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Ryan Healy graduated Penn State University in the Spring of 2006. He recently left his consulting position to start 
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Soaring education, housing and health care costs in recent years have made simply staying afloat in a large metropolis next to impossible without a huge salary and benefits package.
These rising costs are causing the well educated to “sell their souls” to law firms, investment banks, and management consulting firms to maintain the upper middle class life most of our parents provided for us, According to social critic Daniel Brook, whose debut book is The Trap: Selling Out to Stay Afloat in Winner Take-All America.
I know what you’re thinking: Those college grads making $80,000 bonuses on Wall Street do not deserve any sympathy; they made a choice to live in the most expensive city in the country and they made a choice to work like slaves for a few years until they can retire to their yachts and country clubs.
But if you really look into the situation, Brook has a point. Wall Street I-bankers are certainly earning more than enough to simply “stay afloat,” but the rest of us are selling out for the sole reason of living in a “cool” city.
Junior year of college, I realized my passion was to become an entrepreneur. It didn’t matter. I sold out. I moved to the big city with the enormous rent payments. I took the decent paying job to support my living and partying expenses. Most people I know did the same. Some are content, some are looking for a way out, some are happy.
Some of us grew up with dreams of becoming artists, musicians or non profit executives. Regardless of the dream, most of us settled for the same thing; a decent paying job in an overpriced city. What I now realize from first hand experience is unless you’re an investment banker with semi-realistic plans of retiring at 35 with a couple million; the big city is overrated.
Is it really imperative to live on New York’s Upper East Side, San Francisco’s Marina or Washington D.C.’s Dupont Circle? Why not say “screw you” to the boring job in New York and take the exciting job in Cincinnati, Ohio?
My friends from college, Matt, Cole and Adam, knew from day one they didn’t want to work for a corporation. They came up with an idea, raised some money and toured the country to find the best place for their first in a chain of restaurants called Fat Sandwich Co.
They opened in Norman, Oklahoma. All three are from the Philadelphia/New Jersey area and all of our friends told them they would hate living in Oklahoma. Last week Cole told me that none of them even want to move back to the east coast.
From the outside, cities like Cincinnati, Ohio and Norman, Oklahoma aren’t nearly as exciting or trendy as New York or San Francisco. According to Brook, and I completely agree, chances are we will just be able to “stay afloat” either way. Since that is the case, I will not hesitate to choose the fulfilling, under paying job in a small city rather than grind it out during the week to party until 4a.m. on Friday with the rest of the yuppies in the big city.
My lease is up in two months and it’s finally time to pursue my passion. I want a relatively inexpensive city with good entrepreneurial opportunities. I no longer care about trendy bars; I have no desire to eat at expensive restaurants. Some things are more important. It’s time for me to make a decision, because there is no reason to be bound by geography or the “coolness” factor of a city.
Cross-posted at the Brazen Careerist.
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Leave your thoughts here. (29 responses)
- 1 Pingback on Sep 19th, 2007 at 7:47 am
- 2 Pingback on Dec 18th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Having never lived in NYC or Chicago, I suppose I have a different perspective, but I don’t really see living in Cinci to be all that inexpensive. No matter what city you live in, your living expenses will make it hard to stay afloat, unless you’re raking in a fantastic salary (in which case, tell me where).
I’ll take this post one step further and say that to really get ahead, try out a small town. I grew up in a small town in rural Ohio, and when I was younger, I couldn’t wait to get out. I’ve been in the city for a few years now and, though I love living here, every time I go visit my parents it gets a little harder to leave the charms of small-town life. If there was any possibility for me to work in my field and move back I would, but unfortunately, there’s not.
However, the area has a few large companies that are currently in a huge crunch for engineers. They’re constantly upping pay and benefits packages and stealing the engineers from each other, and those employees are rolling in the dough, on top of the fact that living in the area is so ridiculously inexpensive.
The truth is most small towns and rural areas have a few big companies like this that are really hurting for one type of worker or another. If you really want to live cheaply and make a good living, find the small town that’s looking for someone like you.
I have loved, loved, LOVED living in Back Bay, Boston for the past three years while I’ve been at school. I grew up in a small town about an hour north where my front yard is legitimately a corn field. However, after three years of living in the downtown part of the city, I can feel myself readying to move outside of it’s limits. There are so many neighborhoods that are just outside the city where the rent is thousands of dollars cheaper, the neighborhoods are more eclectic, and the food is just as good. There is something to be said for trying out living different places, that’s for sure. But it’s okay for your priorities to change, I think.
It would be interesting to find a list of the most underrated small cities in the US… hmm…
Great article Ryan…
Having attended college in the suburbs of Connecticut, all my friends swore up and down that when we graduated we’d all move to the big cities (New York and Boston) and start our careers. Well, we’ve graduated now and only 2 of us actually did that, my friend in Boston and myself in New York. Most of them settled for jobs in small towns for many of the same reasons you mentioned in your article. Let me be sure to mention, that those same group of friends are looking to come visit Boston and New York on the weekends… ï?Š
To me, the suburbs are and will always be a place for settling down with your husband, 2.5 children, and white picket fenced house. Maybe it’s because I’ve only lived in the city for less than a year that I don’t have such a jaded view. I’m realistic though, I know I won’t be here forever. After all, just as you mentioned in your article yesterday Ryan, we don’t have loyalty to our companies and change jobs so often, so why would we have loyalty to our cities? But having said that….I until I reach that point, I plan on paying my expensive UES rent, enjoying the culture this city has to offer, and networking my way to a job and a city that I can truly be happy with.
Ryan, I think I can safely say you’ve hit the nail on the head with this one. I was having this exact same conversation with some friends last night. The major difference between the smaller town/city and the major city is the opportunity for engagement. There may be more opportunities to become involved and successful in a major city but there are also more people competing for them. For the entrepreneur the major advantage of moving is that you end up maintaining your status as one of the “bigger fish” but you move into a much smaller pond.
The question then becomes not whether to move but how to choose where. I think one of the things we enjoy about major cities is the presence of smart educated young people, somewhat progressive attitudes, and the many opportunities to do things. The idea then is to find a smaller place that replicates these and this is why the self-sufficient college town works so well. You get the educated population and opportunity for fun and engagement but also the benefits of the small town. As an entrepreneur you also get a great pool of resources at the university to draw from for your business. As a plus college sports and college bars are far better than most major city sports and they cost less so you’re not throwing away 50 bucks a ticket if you want go see a game or 40 bucks a night if you wanna go out to the bar. Most college towns have a bunch of nice restaurants as well.
So in looking for your city I say just take a look at some of the major college towns in America. Madison, WI; State College, PA; Athens, GA; Norman, OK; Iowa City, IA; Ithaca, NY; Lawrence, KS; Evanston, IL; Boulder CO, Bloomington, IN; Knoxville, TN; the list is pretty long and can vary depending on what weather and climate you enjoy. I know I for one am looking at the possibility of moving to one shortly.
**Also Check out this List of the Most enlightened Places in America, Its mostly small college towns and is a good starting point: cafeutne.org/towns/index.html
Coming from Orlando, FL which is like a “little big” city (Not DisneyLand, there is a real downtown area to the city and its pretty big, crowded and expensive), I know the feeling of trying to get out. Being in a band for the past 5 years has kept me right in the middle of downtown and now that I have started my own company, it has been great to get away from the lights, settle down and focus on my career. I’m still not in a small town by any means (Sanford, Fl) but my living expenses have decreased (maybe also have my extracurricular activities-i.e. bar hopping) and my pace of life has become less hectic and stressful. The commute in the morning to the office is better and the bars are only 45 minutes away if I feel the itch. Great article!
Gina’s experience is similar to my own: I was born, raised, and educated (straight through graduate school) in that self-conscious corridor between Boston and New York City. I never felt the pull, but many of my high school and college friends–including my little sister–moved to one of those two cities just as soon as they possibly could.
What always puzzled me, though, was that they never seemed to take advantage of the cities where they lived, often because they didn’t have the time or money to do so. It took so much of their effort just “staying afloat” (as Ryan puts it) that art galleries/museums, shows, restaurants, or sports events were outside their reach. Diners and bars were about the best they could manage. It took 4 hours round trip, but I went to more Red Sox games than my friends who moved to Boston.
But honestly, there must be something to it, because I don’t think any of them ever regretted it. Maybe window shopping in cities like Boston and NYC is satisfying enough for some people. Sure, as spouses and children entered the picture–along with concerns about property taxes and school systems, all that fun “grown up” stuff–most of them made their ways back out to some suburb or other, but they took advantage when they were young, unattached, uncommitted, and able.
I live in Chicago, which is apparently where 90% the graduates from Big 10 schools come. I wasn’t from the Midwest, though I went to a Big 10 school, and so it’s still a little weird when I actually see people I knew from school just walking around. I didn’t have that in college being 800 miles from home, so it was a new feeling. It does make the city feel a little smaller, and that’s always a good thing.
But just a year into my time here, I can already see that it wont last forever. I don’t want it to. There are a million things to do, but I only take advantage of the same things I’d take advantage of anywhere else. It’s extremely overpriced, and though I’m making way more than the average entry level, as it’s mentioned, I’m no better off after cost of living. It’s safe to say I’m content, and I’m loving the experience, but after trying it on, and I think I can find something better.
I think eventually I’d like to move to a mid level city, something that’ll afford the access to the things I’m looking for and used to but wouldn’t necessarily be available in a rural town, but also somewhere that owning a place is actually a reasonable consideration, and somewhere that my dollar goes a little further. Some are conveniently on the list mentioned right above, but I’ll keep adding to the list of likes/don’t likes as I live here, because the best can be made from any situation…and let’s be honest, I’m in a huge metropolitan city. There’s a lot of fun to still be had.
@Jacqui - I think you would be surprised how much cheaper a cincinatti is then NYC. Granted, you will make less and will probably be able to just get by either way. I can appreciate the small town/rural area, but until I’m a little older I need some culture in some type of city.
@Gina - I actually grew up in the suburbs of CT. where did you go to school? But again, when I discuss moving to middle america etc. I am referring to smaller, cultured cities that can provide a similar experience, not the suburbs. At least for now.
@Brad - Great point, a huge appeal of cities is all of the smart, educated people etc. And you are right, the way to replicate that is probably in a college town. I spent 4 years in State College, so I have had enough of that, but I am looking around at most of the other cities on your list. Maybe we will bump into each other in one of them…
@Nathan - I went to Penn State and can safely say that not many people go to Chicago from there. But, I live in DC and when I walk around I see people I know all the time, and it is cool. Everyone asks me which museums I have visited and what I do all the time, and honestly I don’t take advantage of enough. Everything I do here could be done in a small city for a lot less money.
Thanks for all the comments. I will keep you updated on my search.
-Ryan
Ryan - You might want to check out Youngstown, Oh. I am not sure what type of business you are trying to start but they offer a lot of assistance. Here is their web site www.ybi.org/
@Ryan - I know what you mean about not doing enough, especially in DC. I’m from right outside DC, so in part coming to the Midwest was to get away from there, but be close enough to a big city if I needed to coming running.
Also, Penn State doesn’t really count. I don’t even know why you’re in the Big 10. I’m talking true Big 10 schools, Illinois, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Indiana…;)
Nathan’s right. Penn State is so awesome, they should be in their own conference.
Has anyone thought about leaving it all behind i.e, the states, and moving to Europe?
I think about it all the time. At some point in my life I hope to live outside the country. But now is not the time for me.
I’m with the “consider a college town” crowd. I’m making the same salary in Ann Arbor, MI as the job I was offered in NYC after graduation, and even though AA isn’t cheap, my dollar still goes a *lot* farther here, and there’s plenty of variety and young people. Like some of the other commenters, I looked at my friends on the east coast and realized that most of the things they do outside of work, I can do just as well here: restaurants, bars, hanging out with friends, outdoor stuff. I figure it’s worth missing out on some of the trendiness of the big city in order to have the money to travel once in a while instead. To each his own — just make it a thought-out decision rather than the knee-jerk “flee the midwest” instinct that most of my classmates had. Good article, Ryan!
Another thought: some companies have broad and comprehensive work-at-home policies. My current company has one, and is actively encouraging WAH as a way to reduce its overall real estate overhead. Many people in my organization take home an East Coast paycheck (because the home office is on the East Coast) while actually living and working in lower-cost areas in the South and Midwest.
Obviously, WAH isn’t for everybody, but it may be a good option for some self-motivators who don’t need a “traditional” work structure.
Sperling’s Best places: www.bestplaces.net/ is a site that offers stats on all the cities in the US so you can make an informed decision about living there.
They even offer a tool called “Find Your Best Place” that lets you choose criteria and determine the cities that match your unique combination of needs/wants…
Columbus, OH and Indianapolis definitely fit into the category of cities you all seem to be describing. They’re both hovering just under a million people, have a great night life/culture scene, even better suburbs for when we get a litte older, and, though they’re more expensive than some smaller cities (e.g. Cinci) they’re still in the mid-west price range. I would highly recommend either, and, if I can help it, will be living on one or the other from here on out.
@Sean - if you’ve got names of these companies, please share.
@Ryan P. - If any Big Ten school deserves it’s own conference, it’s OSU
There are a lot of good resources out there. These spring to mind:
www.teleworkrecruiting.com/
www.vsscyberoffice.com/vlibrary/21st_Century_Global_Workers2.pdf
That second link is a PDF that features a list of WAH-friendly companies. Lots of big names.
I’m also with the ‘try a college town’ crowd. I have lived in NYC for years, but I left behind a great college town (Urbana-Champaign, U of Illinois).
Hoppin nightlife (at least when I was there): check
Art scene: check
Good locally owned places to eat: check
…this list goes on (diverse in all respects due to very large college, smart people around, excellent indie music scene when I was there)
Great post, Ryan. I grew up in Tampa, went to school in a town of 10,000 and now live in a city of 60,000.
What my city may lack in nightlife/pro sports/whatever you like about a big city, we more than make up for with virtually non-existent crime and affordable homes.
And I don’t have to fight traffic, which is nice. I have an office 5 minutes (literally five minutes, not big-city 5 minutes) from my house. And if I work out of my office in the next city over, it takes me 25 minutes to cover those 25 miles.
Anyhow, thanks for the shout-out to the rest of us out here!
Ryan and others,
This is a great post, and it’s nice to see the discussion. I actually work for a college in a tiny town, and I moved here from a larger suburban area. I’ve only been here two weeks, but suffice it to say, it’s not quite the fulfilling experience I thought it would be. That could largely be due to the fact that I have moved 500 miles away from all my family and friends for this job. But I did interview in D.C., and even though it would sound great to live in D.C. now, I know that I wouldn’t be doing everything I want to do because it costs so much. So I guess I have some things to keep in mind as I try to engage in my new community.
Well,
I guess the issue remains same all over world. In India, Mumbai is the most expensive city. I come from smaller city, Rajkot, did my engineering from there. Didnt found much of opportunities, moved to Mumbai to do MBA in Finance … and whola !! am spending much of salary in rents and travelling and most of my time in commuting.
I think its basic human psychology. The grass is always greener on other side of fence. When you are young and see that glamour of big cities, you get influenced by that and decide to move one day … only to realise the real picture later
Nice article ..
Nirav D
Ryan
Take a look at Gainesville/Hall County, GA…50 mi northeast of Atlanta…lakes, mountains, countryside, low taxes, affordable real estate! Nearby is Athens, GA, a great college town!
Excellent article.
Jennifer S
Over on Brazen Careerist, I suggested Minneapolis. But if we’re going to give shout outs to our Big Ten college towns, I’ll put in my plug for Ann Arbor. Go Blue!
A ridiculous number of Michigan and Michigan State grads come from and go to Chicago as well. But yeah, Chicago is definitely not going to fit your criteria. It does, however, still have that Midwest feel to it that you will not get on the coasts.
@Laura: It might not be that the college town is the issue but mainly that the town it is supporting is too small (I’m just assuming) but the feel you get from an Ann Arbor is going to be far different from what you’d get in a Hanover, NH or a Beloit, Wi
@Erica: I agree I’m here in Chicago now and for the right mindset it is a playland for young people complete with monorail (the EL) and bar specials to be had. Not to mention the resources of some great schools nearby like Northwestern and the University of Chicago. It is one of the few cities I’ve encoutered where you can have all the benefits of living in a city but find a neighborhood that doesn’t feel like one.
Great article.
We are a two man startup that recently moved from Copenhagen, Denmark to Prague, Czech Republic.
Copenhagen is a cool and vibrant city but also very expensive (CNN calls it the third most expensive citiy in the world) Prague is not dirt cheap but it has lowered our living costs by maybe 30% and we are still in a bustling European capital.
Mychael mentioned earlier moving to Europe and that would actually be a viable options although the dollar to Euro will work against them these days.
@ Mychael - I’ve thought about moving overseas, after studying abroad for half of my collegiate career, and traveling more during the summer, I’m in the process of applying for a work visa to New Zealand. I figure why the hell not. I think it’s first of all, a great idea, but secondly, all the executives and professionals I talk to in Spokane, WA (another great smaller city, but on the West coast, which makes it far superior) say that I shouldn’t have a second thought about it and that they’ll happily talk to me after i get back about jobs. Looks like a win-win situation.