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The host is re-evaluating his career and location choices, prioritizing financial independence and city living for its amenities and opportunities over the perceived simplicity of small-town life.
The host, Alex, provides a life update from Northern California, discussing potential job changes and career goals. He is actively interviewing for new positions that offer better compensation, aiming to increase his savings rate. While he still has aspirations like pursuing nursing education and eventually moving back to Asia, his immediate priority is achieving financial independence through a "grind" period of 7-10 years, which he believes is necessary before dedicating time to business ventures like those suggested by AI or YouTube.
Alex contrasts his experiences and preferences for city living versus small-town life. He appreciates the friendly pace and community aspects of small towns but finds the dating scene limited and a lack of merging between local and transplant communities. He notes that many small-town residents have not traveled extensively and may lack disposable income or free time, making it harder to relate. In contrast, city life offers more diverse social opportunities, cultural events, and a sense of anonymity that he values.
He further elaborates on the challenges of small-town living, including the cost of outdoor activities and the prevalence of people being "terminally online." He highlights the benefits of cities like Sacramento, the Bay Area, or South Bay for their dynamic economies, job markets, and amenities, including walkability and public transit, which are crucial for his investment strategy. Despite the appeal of California's weather and cultural diversity, he acknowledges the high cost of living but finds the opportunities and things to do outweigh the drawbacks compared to places like Tennessee or even Texas, which he describes as less dynamic and lacking in amenities.
Alex concludes by emphasizing his focus on improving his finances and health, seeing cities as more conducive to these goals due to walkability and access to resources. He plans to continue optimizing his savings and investments, viewing it as a repeatable process. He expresses contentment with living in California, finding it more engaging than Tennessee and appreciating the ability to find opportunities and activities within the state, even mentioning a recent enjoyable trip to Reno.
City living offers greater access to amenities, diverse social opportunities, cultural events, and career progression. Small towns can provide a friendly pace and community, but may lack the dynamism and conveniences of urban environments.
Small towns can be isolating, especially for those with different lifestyles or aspirations, and may have limited dating scenes or social circles. They might also lack the conveniences and economic dynamism found in larger cities.
Cities typically offer more dynamic economies, diverse job markets, and greater opportunities for career advancement and networking. This can be crucial for individuals focused on rapid professional growth and financial independence.
While California offers diverse opportunities, its cities like Sacramento and the Bay Area are highlighted for their dynamic economies and amenities. Small towns within California might still face some of the limitations discussed, though the state generally provides more options.
City living can support financial independence through better career opportunities and higher earning potential. Additionally, walkability and access to resources in urban areas can contribute to healthier lifestyles and lower personal costs.
Small towns are often appreciated for their friendly pace and sense of community. They can offer a simpler lifestyle, though this may come with fewer amenities and social opportunities compared to urban centers.
City living offers more diverse social opportunities, cultural events, and a sense of anonymity that many value. Cities also provide dynamic economies, job markets, and amenities like walkability and public transit, which are crucial for certain lifestyles and investment strategies. While small towns can be appealing for their pace and community, they may lack the conveniences and dynamism of urban environments.
Small towns can present challenges such as a limited dating scene and a lack of integration between local and transplant communities. Residents may have not traveled extensively, impacting relatable experiences and disposable income. Additionally, the cost of outdoor activities can be high, and the overall environment might feel less dynamic compared to cities.
California is considered a good place to live due to its dynamic economy, diverse opportunities, and appealing weather and culture. While the cost of living is high, the abundance of opportunities and activities often outweighs the drawbacks. Cities like Sacramento and the Bay Area are highlighted for their job markets and amenities.
Cities like Sacramento, the Bay Area, and South Bay in California are highlighted for their dynamic economies and robust job markets. These areas offer crucial amenities such as walkability and public transit, which are beneficial for lifestyle and investment strategies. They provide more opportunities and activities compared to smaller towns or less dynamic regions.
Finding a satisfying job involves considering pay, people, and satisfaction from the work itself. If two out of these three factors are missing, it may be time to seek new employment. Targeting employers who prioritize employee happiness and utilizing networking can be beneficial strategies.
0:02 Hey, YouTube. Alex here, and I wanted to do an update video for you guys. I'm here in Northern California. It's an overcast day, and I wanted to provide a life update.
0:15 So, first things first, I may be moving here in the near future to a different part of Northern California for a different job. I have some more interviews coming up here in the next couple of weeks. I'm excited for that because I don't particularly like my current job for various reasons. It's just not a good fit.
0:42 Not going to get into that, but I think that there are opportunities out there that are a better fit for me and should also offer better compensation packages. So, that's a top priority for me right now to be able to increase my savings rate.
1:03 I'd still like to pursue a nursing education, but I have some other priorities that are more pressing right now. Yeah, that's just a big thing. I still don't know when I'll travel again.
1:19 I'm leaning toward just grinding for the next 7, 8, 9, 10 years, etc., trying to put away as much money as I can. I'd still like to move back to Asia eventually, but I want to do it in an economically sustainable way.
1:37 I've had people suggest, "Well, just use AI," or just use YouTube. And I do want to work on those things, but a lot of these business ideas are not overnight money. And you have to have, I think, the financial independence to be able to put the time into these ideas that they require, right?
2:05 And if you're working full-time, you're pretty tired after work. So, I think solving the financial independence thing is probably going to be a more immediate need or solution. And I can tackle starting a business after that's complete.
2:26 I still plan to start some stuff, working on some other stuff, but as far as just going full in on it, I will be doing a portfolio update video soon. I have purchased some stocks recently that I'd like to discuss in that portfolio video.
2:44 I'm trying to debate if that would be better in a streaming format or an actual regular video update. I think that with a streaming format, there's more engagement potential in real time. People feel more inclined to ask questions, but then you, I feel, don't get as much distribution to a wider audience.
3:14 Something that'll be cool with other parts of Northern California that I'd rather live in, I think there's a bit more going on. I think they're different geographically, and they should provide some more interesting backdrops for my videos. And I think that, you know, that too, the career progression will lead me back to places that I feel like are a better fit for me long-term as far as pursuing opportunity.
3:44 I really like a lot of elements of living in a small town. I like the ability to talk to people, the pace is not quite so fast. I like that people are really friendly here, but the flip side of that is as a single guy, the dating is not good here.
4:09 I would also point out that a lot of people who live here seem to know everybody, and so there's the local community and then there's the transplant community, and you don't really fully merge those, if that makes any sense. You're always going to be a transplant or you're always going to be a local, and I found that to be true in a lot of small towns, and this small town is no different.
4:40 Some of the things that I find can make it harder to relate to people here are my love for travel. A lot of people here haven't really traveled a lot. It's kind of an economically depressed area where a lot of people here don't have substantial disposable income or free time, and so that makes it a bit harder to relate at times.
5:03 I would also say just being from a city, I feel like I can relate better to other people from cities because when you grow up in a city, you learn certain things, you are held to a certain standard, you're kind of in that hustle and grind mode to where you're pushed to better yourself in some ways that some people in small towns are not.
5:31 Not saying city people are better, not saying small town people are worse, but it can be difficult to at times be the only person in a room with a college education. I can be difficult to discuss, you know, trying to get ahead financially.
5:58 I find a lot of people here are very comfortable with where they're at in life, and for better or worse, like I'm not, you know, I want to keep advancing. I want to keep improving. I like city conveniences. I like being able to do a lot of chores, responsibilities in a small radius.
6:24 Something else that I noticed that is problematic in small towns, not everybody is like this, but there's a fair amount of people who are terminally online because they live in an area where to do fun stuff is often costly.
6:45 Like here, where I live, you want to be an outdoorsy person, you're buying a four-wheeler, you're buying an RV, you're buying expensive camping gear, you're paying $5.50 a gallon for gas to go out and do stuff. It's not cheap anymore, I think, and maybe it never was to be an outdoorsy person, where living in the city, there's all kinds of free stuff going on.
7:15 There's parks, there's cultural festivals, there's seminars, there's a lot of things to do, and you just meet more people and there's like meet-up groups, and I find it's tough here to build that kind of social life because most people work at a select few employers.
7:42 And there's this tendency for folks to fall into discussing work a lot. And don't get me wrong, that's definitely a thing in the Bay Area. You know, Bay Area hustle and grind, people are talking about work a lot, but also you're on the cutting edge. Also, if you need a break, there's an international airport. They still have cultural events, they have all kinds of different things going on.
8:10 And it's tough. Um, I appreciate the peace and quiet here. It's a lot quieter here than in the big city. There's a lot less traffic. There's not so much noise pollution. And you do see people you know have a community. Unlike bigger city environments, you do run into people you know. I've run into quite a few of my coworkers in town.
8:38 But uh, that can also give you a fishbowl feeling. There's a lot of gossip. There's a lot of he said, she said. There's a lot of, oh, did you know they're this, or, you know, I go way back with so-and-so. Where in a city, something I miss about living in a city is that feeling of anonymity.
8:58 I like my privacy that comes with being around lots of strangers that really don't care about you. That aren't really in your business, that aren't, oh, I remember when so-and-so did this, and uh, maybe there's just not as much going on, so people really try to fill that time with, you know, talking about some of these topics.
9:23 But like I'm really concerned about that. I'm more concerned about how can I learn about industry, how can I improve my finance? My health is a priority. I think that I will be healthier living in a city because at least in California, a lot of the cities are walkable.
9:42 I mean, you can just walk around and do stuff. You can get out, get your steps in. Where here, that's not really practical. I watch one channel occasionally and they said, "Just move to a small town. Just try that in a small town." And small towns are not that walkable.
10:00 One, uh, you know, you're still going to need to drive. Um, there, at least here in Northern California, a lot of the small towns are economically depressed where if you're just walking around, that's going to be regarded with some level of suspicion. Like, are you casing the place or what are you doing?
10:21 Where if you're in places like, I don't know, the Bay Area, Sacramento, uh South Bay, you're just one of literally millions of people and you don't really stick out. And people have places to be and things to do and there's a lot more going on.
10:41 And I think that part of it is just that's what I'm accustomed to. I'm accustomed to that impersonal grind. Um, I lived in Dumaguete for a while, but before Dumaguete, I lived in Thailand. I lived in the two largest cities in Thailand, uh Bangkok and Chiang Mai. And both of those are fairly dynamic, vibrant, large, you know, interesting cities.
11:03 And so it's weird. I had a viewer comment a few years ago, "You seem like a suburban person." And I'm not quite a suburban person, but I appreciate city amenities. I appreciate being able to do a lot in a small radius.
11:23 One of the things that I've thought about to supercharge my investments is at some point selling my car, and you cannot do that in a small town. You cannot do that. So, you have to be in a city with public transit and buses and that kind of thing.
11:45 So, that's something that's a priority for me right now is exploring those options where I can continue to, uh, ratchet up my savings rate, put more money into dividend-paying stocks. I think once you figure out your plan, I wish I'd figured this out 10 years ago. It's just a matter of repeating the steps.
12:05 Go to work, work hard, do a good job, try to get a promotion. Okay, now you got extra money. Okay, put that extra money into investments. Um, meanwhile, try to find other things to do in your time that are good for you. Exercise, uh, try to improve your diet.
12:25 This constant optimization thing that we have going on in the West is ever-present, and I think you can be taken to a degree too far, but that's neither here nor there. Um, I just have to make the best of my time here.
12:38 I will say being in California is really nice in a lot of ways because I don't miss Asia quite as much as when I lived back East in Tennessee. I am not a fan of Tennessee for many reasons. I do not want to live in Tennessee for many reasons, and one of those reasons is it's just not very dynamic or exciting.
13:01 It's not very interesting to me at this point in my life, and Tennessee now has a lot of problems that California has as far as expensive housing, um, not the best job market for a lot of people.
13:14 Not the best job market for a lot of folks, but simultaneously not the advantages. So, California's economy is so big, if you're willing to move to a different part of California, at least in my industry, odds are you can find a job. You may not find a job down the street, but hey, you're willing to move to SoCal or you're willing to move to Sacramento, Bay Area, you can probably find something that is a next step, especially if you have a degree.
14:00 Also, the weather is really nice here. I really like the weather in California. The cultural amenities are nice, seeing Asian grocery stores where I can enjoy foods I'm more accustomed to. There's a lot of reasons to live in California, and I'm enjoying it.
14:21 I know that some people would say, "Well, if you really want to save money, go move to Texas." But I've found that because the cost of living in the United States has gone up so much in a lot of these places, the wages have not kept up with inflation. So, yeah, I mean, you can move to Texas, but one, property taxes are very high. Two, there's not a lot to do.
14:51 I have friends in Texas right now. They're like, "Don't move here. There's not much to do." A lot of them moved there to start families, but hey, if you don't want to start a family, what use is it to you to move to Texas?
15:05 I find here in California, yeah, I may not have the disposable income to run around the state quite as much, but there's a lot to do in your immediate area. California is so big, it has so much going on. You don't really have to go very far to have a good time.
15:23 I mean, I was just in Reno yesterday and had a great time. Didn't really do anything spectacular, but it's just an interesting city and there's a lot of cool, weird things going on. You see a lot of funny things that you would not see back east.
15:47 Anyway, I just wanted to do a life update. Feel free to ask questions down below. I'll try to do another one probably in the fall or the winter. I'm intentionally vague about my job because I don't want people knowing where I work that might want to mess with me or my career.
16:14 If you want to DM me privately, you can do so. But, yeah, thanks so much for watching everybody. I'll talk to you soon. Please give us a thumbs up if you enjoyed this update. Subscribe down below and comment. What do you think about all this?
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