ALT-1 When Young Professionals Relocate Creating new Social Networks

The movers came and went. So did the farewell parties. You amazed yourself by making a life-changing leap into another city. You've unpacked the last box, your new office carefully arranged in your own functional,yet personal style. The pats on the back and well-wishes from new co-workers have come and gone, and now it's the end of the day and you're left with a nagging question:

Now what?

Congratulations. You've just opened an amazing door. Think of it - how many people get to stretch themselves and totally lay their lives out to complete strangers? It may not seem like it, but that's what happens when you are recruited, wined-and-dined, and finally hired to take on that next new challenge in a new location. And the phrase "life-changing" is not to be taken lightly. That's exactly what you hoped for when you made the leap, right? Integrating yourself into a new work environment isn't the real challege; after all, your people skills are what got you the new gig in the first place. The hard part comes after the workday is done.

You need a social life.

One of the worst traps you can fall into once you transplant yourself is throwing yourself into work. That's a sure road to burnout and disillusionment, because once the work is complete, you may find yourself feeling lost. Work drives us but shouldn't completely define us. And if you're career-minded like me, you'll find that's a lot easier said than done. So let's look at creating a life outside of work - a SOCIAL life, one that will enrich and enhance your working self.

Moving and career have always been synonymous to me. I always knew that if I wanted to advance my career, I needed to go where the challenges were. And I knew that in order to have a balanced sense of self, I needed to find interests and diversions outside of work. So I looked at ways to build a social network outside of work (and hey, if it happened to overlap in ways that benefitted work, that was a bonus!).

The first steps for me began before I even took the job. When a company is serious about you, they will typically bring you into their city and pull out the stops to impress you and to get a better feel for what you have to offer in person. On those junkets I always made sure I had enough face time with my future employer to get my immediate job questions answered, but I also made sure I had adequate time to drive around the city and see what it's like, untarnished by someone trying to sell me on what a great town I'd be coming to. I would pick up a newspaper and try to get a feel for what the city's about. I'd look for an entertainment magazine and try to see if the nightlife matched my interests. I'd see what opportunities for community involvement might exist for me, or maybe look for a civic organization to join. Sure, you can learn a lot of these things from a website, but let's face it - nothing beats first-hand investigation. I'd go to the hot mall in town and see what it has to offer, and maybe hit the downtown area and check out a restaurant or two. These are all key ingredients that will end up comprising your social network once you make the big move, and you will find the transition into a new social scene a lot easier if you do some homework first.

After I moved to town, I would sample different churches and health clubs to find someplace I felt comfortable. Or I'd take a class at the local college, just for fun. Recreation league sports is another good ice-breaker. And many cities have incredible parks that are great places for people-watching and people-meeting.

Once you've pinpointed some areas of interaction with your new city, you can start laying the groundwork for meeting those new friends and associates. And soon you'll find yourself hitting business-after-hours functions and networking with the best of them. But you must find those opportunities to develop yourself socially outside of work. And as stated before when those two worlds overlap, that's good too. But we all need to escape from work and recharge ourselves, and being active socially is a great asset. Join a health club, take a class, get a hobby. There's an engaging and envigorating network flowing all around you. You just need to have enough confidence in yourself to take the leap.

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