For some graduates the looming prospect of returning home after having living away at university halls of residence can either be depressing or exciting. More so looking for a job in your local area proves more difficult than one would expect. Often, the only option for getting your foot on the career ladder can mean moving away from home permanently. My decision to look for jobs in Sudbury was because of trying to get a step ahead into the world of work.

Many graduates have experienced the woes of unemployment after graduating. Some may be unfortunate enough as to feeling confused about what they want. My own experiences of searching for jobs and applying to various placements were always a stressful time. I often felt that I was handing out my entire life details with no positive outcome. It became apparent that I needed to reconsider my options and start looking away from my local area.

Having lived in London for a number of years (during and after studying for my degree), I decided to search for a new place to live, preferably on the other end of the over ground train line. I chose to look further afield, but without the prospect of moving far up north, but near local amenities and with good transportation links. It was through my researching that I came across advertisements for jobs in Sudbury.

Even though I had had experience in moving away from my parents' home, this was the first time that I was to make a decision on completely starting afresh and find a place to settle down. Opting to research jobs in Sudbury meant that I was looking to commit to living in Sudbury long-term. Before I could make the jump, I had to better prepare myself for what was to follow. Therefore, I began a lengthy process of researching and plenty of travelling from North London to Sudbury.

Sudbury was an unfamiliar territory for me; I had to find out more about the area. Reading website articles was not enough for me, so I took a gamble. I booked a week off from work and as I had just finished my course, I looked up rental accommodations and made a reservation for the week. This would give me the chance to see for myself what living in Sudbury would be like.

This was indeed a learning experience for me and I now know the decision to move was the right one. People looking to move away from their home may indeed find the prospect of moving very frightening and often overwhelming. There are no two ways about it but giving yourself the time to find out as much information as you can on your chosen destination.

The best way to approach this is to consider where you would like to move to, and what sort of an area would you like to live. Ask yourself whether you would prefer a quiet countryside area or a busy cosmopolitan city. With reference to employment, you should prepare a CV or seek advice from any job agencies on how to improve your job prospects. Sometimes it may help to register with the local recruitment agencies in your chosen area, prior to moving to secure yourself a position.

Once you have a clear idea of what you are looking for and have found a place that best appeals to you the following things should be considered; job market in the area, access to public transport, nearest emergency services (hospital, police station, fire station etc), local community, rental accommodation or property prices, living expenses and networking opportunities. It helps to spend a short amount of time in the area and get a better idea of what it would be like to live.

The most important point in moving is having the ability to meet new people, making new friends and settling into the town. For some this is even more daunting than actually moving which is why it is always vital to allow yourself time to think about the decision you make.