Post Punk Kitchen Forum

So I live in Portland. I love it. I love my friends here. I live in vegan Mecca. I don't have a desire to live anywhere else, but I have wanderlust in general. I just finished grad school. There are jobs in my field, but they might require moving within the state.

I applied on a whim to Anchorage. They interviewed me and offered me a job. It's easily 1 1/2 times or more what I would make staying in Portland. I can come up with equal reasons to stay and go.

Go: So much money, comparatively, ridiculous. Save it. Complete upheaval of my life/furniture. Move back to Portland in 2 years and put a downpayment on a house. A good job, with some mentorship and professional development. Portland has a likely job for me next year, and Anchorage is a good training for the Portland district.

Stay: My stressed out cat, who has already dealt with moving from Boston and from the Oregon coast. The fact that I am superb at not putting down roots, and that I need/want to do this. The fact that staying in one place makes me breathe easy. I love Portland. I have traveled/lived abroad. I know Europe and Northern Africa. I don't NEED to travel and I have furniture that would have to go into storage, which I don't like the sound of, or that would have to come with me for familiarity, which is silly if I am only staying a little while. Ugh.

Anyone? I have to decide by Monday at 5 pm. I am so lucky to have this option, I know. I just can make a great case either way.

Go have an adventure. If you do that every couple of years, it staves off a midlife crisis.

I'd say it's time for an adventure, especially if it gives you valuable experience in your field! To me, one or two years isn't really moving, it's just an extended visit. You'll probably look back fondly in this opportunity, though I also totally understand your apprehension about the upheaval. About the leaving vegan Mecca thing- it'll be good for you! And you'll appreciate it even more when you get return. Though, I guess my point is, do what's best for you.

I totally love Anchorage. It's a great city, but I'm probably biased, since it gave me my boyfriend, who is pretty rad. The people in Alaska are some of the most wonderfully kind, generous, accepting, all-around amazing people I have ever met. The main reason people live up there is to really experience the state's ridiculous beauty. It's super easy to get out of the city and drive a couple hours to Denali National Park, which is one of my all-time favorite places. I climbed the beginning of Kesugi Ridge a few years ago with some friends. One of the most amazing experiences of my life was sitting on top of a mountain at 2am on the summer solstice. The ridge is across the valley from Denali, which had been covered by clouds all day. But in the middle of the night (which never actually got dark), we looked across the valley and saw the clouds break and there she was. There are also closer places to hike and camp and do all kinds of other naturey things nearby. There's pretty great skiing & snowboarding close by in Girdwood, and Hope on the far side of one of the bays is a great tiny town where some of my favorite people live.

Not gonna lie. I've only ever been in June or July, when the weather is about as good as it gets. It never really gets hot, only about 70. Winters can be brutally cold, but they're largely dry. Anchorage does get a decent amount of snow, but not as much as the rest of the state. Thankfully, the city is really good about salting and clearing the roads. Late summer and fall see a good amount of rain. The air also just feels better somehow. Ocean and lack of too much pollution, probably.

The cost of living is higher, since it takes a lot to get food and other supplies up there. Rent is higher than you'd expect, but not super unreasonable. Property taxes are high, but at least there's no sales tax. If you live there long enough, you can get a special dividend on your taxes, that has something to do with the oil industry (if Fred comes home before I finish this post, I can tell you more).

There are a lot of really great restaurants in the area. Most are pretty vegetarian friendly, but their veganness wavers. It has gotten a little better every time I've been up there. I have some friends in the restaurant industry, so if you do decide to go, I'd be happy to give you some suggestions. Alaskans love their coffee and booze. There are awesome drive-thru coffee shops in most larger parking lots in the city. The bars are great, and there are a ton of local breweries that put out some pretty awesome stuff, so if you're into beer, it's a great city for that. The nightlife scene is mostly focused downtown. I have some awesomely talented DJ friends. Anchorage is a pretty home-grown city, and is really good to small businesses. There aren't a ton of chains, and the few there are only have a couple locations. There are a decent amount of health food stores for specialty products, and even Fred Meyer and Costco have vegan items.

As a Midwesterner born and bred, I love standing in the middle of the city and seeing the mountains in the background. It fills my cold black heart to see such incredible natural beauty everywhere, even in the middle of downtown. You can even be driving down the street and see a moose or caribou or some other animal just hanging out on the side of the road.

Honestly, if Whole Foods had a store in Anchorage so I could transfer and I could somehow convince Fred to go back, I probably would. Maybe someday.

Okay. That's probably enough. We didn't get to go on our yearly trip last summer, and since we're moving this fall, we probably won't get to this year either, so I'm extra pro AK these days. So, yeah. GO!

If you have questions about anything, hit me up!

One thing to consider - once you're settled, it's SO MUCH HARDER to do something like that. When you only have to consider yourself (essentially), it's a lot easier to up sticks. I love Edinburgh, but I sometimes get that wanderlust and wish I could have a mini-adventure somewhere else. But I can't because I have loans, a mortgage, a husband and a cat. So I'm here to stay (which I'm happy with in general). But if I were still single and renting, I could probably get a job in any of the major cities in the UK and make more than I do now, advance in my career, and do and see new things along the way.

If you want/need the money and it's a good opportunity (which it sounds like it is), you should go for it.

Yes, do the big move now before it gets more difficult to do. I agree with Veggiebeat, that's not even really moving, it is just an extended visit if you're going for a couple of years.

wow! i'm afraid of change in general, but I always wish that I wasn't, so I say go for it!

Do you mind if I ask what your field is?

Is it a dream job or just a job that pays a lot? Taking the cost of living difference into account is it still a ridiculous amount of money?

Yes! I would go. Portland will still be there when you get back.

And you will have saved enough to have a better life there. It seems to me like the pros definitely outway the cons. Go!

Go.

You get to experience a new place, make new friends, grow in your career. This opportunities are rare in settled adulthood. You're much more likely to regret not going. All upheavals are stressful, and you will question yourself when you are packing and storing things and helping your cat, but then you will get there, settle in, and explore your new adventure. Life's short, and the best way to spend it is by traveling and experiencing new places/ways of being.

I am with molasses jane (who says it perfectly!). I've always take opportunities to travel, and never regretted them. I feel like time moves so much slower (in a good way) and feels more intense and rich in new surroundings. And Alaska! So exciting!

Go! Change is awesome.

I completely agree with this. We just up and moved far away and it's the best decision we've ever made. The places you leave will still be there and I think when opportunities like this come up you should take them. That and I would love to live in Alaska some day.

I would go, especially if it's not a multiple year gig. It's easier to stay. Portland will be waiting.

Related - I know of Portlanders (and vegan ones!) who have worked in Alaska for a period and seem glad they did.

Man, Kara's post makes ME want to move there for sure.

It sounds like you want to go, so go!

I voted go, because once you buy a house and put down roots, it becomes SO much more difficult to go have adventures like this.

I say do it! As someone who's moved about 13 times in my life (and yet always returning to Seattle), the one thing I've noticed that no matter where you go, if you're not happy you can always move back :)

if you had named the thread "awesome opportunity question" i would have voted "go"

your sub-conscience is tellng you something?

above anything else that I'd said, I remembered one other important thing: follow your heart. throw out all the pros/cons if they're so balanced and listen deep inside of you. that helps me a lot.

that's a really good point.... (but you can always come back!)