When I graduated from college in 2009 with big dreams of “making it” in media, there was only one option: New York or bust.
Fast forward to today, and my grown nieces and nephews are showing me just how different the post-grad game looks now, whether through their decisions or their friends. One packed up her Honda Civic and headed straight for Brooklyn, ready to chase the “dream” with nothing but ambition and a sublet (two blessings, nonetheless), convinced that New York City was still the only place to launch her marketing career. The other moved back home to Charlotte, and within just a few months already landed a remote position with a San Francisco tech company.
Plot twist: the one who stayed home is the one who is winning in this situation.
Now, don’t get me wrong, deciding to stay in Brooklyn this summer wasn’t necessarily a bad thing (socially, she made a great decision, because she’ll get to experience the magic of a NYC summer). However, the stakes are much higher in New York, and if that’s the only net she’s casting, it may take a bit longer to find the “dream” job she is in hopes of finding.
These are just the signs of the times. The landscape of post-graduation success has shifted dramatically then when I graduated over 15 years ago —which I can’t believe I’m actually typing — and the old playbook of moving to expensive coastal cities such as New York, Los Angeles and even Atlanta, to “make it” no longer holds the same weight (it may be out the window entirely, actually). Recent data from Buffer shows that 19% of remote workers can now choose where they live based on preference rather than work location requirements, fundamentally changing how new graduates approach their career launches. There are options now, y’all. And these options are proving to be a great thing, especially in this economy, with lower salaries and still high living costs.
This transformation has created opportunities that previous generations of college graduates never had. I know I didn’t. And I say this as a person who is in fact, working her “dream” job in media, and living outside of New York City (Washington D.C. to be exact).
According to data from December 2024, more than 10% of new job postings in the US mentioned the possibility of remote or hybrid work, giving recent graduates access to positions that were previously limited to specific geographic locations. The numbers vary significantly by city, with some markets offering even more flexibility than others.
For many graduates, the math is simply mathing. It’s making more sense to live and work outside traditional career hubs because the cost of living in small cities is often lower than in larger urban areas, enabling recent graduates to stretch their budgets further and achieve financial stability sooner. You can actually breathe a little when you’re not spending 40% of your entry-level salary on rent for a studio apartment. Not to mention, you can actually start building wealth a bit earlier now that you’ll have the ability to pay down student loans, stack a bit of savings and even take a vacation every now and then.
The shift extends beyond just remote work opportunities. Strong gains in bachelor’s degree attainment and graduate employment rates were seen in smaller college towns like Cambridge, MA, and Ann Arbor, MI, suggesting that these markets are actively developing their own robust career ecosystems. Cities like Cary, North Carolina have emerged as standouts, with strong financial outlooks, boasting a high median income and widespread employer-based health insurance coverage.
Now don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t mean that major metropolitan areas have lost their appeal entirely. Many of the 3.9M graduates of the class of 2025 will establish their careers in their chosen cities and remain there long-term, and cities like Atlanta continue to rank highly for new graduates. However, the key difference is choice. Today’s graduates have options that their predecessors didn’t, and they’re increasingly making decisions based on lifestyle preferences rather than perceived career limitations.
Those working remotely also save money, with hybrid workers spending $15 less on daily expenses compared to their office-bound counterparts. When you factor in the elimination of commuting costs, professional wardrobe requirements, and expensive lunch runs, the financial benefits compound quickly.
What’s particularly interesting is how this trend is reshaping company hiring practices. Employers are discovering that they can access talent pools they previously couldn’t reach, while employees are finding that they can work for companies they never could have joined without relocating. It’s created a more equitable playing field where your zip code doesn’t determine your career ceiling.
The bottom line is, your career doesn’t have to start with a cramped apartment, a brutal commute, and ramen noodles for dinner. That may have been the way you “paid your dues” back in the day, but our generation (and generations prior) did it so that young folks don’t have to. To the Class of 2025: you’ve got choices. More than we ever did. So let this be your sign (and your editorial big sister advice) that you can actually build a life that works for you rather than against you, and it won’t involve a $3K monthly New York City apartment.