Author Topic: 1 Year Speed Bump or Opportunity  (Read 2791 times)

JamOn

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 3
1 Year Speed Bump or Opportunity
« on: December 27, 2017, 12:17:10 PM »
Good morning!

Looking for advice for an upcoming change in my life and how to best stay aligned with my goals.

My fiance is currently working through a grad school program and will be matched to a one year rotation in a city outside of the one in which we currently live. I've been strategically planning for financial independence based on the philosophies presented by MMM. With the move coming up I have been considering the idea of quitting my job and moving for the year as I don't have a strong desire to do the long distance thing at this point in my life. While I could look for a job in the new city, I am reserved with starting a new job in the engineering field since I know that we could only be in that city for one year. I realize that this could delay my plans but I also think this could provide an interesting opportunity for one year. Given this situation, I guess I'm just looking for advice or thoughts on how to make the most of this opportunity!

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated as I begin to plan out what this year will look like!

About me
Age: 28
Current Job: Engineering Manager
Current investments: ~460K (Not including 401K)
Target investments for financial independence: 750K (target age 32)
Annual Spend: 24K/YR

Blackeagle

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 296
  • Location: Ivins, UT
Re: 1 Year Speed Bump or Opportunity
« Reply #1 on: December 27, 2017, 04:44:40 PM »
After this year would you and the fiance be returning to your current locale?

With the move coming up I have been considering the idea of quitting my job and moving for the year as I don't have a strong desire to do the long distance thing at this point in my life.

When you say you don't have a desire to do the remote thing, are you talking about the relationship or the job?  Is working remotely for your current employer an option? 

Bicycle_B

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1809
  • Mustachian-ish in Live Music Capital of the World
Re: 1 Year Speed Bump or Opportunity
« Reply #2 on: December 28, 2017, 12:54:00 PM »
Look for contract work in the city your partner is moving to.

Miss Piggy

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1549
Re: 1 Year Speed Bump or Opportunity
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2018, 06:29:28 PM »
Generally speaking, those rotational programs are simply the first year of employment, not necessarily a temporary situation. Maybe you're talking about a different type of rotational program than what I'm used to seeing. The programs I know of include 1 year of rotational duties, then long-term employment at the same company after the rotations. (I mean, why would a company invest a whole year in somebody who is then going to turn around and leave?)

Is that significantly different from what your fiance is being offered?

JamOn

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: 1 Year Speed Bump or Opportunity
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2018, 09:13:37 AM »
Good Morning and thank you for the responses. I love a good forum that allows you to bounce around thoughts in order to pull from other's ideas and experiences. That being said, let me try and elaborate on my current post as I am realizing I may not have verbalized my thoughts with enough clarity.

- I really want to avoid a long distance relationship and working remotely is unfortunately not an option with my current company.

- My fiance will need to complete a one year rotation (narrowed down to about 5 cities) but will most likely not be longer than one year. This is more of an extension of the grad program she is completing rather than a company investing resources for a future hire (although not impossible). I completely understand your post (Miss Piggy) however since I work in a field where we invest time/resources in our interns with the plan of retaining them as permanent team members.

- I appreciate the rephrasing of the question as well as the willingness to provide feedback based on your own life experience. Currently we are planning a wedding for summer 2019 since we knew this 1 year relocation was looming. You pretty much hit the nail on the head with some of the benefits you listed of waiting a bit. I like the statement "you act based upon what you know for sure". A good reminder to make the best decision at the time and to remember that's really all you can do. I've thought about having a large resume gap and the potential difficulties that could create when searching for a new employment opportunity. However, if we end up in a location for just a year my fear is that I also end up with a short term employment position on my resume and appear to be a liability in regards to staying at a company long term. Any thoughts on which looks worse on a resume, 1 year unemployment gap or leaving a company after only 1 year?

- Your response was a good reminder that these life events should not be looked at as delays in goals but rather as exciting opportunities. It's great to see so many people buy into personal finance planning as long as they don't become so hyper focused that they miss out on enjoyment along the way.

Cheers!

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!