There seem to be two schools of thought when it comes to finding a job: half of the population want to be close to home and will thus narrow their search to local opportunities, while the other half do the opposite because they feel like they are being limited by their hometown. It’s one of those situations where there is no right or wrong answer. It’s a case-by-case basis, where depending on the job you’re trying to pursue, your hometown may be an advantage or disadvantage.
Take a look at these jobs, for instance:
Truck Driver
CDL truck driver jobs mean you will be working for a company, and there’s a demand anywhere in the United States. However, the basic task you will perform for this job is driving, and as with any other driving job, you will be more comfortable if you know the roads by heart. Now, this doesn’t mean you should strictly stick to your hometown when looking for job openings. If you have enough experience driving around a certain area or neighborhood outside your hometown, perhaps because you had a previous job there, go ahead and apply.
Besides, vehicles these days are equipped with tools to help you navigate roads with ease, and companies may even have a dispatch team ready to assist you. In this situation, applying for a local truck driving job has an advantage, but as long as you’re comfortable driving commercial vehicles, you can apply anywhere else.
Tour Guide
When you’re on vacation and looking to explore the tourist attractions, you seek out a tour guide to take you to different landmarks while managing the time efficiently. How do they know which set of activities will give you the most satisfaction given the limited time? Well, they probably spent all their life in the area, so they know everything about each location you’re encountering for the first time.
Some of them started this job early, especially if their city is a popular tourist destination during certain seasons. That means that if this is the job you want to do, intimate details about your hometown will come in handy. Then again, if you yourself love to travel and wouldn’t mind taking lessons to give you enough knowledge about a foreign area, you can be a tourist guide there, too. Guides are especially important in places that attract tourists who don’t speak the local language. You’ll have to learn that language and explore your new work area. You don’t have to do these things if you become a guide in your hometown, but that doesn’t mean you should stay there if you don’t want to.
Land Developer
You have the vision to transform sleepy towns to bustling neighborhoods, and you can only build so much in your city before you want to try something else. This is not a particularly hard thing to do, and you are not locked to your hometown if you have the skills and experience. However, you will need to coordinate with the community to know what you can build that will be welcomed with open arms. You will also need to study the demand in the place, especially if you have a particular focus.
For instance, if you build condominiums, it would not be wise to target an area where people prefer homes or when the average income is way below what you sell the units for. If you focus on landmarks, on the other hand, you will need clearance from the local government. With all things considered, you can definitely explore new areas when you work as a land developer but do so with respect to your new location.
Location matters for some jobs, but for many, it’s the knowledge and willingness to learn about the area that matters more.
