I’m sure many of you are wondering, especially since it was so abrupt, what the real story was with my recent move to New York. As a born and raised Californian, it probably seems counterintuitive as to why I would leave my immediate family and life in the Bay Area to make my second cross-country move back to the East Coast. Especially in my 30’s. However, it was far from a whim, and rather a quiet goal I had on my list for quite some time. I wanted this post to capture all my truths, and I’m excited to finally share them all with you!
My Full-Time Future
Many of you know I work a full-time career in technology alongside my blogging business. It’s a career I have no plans of leaving. If you’re thinking it’s odd to leave the Bay Area when you work in tech, you’re not alone! It may seem odd right now. However, after carefully watching the market for years, it became clear that San Francisco was getting incredibly saturated (not to mention that SF rent), and that some amazing things were happening out east in technology, and it was worth exploring sooner than later.
Fun fact: my company is actually based in San Francisco, however, our sales team is located in New York City. It’s helpful in our industry focus for sales to be located in one of the largest markets in the world.
The East Coast feels like home.
I have been drawn to the east coast lifestyle since I was young. I used to live outside Washington D.C. as a child and was always in awe of their big cities and their incredibly rich American histories. As a result, 95% of the colleges I applied to were on the East Coast: the Naval Academy, West Point, Georgetown, Harvard, and NYU. Upon deciding on the Naval Academy, I then spent over 6 years on the east coast for school and military service. I also made it a goal to move back after my 6-year commitment in the Marine Corps.
Job opportunities in sales instead led me to San Francisco within the fitness and fitness tech community to start. Upon transitioning my skills to SaaS technology, it was time to make my long-term goals of homesteading back east a reality.
Timing
Timing is quite literally everything, especially when it comes to your career. I always saw myself heading back to the east coast permanently, however, the timing over the past few years just wasn’t right to make the move to New York. There were very few opportunities in technology sales that would make sense for me, so it got put on hold.
It wasn’t until Fashion Week last month that a unique opportunity came my way to work for a rapidly growing startup, which I decided to meet with on the fly in between shows. I’m a firm believer everything happens for a reason: after several interviews for roles I wasn’t excited about from January to February, came exactly what I was in search of. The rest is history!
Outfit Details
Tee: Bootleg Chanel Legend Tee, Bleached Goods (SOLD OUT)
Pants: Tear-Away Track Pant, Fenty x Puma
Shoes: Cleated Creeper with Ankle Strap, Fenty x Puma (ON SALE!)
Gloves: Chain Fingerless Leather Gloves, Nordstrom
MAKEUP DETAILS
Primer: Foundation Primer Radiant, Laura Mercier
Foundation: Your Skin But Better CC+ Illumination Cream, IT Cosmetics
Highlighter: Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter, Fenty Beauty in Lightning Dust/Fire Crystal
Blush: Air Blush Soft Glow Duo, Marc Jacobs Beauty in Lines & Last Night
Contour: Match Stix Matte Skin Stick, Fenty Beauty in Mocha and Rum
Eyes: NARSississt Wanted Palette, NARS
Lashes: Ardell Wispies, Target
Lips: Vice Lipstick, Urban Decay in Wonderland (ON SALE for less than $9!)
Photos by Lydia Hudgens, makeup by me
