Relocation question.

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Milla3P

Forum Lieutenant
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So I've been bringing up the topic of relocation with the wife a lot lately. Every time I do the same questions/issues come up and I want to run these by the folks who have done it.

She keeps asking me the same few things and I feel like I should ask the experts.

My questions ate as follows:

Have you relocated for work?
How many miles did you go?
What was the local learning curve? (How long til you found the good sushi joint, ect?)
How long til you made friends locally? ( HUGE!!!)

My wife and I are both NR-Ps and I dont want her to think there's nothing to do wherever we go.

Thanks.
 
S

shfd739

Forum Deputy Chief
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Milla3P said:
So I've been bringing up the topic of relocation with the wife a lot lately. Every time I do the same questions/issues come up and I want to run these by the folks who have done it.

She keeps asking me the same few things and I feel like I should ask the experts.

My questions are as follows:

Have you relocated for work? Yep. But with my current employer.Slightly less steep learning curve
How many miles did you go? 650ish miles. From the Alabama coast to San Antonio TX
What was the local learning curve? (How long til you found the good sushi joint, ect?)Steep and not steep lol. Pretty much I just went out and drove around looking for stuff. Yelp, Urbanspoon and Foursquare helped as well. When I was at work and driving around the city I kept my eyes open and soaked in everything.
How long til you made friends locally? ( HUGE!!!) We made work friends pretty quick. For the nonwork friends it came from following our interests. I hooked up with the local Toyota Land Cruiser club(now Im the club prez). She got involved with a church and its choir/handbells- her interests.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I answered with a different color above. Relocating all depends on where you go. So far I still don't regret our move to Texas. It was made easier due to us working for the same company so there was some consistency. It took a lot for me to agree to leave my comfort zone of home but once here I went exploring and made an effort to meet folks and do stuff.
 
NomadicMedic

NomadicMedic

I know a guy who knows a guy.
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I moved across the entire country for my job, west coast to east. Although, my last career was rather nomadic, so I wasn't scared to move.

It didn't take long to find stuff that I needed/wanted, as Delaware is pretty rural and there is not a lot of "city" to explore. I've been here a couple of years and I'm just starting to become accepted. It's a small, tight knit community. Although, I met my wife here. (The best part of the move, by far)
 
akflightmedic

akflightmedic

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Lets see...

I moved from SC to FL....was a huge learning curve as I did not know what I did not know and that fact was SC was way behind the times.

Made friends quickly.

Then I got bored and wanted to fly so I moved from Florida to Alaska (Bering Sea area). Learning curve was not so significant medically speaking, however arctic living sure was!!

Friends were a little tough cause it was small insulated town. I was always the outsider during my time there.

Then moved from Bering sea to Southeast Alaska (Ketchikan). Learning curve no issue, friends were easy enough.

Then I left Alaska and went to the Philippines.
Again the learning curve was the culture and daily living, not the medical. Friends everywhere!

Then I left the Philippines and went to Afghanistan....been there for almost 7 years now minus the 6 month break I took to go work in Iraq.

Also did lots of disaster response during this time...Katrina and Rita. I spent 60 days in Louisiana, there was no learning curve other than forgetting every advanced thing I knew about medicine as they were behind SC in my experience. Friends were easy enough....

Point of the story is...if you want to move and find a place you like...go for it! You have your spouse so there is friend #1. All the new experiences will keep you busy, plenty of online interest groups to reach out....

I say go for it! But then I am a nomad at heart...always wandering.

I do not regret any of my moves....also keep in mind I have family (wife and 3 kids)...no they did not go to Afghanistan....but they rocked on with everything else!
 
4

46Young

Level 25 EMS Wizard
3,063
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Where are you considering relocating to?

We moved from NYC to Charleston SC, then to Northern Virginia. The culture shock was more severe down in SC. We didn't make many friends down there, since I was at work all the time, and the locals saw Northeners as carpetbaggers. In fact, there used to be a website from Charleston called "gobacktoohio.com" complete with bumper stickers.

Virginia was better, since many people there were transplants, not backwards rednecks. If you live in a large Northern City, you'll see that housing is cheaper down South, but services are more expensive (your wife's hair and nails, car repairs, etc.)

My selling points for relocating:
-job with pension and good benefits, career advancement opportunities, more secure employment
-better schedule, to alow more time together
-be able to easily afford a house
-better weather, less crowded, less crime, less dirty than city life

My wife complained about being away from family. I explained that we need to do what's best for us. One day, her parents, aunts and uncles will be deceased. The rest of the family could relocate as well, or be doing their own thing most of the time. Where will be financially at that point? Had we stayed, we would be condemned to apartment renting for life, with a crappy 401k retirement, driving beater cars, living bill to bill or with less than three month's financial reserves, etc.

Charleston was almost 800 miles from home. Northern Virginia was about 270 miles away from NYC.
 
RocketMedic

RocketMedic

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I relocated from El Paso to Oklahoma for EMSA, was disappointed, quit and found better job.
 
OP
OP
M

Milla3P

Forum Lieutenant
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Really we're both looking to relocate somewhere warmer than new England. Our ultimate goal is to live somewhere where palm trees exist. We've been doing 911 ALS for the last several years and we want to find a better gig.

Pensions, lower costs of living, progressive protocols and good equipment. I'd prefer to work flycar, most importantly I'm sick of lifting people.

I've considered looking into Sussex Co. For some reason I like it down there. Dogfish Head probably has something to do with it.
 
RocketMedic

RocketMedic

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DEMedic needs a toaster, probably a knife block too if he can snag you both.
 
EMDispatch

EMDispatch

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The peninsula is an awesome place. We moved down here 1 1/2 years ago from the shores of lake Erie. I miss the snow, but the sun and natural beauty are tops.
 
chaz90

chaz90

Community Leader
Community Leader
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Milla3P said:
Really we're both looking to relocate somewhere warmer than new England. Our ultimate goal is to live somewhere where palm trees exist. We've been doing 911 ALS for the last several years and we want to find a better gig.

Pensions, lower costs of living, progressive protocols and good equipment. I'd prefer to work flycar, most importantly I'm sick of lifting people.

I've considered looking into Sussex Co. For some reason I like it down there. Dogfish Head probably has something to do with it.
Click to expand...

Dogfish Head is glorious. Come join me as newbies at Sussex County EMS!
 
RocketMedic

RocketMedic

Californian, Lost in Texas
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No, I just left EMSA-Oklahoma City to work for REACT in Shawnee, OK. It's a little bit east of town, high-speed small third-service that pays better, has better benefits and a fire schedule (46Young's 24on/24off/24on/24off/24on/96 off).

Kern County would be cool, but the pay vs cost of living does not even start to justify it.
 
NomadicMedic

NomadicMedic

I know a guy who knows a guy.
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Interviewer: "so, why sussex county?"

Interviewee: "doghfish head"

Interviewer: "uhh... Is it out protocols? Our deployment model? Our wag..."

Interviewee: "DOGFISH HEAD!"

Interviewer: " ... "

I can see this happening.
 
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