Brazen Careerist guest writer Ryan Healy offers twentysomethings advice in his post entitled “Forget the big city, try middle America.”
It could be good advice for you too.
“From the outside, cities like Cincinnati, Ohio and Norman, Oklahoma aren’t nearly as exciting or trendy as New York or San Francisco. …chances are we will just be able to “stay afloat” either way. Since that is the case, I will not hesitate to choose the fulfilling, under paying job in a small city rather than grind it out during the week to party until 4a.m. on Friday with the rest of the yuppies in the big city.”
Think about it. If exciting, trendy and partying yuppies are moving to Cincinnati and Norman, they will need exciting, trendy and partying entertainment there too. In the globally interconnected world we live in, more and more people are making these choices. Choices driven by a desire for life rather than money and prestige. Don’t get me wrong, they are still driven, but they are not following the Wall Street or Silicon Valley norms. They don’t have to.
There are trade offs though. A person choosing Omaha over NY will make less money. They will also be passing up opportunities to work for the top firms in the world. And it’s unlikely they will become superstars in their profession and retire on the Riviera.
And the same will be true for you. Choosing to build your career in Omaha means similar things for you. You will make less money because of the smaller economy. You will also be passing on opportunities to tour the world with the top artists and bands and you probably won’t be an international superstar. Of course, it could happen, it’s just hard to get your name out from Omaha.
However, what you CAN have is a very good life playing music. There’s nothing wrong with being the big fish in a small pond, especially if it pays your bills and gives you a LIFE.
So, as Ryan says: “It’s time for me to make a decision, because there is no reason to be bound by geography or the “coolness” factor of a city.”
So true…
