The Biggest Shocks to Leaving Big Tech for Small-Town USA

Leaving Big Tech for Small-Town USA can lead to some pretty big shocks to the system. This is especially true in certain areas, such as your life’s pace, schedule, free time, etc. Big changes are afoot, and if Saturday Morning Cartoons taught us anything, knowing is half the battle. Understanding these changes allows us to better prepare for them—not just physically or financially but mentally and emotionally, as well. 

• Pace

The pacing of your life might be the first of many shocks to your system when you first leap from your big pond to your new little pond. Within the confines of Corporate America, life happens quicker; blink, and you’ll miss it, they say. They say it because it’s true. Life in the Big City moves faster, and moments are lost at a quicker pace. So, it may come as a shock to the system to know that moving to a smaller town comes with a vastly different pace than the Big City.

Things happen slower in smaller towns. Mornings may always feel hectic, but in Smalltown, USA, moments are easier collected and transformed into lasting memories. Coffee tastes a little richer, and getting out the door happens with a little less chaos and a little more gratitude. Life happens a little slower, and mornings feel a little more fulfilling.

• Schedule

In the Big City, you live by a set schedule. To many of us, our schedule defines who we are. Our days and events are dictated by our calendars. Our experiences are predictable and limited to our set patterns. And that’s what it really comes down to: Patterns. We morph our schedules into predictable patterns that we feel we have more control over.

We do this so we can feel like we have some form of control over our lives when we should know that our control is limited to our choices and reactions. That’s it. Creating redundant patterns in the guise of scheduling goes out the window, depending on how rural you take it. In smaller towns, you take life as it comes. You leave some wiggle room along with the plan. You know, for when the plan falls apart.

• Free time

When you take your free time and how you spend it is going to change. The smaller your new venue, the smaller scale your activities will be. The smaller scale also means tighter knit. Tight-knit communities are notorious for their ability to take an activity and make it fun and family-oriented. While generally plentiful, getting to know your new community’s social dynamic will help you decide which locally-charged activities are right for you based on the season and your weather preferences.

For example, colder regions will have more activities that exploit the snow or cold weather, such as hockey, ice skating, and sledding. Warmer regions with higher humidity usually have beaches for volleyball, surfing, and boating. Hotter regions with a desert climate have rigorous shade hunting, fervently hiding from scorpions, and actively running from rattlesnakes.

• Environment

Your environment will have a shockingly large impact on your business and personal life. The city is a jungle but you know what else is a jungle? A jungle. Leaving the concrete enclave makes for exciting new prospects when it comes to the environment. The more drastic the change, the bigger the shock to the system. Imagine trading in skyscrapers for mountains and fountains for waterfalls.

Coming from a big city like Detroit or New York and heading to a small suburb of Phoenix, Arizona would be shocking on so many levels. The weather alone would make you feel like a Kryptonian adjusting to a human atmosphere. Just remember, don’t pet the cactus. Likewise, leaving Philidelphia for a small village in Hawaii means changing from ice hockey to surfing and nighttime muggings to, well, daytime muggings. At least you won’t have to sacrifice your love of Spam.

• Climate

The climate has so much control over your daily activities that you may not take notice until your climate drastically changes. You may get used to regular rain patterns, sunny patterns, and even seasonal patterns like when it begins to get cold or when the first snow falls. You may not realize how much it controls your life and how much your daily routine revolves around these climatic patterns.

Imagine living your whole life in a city where it snows 8 months out of the year. Now imagine moving to a place where it never snows and winter is virtually non-existent. This would be something you would need to prepare for physically and mentally. Imagine leaving a perpetually dark Alaskan city for the perpetually bright and sunny Yuma, Arizona. The climate would play a significant role in your activities, daily routine, and business life.

Conclusion

When moving from an area of relatively stable and normal weather to more extreme environments and climates, be prepared for a major shock to the system. While it’s always best to remain hopeful, as the old saying goes, hope for the best but prepare for the worst. While the move should be fun and exciting, being prepared for a seismic shift in the world around you deserves special attention.