Where to?

When I moved to Long Island, I was ready to settle down for a couple years at least. I have moved every spring/ fall since graduating from high school. Literally. For 9 years I have shuffled from dorms, to apartments, back to my folk's.... etc. While living on Long Island itself was never a childhood dream, I was ready to be done with moving vans for a while. Oh Irony! You never are far away, are you?

With no solid job prospects to speak of for next year, I may be moving again in the spring. I've got at least 3 years to fill until Nick finishes his dental program. I'll put in applications here, of course, and hope for the best, but I'm also expanding my search out to New York City, Washington DC, Boston, Worcester, New Hampshire, and abroad. Here are what I consider the pros and cons of each.

Staying on Long Island
Pro: My boyfriend will still live here. Of the 6 years we've been together, 5 of them have been long distance. Neither of us are fans of going back to that phase, but we know we can handle it if we have to.
Con: Super competitive job market* and I don't actually have any of my own friends out here.

*Let's not lie though, this is probably true almost everywhere right now.

New York City
Pro: I already have a NYS license. I'd still be relatively close to Nick. My brother and his wife live in the city along with a handful of my friends. I'd (hopefully) be able to teach in an urban public school again. Oh, and there's like a million things going on all the time.
Con: Finding a place to live/ Cost of living. I'd have to ditch my car, which I've grown to love.

Washington DC
Pro: I'm head over heals in love with this city. When I went last spring with a group of 8th graders, I didn't want to come home. I could spend weekends roaming around the Smithsonian and National monuments (am I a huge dork because this is now my life ambition?). I'd also be teaching in an urban setting AND DC is going through that huge overhaul of their whole district- could be a cool thing to witness first hand if it all pans out- or even if it doesn't.
Con: I worry that "that huge overhaul" may not leave many openings for newcomers like myself. I don't know a soul who lives down there or where I would live. I'd also have to take the Praxis tests to get licensed.

Boston
Pros: I have always love Boston, but for whatever reasons, hadn't gotten around to moving there yet. About a zillion of my friends already live there, meaning I can probably be social and have a place to live. I already have a Mass teaching license. It's not too far from home OR New York.
Cons: My past attempts to get a teaching in Boston have all been unsuccessful. Cost of living, ditching the Yaris, yada yada (seriously, I love that car...)

Worcester
Pros: I know what you're thinking. Pros? Remember when you didn't like living there? Well, yes, I do. But I've started to really miss it recently. I was never really happy about the way I left. I kind of realized right as I was going that I was throwing in the towel before I even really got into the game. It would essentially be an answer to that ever impending, "What if?" as in, "What if an older, wiser, Ms. Manley, who was actually interested in community involvement and all that jazz, was teaching in Worcester. Would things go better?" I like to think they would. Other upshots include already having the state license, connections in the public school district, a good 'feel' for what a typical classroom/ school might look like AND a solid idea of where I can find cheap housing.
Cons: Been there. Done that. Not well mind you, but I did. While moving back to Worcester might answer some personal questions, bring closure, and all that over-romanticized grown up stuff, it just might not be as fun as some of my other options.

New Hampshire
Pros: Crazy cheap cost of living (especially if I can spend some time at the Manley Homestead). Plenty of connections in multiple districts. Family. Family. Family. My sister is having twins in the spring; word on the street is they are looking for as much free babysitting as possible. I could actually make myself useful.
Cons: Pretty much the opposite of the "big city". Don't get me wrong- great place for raising kids. But not the most exciting place in the world. Also, we don't have a lot of taxes, which sounds awesome until you start working for the state government. Also, it's ironically far away from most people I am currently friends with even though we met there. I'd also have to take the Praxis, get a license, etc etc, though I'm pretty sure I could get hired before having to go through all that.


Abroad
Pros: Adventure. At the recommendation of my father, I started to look at American schools in other countries. I haven't even BEEN of the country since I studied abroad in college. When I was in high school I imagined that I'd spend my 20's backpacking around the world, not schlepping through New England and New York. This might be a bit more stationary, but it would still be something I probably would never have the opportunity to do again.
Cons: Whenever I look into teaching abroad, there are some crazy paperwork headaches that seem to come along with, well, every aspect of it. And if Washington DC is 'too far away' from everything I know, then perhaps we shouldn't even be thinking about throwing the distance across an ocean into that equation. Also, not many of the countries I've looked at have ever been on my list of Top Ten Places to Live Before I Die (some I've never heard of) BUT, I think that almost might be a Pro.....


So, there it is. My list. This is what will be on my mind over the next 5 months.