ask the readers: should I leave a great city that I love to expand my job options?

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes:

I live in a lovely touristy small city with a university. It’s a great place to live, with lots of services and things to do for its size.

I have a job in my field which I still enjoy in some ways, but I’ve been in it for 10 years and am terribly bored. I’ve really pushed the boundaries of my position and am feeling so stuck. I’ve been actively applying in town for three years. It’s rare that positions come up, and when they do, they are inundated with candidates. Our city is known for having a “scenery tax” and having wildly educated baristas. So in the past year, I’ve started applying to positions in different states and have received two offers, but I’d go to visit and they just didn’t seem like as nice of places to live, so I turned them down.

I don’t know what to do. Part of me feels selfish for thinking about moving. We have a great community and I have two little kids who are doing well here. But I get really sad when I think about this job being my whole career.

I know people living here face this problem all the time. I’d love to hear from folks who either stayed or went and how it shook out.

Readers, please share your thoughts in the comment section.

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