Graduating soon, life-changing decisions

[diva]

Should I move down to Oregon and follow my career aspirations full-on, without looking back and everything I would be leaving behind up here?

Although one could argue that I only have an tiny room of posessions and three cats to call my very own.

If I leave this summer, I don't have to deal with the bullshit of the Canadian health care system and how hard it is for a newly graduated nurse to get ahead. Not moneywise. They always want you to work countless overtime at close to $40/hour, but your career doesn't go anywhere.

UBC has shitty grad programs, at least for what I want to do.
And now that I have my greencard, I can go to grad school part-time and live at home with my parents and work in pretty much any area that I want. Also, my parents wont charge me rent and i'll be making US dollars and paying off my student loan in record time. I can probably take a job down there paying the equivalent of CDN$75K, and work more to make more, or less to go to school more.

I also recognize that I can't accomplish all the things I'd like to accomplish without a lot of support--for various reasons. It will be like being in high school again. God, I can't believe that i'm about to finish school and am debating whether or not to move back home.

Not only moving back home, but moving away from the people who've shaped my identity over the past four years.

I'm only 22, but I spend a lot of time thinking about things like this. I want to finish grad school by the time i'm 26 and go into practice for myself. After that, who knows.

I know it's only February, but If i'm going to do this, I have to apply for school down there soon and figure out transcript stuff....

Yikes, a lot to think about over the last 24 hours.

[LeeBrat]

Originally Posted by diva

Should I move down to Oregon and follow my career aspirations full-on, without looking back and everything I would be leaving behind up here?

If I leave this summer, I don't have to deal with the bullshit of the Canadian health care system and how hard it is for a newly graduated nurse to get ahead. Not moneywise. They always want you to work countless overtime at close to $40/hour, but your career doesn't go anywhere.

UBC has shitty grad programs, at least for what I want to do.
And now that I have my greencard, I can go to grad school part-time and live at home with my parents and work in pretty much any area that I want. Also, my parents wont charge me rent and i'll be making US dollars and paying off my student loan in record time. I can probably take a job down there paying the equivalent of CDN$75K, and work more to make more, or less to go to school more.

Yikes, a lot to think about over the last 24 hours.

yikes, that sure is alot to have to think about so soon. i would say move back in with your parents, not having to pay any rent, and making US dollars sounds like a pretty good way to go. but still think about it, dont make any decisions if your not really sure. good luck with everything tho =)

[Cdn_Brdr]

A decision like that is definitely a tough one. For me, one thing that has always shaped my decisions, is a simple question: What makes me happy?

I know that I would follow my heart on a situation like this. If I could live well, enjoy my job, and be around the people who I love then I myself would stay. Making more money wouldn't be a huge part of it unless it came down to me just getting by or living really well.

On the other hand if I felt that I'd never truly be happy with my career path here and that it wasn't going to take me anywhere then my decision could waver the other way.

I guess bottom line is that you really need to think about what makes you HAPPIEST. Do you have friends here, a life here, that you truly feel like you can't give up for anything? Or do you feel like you maybe need a change and need to do what's best for you regardless of the consequences to your social life etc? I don't envy your decision at all, it's a tough call.

[diva]

^ I wouldn't be going down there permanently. I doubt i'm going to be falling in love with America anytime soon.

For 5-7 years maybe....Just enough to get my career started and come back here and have people begging me to work for them.

The money aspect is nice, but it's just to get ahead more quickly. I'd like to be able to come back to Vancouver one day and buy a place.

[ty_guy]

do what makes you happy and your identity should follow you. if you move it means you'll be following your career goals? then you should go for it. it's your career, what you wanted to do with your life. pay check isn't everything but it is something to take a serious thought about. if you are moving back home would you not have some old friends to meet again? always question yourself when you make a decision, it's a way of double checking so what ever your decision is let it be fun and adverturous=)

[diva]

So i've got it narrowed down to Georgia (HOTLANTA, or a quaint little victorian suburb), Texas, Nevada, or California (nothing too close to LA). Maaayyybe Oregon, or North Carolina. I want to be somewhere that's sunny. Yeah, i think i'm one of those people who just does better in the sunlight.

Of course, there's the small chance that I'll get the coveted new grad maternity job at BC Women's without any experience...but i'm all about the contingency plans. I'll know if I get my final placement there by June.

I'm working on getting my resume and cover letter updated for recruitment companies and the different hospitals i've been researching during this upcoming week.

[yoko*]

Congrats on your graduation,

I don't have much advice to share... but i just wanted to say that you're very lucky to have many choices and such great oppurtunities ahead of you. Not everyone has the ambition and sometimes the opportunity to set their goals and really actually follow through with them, so it's admirable :)

[DJ Ponz]

Originally Posted by diva

For 5-7 years maybe....Just enough to get my career started and come back here and have people begging me to work for them.

Bear in mind that the next 5-7 years of your life will be the most exciting of all of them. Do you want to spend those in the land of the soon-to-be fucked? Pulling up roots and pissing off to a different place can be wicked, but if you're going to live with your parents, what is the point? And the other thing is this: you said you're concerned about money. Unless you have funding up the wazzoo, paying for american grad schools could set you back shitloads. What kind of grad school are you thinking about?

My sister finished grad school and moved to Atlanta - a place she loves - but she's materialistic and loves living the melrose place lifestyle. I'd rather die than live that sort of american dream. No, I'd stay here or go to the third world if I were you. Do something for your soul - not your career.

I think with your talents and privilage, it is your responsibility to the human race to use them to benefit many, not just yourself. But what do I know.

[Leviathan]

I liked Atlanta in the summer time, the zoo was good. Other than that I couldn't get used to all the confederate flag bumper stickers and I was told to stay away from downtown after dark. :)

[Bitchin]

I say do what will make you happy, and if that means leaving here. Then so be it.

Cause remember, theres always planes and telephones that go both ways.

[diva]

Originally Posted by DJ Ponz

I think with your talents and privilage, it is your responsibility to the human race to use them to benefit many, not just yourself. But what do I know.

That's the plan.
But in order to do that, I need to be debt free and have experience--which will take forever to get in BC.

I'm moving away so I can come back and live in beautiful vancouver and spend part of my life travelling and helping ppl in developing countries.

Why would moving away from everything and everyone that I hold dear benefit me anyways?

edit:
what's atlanta like?
i'm really curious about that city and i've heard that georgia is a beautiful state with really friendly ppl.

[diva]

Originally Posted by Leviathan

I liked Atlanta in the summer time, the zoo was good. Other than that I couldn't get used to all the confederate flag bumper stickers and I was told to stay away from downtown after dark. :)

Really?
I've heard that Atlanta has an awesome nightlife. Maybe it has not-so-nice parts of dt just like we have. ie. our downtown eastside.

And confederate flags don't always denote racism. They mean a lot more to the ppl down there than that. Besides, that state has a huge population of black people and i think it would be nice not to be in the minority for once in my life. Jim and I watched a segment on 60 minutes once about georgia's' burgeoning black middle class population.

[Leviathan]

Yeah I don't know much about the nightlife, I didn't want to test the theory after running into problems in Columbus once. The people I was working with at the airport highly suggested staying out of the city center at night. Don't get me wrong it was totally a nice. I think the olympics really helped clean it up.

From what I gathered though, racism was pretty prevelant even within the people I worked with who were all white. They weren't outright racist but they were most definately on the verge. There is definately tension there.

The food there was amazing though.


"Unlike some big cities, Atlanta doesn't have a large population living in the downtown area, although it looks as if that is beginning to change. Currently, downtown consists primarily of businesses, hotels, restaurants, and sports venues, and it doesn't possess the round-the-clock big city excitement that can be found in New York City, for example. People are beginning to move into newly renovated lofts and other buildings, but there's still not a lot of activity in the central city after business hours. For that reason, it's wisest for visitors to stick to the hotel district and the sports venues, where most of the nighttime goings-on take place."

This came from Frommers and pretty much sums up what I saw.

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...002030180.html

Originally Posted by diva

Really?
I've heard that Atlanta has an awesome nightlife. Maybe it has not-so-nice parts of dt just like we have. ie. our downtown eastside.

And confederate flags don't always denote racism. They mean a lot more to the ppl down there than that. Besides, that state has a huge population of black people and i think it would be nice not to be in the minority for once in my life. Jim and I watched a segment on 60 minutes once about georgia's' burgeoning black middle class population.

[dapimpstress]

these kinds of decisions aren't really too life changing. you can always go home, you can't always leave... if you have an opp i say go for it. you don't wanna regret not doing it later...

[diva]

Well, it looks like my brother has decided to go to Georgia. All he has to do is sign the letter of intent, and drop it in the mailbox.

I'm going to call his recruiter and ask him various questions about the state of georgia and stuff like that.

[soma]

Originally Posted by diva

Also, my parents wont charge me rent and i'll be making US dollars and paying off my student loan in record time.

I think you just answered your question that kind of a change may be difficult but you're still young and have lots of oppertunity to come back to whats important here in canada

[diva]

So I went online and found some interesting prospects.

I emailed the HR people from the various hospitals and got a few replies back saying that they're sending me application packages in the mail.

Just an update for those who care.

I think I want to get a rad job for two years, then do some travel nursing throughout europe and asia for a year or two.

I'm getting sooo sick of school!