Here’s one of the perks of holding this prestigious password. You get to help make real life decisions! And today, we are in a real quandary.
After becoming depressed this past winter due to the historic snowfall and cold, Lauren and I decided we wanted to move somewhere new for a while, before we get tied down with a mortgage and kids. Lists of cities were made and it was narrowed down to Austin and Portland.
Yesterday, I was offered a good job in Austin, Texas at a well-know golf manufacturer, doing website stuff. It may be a little over my head, but I think I could catch on quickly, and the salary is a bit higher than what I make now. Yes, if I took the job, we would have to move to Texas. Texas is the polar opposite of Minnesota with temps in the hundreds all summer long and maybe sees a dusting of snow once per year. As I sit here and write this, I am sweating… and we are indoors in Minnesota on an 80-degree day with a fan pointed right at me. The winters would be glorious, but could I really make it through the summers there? I’m such a warm-blooded person.
Also to consider is that we both have full-time jobs here. Lauren does not have anything lined up for Austin, so she’d have to take a few weeks when we got down there and find a job.
I visited Austin recently and thought the city was awesome. I quickly made some friends and got to know the area. The cost of living is comparable, if not a little more affordable, than the Twin Cities. So I’m sold on the city itself, that’s not an issue.
We are very conflicted, and a decision must be made extremely soon. If I accept the job, we’ll have to put in our 2-weeks notices at our current jobs and start looking for a short-term rental in Austin. Could we really pick up and move that fast?
I really want your opinions! If you have a password and are able to read this post, let me know what you think we should do. If you think it’s a dumb idea to just get up and leave stable jobs in this economy, then tell me that. Or if you think we’d really regret it if we passed up this opportunity, tell me that. Or if you’d miss us too much, let us know! Comment anonymously if you want.
Ryan Glanzer Blog 
DO IT! Make the move! If you guys are serious about moving to a new city I think this is your big chance. The chances of you getting more interviews in new cities and then getting a job offer at an impressive company may be really slim. Being in the city will help Lauren with her job search. I think you should go for it!
I say go for it. I’ve always heard Austin is an awesome city, especially for young people. They are supposed to have a great indie music scene and you can go to the Alamo draft house theater.
Well, I’ll throw in my 2 cents worth. I know you guys are ready for a change. If you’re ever going to make a big move and try living somewhere else, now is the time. Maybe this golf job is the one or maybe not. In any case I think you should make plans to “move on” sometime this summer. You might find out that Minneapolis is where you really want to be. By then you can do some house hunting and settle down for good. It’s a big decision, but you will always wonder…..”what if”.
You can make your own decision, and while I do question wanting to live in that heat for you, every place is going to have some reason why you might not want to live there, you can’t let that be the deciding factor. If you’re really interested in striking out away from the Cities there probably aren’t going to be a ton of chances right now, so you might want to take this one while you have it.
I have to agree with your dad, though my reasoning may be a bit selfish…I’d LOVE to have an excuse to go to a hot climate in the middle of the winter! Nick is right…there is something negative about every place in the world. The heat will be an adjustment, but there’s AC everywhere, too. And swimming pools, and cold beer and NO SNOW!!! I say go for it.
I say do it — in this economy you have to make moves that boost your resume — texas is great — the people are great the FOOD IS GREAT — Lauren will find something and I say make the jump — harder to make a move with stuff a home to sell kids etc — do it now while you have just you and your spouse and a few things!
I thought of another reason to do it. I really want to go to South by Southwest (the music on movie fest) next year and would like someone to show me around.