When my husband and I got married in 2008 we did not fathom the prospect of living in five states over the course of our seven years of marriage. We imagined a new life together after leaving MI and IL for Houston, Texas with an uncharacteristically lower cost of living, better weather, no state income tax and diversity galore. I left my energy sales job with JCI and went to help Carrier corporation start a new energy services division. Things were great and then I found out that Carrier purchased an energy services company.
Also, at this time my father-in- law had triple bypass heart surgery and my husband felt a deep tug for us to move back to MI. My company was understanding and allowed me to transfer to MI and my husband decided to go into business for himself. However within 6 months, he was being recruited by a large multinational company. So we sold our home in MI and moved to Raleigh, NC.
I ended up finding a new job and we started to make friends. The company I worked for was headquartered in Charlotte and my husband saw his travel schedule pick up. He would always travel from Raleigh to Charlotte, NC and then to his destination. All of this combined with the fact that we couldn’t find a house we loved in Raleigh propelled us to move to Charlotte. We would be in Charlotte for the next 3 years until I became pregnant and the company I worked for at the time no longer fit into our life plan. This baby propelled us to once again want to be close to family. My parents are in Il and his are in MI. Fortunately, I received an offer to relocate to St. Louis, MO. My husband and I were once again excited for a new start. However we could not get adjusted to living in St. Louis with the race riots going on just 5 miles away from the condo we rented, my husband being pulled over for no reason and even being accused of robbing the condo we rented in broad daylight. We left St Louis and headed back to Charlotte. My husband once again started a new work adventure that was based on the East Coast and I had finally been greeted with an Exit from Corporate America…for the time being.
Lessons us career nomads know all to well (from our experience):
1.) The best luggage to travel with: Hard case suitcases.
2.) How to pack quickly.
3.) The best companies to call for short and long-term storage: Short term-Pods, Long term-Corrigan.
4.) The best companies to call for moving locally and nationally: Two Men & a Truck & Corrigan.
5.) The best company for quick same day move it yourself: Uhaul.
6.) Renting vs buying new furniture.
7.) When moving having someone else pack your house for you can be advantageous but not when it comes to your “truly personal” items.
8.) Be open to moving/relocating. Make sure it is a good fit for you and your family (if applicable).
9.) Want career growth? Network, network, network. A great place to start is LinkedIn.
10.) Keep your resume updated and listen to your mentor/recruiter/HR on what to change as it relates to your resume this will help you stand out. Last know your job strengths and weaknesses and then work on both.
**Need help with this? Sign up for our free ecourse here! Looking for business freebies and deals?
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at growingupgupta.com
Like these tips or have others? Comment below and Subscribe.
[…] Hence we decided to make a family vacation out of his trip. We live in Charlotte, North Carolina and are approximately 500 miles from Orland, FL so the decision to drive was a no brainier for us. And if you know anything about our family we are more than accustomed to driving! […]
[…] multicultural family has had nomadic tendencies. See habits of successful career nomads for more details on what I mean by this. To add to this, my husband travels globally for work and as a result we have been able […]