This is a topic that has been in mind a lot lately.
I recently took a job with company that is based in Chicago. In fact, many companies are opening up offices in the Seattle to take advantage of the technology and E-commerce talents in this area.
Because of the time difference, I have been starting my day early. Last Friday I had a conference called started at 6 AM PST. This is not that big a problem now because kids don’t have school now. Once school starts, my morning will get really crazy.
I have also been traveling to Chicago quite a bit. I usually take the 8:30AM fights, and arrive in Chicago around 2:30PM. I’ll still get a couple hours of work in the office. Again, traveling is hard on the family.
I have been thinking about this a lot. Seattle is a tier-2 metropolitan area. It’s not New York, San Francisco, LA, or Chicago. There are fewer employers and fewer job opportunities. Yes there are a lot of tech jobs in Seattle for software developers. But, if you’re in leadership/managerial position, you’ll soon find that Seattle is a small place.
I have been wondering if I’m better to relocate to Chicago. I’ll be able to focus on the work. Family and kids will get the chance to live in another part of the country for a couple years. I don’t plan to to there forever, but a few years might be good for my career.
I have to admit the process of relocating make me feel stressful. But, will relocation be a better option than frequent travel (e.g. travel every other week to Chicago for Monday through Thursday)?
I don’t have an answer. Sometime, I wonder if it’s better to commit to an area, and focus on building and growing a small business so that I’ll be free from the relocation dilemma …
