Staying or Leaving After Graduation: Los Angeles vs Chicago
by Donal Buckley
The end of the semester is looming. For seniors, job offers — or lack thereof — are only adding to the stress of a life-changing couple of months. As USC students, we have the privilege of studying in one of the world’s most renowned cities. But do students want to stay in LA after they graduate? My good friend Branden Mendez, graduating this semester with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Business Finance, is currently facing this dilemma.
Branden was born and raised in Chicago, but has been living in Los Angeles for the last four years for school. He, like many other seniors who are studying away from home, has been tussling back and forth whether he should go back home or stay here once he graduates. He’s got a job offer back home, but still tirelessly interviewing for opportunities in LA, so realistically, he’s open to anything. And thankfully, he has options.
One of the reasons he’d want to go back home, similar to others, is that it’s more convenient. “I miss my friends and family a lot,” he said. “And I save money by living with my parents.” Those of us that live away from home — which is most of us — understand the struggle of only seeing your family on breaks. Returning to Chicago would give him the chance to make up for lost time with his family. And it doesn’t hurt that he wouldn’t have to pay rent either — with prices increasing in LA, the smart thing to do would be to live at home and save his fortune.
Despite his self-acknowledged bias for his home city, he also noted that Chicago’s food is better and their public transit is way less confusing than LA’s labyrinth. “It’s so much easier to go from point A to point B.” Growing up in an urban environment, Branden is extremely familiar with Chicago’s train system. From high school to jobs downtown, he’s been taking it for a long time and would easily navigate it should he return back home. He also said public transit is cheaper in Chicago, ranging from $1-3. Unfortunately, there’s no U-Pass for graduates that stay in LA!
Even though he’s been in LA for the last four years, he’s obviously much more familiar with Chicago. He loves that Chicago isn’t as spread out as LA, offering small city vibes within a big city — for example, unlike LA, it’s walkable — and because of that is more comfortable pursuing new interests back home. After graduation, a job won’t be enough to sustain anyone, and he thinks he’ll have an easier time picking up new hobbies if he’s in his home city.
In general, staying in Los Angeles gives him much more to consider. “I have to ask myself, ‘Can I afford it?’ ‘Would I consider looking for more roommates?’ ‘Do I need to get a car?’” he offered. He also said you consider more general questions, like how comfortable you are meeting people that don’t go to USC, making friends outside the safety net of college, and staying with a significant other should you have one. Logistically, a lot more time and effort would have to be put into how he’s going to stay here, should he choose to.
So it might sound like moving back to Chicago is what Branden should do. But, he expressed value in staying here. First of all, the weather is better. “It’s been so long since I spent a full winter back home,” he said. “And the seasonal depression hits hard.” With almost year-round sunshine, LA feels like a vacation even if you live here. Giving that up to go back to rain and snow would be challenging.
On a similar note, he also said that it gets darker way earlier in the Midwest. “When I leave for work, it’s dark,” he said, “and when I come home, it’s dark, too.” So if the weather didn’t already make going back to Chicago slightly more depressing, it’s not even light out either. It sounds like, for his emotional well-being, LA is the place to be.
Given the warmer weather, Branden also said there’s more to do outside in LA. “I enjoy going on hikes, going to beaches, and I even recently picked up surfing.” These are things he can’t do back home, so although it might be easier to pick up a new hobby in Chicago, he feels like he’d better enjoy a potential hobby he picks up — or explore further — should he stay in LA. The trails are different back home and it would be much harder to continue surfing on Lake Michigan as opposed to Laguna Beach.
Sometimes, what you want to do after you graduate influences where you live. But Branden’s line of work is big in both cities, so he really has to weigh all the pros and cons of living in Chicago or Los Angeles — or even a different city, who knows. Graduation is daunting, especially considering that where you go likely sets up the rest of your career and even your life.
So, he still hasn’t decided if he wants to move back home or stay in LA. Returning to Chicago means making up for lost time with his family and financial security, but staying here means better weather and more fulfilling activities. Many seniors are likely facing the same dilemma, and many more may not make a decision until the last minute. But graduation is just the beginning of adulthood, and no one has to be confined by where they choose to live immediately after graduation. But choosing where to live after is still a crucial step into entering a new chapter of your life.
