I Quit My Job and Moved To New York City. Here's What Happened....
Before I get in too deep here, this story deserves a little back-story. I grew up in Columbus, Ga until I was about 8 years old. From there we moved, mostly for my dad’s job, to larger and larger cities until we landed in Detroit, MI where I graduated high school. From there I had a decision to make on where I wanted to go to college. I had always dreamed of going to school in NYC to study fashion and live a big city life. That quickly changed when I realized I couldn’t afford the big city life. I chose my next best option, which was Chicago. It was still big, I could still study fashion business, and I wasn’t too far from my parents if ever they needed to get to me.
via Zerchoo
So, at 18 I packed up and went on down the road to Chicago. I knew no matter what I was leaving Detroit because there was nothing that interested me there. After I graduated college, I remember vividly having a breakdown. I was working an internship at the time, unpaid, and this was the time to move to New York. One of my close friends had just landed a bomb internship in NYC and I was so happy for her yet envious that I had not made any post college plans yet. I began to apply and one day, someone called me back and wanted to fly out that week to interview for a job. This was what I had been waiting for but for some reason I did not feel great. I walked out of my internship and bawled my eyes out in the stairwell. The thing I thought I wanted for so long was right there! And I was too afraid to grab it. I never responded to the email. At the time, Chicago had been the longest I had stayed in one place my entire life. I liked that I knew the city, that I had friends, that I was comfortable.
I began to settle. I found a more secure job working at a well-known company (they sell many coupons). I had a routine going. I was being paid decently enough that I began to travel. I was really living my best life or so I thought. Right before my 26th birthday, I started to get that feeling again. The same feeling I had when I graduated high school and knew I needed to leave Detroit. Maybe I was too comfortable. To be honest, I hated my job. And one of my biggest fears in life is working a dead end job. So, that November before my 26th birthday I decided it was time to do that thing I was too afraid to do a few years ago. I would move to New York City the following September.
via Y Travel
I was crazy. I admit to do it in such a short time but there were two things I knew for sure. One: If I waited too long I would never do it. Two: I needed to move on with my life and Chicago is not where I saw myself long-term. Thankfully, my boyfriend who worked remotely agreed to move with me. So I began to save aggressively every week. I also began to not give two shits about my job. Just enough to not be fired, but ultimately I was doing nothing. My boyfriend and I planned to visit the first week of August to secure a place to live and for me to hopefully interview and find a job. The first went fine. The latter not so much. I ended up not getting any of the jobs I applied for which made me question do I wait or do I still go? At this point, I was on my last limb at my current job, so I decided to still move. Either way I would be out of a job soon, why not move forward and look for something I actually want.
On August 28th, 2018, my entire studio apartment was empty. I got in the Uber on my way to O’Hare airport to my new city. As I waited to takeoff, I wrote my resignation letter and sent it off. And I had my first panic attack. If you know me, you know I am to the T. I plan everything. And I had planned for this, but I had never done anything like this in my life. Quit a job without another one already? But at this point I was almost 27, and I was too afraid of living a life I hated.
It has now been almost a year since I moved, and although there have been challenges, I must say it will probably be one of my proudest moments. I now work in the beauty industry for a major company. I live in Brooklyn with my boyfriend and walk to my friend’s house every Sunday for our spin class. There are so many free things to do here it’s insane. And I’m loving the opportunity that seems to be around every corner. New York is not an easy city at all. I’m glad I was too afraid to move because I would not have made it at 22.
cover image via Moving