Why, Why, Why…and yet more Why?
To follow in the footsteps of every pre-pubescent male, I will attempt to shift the conversation to why not!
The most common statement is, “why would you leave Texas….what’s in New Jersey.” This statement comes typically from the same people who complain about everything around them, yet fail to take control of their own future. I will call these people the Weight Watchers. The people who will, as a daily ritual, step on the scale to check their weight, but fail to do go beyond this single act. The most amazing thing about this group is they expect effortless change overnight. My two cents…Burn more than you consume, or in other words output must exceed input. With time and some twisting of statistical finagling I am sure there could be some miss-informed correlation to the average BMI of innovative cultures over the dying super powers. Even the latest diet fads, both food and pills, have proven over time to only produce short term results. Some have proven to cause such ill reconcilable results as death. In the end survival of the fittest?!? Unfortunately this process sometimes takes longer due to special interest groups and the government.
I originally looked at moving to the east cost because of the proximity to activities. From my new house, I am 45min from the shore (this is the beach for non-Jersey types), 1:30 from New York, 30min from Philly, 1:30 from Washington D.C., 1:30 from the mountains and skiing, and 45min. from Atlantic City. Let me spell it out. I can ski, gamble, surf, and see a Broadway show all in one weekend. Yes I tooted my own horn, and I feel special!
4 seasons? For those of you reading from Texas this will be hard to understand. Again let me assist you. This past weekend there was a heat wave for the summer….89 degrees. It’s mid-June and the trees have not wilted and lost their leaves, you can walk barefoot on the asphalt, and turning on you’re a/c is a rare event (apparently instead of lasting only 5 years they last 15+ WEIRD.) In the fall people actually come here to see the trees change color. While I know that you can do this in the hill country of Texas, you must be ready to jump in your mobile home and race to the hill country as soon as the weather man shows pictures. If you are lucky this event could last up to an entire week! Here it can last months. Jersey has snow. Not ice. Snow! I would try to explain, but it will take an entire post, look for it later this winter. While on the topic of seasons, there is one other. Spring! In Texas this means that plants bloom before being beat down by the heat and wilting back into the ground. P.S. I think it might still be spring in Jersey.
I must admit that I thought of New Jersey as this overpopulated, dirty and fast paced harsh land located on the east coast. Since I have been here I can’t tell you how off I was. The area I am in (South Jersey / Medford) is beautiful. I feel like I live in the woods. The state of New Jersey has actually bought the forest area around my home and designated it as a protected area where there can be no development. Main street is still lined with Victorian style homes, gas lamps (that actually burn gas for light), and hanging baskets of colorful flowers. Not your typical vision of New Jersey. I know!! The people are always helpful and friendly. McDonalds gave me a free meal for making me wait to long in line (try finding that anywhere else). And as far as being fast paced
Then there is the #1 reason. The job. Not just any job, but what I consider the opportunity of a lifetime. Such a great position that I am still trying to figure out who to pay or what I lied about during multiple rounds of interviews. Spell it out for you, WOW!
The other companies I interviewed with so undersold the true value of a TCU MBA. I love my job, and will actually write about it later. When I finish figuring out what a heck I am doing!
