Post-Christmas Blues (in A minor)

A couple of days after Christmas and a couple of days before New Year's... a quiet lull and a time to start thinking about the wintry months that loom ahead (I can say that since I think 99.7% of my readers are in the Northern Hemisphere)... Which brings us to this week's question...

Dear Ask a Punk
Surviving another Christmas is the easy part. Facing a long, cold winter of driving my shitty car to my crappy job, in the DARK both ways is what’s really wearing at me. I live in a formerly major city in what is now called ‘The Rust Belt’ – and it is called that for good reason. I grew up here too and I want to get out out out, but it seems impossible. Heck there isn’t even much of a punk scene left. What can I do? - Rusty

Dear Rusty -
You don’t give me much to go on, but I’m going to assume you don’t have things like a wife, kids, mortgage etc. I’m also going to assume you’re a guy. So here goes.

Wanting to leave the place you grew up in is perfectly normal for a certain percentage of people (let’s call such people: “us”) There’s nothing wrong with staying put of course, if that’s what will make a person happy, but wanderlust and the urge to see what life might be like over those hills is also a natural & healthy part of being human. The longer you’ve been in a place (in your case – your whole life) the tougher it can be to break that gravitational hold it can have on you. It IS difficult, but it is NOT impossible… people do it every day.

Before we get on to your escape plan, one quick word about the lack of a punk scene in your city: I hear this fairly often from punks in small towns and big cities and everywhere in between... They complain that 'their scene' is lame or non-existent and I always say the same thing: If your local punk scene sucks, it is YOUR FAULT ! What do you think DIY stands for? If it doesn't exist CREATE IT... YOU have the power. You might not be able to create the next CB-GBs, but you can do SOMEthing can't you?

Anyway...now let's get back to your main problem:

Having the urge is the easy part. What you need now is a plan. Start by figuring out where you really want to go. This can be a longish list for now, but it has to be more specific than “anywhere else.” It sounds like you want to be someplace warmer, but what does that really mean to you? Are we talkin’ desert here? or would you be sufficiently happy somewhere Mid-Atlantic? How far from family are you really willing to get? …so start with a general geographical idea. Next you have to decide if you want to be in another big city or perhaps in some smaller town. Several factors will be at play here… Lifestyle of course, but also cost of living and job availability. You said you have a crappy job, but I have no idea what it is. Do you have transferable skills? Are you someone with a college degree who is under-employed? I have no way of knowing…. YOU have to figure out where you could make a living… keeping in mind that the overall economy is in the dumper nearly everywhere… and likely to get worse before it gets better. What can you do to earn a living and where can you do it?

…and speaking of lifestyle, you’re probably going to want to be in bigger sort of place. You obviously grew up in at least a semi-city environment… so you’re used to that sort of hustle-bustle… and the more people there are, the more opportunities you’ll find – for work, for friends and for a scene. Few things are quite as lonely as being a new person in a small town. Splitting the difference there is always “the College Town” … I’ll admit I’m a little biased here, since I’ve always liked college towns. There you can often find: cheaper housing, more job opportunities than in a similarly-sized non-college town, and in general more stuff happening that would increase your quality of life.

…oh and you’ll need money. Relocation isn’t cheap. When I decided I wanted to move to California, I spent nearly a year and a half saving and scraping together every penny I could. I know that probably isn’t welcome news, as your winter commute looms ahead of you… but it can also be a “light at the end of the tunnel” sort of thing too. If you can quietly start amassing as much $$ as possible, perhaps by this time next year you could be giving notice at your job and packing up for a new and unknown future.

Your life is in your hands. If you’re still making the same commute five years from now, it’ll be because you decided to stay there.