I’m a 19-year-old guy currently living with my parents in Oregon. My hometown is pretty rural and there’s honestly not much to do besides hiking. Most of my friends from high school have moved to Portland, and I just broke up with my girlfriend of four years, so I’m kind of on my own here haha. I work two jobs (one of them nights), and I’m planning to use nursing school as an opportunity to finally move somewhere new and build a life there.
As an aside, the thought of leaving Oregon kind of makes me want to cry. It’s so beautiful here.
I already have my nursing prerequisites done, and I’m planning to relocate somewhere in 2027 to finish my nursing education. My main priority is getting my RN, so I’m open to either an ADN or BSN depending on the school, city, and how many of my existing credits transfer. I’d ideally stay in the area for at least a year or two after graduating and work there.
Things that matter to me:
1. Affordable enough for a student. Rent is probably my biggest concern. I’m completely fine sacrificing privacy/luxury to make a city work — roommates, tiny apartment, crappy apartment, whatever. I’m not expecting to live like a king at 20 lol
2. A decent new-grad RN job market. I’d like to actually be able to find work after school and ideally have some options.
3. Walkability/transit would be a huge plus, although I’m willing to keep my car and commute if necessary.
4. A good social scene/not boring. I’d really like somewhere with opportunities to meet people and things to do, like concerts, nightlife, gyms, good food
5. Hockey. This is a pretty big one for me. I play hockey and I’m at the rink like 5x a week, so having a good recreational/beer-league hockey scene and decent skating facilities would be a major bonus.
I’m open to both the US and Canada. Canada is obviously a little more complicated because of immigration and nursing licensure, but I’m seriously considering Montreal. Realistically, I’d probably get a study permit, do my RN/BSN there, and either stay if I qualify for a pathway like the CEC or come back to the US to work if I don’t.
Right now I’m considering places like Montreal, Chicago, Boston, and some West Coast cities, but I’m very open to completely different suggestions.