I've lived in California my whole life, but after graduating it was time for a big change. The California that I left was not the California that I grew up in. It had gotten too expensive with too few job opportunities (among many other things). Although I had initially scouted locations in Texas and Florida, I discovered quite by accident that Utah was a hotbed for finance opportunities. With Zion, Arches, Moab, Lake Tahoe, Vegas, and skiing all so close by, I'll be able to spend many years here before ever getting bored. That's not to say I won't move to Florida someday, but for now, I like being where I'm at. It's also the best place for my desired career path outside of New York and California.
Even though school ends, the education never stops. My plan over the next few years is to get really good at the types of financial modeling needed in order to value firms, as well as learning more about wealth management. While I'm having a blast working in financial crime compliance, long term I see myself in the client interaction and profit side of the firm. The additional studying will be gruelling to get to this level, but it will be the culmination of all the reasons why I wanted to get into finance in the first place. I will become apart of the very engine of capitalism.
After graduating, getting a new job, and moving across the country, the real work will begin. Alot of it will involve getting caught up on various hobbies, projects, and launching my career. But by year 5, my plan is to purchase my first major investment property.