When I graduated college with a degree in engineering, I falsely assumed that it would be easier to find a full time job in my city.
My frustration grew to outright panic when six months had elapsed and I was still working at the pretzel stand in the local shopping mall.
A friend of mine gave me fantastic advice to broaden the scope of my job search to other states and cities. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to look all over the country, which is what I decided to do. After a week or two of widening my search scope, I started to see options in states out west. Although I had never been to New Mexico, nor had I ever thought about living there, I saw several openings at a company that is based out of Albuquerque. Right when I found this job, I saw a news article about recent marijuana legalization in New Mexico, and that pushed me to accept the offer. Now that I’m living in Albuquerque, I can’t imagine being anywhere else. The beautiful Rio Grande River cuts through the heart of the city, and there are natural monuments on opposite ends. The Petroglyph National Monument can be found west of West Mesa, while the Sandia mountains are just east of Loma Del Ray and state road 556. If I want something to do on the weekends, I’ll pack a joint and head to the Cibola National Forest to take a relaxing hike. Albuquerque is roughly 5,600 feet above sea level, so the temperatures are much more moderate and comfortable compared to another large metropolitan desert city like Phoenix.