Escape The Small Town Life Now Before It Steals Your Soul

People love to romanticize "small-town life" but that is a dream that sits on top of a giant cow pattie.

I'm here to inspire you to make the jump. Don't be afraid. I know you'll say that "being afraid has nothing to do with it", but it has everything to do with it.

I guess we should start with why do I personally want you to make this jump?  Let's just say that a couple of folks helped me transition to a big(ger) town after spending some time on a path to nowhere and I feel obligated to return the favor.

Small towns are comfortable, but you pay for that comfortability in a number of ways that we should explore:

*There Is A Lack Of Opportunity

Companies locate themselves near talent pools. They want to select from the best and the brightest for their employees.  Larger towns with colleges and other industries bring these people together.

*There  Is A Lack Of Services

What happens when you need medical care? Most rural hospitals are only capable of putting a bandaid on your problem and then sending you to the nearest big town. As you age, you will learn to appreciate having a capable hospital only ten minutes away.

*There Is A Lack Of Entertainment

This is the one that got me into trouble. When you don't have a nearby movie theater, concert, dance hall, or even a large shopping center to visit, you do stupid stuff out of boredom.

*There Is A Lack Of Privacy

Everybody knows your business in a small town. Everyone is gossipping about you.  If you get a new dog in a small town everybody is talking about it. Now, imagine what's going on behind your back when you have a new girlfriend or missed a day at whatever church that town has decided is the "right one".

*There Is A Lack Of Empathy

The idea of a charming little town where everybody knows your name is just so much b.s. In smaller towns, they aren't exposed to different types of people or situations and that breeds fear and things like tribalism, homophobia, and racism.

*There Is A Lack Of Education

If we wanted to be kind as possible to small-town education, we could just leave it as a matter of a lack of choices.  Assuming that for some reason the best and brightest teachers moved to Podunk, U.S.A., there still aren't enough kids to fill specialty classes. While you might get automotive and F.F.A., you do not get electronics or some language classes.

Why Make The Change?

So what's "scaring" you about coming to a big city? Well, some people love to pin that on crime, but for the most part that's about staying out of the wrong place at the wrong time. Is the rent that much higher?  Yeah, but you'll have many more opportunities to increase your pay or move up the ladder to find better jobs. My advice to you is for you to make finding a job in the city your job. You can put in your hours at home, and apply online like crazy in a larger town. Do it now before your roots get too thick.  I wish you luck, but I know if you took the time to read this entire post, you probably already have what it takes to make it. Just do it.