The wanderer
Fri May 21, 2010 20:04 EST (UTC -5)A year from now, I will have graduated from college. I've mentioned the sort of career I think I want to get into, but lately I've been trying to figure out just where I want plant my roots... or some other sort of ridiculous tree analogy.
I go to school in North Florida (Gainesville, specifically), and my home is in South Florida. At first glance, it might seem like a good idea to move back to South Florida, but that wouldn't be a good option for me. My parents have put the house up for sale again; they plan to move to some rural part of North Florida.
As I see it, here are my options:
- I could move back to South Florida, but I'd have to have my own place. It's expensive to live there, so I don't know if I'd be able to afford it.
- I could move in with my parents in the countryside of North Florida, assuming they move there within a year.
- I could stay here in Gainesville, where I'm currently studying. I've thought about this option the most, actually. I was thinking I could try to move up from my current job at the university. One of the guys who once had my job as a student now works above me.
- I could move somewhere else entirely, but it can't be someplace where it snows. I don't play those games.
Another wrinkle is that I don't know how to drive a car and I don't have time to learn. Unlike most teenagers, I was never very interested in learning to drive, so I didn't. Even now, the only time I feel like I should get my driver's license is when I'm home visiting my friends and they have to chauffeur me around everywhere.
I definitely can get by without a car for as long as I'm a student, but after that, who knows? That's the only reason I can think of to learn to drive. I'd just have to make sure I could afford it. Cars are expensive; gas is expensive; insurance is expensive; maintenance is expensive; other things I haven't thought of are expensive. And I'd have to find time to learn.
Some other reasons not to drive: I'm terrified of getting into an accident; most cars are bad for the environment; the cars that are better for the environment are really expensive; I have poor hand-eye coordination. Did I mention I'm terrified of getting into an accident?
Other options include public transportation, which completely sucks almost everywhere in this land of ours, and riding a bike car magnet everywhere.
So, I'd have to live in a city that's warm, good for walking, and (of course) inexpensive to live in. I'm asking for the impossible... OR AM I?? Your thoughts, as always, are welcome.
An article explaining how scientific knowledge can be forgotten: "Scott and Scurvy." (Via waxy.org)
In American buildings, exit signs say "EXIT." In most of the rest of the world, they have of a person running toward a door. Read about the international war over exit signs. (Via J-Walk Blog)
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16 comments
#1 by Andrea: Fri May 21, 2010 20:22 EST (UTC -5)
You've been in two accidents with me! And they weren't so bad. And jesus that makes me sound like a terrible driver, doesn't it? You're just bad luck when it comes to people rear-ending me!
#2 by Jordon Kalilich: Fri May 21, 2010 20:26 EST (UTC -5)
I guess so. Have you gotten into any accidents since then?
#3 by Kate: Sat May 22, 2010 06:09 EST (UTC -5)
What's the place your parents are moving to? Just curious.
If I were you, I'd probably choose the option #2 or #3... And for myself I'd choose #4. :D
I think driving skills are useful even if you haven't your own car. Btw, how much does it cost to learn and get a licence? In St Petersburg it costs 800 dollars. That's why I gave it up.
#4 by Jordon Kalilich: Sat May 22, 2010 08:48 EST (UTC -5)
I don't think my parents have found a place to move yet, but they've been looking at places within an hour's drive of Gainesville. They just like the area.
I think driving schools are expensive. Most people learn to drive from their parents when they're teenagers. In some parts of the country, they might still learn to drive as a class in school. In any case, it takes time. I don't think it costs a lot of money to get the license.
#5 by Keith: Sat May 22, 2010 17:54 EST (UTC -5)
I say you should try to get your master's. Maybe the unemployment statistics will be down in another two years.
As for driving, I've tried learning twice: once when I was 16 and once when I was 27. I couldn't grasp the concepts either time. Passing the written test is nothing, but when you actually get on the road, well... You can probably do it, as most people can, but it wasn't a pleasant experience for me and I never was successful in learning. On the other hand, my brother knows how to drive but he just prefers bicycling. He says that people suggest he get a motorcycle and he's like, "That would be defeating the purpose." True, you can certainly absorb much more of your surroundings on bicycle (I certainly prefer it over riding in someone else's car; they're small, stuffy, vibrating, noisy, ... I'm always just glad when we reach our destination and I can get out of the thing).
#6 by Jordon Kalilich: Sat May 22, 2010 18:30 EST (UTC -5)
I've been told that in order to succeed in grad school, you have to want to be there. I don't.
#7 by Sarah: Sun May 23, 2010 11:50 EST (UTC -5)
Houston has about the same climate (I think), has jobs, and if you live in the middle of the city, you can get by without a car (or even a bike, sometimes). People do. It's a cool city, don't let anyone tell you it isn't. Sure, it's not tourist-pretty, but there are a lot of bad-asses here and it's a very international city.
Even if you never buy a car, you should learn to drive one (at the very least, an automatic). If there was ever an emergency situation and you were the only one fit to drive, you'd kick yourself if you couldn't. Don't think I'm lecturing - I spoon-feed myself this scenario every time I remember I can't drive an automatic. Find a friend who's willing to let you drive their car around a vacant parking lot. This is how I taught my sister.
Also, you could think about getting a scooter if you live in a city. They're pretty nifty, and a little quicker (and a little less hated) than bicycles by automobiles.
#8 by Jordon Kalilich: Sun May 23, 2010 20:11 EST (UTC -5)
Houston or some place like it may be a good idea. I'll have to rule out the idea of getting a scooter, though. I would need a driver's license to drive one (unless Texas doesn't require that).
#9 by Daniel: Mon May 24, 2010 04:28 EST (UTC -5)
I think what you've been told about grad school usually refers to "grad school" grad school. Like Ph D. stuff. Masters programs are usually just more of the same, but more advanced now. Programs that don't require a thesis even more so.
#10 by Sarah: Mon May 24, 2010 08:15 EST (UTC -5)
Well if you end up in Houston we're starting an Esperanto club, period.
#11 by Jordon Kalilich: Mon May 24, 2010 12:08 EST (UTC -5)
@Daniel: A veteran professor in my department said that, so I'm taking his word for it. But regardless, I don't want to go.
@Sarah: Sure thing. Although I think there might already be one there. I've heard of a few in Texas, anyway.
#12 by kevin: Mon May 24, 2010 17:19 EST (UTC -5)
i wouldn't move to rural area near gainesville mostly because you're most likely not going to find the kind of job you want and if by chance you actually do, it's not going to be high-paying. that said, i still love your parents lol.
staying in gainesville is a good option actually, and i could really see you doing that because i know you don't like change. plus, gville's a nice place, and with uf there, you can find some pretty decent jobs. however, i'm a big city person as you know, so my options look a bit different from yours, so i'd go with option #4 and go to a new place entirely.
however, some places with warm climate, fairly good public transit, and relatively affordable that i'd look into if i were you would be:
tampa: downtown, st pete, channelside, hyde park (hyde park is so, so beautiful and walking distance to downtown tampa), and tampa heights. side note: i really love tampa, most specifically the historic neighborhoods surrounding downtown. tampa also has a small, albeit decent streetcar and the areas near downtown have good bus service.
orlando: stay away. orlando is sprawl fest usa with no decent transit. plus, i just don't like orlando lol.
jacksonville: not a fan of jax, and if you thought orlando was spread out, jax is 10x worse. but still there are some really cool neighborhoods near downtown that you could get away without having a car.
key west: probably not too many good jobs, BUT you definitely don't need a car there and it's a low key lifestyle albeit expensive.
miami: definitely the best option when it comes to public transit in the south, but not too good on the pockets. job opportunities are good though. anywhere near a metrorail station is good, downtown, brickell, south beach, the obvious options. sobe is hella expensive though. you can actually find some really good rental deals in downtown and brickell since the recession has left many foreclosed condos and apartments in downtown that now rent for super cheap (by big city standards, aka: 650-900/month for a 1/1).
i want to live in new york for a while, but i definitely plan on coming back to settle permanently in florida, and miami is pretty much the only place i'm considering in florida. but that's based primarily because it's the largest city, and its our hometown. ok, i'm done. this is the longest comment ever, but i love this kind of stuff so i couldn't resist. haha hope this all kind of helped lol.
#13 by Jordon Kalilich: Mon May 24, 2010 20:39 EST (UTC -5)
Thanks for your comment, Kevin. I think that's probably the longest (non-spam) comment anyone has posted, ever. Time for me to go over your points.
The sticks: I wouldn't expect to find a good job there either. And I'd need a car to get anywhere. I would like to visit from time to time, but I wouldn't want to make it my home base.
Gainesville: I don't like change, but I'm less afraid of it now than when I was a kid. (I was terrified of starting high school but enthusiastic about starting college.) Gainesville is pretty small; I think I would like a bigger city. So I wouldn't mind getting out of here, given enough mental preparation. It might be cool if I had a friend to room with in my new city, whichever it may be.
Tampa: Tampa has always seemed foreign to me, like I could never really make it my own city. I guess I don't really know much about the place as I've hardly been there. I guess it's worth considering.
Orlando: I agree with you about Orlando. I didn't even know it had a downtown until I read the Wikipedia article just now.
Jacksonville: I'm not very familiar with Jacksonville either. I don't know what it has going for it.
Key West: I wish I could go to Key West more often, but I don't think I'd want to live there. Living on a small island has some pretty big downsides, not the least of which is that it's a long drive to the mainland. That would be a problem when there's a hurricane coming and you don't have a car.
Miami: I wasn't actually considering Miami until you mentioned it, but it does sound pretty nice. I do like it there, and maybe I could find a reasonably-priced place. It all depends on the job I get. It's kind of a catch-22, but I'm trying not to think about it that way.
Thanks for helping to shape my thought process!
#14 by kevin: Tue May 25, 2010 12:14 EST (UTC -5)
well if you decide on miami, we can room together and find an apartment in downtown lol. i'm crossing my fingers haha.
#15 by kristen: Tue May 25, 2010 14:08 EST (UTC -5)
or you both can come visit me in downtown brickell.
#16 by Jordon Kalilich: Tue May 25, 2010 16:24 EST (UTC -5)
That's a cool idea, Kevin. You too, Kristen.