Every time I tell someone that I will be going off to New York City after I graduate in May, I always hear something like this: “Oh, New York. It’s not a safe place. I’m worried for you.” I’ve already heard that, and I’m tired of hearing it.
When I took the riverrun class last year, the instructor told us that if we wanted to pursue publishing, we wouldn’t be able to stay in Colorado. At that moment, I accepted that I would be pursuing my dreams somewhere on the East coast.
According to the CU Alumni Outcomes page, 33% of UCCS alumni reside in states other than Colorado as of 2022. Different states provide different opportunities — states like California, Texas and Florida are popular destinations for graduates. Management fields are where 28.2% of UCCS graduates work. New York is home to 102 CU graduates whose major and degree field are in English, like mine.
Different states provide different earning potential, too. New York’s average potential career earnings for UCCS alumni is $116,999, while Colorado’s is $93,529. It’s not uncommon for students to migrate out-of-state to pursue work or jobs with higher income.
I’ve had people suggest to me that I should do what I can to stay in-state, that I should pursue my publishing career somewhere within Colorado’s rectangular borders. They don’t say it because they want me to be successful, or even because they want me to be happy. They say it because they want me to be “safe.”
There is an impression that New York is a dangerous place. And, when it comes to crime, the people who tell me that are correct that it can be that way. According to the New York Police Department, there were 25 cases of murder and 1,585 cases of robbery in December 2024 alone. Taking the end-of-year report for 2024, there were 391 cases of murder, 16,940 cases of robbery and 28,003 cases of felony assault.
Yet Colorado Springs isn’t exactly the safest place, either, though it boasts a much smaller population. According to Neighborhood Scout, Colorado Springs experiences 3,392 violent crimes annually. Where the national rate for violent crimes per 1,000 people is a median of 4, Colorado Springs’ median is 6.94. New York seems more dangerous because there’s more people. In reality, everywhere is dangerous.
So, what am I going to do? Stay cooped up in my house all day, worried about crime, neglecting the opportunities that have been presented to me? Or am I going to get up, go to the big city, and face whatever life throws at me?
Life isn’t best lived when we’re in fear. It’s best lived when we take courage. I’m excited to go to New York. Is it a world apart from Colorado Springs? Yes. Should I be careful? Yes. But should I be scared? No. My classes and my jobs have prepared me for this. It’s time to show the world what I’ve got.
To my fellow graduates, whose careers are taking them across the country or even across the world, take heart. It’s a big step, but you’re pursuing something you have learned about and trained for. Go get them, Mountain Lion.
Photo by Florian Wehde on Unsplash.