Canta Point: Should you stay in Ōtautahi after graduation?
Image by Kishan Modi on Unsplash
Supplied by Beatrice Markwell (she/her)
Opinion
Canta Point is a column written by the University of Canterbury Debating Society showcasing different sides of an issue, and encouraging flexible thinking.
The society is open to members of all abilities. Visit the UC Debating Instagram @ucdebsoc for more information.
The pros of staying in Christchurch
As you reach the end of your degree, you might start to wonder; should I get a local grad job and settle in? Or is it time to search for bigger and better things? Christchurch is a beautiful city - and there's no denying that rent is cheaper here than the other major centres, but there are a whole lot of other factors in the stay column.
Over the period of your degree you’ve probably had a chance to find some great spots, from restaurants and cafes to walking tracks and other hidden gems. If you move away, you’re going to have to replace all of those places with brand new ones, which can be a long and frustrating process. Depending on whether your friends are also moving you may even have to build a new social group from the ground up at the same time.
The physical process of moving always requires a lot of work, which is vastly increased if you move cities or even countries. If you stay in Christchurch, you might not even have to move when you graduate, and if you do, it will likely be a relatively easy process. You can go to viewings in person (no getting deceived by photos with impossibly good lighting or staging), and when you find a place, your move will likely be doable in a day or so, with a borrowed trailer and a couple of loads in the car. If you move further afield, you either have to figure out how to get all of your furniture from one city to another or bite the bullet and sell and rebuy everything you need. Either option can be a major headache.
The cons of staying in Christchurch
Graduating and getting into the workforce creates a natural breaking point for you to move. This could be the moment to spread your wings and fly, especially if you’re a Christchurch local who’s never had the chance to live in a new city.
With that new grad job money, you will (hopefully) be able to afford some more expensive rent, and experience the young professional life in a new city - maybe even abroad. If you chose not to move somewhere at the start of university because you just couldn’t justify the cost, now could be the moment to splurge a little and use some of that new disposable income. You can have completely new experiences, and leave anything less than ideal from your uni days behind here in Christchurch.
You also avoid the risk of getting stuck in Christchurch. Once you get a grad job, you can very easily end up in a corporate ladder, unwilling to leave a stable position and take a risk. You might even be tempted by the stability of buying a house, and once you’ve got a mortgage and a home here you are far less likely to move away. Graduating might be the best chance for you to get out there, while you have less obligations to tie you down.