New ‘San Diegan for Life’

Nov 14, 2017 - Sarah Conway

San Diego Regional EDC intern and new SD resident, Sarah Conway, reflects on her decision to break out of her comfort zone and move to San Diego. Here’s her story [and Snapchat] of her ‘flawless’ new home sweet home.

As a NorCal native, I had always thrown San Diego into the general mix of the ‘SoCal vibe’ – sandy beaches, perfect weather and some pretty great Mexican food. While I’ve found all of these things to be true as a San Diego newbie, I’ve also discovered that this place has a lot more to offer than a chill vibe.

As graduation neared, I applied to jobs, contacted previous employers for advice and tried to picture what I wanted my future to look like after leaving Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Some of the best advice I received in my job hunt was from a previous employer, who said, “Choose somewhere you actually want to live and will be happy with the quality of life. A place with opportunities for growth in all areas – professionally, socially, economically, etc. Narrow it by these factors and then continue your job search.” With this advice in mind, I was inevitably led to San Diego.

I had visited just once for vacation, but knew San Diego was a place I could live – and I was looking to push myself out of my comfort zone and move out of SLO after graduation. Through connections at a previous employer, I was referred to the San Diego Regional EDC.

I interviewed and was offered an amazing internship with EDC, so I decided to make the move down to SoCal. I definitely took a risk moving to San Diego, but boy has it paid off!

Not knowing many people and trying to find housing was difficult at first, but through my work, I started to realize how many different things San Diego has to offer. Two months in, here are my favorite SD fun facts:

  • San Diego is a hub for the biotech industry
  • Qualcomm makes the chips we use in our smartphones
  • San Diego is the ‘Craft Beer Capital of America’
  • Illumina is at the forefront of human genome sequencing
  • San Diego is home to the largest concentration of military assets in the world

Throughout the last two months, I’ve come to realize how much this beach city has to offer – immense growth and career opportunities for young professionals, like me.

Although I’ve only been here a short time, San Diego has had a life changing impact on me. Whether it’s the friendly people, growth opportunities, sandy beaches or even the bomb California burritos, San Diego, you have me convinced. Originally I thought I might be here just a few months, but after experiencing the entire San Diego package, I intend to be a San Diegan for life.