Moving Around in the Out Ac World

​Hello Expat folks! It’s been a while, again. We have certainly been busy in the Dr. Boson(s) household. We recently moved across the country (again). Both Finn and I are in roles that are largely telework, and took the opportunity to relocate back to the Midwest. This decision was both an emotional and financial one.  Emotionally, we wanted to go somewhere that we felt more comfortable; neither one of the new Bosons are big city people. Washington DC just felt too large and stressful for us. Financially, the East coast is expensive, and we wanted to go somewhere where we could save and be more comfortable. Before I continue in this post, I fully realize that our employment gave us the privilege to move, and the financial stability that made it possible. We realize that this is not a position that everyone is in, and that this advice will not be relevant or helpful to everyone. But the purpose of this blog is to talk about how we were able to do thing, and present options for people to consider. All that being said, this is how we wrangled our final cross country move.
 

1. First determine if moving is an actual possibility, job wise: In January, some things happened in the DC area that made living there unattractive. At that time, we both expressed a desire to move somewhere else. It was an idea we had kicked around for a few months, but at that point it actually became serious. Instead of thinking about moving without jobs again, we both searched through our employment contracts for what the policies on telework were. We made sure we fully researched and understood the polices for both of our separate companies, and made sure there were no added taxes or penalties associated with us not being on site every day.
2. Figure out where you want to move to: When we moved to the East Coast, we knew that the move would be temporary one. We both understood that the kind of lifestyle that the capital offers is not something we wanted to do long term. We chose to move out there to establish a higher salary history, to get experience working within local and national organizations, and establish strong and nationally recognized references and ties. The move to the East coast was deliberately planned and researched. This next move had a similar rationale. We figured this is the last cross-country move we want to do for at least the next decade, so we had to determine where we actually wanted to settle. I was again reminded of the freedom that the Out-Ac world offered me. Our current roles allowed us to move, with our DC salary, to any point in the nation that we wanted to settle in. We researched the kind of cities we wanted to live in, the area of the country, natural disasters, cultural climate, everything. We made a detailed list of places that offered us what we wanted in a home, and discussed their pros and cons. When we finally figured out where we wanted to live, we began looking for housing and set a timeline.
3. Set your budget: PODS or their like are the way to go. Trust us. We’ve done 3 cross-country moves in the last 3 years. We always hire local movers to put stuff that we pack ourselves into the pod, and then have local movers unload us at the new location. It is by far the cheapest option and you have more control over how stuff is put away.
4. Check to see if your company will partially fund relocation: Some companies will aid in relocation if your proposed move is closer to their national headquarters, or benefits the company in some way. It is always a good idea to read the company’s handbook and see if it is something that they offer.
5. Approach your HR department: After we decided that we were going to move, we approached our direct project managers and our HR departments with our timelines and move location. We both made sure to follow the process in our respective handbooks about who to contact and what forms to fill out. The timelines were agreed to, and then came the usual mess and stress of a cross country move.
6. Telework on the Road: We scheduled our drive out over a long weekend. We took off a Thursday and Friday, and had the next Monday off due to a holiday. The movers were on the road, and we made our drive during the long weekend.
7. Teleworking in the new location: I’m sure Dr. Lease Boson will write a blog soon about their experiences largely teleworking from the home. It requires a great deal of dedication, and spatial planning. Short advice: make sure you dedicate a home office space, and only do your work there. Do not let it spread and take over your entire house.

 
We again recognize that we were extremely fortunate to take our jobs with us to the Midwest. This kind of mobility is not possible for everyone, in academic spaces or outside of them. We were fortunate enough to have jobs that allowed for teleworking and had a national base. In an upcoming post, we are going to talk about what it is like to go back on the Out-Ac job market and how to navigate the issue of multiple moves on a resume.