You did it! You've just graduated and you've received a job offer in your field. The only problem... it's in a different city, province or country. How do you know whether to take the job? It can be tough to make the choice to leave friends, family or a significant other, but maybe that's what's necessary to pursue your dream career.

Susan Coyne, a consultant in Fanshawe's Career Services department, stressed the importance of doing your homework before accepting a new job. "It's really important, especially if you're not familiar with the province. You have to know: where am I going to live? What are my support systems going to be? How much money am I going to make? Is it going to cost me a lot more to live in a different province?" She added that it's also crucial to research the climate and your options for transportation, among other factors.

Sean McEwan graduated from Fanshawe's Broadcast Journalism program in June 2012. He is now working as an afternoon/evening newscaster for Mix 100 CJCD in Yellowknife. Before choosing to take the job, McEwan had a lot to consider: "I thought about the fact that I would be going to a place where I literally knew nobody, what it would be like living alone and having to become an adult at 19."

Wendy Lycett, a career consultant at Fanshawe, said sometimes you need to take a look at yourself and your own characteristics before taking that leap. "You should consider your own basic personality: do you have the assertiveness and the resilience to let go of what you're familiar with and go somewhere completely new? Especially considering that when you start a job there's no guarantee it's going to work out."

The distance between your job and your current home can pose a challenge even when hunting for jobs. You may be unfamiliar with not only the job market but the new location itself. Coyne suggested several questions you should ask yourself before making a decision: "Are you prepared to go to the province for an interview? If your interview's on the phone, you need to get out there and check it out because I don't think anyone should accept a job over the telephone without knowing what they're getting into." If you can't afford to visit your new place of work, sometimes companies will pay for your travel to visit the office or job site.

Lycett said that sometimes it won't be possible to visit your new workplace in person, but there are other ways to prepare. "It's just a matter of doing research and making sure you have a safety net. You need to have a ticket home if need be; have some sort of fall-back plan."

Now that you've ensured the company is legitimate and the position is what you're looking for, it's time to weigh out the positives and negatives. For McEwan, it was time to go. "I didn't really have anything keeping me in Ontario and the reasons to go outweighed the reasons not to."

For Veronica Barahona, former Fanshawe Student Union President and current communications manager at the College Student Alliance in Toronto, making the move from London was a tough decision. "So much ran through my mind when applying for the job - was I able to afford it? What would I be leaving in London? All those scary things that run through your mind when you're in your mid-20s."

Leaving loved ones can be the biggest factor when choosing to move away. "Having somebody to rely on - friends, family, somebody you know - is equally important to people as knowing they have a good job," said Coyne.

McEwan agreed, "The biggest adjustment has been being around no one I know. I am isolated from everyone because it's not like Yellowknife is a weekend drive away."

Sometimes making new friends means stepping outside of your comfort zone. Both McEwan and Barahona have adapted to new social lives. "Working in the media has for sure helped me meet new people," said McEwan. "I get along with everyone at work and hang out with them. The weirdest thing is that the majority of the people I hang out with are way older than me."

Barahona admitted that making new friends wasn't always easy. "As for social life and making new friends, I'm not going to lie: I've had to force myself to do things. I live on my own, so it is sometimes a real effort to get out bed on a weekend and do something. Luckily I have made some friends that I go out with on a regular basis and enjoy the city."

Depending on what career you're getting into, where you live may be essential. Some jobs such as nursing or construction are the same no matter where you go, but according to Lycett there are some careers that have more opportunities elsewhere. "Think about being an electrical apprentice; the farther you're willing to look for a job, the greater the number of opportunities there will be. There are fewer apprenticeships in London than if you were to look at all of Ontario or Saskatchewan, which is a hotbed of activity right now." Several careers only have jobs in certain areas of Canada.

When taking a program or choosing a field of study, Lycett stressed that you need to consider where the jobs are. "It's like wanting to be in marine biology and not being near the ocean," she said. "You need to decide when you choose a career where are those jobs and ask yourself if you're willing to go where those jobs are."

Coyne agreed, "You have to go where the jobs are, whether it's moving in or out of the province, because I think some of the best jobs to be had are not to be had in London right now." She added that it's a great advantage, and can jumpstart your career.

For McEwan's journalism career, it's a great start, "I've been here for about half a year. It has been really good; I spend the majority of my time working. But it is beautiful here and it's been a crazy experience so far."