I'm trying to decide how much information is safe to reveal in this thread... Well, I was recently accepted to a local graduate program for a degree I do not want to pursue. I had been dreading the outcome, worried that I would get accepted, and once I was, it became clear to me what I wanted to do with the next few years of my life. I want to take improv classes. Right now I'm in the general Southern California area, and there are classes offered in the city. However, the costs of the classes and of living in the area are much more expensive than the exact same classes offered by the Improv Company's other branch, located in the midwest. Therefore, I feel like moving to the midwest city and taking classes there is a better option. This is what I don't know anything about. Is it plausible to just move point blank to another city across the country? Should I look for a job there before moving? Find a place to live first? Or is the familiarity of my current area worth all the extra expenses of remaining here?
Moving is very plausible. If you've got a whole setup there in southern California, a graduate program set to accept you, and other possible jobs and things lined up (including improve classes that are just more expensive), but you're still thinking of leaving, then it's clearly something that holds a lot of attraction for you, and I think you owe it to yourself at least to consider it and figure out why it holds so much appeal for you. As for mechanics - unless you have some specific "in" for a job in the place you're thinking of moving to, I always prefer getting a place first and then finding a job. It's a hectic way to do it, sure, and it really lights a fire under your ass cause you NEED to find something, but to my mind it speeds the process up and makes it more likely to happen in the first place. You do need to plan for the move itself though - you'll need at least $2000 (or maybe a bit more) to move things to your new place, or buy new starter furniture and things when you get there, plus a few hundred to get yourself there to begin with (gas/hotels/etc). I don't know what your financial situation is, but the cost of moving and going without a job might very well override the extra cost of the improv classes there in CA. What else is drawing you to want to make the move? Is it just the improv classes in this other city, or is it something else about the idea of being there (or, perhaps, of NOT being in CA anymore)?
If you already know that you don't want to pursue it, then you shouldn't pursue it! It sounds like you already know what you want to do: 'improv' classes'. Is the Midwest move designed to dump the degree you don't want to pursue? If that's the case, maybe you might consider just dumping the program you don't want and staying put. If there are real other reasons, weigh the pros and cons of living in the Midwest vs. California.
Hi, I think a whole lot depends on various circumstances, such as -- Where in the midwest? There are areas like Chicago that have a thriving city life, strong gay population, lot of colleges nearby providing a bunch of people around your age, and so forth. But there are other areas like East Chickenscratch, Ohio where there's probably a whole lotta nuthin' and you'd probably be miserable. And quite a few in between. -- Do you have resources (whether savings, parents, job prospects, etc) to support the move and pay the bills while you're working on developing your improv skills? I am all for pursuing your dreams and doing everything possible to make them happen, but I also believe in having a structure in place so you won't crash and burn. -- Finally, I'm curious a little about the graduate program. When you applied, was it under pressure from parents for something "practical"? Or was it something that, at the time, *you* were genuinely interested in? And what field is it? There are some programs that are exceptionally competitive and in those situations, I think it makes real sense to carefully consider before turning them down. And there are others that are a dime a dozen, so if you later decide to pursue, you'd be able to. As far as the move itself, I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea, but that depends in part on where exactly you're talking about, what the culture is there, and whether that's something you'd be comfortable with. SoCal *is* enormously expensive, and there's a lot to be said for reducing costs while pursuing something that you aren't positive is going to be your career. I hope that helps. Feel to amplify further here, or if you'd feel more comfortable, you can PM me (or anyone else you wish) as well.
Hey everyone, thanks for your replies. Here's some more details: --I know for sure I am not sticking with the graduate program. It was for Counseling/Student Affairs, and I was hoping it would be more counseling-based: I found out at the interview that it was not. I also learned from current professionals in the field that Student Affairs is not a versatile degree in terms of switching careers down the road, and after careful consideration I am certain I do not want to pursue a degree in Student Affairs. (My sister thinks I have no chance at getting a job without a Master's; my faculty advisor thinks I would hate Student Affairs and was only applying because it's all I knew so far, with my RA job. I hope my sister's wrong). I think I may pursue a master's degree in the future, but for now I would rather work and put my effort into what I hope to be a potential career through improv. --Yes, the area is Chicago. Only Chicago has the improv institutions I would go to, and the job opportunities, and the public transit. I heard it is possible to live there without a car, which is something I'm asking my Chicago-an friend about at the moment. If I did not need a car, I would have a lot more money to put toward rent and moving, etc. --In terms of resources, my plan would be to work day jobs and take the classes at night (most of them are offered in the evenings). I have a few thousand saved, financially. I'm not sure what the phrase "job prospects" means, but I intend to look for a job before moving there.
I’ve been living in Chicago without a car for 3 and half years and it is very possible. It can be a very affordable place to live if you want; my total living expenses are around $1100 per month (that includes everything rent transportation utilities food) and I could spend less on food if I really wanted/needed to. One thing to be careful of does the place where you’ll be talking classes from accepts anyone who applies? If should I’d be very careful before paying for classes since those types of places are often rip-offs.
It sounds like you're making a good decision, *provided* what Dan's said about improv classes doesn't apply to the place you're considering. As far as some sort of counseling-related degree, it does sound like the masters you're describing would be pretty limiting. I would also strongly advise against the MFT in California, as apparently that field is so overrun with grads that jobs are scarce. If you want to go in that direction, I'd strongly suggest an MSW. It gives you most of the same scope of practice as a cliinical psychologist (much wider scope than MFT), plus you have the flexibliity of working in all sorts of institutional environments (with students, seniors, foster kids, families, as well as clinical practice.) But... that can wait. And it sounds like you've thought it through in terms of money and resources. The only thing I'd say as far as Chicago is get a pretty good idea of what the unemployment rate and job prospects are there. I haven't heard terrible things, and it's a big city, so my guess is there are probably job opportunities there.
