Relocation Across the Country for Work

Matthew Gates 7m 1,766 #relocation

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

For my recent job, I had been working remotely, and I loved every minute of it. When I had to go to work, I simply switched on the computer, typed in a few passcodes, and logged into check my email. It was a dream job and certainly working from home made it all the more special. I was never late to work, never minded working overtime or staying late, never had to drive to work or get stuck in traffic, and never had to call out of work, even when I was really sick. I worked at home and it was amazing. Unfortunately, all dreams must come to an end, and a few months ago, I received a phone call: get laid off or relocate across the country for my job.

For many people, the answer is simple: No. They have families or spouses who have jobs and the idea of relocating or moving anywhere else is not reasonable, logical, or possible. Those who are willing to relocate for business; for work; for companies; for a job are much more marketable and valuable, but it certainly is not for everyone, and it is not a decision that can be taken lightly. To establish oneself in another area, especially if a person has lived there most of their life, and to attempt to leave is not suitable for most. It is definitely a dream and a fantasy, but the majority would likely say no to the opportunity.

For me, I had always dreamed of traveling across the country and living on the other side of the country, but I thought it would require me being unemployed with nothing better to do, but explore my sense of adventure. While the company gave me a week to make a final decision, I already knew my answer — I was certainly going to do it. Opportunities hardly ever arise that involve a relocation across the country, especially working for a company you like and a job you enjoy doing, and not to say the least – a job that pays well.

I had several demands that needed to met including a visit to the office, a salary raise, help with relocating, giving me a few months until I had to move there, and a golden toilet. They were happy to meet all my demands, except the golden toilet. I did ask for it though! And so, the day came when I was actually relocating. How does one prepare to mentally and physically leave their comfort zone?

Fortunately, I had never been too much in any comfort zone because I had lived in another state before and another country. While there is definitely anxiety and you certainly try to spend as much time with the people you love and meeting up with friends for lunch to say your goodbyes, your nerves will always get to you, and nothing can really prepare you for relocating across the country, except to remain ignorant to the fact that you are moving and leaving your family, friends, and life as you know it.

After taking my car in for an oil change, I had to get some extra repairs done, but knew afterwards, my car would be well prepared for the drive. I decided to leave in the afternoon and drove many hours across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana – where I got pulled over by a cop for accidentally speeding 30 miles over the speed limit (the cross-over from Ohio into Indiana was a major speed limit change) – the cop let me go with a warning (I really appreciated that! Thank you officer! I took your advice and did not speed the rest of my trip), and eventually making a side-stop to visit family in Illinois.

After resting for the day, I left the next morning, driving back down through the state of Illinois, into Missouri, detouring over to Kansas City – where I grabbed a bite to eat at Oklahoma Joe’s (I stopped in a parking lot and asked a cop and a security officer for a good BBQ place to eat that was strictly “Kansas” – interesting enough, the place is in a gas station with a line out the door – but people definitely are not there to get gas) for an amazing Z-Man Sandwich down to Oklahoma, through Texas, and continuing on into New Mexico – with Bugs Bunny in my ear, and traveling further beyond.

As much as many may think that driving across the United States is fun and exciting, and the sights are certainly beautiful – there are just roads, roads, and more roads, and land and land and more land – flat land, mountainous land, hill land, dry land, and wet land. There are small towns and big towns and towns that seem to serve very little purpose, and also towns that are or almost seem abandoned.

There are random houses in the middle of no where, and small towns that serve only the purpose of filling up the gas tank and grabbing a bite to eat. Along the way, there are many cars from specific states to be seen and cars with license plates from out of state which makes you wonder what everyone else is thinking about your own license plate.

There are many truckers on the road – many who are very courteous to cars trying to pass through. There were times where I thought the truckers or cars and me had known each other for years and we had an understanding to drive in a comfortable cluster together. There were also plenty of asshole drivers who like to piss off truckers or other cars by cutting them off. There were quite a few single-lane roads where you could get stuck behind a slow driver who did not care what the speed limit was and was not in a rush to get anywhere fast.

My stomach was acting crazy and every rest area I stopped at required a bathroom break, even some small-town stops. Luckily, all the bathrooms I stopped at were mostly clean. Apparently, no one outside of New Jersey will pump your gas for you, so you will have to learn to do it yourself – I am now an expert at pumping my own gas. The trip was very long and I did enjoy every minute of it, though I probably should have stopped more often and spoke to more people. Instead, I felt like I had been driving for so long and I just wanted to get to my destination as soon as possible, and I was driving more than the average person should – over 10 hours a day – 2½ days to get to my destination.

Of the things I learned during my drive across the country:

• Keep your eyes on the road.
• Do not surpass 10 miles over the speed limit.
• Do not rush.
• Set a time limit for how long you should drive; even if you do not feel tired, you are most likely driven by adrenaline and are definitely exhausted.
• Be courteous to other drivers and truckers.
• Stay in the right lane unless you are passing.
• When you are tired, utilize every rest area and rest stop – to use the bathroom, wash your face, and get out and walk around to wake yourself up – DO NOT DRIVE TIRED.
• If you are hallucinating, it is time to stop driving.
• Keep something to drink and something to snack on with you.
• You will probably get great gas mileage using Plus (mid-level grade) gasoline.
• Do your best to stay on cruise control to help stay at a current speed which helps with gas mileage.
• Crossing New Jersey will go fast.
• Pennsylvania is a long state.
• Eastern states and Kansas have tolls.
• Kansas is windy as hell with lots of lightning.  All you can think of is the moment when you can say: “We’re not in Kansas anymore.”
• Most of Illinois is farm land and not “Chicago” city-like.
• Driving through Chicago at 6:30 AM in the morning makes you contemplate your own suicide.
• Oklahoma is really flat – so much so that if you stop to pee, someone will see you from miles away.
• New Mexico has some mesmerizing mountains.
• Listen to radio stations and learn about what music is popular in the area.
• If you stop in a major town or city, ask the locals for a good place to eat; they will definitely let you know!
• Do not eat at fast food places, but find hole-in-the-wall places: they are probably better to eat at and are more interesting than fast food places.
• Talk to the locals whenever you stop and do let them know where you are from; don’t be afraid to talk with anyone, or even ask for directions.
• Get a handless bluetooth device for your cellphone and talk to everyone who is willing to talk to you while you are driving – it will definitely keep you awake and make the time go faster.
• It is okay to sit in silence for a while.
• Take the time to enjoy the scenery.

Would I do it all over again? Definitely, though I would certainly take a different route in order to learn the roads of the United States. Do I still want to accomplish my dream of biking across the United States? If someday I have the time, the money, and the energy to do it, I would love to still do it, but I now know there are going to be miles and miles of endless boredom and wishing the road would end and the next town would come soon. Biking and driving are certainly two different things. In a car, 65 to 70 miles per hour will certainly get you someplace faster than on a bike going 20 miles per hour. Being in a car also provides the comfort of warmth or a colder atmosphere.

Arriving at my final destination, with a few days to spare and rest up, it is still nerve wracking, with my mother calling me frequently to see how I am. I certainly would not have it any other way. I have no idea what the future holds, but I made the decision to move for work; to be given the chance to explore an area of the country I have always wanted to see; to know I have taken a golden opportunity of relocating across the country – an opportunity that will most likely never be offered again. No regrets, just opportunities to experience the moments that life has to offer.

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