Well said, if you are single just enjoy, be yourself, do what your heart feels like, its muchh better than being in a wrong relationship.

The military life will certainly set you right.
So, you are looking for a temporary change?
I lived in Upstate NY, Corinth to be exact.
New York and all the Northwest Colonial States are oppressive (IMO).
Commonwealth States (PA, KY) are usually all up in your business.

I was Navy. I was stationed in Little Creek, VA. Being very close to Norfolk and VA Beach it was a military town. Really easy to get credit but nearly everyone had that military attitude.

While I have been to North & South Carolina and Georgia. I really have no direct experience living there. I'm sure its cheaper than NYC. The Southern hospitality is true, for the most part. However, Southern attitudes are different behind the facade.

I have found that moving Westward seems to decrease in oppressive lifestyles. Small towns are easier than big cities.

Paris Island Boot Camp is designed to break your habits. Its a conditioning that is temporary but has beneficial results. Chances are, You will figure out what you want during your military service. You will live places you may not normally pick right now.
That experience will help you choose what's right for you.
I live now where I was once stationed. I liked the area and chose to move back.

Depending on how long till you gear up, have you considered doing a Southern camping tour? Just something to think about. 6-8 weeks?
Do odd jobs, meet people, check out different places?

If you dont understand the markets thats ok, but it WOULD be in your benefit to know basics like M&A's and where the actual growth is. You have to DYODD, ok. Just because Toyota reports is going to invest 20 Billion in plants and expects to create 2,000 jobs you really dont know WHEN the target date is. Its like that oil boom back several years...If you hit the Dakota area at 80K a year average for 5 years and saved you money well when it went bust a guy is ok if smart.

You can do it. I know you can. Look at state job creations on the web. All this junk is at your fingertips today for a young guy. If you really are motivated and have good health just bust your butt and sacrifice from the start. Remember,,,YOU sacrifice now and save everything you can young and be smart with your money. As you age you can relex more over the years. You sacrifice for your your future family to be better than you and your goal should be for that even if your NOT thinking about marriage now....Get it?

no one said anything about anything for free .. often religious support groups can be a good social network ... especially when you are new to a place . You may be able to flat with some other young people .

With 5,000 its easy as pie. I did it with less. It is no different then moving from Buffalo to Albany. Its only a state, and I can see why you may want to leave NY.

Dont let some person who never moved to another state tell you otherwise. But there are certain states I would avoid, and certain ones that are easier to find fast work.

It depends on your health and how motivated you are. At age 21 its a gamble I would take for sure! If you need help you can send me your email and I can help on just the basics and that 5,000 should be enough for a good 5 months if your frugal, but if you jump in fast you will only get maybe 2-3 months depending on how you WANT to live and not WHAT you need to live.

Very easy.

Hi Christian .. you sound sensible and have a backup plan .. I think it is normal to want your independence ... how do you family feel about you moving away ?

Have you thought about contacting a local church group .. they may be able to help with accomodation/ work contacts .. until you are settled .

BTW, just out of idle curiosity, what is your "current environment? What is it that's pushing to relocate? Please don't tell me it's a failed relationship or family/friend issues.

I have done it with much less than $5000 and with a family no less.
It depends upon your willingness to make it work and the resources you have concerning your career.
The longest I ever went without a job was 2 weeks.

Something you should do is some searching on the demographics of your intended new location.
You should probably start with searching the zip codes (both the exact and surrounding ones) of the place you intend to resettle.
Try looking, in depth at the City Data for those places.
http://www.city-data.com/
Once you have the area narrowed down, look at the online community pages and help wanted listings. Look at the rental rates and home ownership specifics. Look at the local grocery store ads to get an idea of the cost of food in that area.
Find out what costs are involved with getting your car legal and crime rate statistics.
Figure out your transportation and moving costs, the route you will take and estimated costs of food and lodging.
Set a timeline of goals and make it happen.
Plan for the worst possible scenario you can think of happening.

I relocated from the north east to the midwest because with a family of 6 making $8 ph was not smart. I was promised a job making $12 ph but they lied. I didn't find that out till I actually showed up for work. They promoted from within, nothing I could do. I took a different job at $10 ph and worked hard and skimped and saved and ended up being the boss of the freak that lied to me, eventually.

It will all depend on how strongly you are self-driven and whether you have the skills to work.
It's scary, really feckin scary.

I would expect to spend a few months just looking for a job,
maybe more.

You might try lining up something before you move, look
around online, look up what is available for the town of
your destination, nearly all towns have their local
newspaper online, you can learn a lot about it, especially
their unemployment rate..crime, rents, etc.

If you had an apartment lined up (paid for) and plenty of
beans and ramen already filling the trunk..you might
could make it :-)

Stock up on ramen noodles.

It will take more than $5000