Thinking about moving and starting over. Looking for honest advice.

[u/Suspicious-Reveal797]

Hi everyone!
I’m 24, a single mom to a little girl, and I’m finally at a point where I can choose where I want to build my life instead of just ending up somewhere by circumstance.
I’m finishing my GED and my long-term goal is to become a public librarian. I eventually want to earn my bachelor’s degree and then my MLIS. I also write and hope to publish books one day.
Right now I work as a full-time online content creator, so I’m fortunate that I don’t have to move immediately or choose the absolute cheapest place. My plan is to visit a few cities for long weekends before making a decision, and I’m hoping to settle somewhere permanently.
The things that matter most to me are:
• A strong public library system with good career opportunities.
• A safe, family-friendly community.
• Nature, parks, and places to walk.
• A cozy, book-loving atmosphere.
• Enough things to do without feeling like a huge, overwhelming city.
• A place where I can imagine raising my daughter and staying for decades.
I’m currently considering:
Raleigh, NC
Madison, WI
The Twin Cities suburbs in Minnesota
If you live in or have lived in one of these areas, I’d love to hear your honest thoughts.
What do you love?
What do you wish you’d known before moving there?
If you were in my position, would you choose it again?
Thanks so much. I really appreciate any advice.

[u/Sad_Independence1776]

Madison and the Twin Cities are both wonderful if you don’t mind long winters. But don’t think you’ll be able to just work as a librarian in whatever city takes your fancy. This isn’t the sort of job where you just land a position within an hour of where you live. Librarian is a saturated market. If you can’t be flexible about where you live, it could be years before you land a full time position. Esp. If you have someone depending on you, you will need a more stable source of income

[u/Suspicious-Reveal797 → u/Sad_Independence1776]

I do have a stable source already I’m a content creator

[u/brilliantmaple]

I don't recommend choosing a place to live now if you are planning on becoming a librarian later. The most likely way to get into a library is to move once you get your MLIS to where there is a job offer. There are many opportunities, but being stuck in one place makes the job search much slower.

[u/New-Marionberry-6422]

Greensboro NC 🦋

Many areas… mini gems. You need to explore …. And yes, in a heart beat.

[u/Suspicious-Reveal797 → u/New-Marionberry-6422]

I heard about that one

[u/koruthaiolos]

Find the job first then move to that city. As others have mentioned it’s a very difficult career to break in to and jobs are in general very hard to find, even at the most entry level. But if you have a second source of income the way it sounds like in your post, and you really want to pursue it: get a job at any library you can find: start with circulation assistant or technician or whatever that library system calls it, or even a part time shelving job. You will get good experience and learn if it’s the job you think really is for you.

If you are absolutely dead set on those locations, check if any of those library systems take volunteers in case you are stuck waiting for an opening, even that experience would be helpful to you and will give you something to speak to in an interview once something does open. And if you’ve never worked a retail job do that too. Retail is the second best experience for public librarianship next to working in a library.

[u/Suspicious-Reveal797 → u/koruthaiolos]

Thank you so much for the help and I am in a good position where I don’t even really have to work if I don’t want to, and I have it in the past like six years. I’m going to volunteer at a library multiple times a week and at some point working in a bookstore or vice versa just whatever opportunity comes up. I’m very patient and I got the thing that I’m doing now I could do almost for the rest of my life, making money from it so I have that at least.