Moving/Career/Life Advice

77GreenMachine

77GreenMachine

Phillip Talton
Joined
Mar 30, 2010
Location
Trinity, NC
I asked for some advice on here a few years back about some serious financial decisions, some of you may remember. While I got a lot of critics and lots of negative feedback, I also received great advice from some that I then used and changed my life.
I was in debt like crazy over a stupid motorcycle and four wheeler I'd bought when I was 18. Most pointed out how stupid I was while some of the older crowd told me what I needed to do. In August 2011 I decided I was tired of working 3rd shift managing a trucking company where I had already topped out to about the max amount of money that company was going to pay. With 4-1/2 years for the same company and 2 of them being management, I started looking for anything else I could use my experience in that would be 1st shift so I could go to school, even if taking a pay-cut. I landed a job at a warehouse doing inventory control and shipping and receiving of goods in and out. Turned out to be pretty interesting so I started learning more and more about the equipment going in and out (Telecommunications Equipment). I approached my boss and told him I was interested in moving into a sales position in the future as I learned more. Well, to sum up what could be an even longer story, I moved into the sales office back in September. I had been training and been in between the warehouse and office for a few months. After being in the sales office for a few months things really started to take off for me. I have since paid off all debt and owe no one a penny other than rent and normal bills. I have started to do very well. I distanced myself from all of my friends that were still partying and not taking life serious, because I wanted more than just getting enough money to get by and party all the time.
At this point I'm very thankful for the recent changes in my life and see great opportunities in the future if I keep working hard. Sorry, I tend to ramble and love to tell a good story. I have a long term goal now of moving to a new location and starting something totally new. I don't want to run away from anything, I just want to get out there and see something different! The world is huge and I don't think I should let this dream slip away and be sitting here in 15 years going "what if".

Ultimately, I'd give up everything and move me and the dog to Dyersburg, TN to work for Rough Country suspension. Getting to talk with people about lift kits and everything to do with off road anything would be amazing. I'd be willing to save now and take a paycut for a job where I could be more involved with wheeling. But those odds are slim. So my question is this, to those that have moved from somewhere far away to this area or vice versa, how did you do it? What made you do it? I want to hear your story and any advice on chasing your dream! I'm almost 24, I have a great career as an account executive that I plan to keep for a few more years, then I want to move to TN or CO or maybe open to anywhere that has better options for more off road adventures. I want to see more, all I have here is URE which isn't challenging at all and boring after a while to be honest. I went to Gulches, that was amazing and got me wanting to see even more. Getting out there in a 4x4 is not just a phase for me, it's a passion my life revolves around and I want to do more. I'm young, single, no kids, saving money trying to plan a dream. My dad says he understands and is behind me 100% in my decision to get out there and see the world a little. So that's my plan, I want keep saving money and in a year, maybe 2 or more, sale everything I own so I can start a new life somewhere else with more places to wheel with in a few hours. I'm hoping to build up my sales experience for a while and apply for jobs out of state when I find out where I want to go. There will always be sales jobs out there. Any advice on my crazy dream or a story of your own is welcomed! Tell me I'm crazy if you think so, I always like to get lots of opinions. But I've got parents and friends saying chase your dream so I'm going for it! I could come crawling back home in a few months, but I will have had the experience and could say I went for it.
 
Plan, plan, plan. I would be sure to have enough $$ in savings to cover a full year of living expenses before I took a leap of faith like that. Another thing to think about is moving away from family. I couldnt imagine being too far from my family or my inlaws. They help out soooo much. Another thing to think about with working in your hobby. If you have to do it every day for a paycheck, will you still enjoy doing it on the weekends, on your time off. I love wrenching on my junk, but if I had to spin wrenches every day, I dont think I would like coming home to work on my crap.


Just my opinion.
 
Thanks man. I definetly want to be prepared and plan, that's why I'm learning as much as I can now. I plan on getting rid of everything I own down to one vehicle, clothes and personal belongings. I have property to sale when the time comes so there's a nice start so long as I save now and add to that I should have more than enough to get started. As for my career, I don't count on scoring my dream job in the offroad world, I'm mainly more focused on location so that I can wheel more when not working. It may be possible for me to keep my current job even if I move.
 
Oh and as for family, I'd only be leaving a my pops, and a few good friends. I don't have a lot of family or girlfriend or anything.
 
Here is the way I look at it. Change is for some people and not all people. All you really have to pry yourself away from would be what Family is near you now. I don't ever think you should give up your dreams if thats what you honestly want to do with your life. I personally could never live in another state unless I could take my Family with me. I see it as, I can travel anywhere in the world and spend as much time as money will allow me (and my job) and still have fun and come back home where my family/friends are.
I don't know if you are the religious type, but if you are...Pray about it. Ask God to give you a sign somehow, and see what happens. If your not, then listen to your gut and weigh out all the goods/bads. I am at a point in my life where I want more out of my career, but I feel that what ever I want can be found right here at home, if not, then its not meant to be right now.
It does seem that you have a good head on your shoulders and you learned from your mistakes in the past which is ultimately what we all want. I think you need to do whatever YOU feel is right for you and is going to make you happy in the long run.
 
That's a great point, and as a matter of fact I grew up in church and I do pray, and I have been. I feel that this really is what's meant for me. But I don't want to just up and do it and wing it, I'm going to wait and do it right. I've always been fascinated with the thought of a new place, some people did it, I could be one of those people. I have a friend that chased her dream to NY, some said she was crazy and selfish. I think she's living her dream. She still comes home and sees all of us a few times a year and she is very happy.
 
When I was in my teens-early 20's I dreamed of moving to Alaska and read books on living off the land, survival, being self-sufficient,cabin building etc. and loading up my truck and gettin out of the rat race, but never took that leap and could'nt convince my girlfriend either. Nowadays I wonder where I might be now if I had done it. You sound like you've really soul searched on this and are prepared well. The only advice I could give is to research and travel to/visit several areas of the country so you might find your ultimate destination, Good luck on you journey and following your dreams.
 
My only advice is to be pretty sure you have a job lined up prior to the move. If you don't, I think someone else mentioned a pretty significant amount saved up to live on in the meantime. Unemployment is around 10% pretty much accross the country, so don't think that "if you build it, they will come" pertains anymore. A job moved me down to NC (back then they even paid for it!). That kinda thing is getting pretty rare nowadays.

That being said, I admire that you are researching, and asking opinions prior to jumping in. Just like everyone else's opinion, mine may be worth exactly what you paid for it...

Whatever you decide to do, give it your whole heart. I've seen a lot of guys follow their dreams and even though it looked like they were making a mistake up front, because of their conviction and enjoyment of what they were doing, they were more successful in the long run. It's a whole lot easier to go to work when you enjoy what you are doing, and that goes a long way with bossess/superiors.
 
I'm hoping by the time I'm ready I will be able to land an executive level job in sales & marketing. I truly love my job now, it doesn't even feel like work sometimes honestly. But it has its days too. This is a building block in life for me, I'm learning all I can about corporate purchasing and the way big business works. I'd almost be willing to go back to an entry level position for the right location. Colorado seems to be the best state for many many places to wheel, and if I moved just outside the city my drive to work wouldn't be too bad. But the cost of living and housing in CO is way more than NC. Rather I land another job similar to what do now, or have to work my way back up, I'd just be happy to be out there experiencing something new. I see pics of CO and some of the beautiful trails and dream of being able to hit those spots and camp there on the regular. It seems I could do that every weekend in a different spot and still not see it all there is so much.
While it's possible I could leave work today and run into some girl that could change my mind and make me want to stay between now and then, I really feel that if I did meet someone I'd beg them to come with me and leave them if they didn't. I feel this is something I have to do. I have to know, my father was a truck driver and saw it all. All 50 states and some! That's amazing to me!
It's out there, it's calling me, I have to go after it!
 
ManglerYJ said:
Don't worry about a girl.... they have them in Colorado, too.....
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HAHA, I was out there snowboarding one time, and read the following on the wall of the stall in a bathroom on the slopes:

Colorado, where the men are plenty, and the sheep are nervous!
 
I can't remember who, but someone, maybe a few, suggested I see a financial advisor so I did. They sat down with me and came up with a plan to quit spending here and there and add it to my loan after consolidating and transferring it all to a 0% interest loan. I started putting all I had toward it while I had zero interest and knocked it out. Had to quit having as much fun but it paid off. All in all it changed my life and I will never make that mistake again!
 
mbalbritton said:
I remember the thread where you asked for advice a few years ago. I just wanted to post and say GOOD FOR YOU!:beer:
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yep, i remember it too. im glad you worked out hard and met your goals. That's the american dream. i think thats been forgotten today.
 
People have forgotten what hard work is. My company has been needing help for a while, we've hired several people that end up leaving or just not showing up anymore cause they are not happy there. Shoot, I even have people ask if we're hiring, when I say yes they do not apply so that they can continue to receive unemployment.
 
Im 20 and up and moved from richmond VA to boone, party because of a woman and i just like change. I saved up enough money to live comfortably for 5-6 months and found a pretty good place to live. After 2 months of living down here I found a job that i actually enjoy doing and i am extremely happy with my decision. I feel like i had a lot of luck along the way though.
 
hurt4x4 said:
Im 20 and up and moved from richmond VA to boone, party because of a woman and i just like change. I saved up enough money to live comfortably for 5-6 months and found a pretty good place to live. After 2 months of living down here I found a job that i actually enjoy doing and i am extremely happy with my decision. I feel like i had a lot of luck along the way though.
Click to expand...

That's awesome man, that's what I like to hear.
 
There are some pretty good tax breaks in Tn. Sales tax is a little higher though. This is something you want to investigate yourself so it isn't second hand. Gas and Diesel is cheaper there also. Contact the county you would be moving to and they will help a lot, probably get the info on line(sorry, had a senior moment!). Get the facts instead of opinions on this. YOU are the only one that knows your life and what you need to do. Make a decision and make it work the best you can. Blame nobody for nothing!
 
For anyone who may still be following this thread I figured I'd give you guys an update. After all the advice given since this post there has been many sleepless nights studying and googling till my eyes were bleeding. Pretty bad since that's the exact same thing I do at work all day except I'm scanning hundreds of emails and websites and talking to people all over the world. I still have not made my mind up on an exact location, although my heart is really telling me Colorado. However I will say after a long discussion with Rough Country Suspension I discovered that is not the ideal location for me since its mostly flat farm land there. I get tired of Uwahrrie but I honestly love the place with all my heart and if I'm going to leave its going to have to be close to something much better. By accident while looking up some parts for the jeep last night I saw an opening for a job at GenRight Off Road. Without a second thought I freshened up my résumé to be current with my job and experience. That seemed to take forever and kept me up late but I figure it was worth being tired this morning. I sent a copy to the company and have my fingers crossed but not trying to get to far ahead of myself. My study's before stumbling upon that job have lead me to the notion to go back to school for an associate degree in parks & recreation. I have a friend that I met in Uwharrie years ago when I was younger. He actually worked at Uwharrie and wasn't on duty when we met. He was a pretty great guy and enjoyed my stories around the camp fire. After a few weeks of thinking about that trip I realized why he seemed so familiar and we seemed to get along so well, he was the older brother of a childhood friend from way back when (like 5th grade) that I only barley knew but sort of remember if that makes sense! We have since kept in touch from time to time and I recently had a chance to get to catch up. I told him how I wanted to get outdoors more be in a better location. I had become so distant and busy with this job in the last year or so that I actually forgot how I met this guy. Little did I know his brother had already moved to Colorado chasing his dream. I lost touch after middle school with him but then met his older brother, small word. Well he is very involved in forestry with the state. We have always had such a casual friendship we did not discuss work much untill recently. Well naturally he had all kinds of great advice and tips and suggestions that lead to an even bigger increase in almost no sleep research and googling. Even admit I have strayed a few times at work at gotten side tracked. Anyways I'm not 100% set on destination. I'm 100% set on a career that makes me happy. I have this chance to go do something amazing and I want to do it. Even if it means a pay cut. My plans are to get a degree, which I have no excuse not to anyway because GTCC is on my way home from work. I really hate the thought of going back to school at 24. If only I'd listend when I was younger! I am so drained by the time I leave work, then I go home and the emails don't stop and I keep working. But if that's what I need to do to chase this dream then I'm going to have to suck it up and do it. Maybe it's something I could do online, I'm sure I'll google it after I type this and get to that research as well. I have decided that no amount of money I can make is worth staring at computer. I do travel and take customers to lunch but few of my customers are local enough for this to happen often. Don't get me wrong I'm not quitting my job anytime soon (unless something popped up) but I am planning ahead. I am confident that with my work experience, adding a degree will absolutely change my life. I could shoot for jobs involved with state parks and managing OHV trails. Imagine how crazy it would be twenty years from now if I worked my way around the country in national forest and eventually worked up the ladder and could be directly involved with Uwharrie while experiencing other places as well. I'm 100% willing to save now, buy a nice reliable rig and then take a pay cut to do this.
So, for anyone still reading my rambling life story that I feel so compelled to share with those willing to listen, here is the run down of my current thoughts. I want to get a degree in parks & recreation unless the company I applied for calls, which I will peruse later in CA if that one in a million shot happened. Even if a year from now I have decided that this isn't for me, a degree itself will only better my future. If after I do this I still want to go I will be more than qualified for countless job openings I have seen out west. So thanks to a friend and follow wheeler, all of you guys and google, I have a better general direction of where I wanna go with this. And I believe I will take this thread with me, for as long as anyone will read it. Who knows where it could lead, I do enjoy sharing my story, and this is basically a man journal now, ha! Maybe I will write a book someday and these threads will still be stored on some server that I probably sold at some point, for me to refresh and look back on my life. Since the original post I have told my few close friends and family my plans. They are starting to realize how serious I am and are actually supporting me.
So this is the latest for now on my big dream, I haven't let it go. Just been working twice as hard at it. I look forward to hearing thoughts from those still following and plan to keep this thread up to date as this all happens for me. Don't let me slack off and get sidetracked guys!
 
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