Monday, June 24, 2013

Running The Gauntlet?

So we've lived for the last 3 years planning to move to Texas, as soon as we possibly could.
The original plan was hatched by way of several visits to Texas and many in depth discussions that left my husband and I feeling as if we had finally found a place that felt like home.  That place also being a good fit for our desires to see the sun more often and spend a lot less money to merely experience life was clearly also a bonus.

 Sunflower With Sunglasses by jiggoja
found at freedigitalphotos.net
 
For various and sundry reasons that plan has not worked out- yet.

That's not to say that my husband and I have not had many interesting adventures in these past few years while pursuing our goal of moving to Texas.  We have been to places that we once thought of as 'other possibilities' to help us reach our goal of finding a home that is mostly sunny and not so expensive.  Some of this has been rather comical and some of it has been a bit sad.  However, it has all been a learning experience.  And that is often what life is all about.

We have learned that my husband's chosen actuarial profession is prolific in jobs along the two coasts.  We have learned that it is not impossible to find a job in the middle if you are patient and if you are pretty much done getting to the highest level of said chosen career, as there are very few people who are capable of doing this (about 5,400 in the country).  In other words in 2-3 more years we will have a pretty good chance of securing a job for whatever my husband would like to do within his chosen career path, in just about whatever place we really want to be.

In the meantime, my husband and I have purchased a condo in Palm Springs, CA and we seek sun there whenever possible- which means we get to have something that resembles the life we are really looking for about 6 weeks a year.

And that's certainly a big improvement.  However, it still seems like there should be another way to improve the overall picture of what we are seeking without having to wait around for another 2-3 years.

Although we can't actually live at our place in Palm Springs, CA because there are not any actuarial jobs out there in the desert, it seems that we may have found a way to avoid that 2-3 year wait to attain at least part of our goal.

In our many and varied trips down the coast with my nephew and the dogs in tow, we have discovered that although we don't see any financial benefit to being in California we sure do feel a lot better overall when we are there.  We get out from under our sweatshirts and flannel hoods and meet people who seem much more varied from the brooding types who reside here in the Seattle area.  We are just happier overall.

So now the question is:  Would living in California full time be a nice Disney, sandy beach, sunshine-filled diversion for a couple of years or would I end up feeling as if I had to run the gauntlet of more liberal politics than I can even imagine handling to simply get to what I really want which of course is living in Texas?

image found at Wikimedia Commons

6 comments:

  1. I don't have any good answers for you. If I moved to CA, I would definitely rent and not buy. That is about all of the advice I have.

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    1. Oh yes, this would be meant to be a diversion of sorts- not a permanent endevour. Besides, having one small property in Palm Springs is plenty for us! I KNOW I couldn't do California permanently.

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  2. Jasmine: If you move to CA, just be sure to mail your brain to Texas and buy a new skateboard before you go.

    On a serious note, has your husband explored doing some independent "expert" work testifying in court as an actuary? As far back as I can remember, they have always been in demand.

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    Replies
    1. We should find out this week if the test that would actually make my husband an associate level actuary has been passed. The fact that he's not actually finished yet is certainly the issue. He came to actuarial as a career changer and won't be totally finished for 2-3 more years.

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  3. Move to Texas, specifically, HOUSTON!!! :)

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    Replies
    1. Unlike many who have given H-town a bad rap, I actually do like Houston the best. Unfortunately Houston is very limited on actuarial positions...

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