Some people call New York City the greatest city in the world. There’s plenty of evidence to back that up. No other city has its history or the sense of majesty that you’ll notice everywhere you look in this glowing urban jewel.
New York moves present some distinct challenges, though. If you’re thinking about making this city your home, you should know about them. We’ll discuss several of the most potentially challenging aspects of making a move to New York right now.
There’s an Ultra-Competitive Job Market
If you visit New York City as a tourist, and you’re on vacation while you’re there, you might get a certain impression of the city. You might feel like it’s glamorous and there’s always something going on.
If you move there, though, and you start to live there, you may begin to feel differently about it pretty quickly. For one thing, you will often find that there’s an ultra-competitive job market.
You might find a job easier if you have a unique skill set that makes you very much in demand. However, if you have a basic skill set that does not set you apart from the competition, then you may find landing a satisfactory job difficult.
If you show up to interview for a job, don’t let it surprise you if you’re standing among a dozen other applicants or more. If you have a job lined up before you get to the city, that is a much better setup.
If you can do some online interviews before you arrive, and you can secure a position for yourself, then that is one task checked off the list before you even arrive and attempt to situate yourself.
Public Transportation Can Drive You Crazy
If you come to New York, then maybe you’ll have a car. There’s no guarantee that you will want to keep it, though.
Since New York apartment dwellers seldom have dedicated parking spaces, you need to find parking on the street. That’s often difficult, and you will also sometimes have to move your vehicle on street-cleaning day.
If you get rid of your car, then you can take public transportation instead. That’s more convenient in some ways, but if you have to take the trains from one side of the city to the other, you probably won’t enjoy the commute much.
You will often see homeless people on the trains. They might keep to themselves, but some can get violent or abusive if they have mental problems. Some of them don’t exactly have the most sanitary habits, either.
The trains can get stuck on the tracks sometimes, making you late for work. If it happens when you’re trying to get home in the evenings, that might infuriate you even more. If you take the trains and buses for years on end, you might find that you get pretty sick of them.
The Cost of Rent is High
Also, you need to think about the cost of rent. New York retains its status as one of the most expensive cities in not just the country, but the entire world.
If you’re independently wealthy, then you won’t have to worry about this. However, not many people can say that they have that status.
If you’re trying to live by yourself, then you will need to make enough money to cover your rent and bills. If that’s impossible, you may have to find roommates.
You might find some roommates with whom you get along great, but other times, it doesn’t work out so well. A roommate with whom you don’t get along can make your life feel practically unendurable sometimes.
You’re Often Exhausted
You may also feel exhausted all the time. If you can work from home, then you won’t have to worry about the commute, and that’s absolutely a plus for a New York resident. If you can’t get a job where you can work from home, though, then the commute will probably take up a part of most of your days.
If you work upwards of a 40-hour week, and you also factor in the commute, then that can drain you. You might feel okay doing it for a while, but if you do it for years, your enthusiasm for it will probably dwindle.
There are just as many wonderful things about New York as negative ones, but you need to consider these factors when deciding whether or not to move there.
