Can a 'Country Mouse" ever really move back to the City...and get a "real job"?

[FirstLight]

9. I have lived here by default for the past 22 years...

came up here as a single mom at 22, knowing I'd be living on a fixed income and that it was safer to be in poverty in a small rural place than in the East Bay where I grew up.

I have visited Sonoma my whole life and always wanted to end up there, it's like a perfect blend of small rural towns and urban sprawl... and the weather is milder which is HUGE for me because I have terrible arthritis and the cold winters are really taking their toll now I am feeling my age...

yes, cost of living is higher, but I *should* qualify for a higher rate of pay as a 'senior' reporter and not some greenhorn right out of school. I have worked in the field in newsrooms and as a freelancer, that should count for something. Another reason for wanting to move is having more options available for myself and for my kids...the market here is WAY limited. Only a 20K population and the daily newspaper is now reduced to 3x/week and has 2 reporters where it once had 7... I would have to move to Reno to find something that pays a livable wage...but Reno sucks.

I believe I'll be happy if I move, but won't even consider it unless I get a job offer that is paying a livable wage ($60K? I'd like to someday make that much) The reality is that I have been so used to living in poverty and sold myself short for so long, I don't think I really KNOW what I am worth...and I have never had the chance to really prove it to myself.
Meanwhile, I get to endure the next 6 months of winter here and finish school...just try and stay focused I guess and see how the market changes....