Why You Should Move to New York

Possibly the most important decision you'll ever make.

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Everyone should live in NYC at least once in their 20s. Maybe even their 30s. Minimum two years. One isn’t enough; you need to experience two full seasons to get the full benefit.

Moving here completely changed my life. It put me on a different trajectory and did wonders for my career, self-confidence, relationships, and overall learning in ways I never expected. I’d be a completely different person today if I hadn’t made the decision to move here..

People always talk about NYC being a hub of hustle, ambition, and creativity, about how it’s a “mixing pot”. But what does that actually mean?

In today’s piece, I’ll break down some of the less obvious benefits of living here in your 20s.

You’ll become more optimistic:

NYC is the only place in the world where you can be surrounded by successful people at the top of their field across multiple disciplines. Serial entrepreneurs, media moguls, tech geniuses, comedians, singers, actors. You name it.

As you spend more time with these insanely talented people, you might start to realize that what separates you from them isn’t often innate talent, but hard work and dedication.

To me, that’s incredibly empowering because it means that anyone has the potential to achieve the extraordinary.

Your limiting beliefs will disappear:

Limiting beliefs are those subtle lies we tell ourselves that feel like absolute truths but actually hold us back from reaching our full potential. They’re shaped by past experiences, societal conditioning, and fear, and they quietly influence how we think, act, and make decisions.

Some classics:

• “I’m not smart enough.”

• “I’m too old to do this.”

• “I don’t have enough time.”

Living in New York will destroy those beliefs.

In most places, success looks a certain way. But in New York, success takes a million different forms.

Sure, you’ve got the buttoned-up finance bro pulling in high six figures. But right next to him is the introverted engineer quietly building something groundbreaking. Or the theatre performer captivating an audience of hundreds. Or the artist making a career out of weird in Washington Square Park.

Living in NYC will break your belief that success is only for a certain type of person. The diversity of backgrounds and success stories here proves that anyone can make it, no matter where they come from.

You’ll learn to make hard decisions:

There’s no place in the world where you have to make more trade-offs on a daily basis.

Time and money are constraints that are magnified 10X here; Money doesn’t go as far, and people have way less free time. Every decision comes with a massive opportunity cost.

But here’s the upside: living here forces you to build better decision-making frameworks. Not just for your career but for your life. You get more clear about the things that truly matter, what’s worth your energy, and where you should double down.

You’ll meet people who will change your life:

There’s a community for everyone in New York, no matter your interest, ethnicity, or profession. At some point, you will meet someone who changes your life.

You don’t even have to force yourself to go to “networking” events because every social gathering is a networking event. Every coffee shop, every party, every random night out is an opportunity to meet someone meaningful.

New York should be called the serendipity capital of the world: a place where ambitious, smart, and creative people meet daily… and if you stay here long enough, it’s only a matter of time before that serendipity works in your favor.

You’ll become more ambitious:

Everyone here has a side hustle, passion project, or some wildy ambitious hobby. I rarely meet people who are just doing one single thing.

• The corporate worker running a greeting card business

• The Broadway actor coaching executives on public speaking

• The tech employee doubling as a TikTok influencer

You are constantly surrounded by people who are creating, building, and doing more, and it always feels like you’re never doing enough.

But in your 20s, I believe it’s a good thing. It pushes you to think bigger and be more ambitious.

You’ll chase healthier status symbols:

Go to Miami, and you’ll see people flaunting luxury cars and gold chains. Go to LA, and it’s all about who you know and how many followers you have. Go to SF, and status is tied to working at the hottest new tech startup..

In NYC? Nobody cares. Nobody has a car. Followers mean nothing. Half the city doesn’t even know—or care—what the hottest startup in Silicon Valley is.

Instead, the highest-status people I know in NYC aren’t flexing wealth or clout. They’re the ones who:

• Have the most free time (because they own their schedules).

• Are the most generous (because they’ve already made it and want to give back).

• Are actually healthy (physically and mentally).

• Have strong, meaningful social circles (not just surface-level connections)

Moving to New York might help you become more ambitious and confident, it’ll open you up to a whole new network of talented people, and help you figure out what the most important things in your life are. No big deal.

I caveat this entire article with the fact that I’ve been referred to as New York’s hype-man and am clearly biased, but if you make the decision to come, hit me up!

Oh, and you need another reason to come and experience the best parts of NYC, I’m hosting an all-day event on May 16 called The OOO Summit.

Over 600 of New York’s entrepreneurs, creatives, and builders will be there.

It’s the kind of event I wish I had when I was first starting out—an opportunity to build my network, surround myself with ambitious people, and learn directly from some of the smartest people in the biz.

We’ll have speakers like:

• NYT Bestselling author, Sahil Bloom

• Creator and solopreneur, Justin Welsh

• Founder of Girls that Invest, Simran Kaur

• Former US presidential candidate, Andrew Yang

• & many more to be announced

🚨 Early-bird tickets end in TWO weeks 🚨

If you’re serious about leveling up your career, business, and network, don’t wait—save your spot now.

🎟 Grab your ticket here and use code "WEREBACK" for $100 off.

Our OOO Summit from 2024

📌 Andrew’s Bookmarks

My top picks from the internet this week.

• Invisible Duels by Anu Atluru — Anu has a rare talent for putting words to concepts and feelings we all experience but struggle to describe. The idea of invisible duels is very real, and as you read, I guarantee a few names will come to mind.

• Don’t be a Career by Steve Jobs — The argument against work-life balance or, work-life separation. I didn’t personally adopt this way of thinking until a few years ago.

• A masterclass in direct PR by Bryan Johnson – Most founders and companies play the PR game in reactive mode. But this is the best example I’ve seen of proactive PR, and a masterclass in why owning your own distribution channel is everything.

💼 Job Board

Sharing job opportunities my friends are hiring for. If we know each other, feel free to reach out, and I can connect you directly.

• Sales Manager, Reddit

• Senior Product Manager, Sydecar

• Senior Backend Engineer, 1v1Me

• Marketing Manager, OWYN

• Event Coordinator, Framer

• Senior Brand Designer, Rho

• Startup Events & Community Manager, Notion

• Associate GM + PM (Special Opening), Knoetic AI

• Head of Sales, Thera

• Founding Growth Product Lead, Superpower

• Software Engineer, Atlas

• Multiple roles, Othership

• Have a job to share? Let me know by replying to this email.

👉 Btw, if you want to be part of our partner talent network, next play, and get curated job opportunities in your inbox, please sign up here.

🤠 Are you going to Austin for SXSW?

In two weeks, I’ll be in Austin, Texas, hosting a series of events with Andy Dunn, Blindspot, and Framer for the community.

Resources

• 📌 Unofficial Events List for SXSW 2025 — A curated list of events and parties happening around SXSW, updated daily.

• 📝 Events List Submission Form — Add your event to our list.

• 💬 SXSW Group Chats — Connect with others going to SXSW.

Events I’m Hosting

• 🥧 Pie House (March 6-7) – A two-day series of events at a private mansion for connectors, creators, and community builders, hosted with Andy Dunn and Pie.

• 🏡 Lumos House (March 8-11) — Invite-only event series for the most visionary founders, builders, and leaders in media & tech at a private mansion.

• 🤫 Secret Austin Garden Party (March 12)

• 🖼️ Framer House (March 12) — An event to bring together design, marketing, and creative leaders, hosted with Framer.