There’s another response to this supporting staying where you grow up. I’m not against this in any way, but leaving your home community has value as well. I le

There’s another response to this supporting staying where you grow up. I’m not against this in any way, but leaving your home community has value as well. I left where I grew up in rural suburban Ohio and followed my girlfriend to a college 500 miles from home. Beyond her, I knew no one else (and we quickly broke up). I then moved east to Boston after graduating. Once again, knew no one. I had no financial support from family, no couches to sleep on, just quite literally me and my dog. I built a life there, which was my own. It was tough, had some bad roommates at times, was in debt and poor, but quickly learned all the things I needed to be self sufficient (sans the food gathering) in this life. I met the woman who would later become my wife, started a career, made great friends, and eventually moved to LA. My wife grew up in NH, went to school in Boston, and her “moving away” was when we went to LA. It was an important growth moment for her, and she’s been able to learn things about herself she couldn’t with her support structure in Boston. So, moving away has tons of challenges. But, in a lot of ways, it’s like joining a startup. You end up wearing a lot of hats because there’s no one else to wear them for you. You quickly learn you can tackle problems in front of you better than you realized, and you gain confidence that will serve you throughout your life.