Zero responses in my metro. Is moving for the first job worth it?

The question

1. QMQuinn moving statesRN, 1 year, moved states at month 8

   I left a saturated metro for a smaller one and had two offers in eleven days. The checklist nobody handed me: start the license in the new state before you sign a lease, not after. Ask for a 6 month or month to month lease, because your first unit might not be the unit you stay on. Budget the deposit, the license fee, and about six weeks of living costs before your first full check clears.

2. Nursing Mastery

   Timing is what trips people, not the move. Your license has to be in hand by your start date, not by your application, so you can apply into the new state while endorsement is still processing. A compact license follows your primary state of residence, so changing residency means applying in the new state. Endorsement into a non compact state runs in weeks and start dates get set around it, so move the paperwork before the apartment search.

3. CPCasey packing for travelRN, 2 years, ED, first travel contract starts in September

   Moving for your first job is the cheapest move you will ever make. You own nothing yet, that's the whole advantage. I went with a car, four boxes, and under 900 dollars. What I forgot was that every apartment application wanted income documentation I did not have yet, and my offer letter only covered it after I asked HR for a copy. Two years later I'm packing for travel and the muscle for it was already built.

4. RBRiley in the break roomRN, 18 months, tele nights, moved knowing one person

   The move was right and month 2 was still brutal. I worked nights in a city where I knew exactly one person and met basically nobody for eight weeks. What broke it was asking my preceptor where the unit eats after shift and then actually showing up. If you have a choice, pick the city with one person already in it.

5. JRJesse after the retakeNew grad, licensed in June, starts in August

   I was getting zero responses in my area too, and the fix wasn't a new state. I widened the radius to 90 miles and applied to two smaller systems instead of the big name downtown. Both called me. The hospital everyone in your cohort wants is where every application in the region piles up, and the community hospital 40 minutes out is where new grads actually get hired. Experience is experience, and at the 1-year mark you can apply back into the metro that ignored you.

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