The job hunt is a bizarre time for many college students. We don't know where we want to go or, for some of us, even what we want to do.
But jobs are open all over the United States, and all over the world for that matter. How does one decide where to go? Where to put down roots and start a life?
Those are questions that no one can answer for another person. Advice can be offered, but I couldn't tell you where to go like you can't tell me.
If you feel a certain connection to an area, apply there. What's the harm in sending over an application? You can say no if you later decide it isn't for you. But reach out to those places you feel drawn to. Talk to other people in the area and think about if that would be a good place for you.
If you feel especially drawn somewhere, go. Visit, move, do whatever it takes to get there and find out why. Are you meant to be there? Or was it just a dream that turns ugly when you actually went for the first time?
Friends and family are, of course, important. It would be amazing to live near them for so many various reasons. But true friends and family will visit you wherever you are in the world. They'll see visiting you as a new adventure and a chance to explore a new place they maybe haven't even considered visiting before.
Don't be afraid to take chances. You have the rest of your life to take precautions and worry. Take this time, right out of college, to decide where you want to go and what you want to do. Your happiness is the most important thing, and the only thing that can make you happy... is you.