HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Sept 8, 2015 10:46:03 GMT -5
Yanno, Ava, don't listen (too long) to the naysayers. You're young and free of many obligations - I say go for it. So the cost of living is high - big deal, you'll adjust. You have only yourself to worry about - no spouse or children, right? If you are young and almost carefree (out of school, no dependents) this is the absolute ideal time to have an adventure. Who cares if it lasts forever or not, its an adventure. You have a place to land with a person you know and trust, and can stay there until you get a job and your own place. If your cats are young they will be okay in quarantine - just visit them very often until you can bring them home. The only thing you will really need to do is save up enough for a plane ticket back to the mainland/home in a few years if/when you decide it's not for you. I hope you have a wonderful time - even if you decide not to stay. If she said "I'm bored with my life and want to make a change, here it goes!" I would be more supportive. She is relying a TON on what this man says, HE can get her a job, HE can get her an apartment. It doesn't sound like any of this is out of her own imagination or wants. I honestly think it sounds a little creepy, like he will expect her to be his girlfriend or something. She has no friends there, no family there. She has said a cultural sphere is important to her and she only has this one person in it. She will be relying on him completely. She hasn't done any research; she didn't know about the quarantine for her animals. This isn't a girl getting a backpack and heading to southeast asia to find herself.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Sept 8, 2015 11:17:07 GMT -5
I think it's completely bizarre and naive to move to a place you've never been. I understand you want away from the dreary winter, but this sounds like a bad idea to me. Not so bizzarre. During my life, I've done it nine times. As both a child and as an adult. If you're on a career track where corporate relocations are part of agenda, you'll often move to places where your exposure to the area consists of flying in, spending a day in interviews, then flying home. Yet, people are adventerous enough to make the decision to move and to accept that they can make things work and that the move isn't a lifelong commitment. I guess it depends on your mindset. If you view the decisions you make today as temporary, something such as moving is an easy decision to make. If you view every decision you make as irrevokable and carved in stone for the next 50 years, you probably don't make all that many decisions that can have a significant effect on your life.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 8, 2015 11:24:03 GMT -5
Part of me says go for it, the other part of me says stick to Florida and your life plan.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Sept 8, 2015 11:26:56 GMT -5
Yanno, Ava, don't listen (too long) to the naysayers. You're young and free of many obligations - I say go for it. So the cost of living is high - big deal, you'll adjust. You have only yourself to worry about - no spouse or children, right? If you are young and almost carefree (out of school, no dependents) this is the absolute ideal time to have an adventure. Who cares if it lasts forever or not, its an adventure. You have a place to land with a person you know and trust, and can stay there until you get a job and your own place. If your cats are young they will be okay in quarantine - just visit them very often until you can bring them home. The only thing you will really need to do is save up enough for a plane ticket back to the mainland/home in a few years if/when you decide it's not for you. I hope you have a wonderful time - even if you decide not to stay. I'm not trying to be a naysayer, and I agree, now is the time to just do whatever and have fun. I just think she should visit it first. The image of Hawaii is that it's paradise, but so many that go even on vacations aren't fond of Oahu. They'll say, "I loved Maui or I loved Kauai or the Big Island, but I don't care if I ever go back to Oahu". Of course, the people I talk to are all from around here, so not city people. If you're coming from the east coast it wouldn't be quite as overwhelming. I've lived in a lot of large cities and quite frankly, I didn't care for Oahu either. I didn't find it overwhelming, just that it is like any other large city, albeit with better weather. If you look down the road, it could be NYC or Miami or Boston. I do remember being utterly amazed at the cost of groceries though. When my $55 university food per diem didn't come close to covering my food in Honolulu, we stopped at a grocery store (ironically, NOT in Honolulu) and I picked up cereal, 4 bananas, quart of milk, and coffee pods (because the hotel I was staying at wanted to charge $7 for a pot of coffee). That was the better part of a $20 bill - but it was still better than paying $20 for one breakfast.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Sept 8, 2015 11:27:14 GMT -5
I think the bigger risk is in moving because one person is going to help you with everything in your new life there. This is someone you "haven't seen that often". It wouldn't be the first time that people get along really well with infrequent face-to-face contact but can't stand one another in person. What if you get there and 2 days in he's like "OMG I actually can't stand you, get the hell out of my apartment and don't contact me again"? I know, I know, everyone thinks this will never happen to them. It's one thing to say "I would really love to live in Hawaii, I have a plan, and I also happen to know someone who moved there that I think might be a good resource for me". It's another to say "This person thinks I'd enjoy Hawaii and will be a complete lynchpin to any success or failure I have there". Heck, even if "A" was a long time boyfriend, I think that would still be a scary proposition...but he's not even that. He's a guy you've known through someone else and not seen a lot in person apparently.
Fulfilling a dream is one thing. This just "sounds" a lot like someone who thinks a change would be fun and is latching onto the idea of something and preparing only for the best case scenario. If you're lonely, you can make friends anywhere...you just have to work at it. And it's a lot less risky than moving halfway across the world hoping that a friendly acquaintance is the friend you've been searching for.
It just sounds an awful lot like you'd move wherever this guy happened to be because you want to do something different...pinning your life on this guy's life decisions seems like an easy escape from making your own decision.
Either way, good luck. Look into some of the assumptions you're making in regards to your career and CPA though. Too many people assume things will work out and don't check out the rules.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Sept 8, 2015 11:31:48 GMT -5
I think it's completely bizarre and naive to move to a place you've never been. I understand you want away from the dreary winter, but this sounds like a bad idea to me. Not so bizzarre. During my life, I've done it nine times. As both a child and as an adult. If you're on a career track where corporate relocations are part of agenda, you'll often move to places where your exposure to the area consists of flying in, spending a day in interviews, then flying home. Yet, people are adventerous enough to make the decision to move and to accept that they can make things work and that the move isn't a lifelong commitment. I guess it depends on your mindset. If you view the decisions you make today as temporary, something such as moving is an easy decision to make. If you view every decision you make as irrevokable and carved in stone for the next 50 years, you probably don't make all that many decisions that can have a significant effect on your life. I've done it too and don't consider it bizarre. The only difference was when I made a move (and as an AF brat, I did it a LOT as a kid - so this is the 'norm' for me), I made it with all my ducks lined up AND a job in hand. I was not dependent upon someone else's good graces for me to be able to succeed or fail. She is going to be wholly dependent upon someone she's not talked to in a long time to get on her feet. But I can't help but to wonder if Ava's doing it for the wrong reasons. She's unhappy and wants to move and has a plan to move to a community where she will have more in common with her culture. I don't think that's wrong at all. However, if she feels isolated where she lives now, she's going to feel even more isolated in Hawaii, where a quick trip to NYC can alleviate some of her homesickness.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Sept 8, 2015 11:33:24 GMT -5
::Not so bizzarre. During my life, I've done it nine times. As both a child and as an adult. If you're on a career track where corporate relocations are part of agenda, you'll often move to places where your exposure to the area consists of flying in, spending a day in interviews, then flying home. Yet, people are adventerous enough to make the decision to move and to accept that they can make things work and that the move isn't a lifelong commitment.::
I think this makes more sense in terms of moving somewhere for a specific reason. OP has no real reason, other than the fact that it's Hawaii. If you're moving somewhere for the specific reason of wanting to live in a very specific location...it makes sense to visit and ensure that the idea of what you think the place is like is actually true.
It sounds like OP just has this preconception about what life in Hawaii would be like, without actually knowing what life in Hawaii is actually like. Not that you necessarily need to visit, but you should probably have a good understanding of the place you're moving, if you're only moving there because you've decided it would be a nice place to live.
It's kind of like if my job today told me I was being relocated to Alaska...I don't necessarily need to love living in Alaska, I have other reasons to go there...vs....me deciding I just want to go live in Alaska because my idea of it seems awesome...and then finding out that my idea of living in Alaska is not even close to reality when I get there.
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taz157
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Post by taz157 on Sept 8, 2015 11:40:56 GMT -5
:: I can stay there a couple of years, get my CPA, then transfer it to Florida and move there if I want. ::
Some/most states have a work experience requirement prior to getting the CPA license. If you can't find a CPA job in Hawaii, you'll want to be sure you haven't taken the exam in vain and have to re-do it later in Florida.
The CPA is not state specific like the bar exam. The CPA exam is a national exam; therefore, it is good in any state once she passes. To get her license, she will need to follow that state's license requirement (i.e., work experience, education requirements, etc.).
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Sept 8, 2015 11:41:26 GMT -5
I think it's completely bizarre and naive to move to a place you've never been. I understand you want away from the dreary winter, but this sounds like a bad idea to me. Not so bizzarre. During my life, I've done it nine times. As both a child and as an adult. If you're on a career track where corporate relocations are part of agenda, you'll often move to places where your exposure to the area consists of flying in, spending a day in interviews, then flying home. Yet, people are adventerous enough to make the decision to move and to accept that they can make things work and that the move isn't a lifelong commitment. I guess it depends on your mindset. If you view the decisions you make today as temporary, something such as moving is an easy decision to make. If you view every decision you make as irrevokable and carved in stone for the next 50 years, you probably don't make all that many decisions that can have a significant effect on your life. I've moved plenty of times -- for a job. She doesn't even have that. And like I said. If this was HER idea, I'd be more supportive. This sounds like a very strange situation to me.
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taz157
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Post by taz157 on Sept 8, 2015 11:44:15 GMT -5
Part of me says go for it, the other part of me says stick to Florida and your life plan. Yeah that! Good luck with whatever you decide Ava!
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resolution
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Post by resolution on Sept 8, 2015 12:03:22 GMT -5
I almost moved there last summer. DH had a job offer and went there for a two month trial to see how he liked the job and area. I stayed in MD to take care of the house and to continue working my normal work schedule. We were looking at the Big Island, which is a lot more rural than Oahu. The island was fabulous and the people were very nice. Groceries cost about 50% more than on the mainland (which didn't seem bad at all) and housing was about 3x what it is in our area. The factors that caused us to not move was the distance from family and the cost of housing.
There is a 6 hour time difference between Hawaii and the East Coast. DH would call me on his lunch break (6 am my time) and after work (my lunch break). Other than that we couldn't talk because one or the other of us was either asleep or at work. He wasn't able to talk with anyone else from home due to the time difference, as none of them would be receptive to calls at 6 am. He felt very isolated from his family.
The cost of housing was the biggest difference in expenses. It is possible to rent a two cheap bedroom for $1500 because the Big Island is the cheapest place in Hawaii. However if you want to own anything you are looking at 350k minimum for a fixer that isn't very habitable. Oahu would be substantially more expensive. When you look at real estate listings, they look ok to start with, until you realize that most listings are for something called "leasehold" which is not really buying but a long term lease. You have all the normal expenses and responsibilities of owning, but you don't really own the property and you have to move out and give it back when the leasehold expires. So the cheaper places are closer to the end of the leasehold, as the property loses value as the expiration approaches. If you look at "fee simple" properties where you can permanently own the property they are substantially more expensive.
DH is still in touch with his friends that he made there, and a lot of them are struggling and not getting anywhere with their financial security because housing consumes such a large portion of their income. I know one person that really wants to move back to California but whenever he saves enough to move, his car breaks down or he has another expense and he spends the money.
Despite the disadvantages I would have still been interested in moving there because I really liked it. But DH didn't like the job he got and he couldn't handle the inability to call his family and talk to them. So we ended up staying in MD and not moving.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Sept 8, 2015 12:03:57 GMT -5
:: I can stay there a couple of years, get my CPA, then transfer it to Florida and move there if I want. ::
Some/most states have a work experience requirement prior to getting the CPA license. If you can't find a CPA job in Hawaii, you'll want to be sure you haven't taken the exam in vain and have to re-do it later in Florida.
The CPA is not state specific like the bar exam. The CPA exam is a national exam; therefore, it is good in any state once she passes. To get her license, she will need to follow that state's license requirement (i.e., work experience, education requirements, etc.). The exam is national, getting her actual license is not. The requirements to even sit for the exam vary by state.
The piece about taking it in vain centers around the work requirement. Some states say that you have X amount of time after passing the test to get your license...or else you have to do all kinds of other things to get your license (including sometimes taking the exam all over again).
So as an example, let's say she goes to Hawaii, passes the exam, but can only find jobs waitressing. She comes back to Florida in 3 years only to find that the Florida licensure requirements include having at least 1 year of work experience under a certified CPA and must be completed within 3 years of passing the exam. She's missed out on meeting the requirements, and therefore her passing of the CPA exam was in vain.
Or perhaps she goes to Hawaii only to find out she doesn't meet the requirements to even sit for the exam there (or does, but doesn't meet some requirement to get licensed there and therefore cannot work as a CPA there even if she passes).
My concern is that OP doesn't seem to have done the requisite research to understand if her laissez faire attitude about going and returning with her CPA passed is realistic.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Sept 8, 2015 12:13:55 GMT -5
A quick search shows Florida actually has the hypothetical rule I laid out above. 3 years to apply for the license after completing the exam, which includes 1 year of acceptable work experience otherwise they must retake the exam.
Also a quick check shows Hawaii is a two-tier state, which means requirements are slightly different there than the majority of other states (nothing too bad, but different). Just things to be aware of...just passing the CPA then not doing anything with it for a couple of years could be a real setback.
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souldoubt
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Post by souldoubt on Sept 8, 2015 12:15:05 GMT -5
Depending on what you want to take with you it can be pretty damn expensive to get belongings onto the islands so just up and moving isn't cheap especially if you don't end up liking it. A family friend and her husband semi-retired and moved to the big island with basically a suitcase full of clothes and it worked for them but not everyone can do that. Nothing to do with being a naysayer rather it's more of a "look before you leap" approach. The Honolulu freeways are generally considered the worst in the US as far as traffic goes and while it's an island paradise it's a rat race just like you'll find in many other big cities. There are some majorly sketchy parts, income disparity which you can find anywhere but some locals are very poor which leads to crime and if you aren't island born some people don't want you living there.
We're some of the people MPL mentioned - first time I went with my SO to Hawaii we went to Honolulu and she had been there before. We enjoyed it but both of us knew the next time we went back we wouldn't be going there. Since then we've been to Kauai and Maui and we're planning on going back to Maui next year. I'd rank them Maui, Kauai and Oahu a distant third as far as what we prefer and I'm guessing we'll like the Big Island more than Oahu once we visit there. Maui was a nice middle ground between Kauai (very rural parts, small) and Oahu (expensive, overbuilt, crowded). Of the 4 main islands Oahu is the 2nd smallest yet it has 70% of the population. If Ava goes I hope she loves it I only mention this stuff because the 4 main islands are very different in some important ways. I would gladly live on Maui or even Kauai but coming from a big city/area like we do and wanting to go there to get away from all the people Oahu wouldn't be our targeted landing spot.
Good luck.
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quince
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Post by quince on Sept 8, 2015 13:05:21 GMT -5
If she's planning on Oahu, mass transit is actually pretty good for most of the island- it's the other islands that it gets a bit sparse.
There's definitely prejudice against outsiders, and nepotism, so for service jobs, not a big deal, but for state jobs, forget it if you don't have a connection or some awesome requirements, and I'm not sure about professional jobs (so anything that might look for a CPA).
Also, unlike many HCOLAs, there's not that much of an income boost, because the economy IS mostly tourism, so lots of service oriented jobs that pay not so well.
Though since she has a soft spot to land if it all goes belly up? Lady, jump! Safety nets LET you take a chance, so take a chance, and you will at least enjoy the hell out of the weather!
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Sept 8, 2015 13:53:46 GMT -5
::Not so bizzarre. During my life, I've done it nine times. As both a child and as an adult. If you're on a career track where corporate relocations are part of agenda, you'll often move to places where your exposure to the area consists of flying in, spending a day in interviews, then flying home. Yet, people are adventerous enough to make the decision to move and to accept that they can make things work and that the move isn't a lifelong commitment.::
I think this makes more sense in terms of moving somewhere for a specific reason. OP has no real reason, other than the fact that it's Hawaii. If you're moving somewhere for the specific reason of wanting to live in a very specific location...it makes sense to visit and ensure that the idea of what you think the place is like is actually true.
It sounds like OP just has this preconception about what life in Hawaii would be like, without actually knowing what life in Hawaii is actually like. Not that you necessarily need to visit, but you should probably have a good understanding of the place you're moving, if you're only moving there because you've decided it would be a nice place to live.
It's kind of like if my job today told me I was being relocated to Alaska...I don't necessarily need to love living in Alaska, I have other reasons to go there...vs....me deciding I just want to go live in Alaska because my idea of it seems awesome...and then finding out that my idea of living in Alaska is not even close to reality when I get there. Do you really need a "good" reason for choosing someplace to move to? Not included in my personal stats was our most recent move. I didn't include the last move because we'd actually spent a couple of hours in town, considering whether or not we'd want to move here. But, I wouldn't consider having lunch and looking at a model home to be a visit. So, how did we end up moving to where we are now? We were both ready for a change of jobs and we decided that as long as we were going to change jobs, we might as well change locations, too. So we started looking for jobs and houses in the new location (we decided to move from a metropolitan area with a population of 17 million to a small city with a population of 300K). DW found a job, and we started the move. We didn't know a lot about the area, didn't have first hand knowledge of the climate, didn't know the neighborhoods, didn't know anything about how receptive the local population was to people moving into the community (I've lived places where, after 30 years, you're still an outsider), and we didn't know anyone who lived here. Basically, what we knew was the town was big enough to have both Home Depot and Starbucks, that it didn't get 30 below in the winter time, that there was a university, and that there were several ski areas within easy driving distance. In many respects, our decision had a lot of similarities to what Ava is considering. Only, it took a full moving van to move our stuff, not a suitcase. Our moved didn't turn out to be a disaster. As it could have been. I found a job after less than a month of looking. Turns out that there aren't many people with significant manufacturing experience in the area, so my skill set was pretty desirable. We found a house we liked in a new neighborhood. Since everyone in the neighborhood was moving in at the same time, we were able to pretty much create the neighborhood that we wanted to live in. DW found she didn't like the first job she took. So she got another job that she liked much better. When the jobs in her department at employer number two were relocated out of state, she got another job. We found that the town has some good theater. Both traveling productions of Broadway shows and local theater. And they've built a Home Depot, a couple of auto parts stores, and a Costco within a couple of miles of the house. So, what would have happened if we had hated it here? We'd sell the house and move. Almost none of the decisions we make in our lives can not be changed if we realize that we have a made a mistake. A lot of life is about your attitude. While driving, you can miss a turn and get lost. Or, you can miss a turn and start an adventure. Are you going to be lost, or on an adventure?
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chen35
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Post by chen35 on Sept 8, 2015 14:12:21 GMT -5
Depending on what kind of job she wants, it may not matter what state she is licensed in. My job doesn't care that I hold a license in the state I currently live in, just that I am licensed somewhere. From what I remember, Ava doesn't want to go into public accounting, so she may run into something similar.
That being said, depending on someone you don't know well to get you completely set up for life thousands of miles away sounds a little off to me.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Sept 8, 2015 14:21:17 GMT -5
Depending on what kind of job she wants, it may not matter what state she is licensed in. My job doesn't care that I hold a license in the state I currently live in, just that I am licensed somewhere. From what I remember, Ava doesn't want to go into public accounting, so she may run into something similar. That being said, depending on someone you don't know well to get you completely set up for life thousands of miles away sounds a little off to me. The point is actually that she may not be licensed in ANY state. If she passes the CPA exam, but can't find work in Hawaii...she doesn't just have an unlimited amount of time to find employment (which is one of the requirements of getting licensed). You don't become licensed by passing the exam, you have to do other things like get job experience within a set amount of time.
So if she goes there, passes the test, spends a couple years waitressing, then goes back to Florida because she can't find work in her field...she may have garnered no value from passing the CPA exam. If she doesn't care about getting her CPA license, no harm done. It sounds like she does care though, or at least holds that as part of her plan. Hawaii also happens to be a 2 tiered system, which means different requirements.
I wouldn't worry that once she has a CPA license in Hawaii that it's not going to carry over to Florida. Haven't researched it but it's not going to be a total waste I'm sure. There's going to be some kind of simple system to move the license and practice in another state...the issue is in getting the license the first time.
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flamingo
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Post by flamingo on Sept 8, 2015 14:25:47 GMT -5
I'm in the camp that says GO, DO IT! You aren't tied to your current location by anything but your job. I would spend time prior to moving looked at the jobs out there, and maybe even applying for a few. If you hate it, move back. All of my moves across the country have been due to job change. Which is why I recommend looking at jobs before you go. But there is nothing wrong with picking up and moving to Hawaii for a year or two for the sake of adventure. My DH randomly says how he hopes my next job is in Hawaii. Or the Virgin Islands. Or anywhere that's not here, because he's enjoying the adventure of moving and trying out new locations. If you decide to do it, post lots of pictures so those of us in cold, snowy climates can live vicariously through your adventure!
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 8, 2015 18:10:36 GMT -5
Don't you have to work in public accounting for two years to be a CPA?
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souldoubt
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Post by souldoubt on Sept 8, 2015 18:26:09 GMT -5
Licensing is done at the state level and governed by the state board of accountancy who sets the rules and requirements. In CA when I got my license 7 years ago how much experience you needed to get depended on how many hours/credits you had when you got your degree. I sent in my transcript and based on that they told me which of two paths I qualified for - needing 1 year of experience or 2. Any licensed CPA (presumably in good standing, i.e. not under review by the board or on probation) could sign off on your hours. Those hours could come from working anywhere and there's no requirement that you go into public accounting. There are two licenses that are basically auditing and non-auditing. I got the non-auditing license but it doesn't mean I can't work as an auditor it means I don't have the ability to sign off on audits. The only people that generally sign off on audits are partners which isn't the path I was going and to be honest I didn't want that liability. Since I got my license the requirements here have changed and I've heard in some states you're required to have your masters to sit for the exam.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Sept 8, 2015 18:26:33 GMT -5
Be aware the Hawaii is rabies free and has very strict quarantine laws for bringing animals into the state. That's how I acquired one of my dogs. I had an aunt moving back and she didn't think her old dog would handle the long period in quarantine. It's something like 4 months. That's a very long time. I didn't know that. What happens to the animals while they are quarantined? I need to look further into that.
There are companies that can assist with pet relocation ... and in some circumstances you can quarantine your cats on the mainland. www.hawaiilife.com/articles/2014/08/moving-to-hawaii-with-pets-guide/www.hawaiilife.com/articles/2014/06/steps-for-moving-to-hawaii-with-pet-5-day-or-less-program/ t is recommended that you start completing requirements for this checklist about 6-7 months before you plan to arrive in Hawaii.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Sept 8, 2015 18:28:58 GMT -5
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Sept 8, 2015 19:07:00 GMT -5
Thanks for all the responses. A lot of things to think about. As someone said, I don't have a husband or children, so I'm only responsible for me and my cat. The possibility of extended quarantine worries me because she's 11 years old. I don't know how she'll adapt to that. The good thing is I can visit while she's in "jail".
I am not very concerned about the downsides. I can pick up and move if things don't go too well and/or I don't get along with A. I know A quite well. I haven't seen him too much recently, but we've kept in touch. I know I am not expected to be his girlfriend. He has some interest on me, but he's not pushy. I've spent a weekend in his place years ago in New Jersey. I don't know if he expected anything, but at night I just went to bed and he slept in the couch. He never mentioned it. And to be honest, I don't find him unattractive. Maybe it'll be me who ends up wanting to be together, who knows. I just don't rush into relationships.
I won't depend on him while there. I have some money saved. I have a phone, friends and family I can call for help. I have a credit card. Worst case scenario, I go to the police station and they'll probably send me back to the mainland. The idea is to get a job soon and move out of A's place. I like to have my money and my independence. I looked it up and seems that the unemployment rate is extremely low.
I would have never thought about moving to Hawaii if he hadn't moved there. But I want to move away from here. I'm not worried about the CPA. Even if I never become a CPA, hey, for a foreign born citizen who came here with nothing I am proud of myself. I got an education, an MBA, and maybe I can get a CPA. If it doesn't happen, it's not the end of my world. I wouldn't mind staying in Hawaii while I study and sit for the CPA. I can be in Hawaii and declare Florida as the state for the CPA, then move and get my experience there. Many options, I haven't decided anything concrete yet. As for waitressing, it would be a break. It would be a more physical job and I could study for the CPA in my free time.
As for what could go wrong, I guess plenty. I don't know. The worst I can conceive is not being able to afford living there and having to come back. I don't see A throwing me out on the street, he's very mellow and easy going.
I haven't researched Hawaii yet, all this idea of moving there is new to me. I will research but I think I'm going. After all, my idea is not to stay in Hawaii forever. I couldn't put up with being so far from everything long term. It would be a 2 year thing for me.
Anyway, I don't have to rush into a decision right now. I am considering things. If I move, it will be February or March, not tomorrow or the day after.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Sept 8, 2015 20:01:16 GMT -5
Ava-if I remember corectly, in the past you mentioned several times about being lonely even though you were maybe a 90 minute train ride to NYC and able to associated with those from your home country. You missed your people while living in Connecticut.
If you live in Hawaii, you will no longer be just a 90 minute train ride from folks you are comfortable with but many hours away on a plane ride to be with those you are comfortable with. That will get very expensive in a very short period of time
Keep in mind too there is an island version of cabin fever.
Visit before you decide to move and don't be blinded by touristy stuff. That gets old very quickly.
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taz157
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Post by taz157 on Sept 8, 2015 20:45:28 GMT -5
Don't you have to work in public accounting for two years to be a CPA? Generally you have to work under a licenses CPA for a certain time frame (depends by state). Most of the time it's easiest in public accounting.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2015 22:21:37 GMT -5
Keep in mind too there is an island version of cabin fever. OMG. I get that so bad! When things were really nasty with my ex a couple years ago, relatives were asking me to come stay in Hawaii to get away from it all. I did consider it, but two things kept me here, one, my older son and not wanting (or maybe even able) to take him away from his Dad, and two, the claustrophobia I get when I'm there for too long. You drive any direction for a half hour and you hit water. It would get me really anxious and we're talking in like a few weeks. Obviously a lot of people love living there though or it wouldn't be so damn crowded! LOL
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Sept 8, 2015 22:37:06 GMT -5
::Not so bizzarre. During my life, I've done it nine times. As both a child and as an adult. If you're on a career track where corporate relocations are part of agenda, you'll often move to places where your exposure to the area consists of flying in, spending a day in interviews, then flying home. Yet, people are adventerous enough to make the decision to move and to accept that they can make things work and that the move isn't a lifelong commitment.::
I think this makes more sense in terms of moving somewhere for a specific reason. OP has no real reason, other than the fact that it's Hawaii. If you're moving somewhere for the specific reason of wanting to live in a very specific location...it makes sense to visit and ensure that the idea of what you think the place is like is actually true.
It sounds like OP just has this preconception about what life in Hawaii would be like, without actually knowing what life in Hawaii is actually like. Not that you necessarily need to visit, but you should probably have a good understanding of the place you're moving, if you're only moving there because you've decided it would be a nice place to live.
It's kind of like if my job today told me I was being relocated to Alaska...I don't necessarily need to love living in Alaska, I have other reasons to go there...vs....me deciding I just want to go live in Alaska because my idea of it seems awesome...and then finding out that my idea of living in Alaska is not even close to reality when I get there. Do you really need a "good" reason for choosing someplace to move to? Not included in my personal stats was our most recent move. I didn't include the last move because we'd actually spent a couple of hours in town, considering whether or not we'd want to move here. But, I wouldn't consider having lunch and looking at a model home to be a visit. So, how did we end up moving to where we are now? We were both ready for a change of jobs and we decided that as long as we were going to change jobs, we might as well change locations, too. So we started looking for jobs and houses in the new location (we decided to move from a metropolitan area with a population of 17 million to a small city with a population of 300K). DW found a job, and we started the move. We didn't know a lot about the area, didn't have first hand knowledge of the climate, didn't know the neighborhoods, didn't know anything about how receptive the local population was to people moving into the community (I've lived places where, after 30 years, you're still an outsider), and we didn't know anyone who lived here. Basically, what we knew was the town was big enough to have both Home Depot and Starbucks, that it didn't get 30 below in the winter time, that there was a university, and that there were several ski areas within easy driving distance. In many respects, our decision had a lot of similarities to what Ava is considering. Only, it took a full moving van to move our stuff, not a suitcase. Our moved didn't turn out to be a disaster. As it could have been. I found a job after less than a month of looking. Turns out that there aren't many people with significant manufacturing experience in the area, so my skill set was pretty desirable. We found a house we liked in a new neighborhood. Since everyone in the neighborhood was moving in at the same time, we were able to pretty much create the neighborhood that we wanted to live in. DW found she didn't like the first job she took. So she got another job that she liked much better. When the jobs in her department at employer number two were relocated out of state, she got another job. We found that the town has some good theater. Both traveling productions of Broadway shows and local theater. And they've built a Home Depot, a couple of auto parts stores, and a Costco within a couple of miles of the house. So, what would have happened if we had hated it here? We'd sell the house and move. Almost none of the decisions we make in our lives can not be changed if we realize that we have a made a mistake. A lot of life is about your attitude. While driving, you can miss a turn and get lost. Or, you can miss a turn and start an adventure. Are you going to be lost, or on an adventure? LOL, and here I was thinking you were one of those conservative accounting types!
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Post by mojothehelpermonkey on Sept 9, 2015 16:56:39 GMT -5
Keep in mind too there is an island version of cabin fever. OMG. I get that so bad! When things were really nasty with my ex a couple years ago, relatives were asking me to come stay in Hawaii to get away from it all. I did consider it, but two things kept me here, one, my older son and not wanting (or maybe even able) to take him away from his Dad, and two, the claustrophobia I get when I'm there for too long. You drive any direction for a half hour and you hit water. It would get me really anxious and we're talking in like a few weeks. Obviously a lot of people love living there though or it wouldn't be so damn crowded! LOL I grew up in the semi-rural midwest and always thought that growing up in Hawaii would be so amazing. Then I met a few people who did grow up there, and it sounds like you can end up with the same feelings of isolation that you can get when you live anywhere that requires ~6 hours of travel to be able to go somewhere else. Both the midwest and Hawaii have their selling points, but they aren't places that you want to just move to on a whim. (Unless you can afford to make a quick and painless exit. )
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NastyWoman
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Post by NastyWoman on Sept 9, 2015 20:00:23 GMT -5
Don't let anybody tell you differently but you can be lonely and isolated anywhere, even in a city of 10M people. Maybe it is even worse there since there "obviously" must be something wrong with you if you feel isolated among millions. No outside influence to be blamed right?
I'll never forget the title of a book (also I forgot everything else about it) that I had to read in 6th grade written by the great-grandmother of the current Dutch king. The title was "Lonely but not Alone". I doubt it was the lesson the nuns wanted to teach us, but it was the one that stayed with me → loneliness is an internal force.
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