate (see next comment) I wouldn't assume the worst. It's all about the narrative you create. I would encourage you to be more specific about which lifestyle factors you hope to have and which you hope to avoid so that you can apply a set of criteria to places you're considering. I live in an area of the country often considered "fly over" territory, yet it's not so much anymore. Facebook, Google, and other high tech firms have relocated here... precisely because our cooler climate allows for cheaper data warehousing, we have land available for expansion, and a work force. Cost of living is reasonable.
I'm not suggesting you just take anything or choose a place not consistent with your values, I would just be specific about what those are and open to considering places you may not have considered before.
