How Far Would You Move For A Job Opportunity?

With the US job market still hovering around 9%, many unemployed workers are being forced to expand their job search to locations they would have previously considered too far.  That could mean tacking on an additional 30 minutes or more to your commute every day.  Or it could mean moving to a new region altogether (although that could prove difficult if you are underwater in your mortgage).

How far would you be willing to move for a job opportunity?  Out of state?  Out of the country?

I know 2 families that have been struggling with these questions.

Al got laid off in January and was having a difficult time finding a job paying anywhere near what he had been making in New York City.  He expanded his search nationwide and considered uprooting his family and moving anywhere he had to as he applied for positions at companies from Wisconsin to Georgia.  He even flew down to South Carolina for a series of interviews before he got lucky and was offered a position with a company right in Manhattan.  He took a small cut in pay, but with a family to feed he was anxious to get back to collecting a paycheck (not to mention the health benefits!)

My other friend Melissa has been out of work even longer.  She’s enjoyed the opportunity to spend more time at home with her daughter but she too would like to return to the workforce.  Her husband Marc may have an opportunity to accept a position that would force them to move to London for at least a few years.  That’s pretty far from all of Melissa’s family and friends in New Jersey, but they are considering it.  She’s even been searching online for accounting jobs in London and the surrounding areas.

While the circumstances are a bit different for each, both of these couples have shown a willingness to uproot their families and move them across country (or even across the world) for a job opportunity.  I respect them for having the courage to do that, but I’m not sure I would unless the job was just too good to pass up…and I don’t even know what kind of job that would be since my dream is to not HAVE to work at all (except for myself).