What sorts of things do folks consider when looking to make a job change (other than moving up to a higher level)? Conference, team, location, etc?

Coming back after a really long absence, here are some of my thoughts...

1.) What is most important in picking a world?
For my first world back, I wanted the first 2-a-day world with an opening. It happened to be Knight. My resume allowed me to look at low D1 or high D2.

2.) What is my goal?
I picked low D1 because my goal is to get back to a D1 program that I like, as a permanent home.

3.) What factors will allow me to be successful and enjoy the game?
- Need a conference that isn't full of Sim AI. #1 - People to chat with / create a short-term rivalry. #2 - In my previous experience, a conference full of Sim makes it tough to generate a strong RPI once I get the program rolling.
- Need a team with a few good seniors or juniors so I'm not walking into a complete rebuild, since I already have a low prestige due to my starting point.
- But I also wanted a team with a few open scholarships so I can start building for the 5 to 6 year run right now.
- In terms of being successful, location is important. I've got an uphill battle with low prestige, so finding a spot that has a strong recruiting radius is a big plus.
- I also look at higher prestige school in the recruiting base to check 2 items. #1 - Are they so good that they are unlikely to compete against me for low to mid level D1 recruits? #2 - Are they just overall poor coaches in a higher prestige conference where I should be able to compete with them. Worst case scenario is finding a good coach with a C+ kind of prestige, when I'm starting with a D or D+.

Take some of his with a grain of salt... it's been nearly 8 years since I've been active and some of my logic may not even apply.

As a general follow-up...

I think you have to go through that thought process that I did.

1.) What's your goal?
You want to dominate D3/D2? You want to reach a high level D1 school? You want to take your favorite school that is low/mid-tier and turn them into a perennial power?

Once you figure out the goal, I think you run into different answers and some items become more important than others. During my run, I had numerous reasons and factors.

- Joined a few D2 conferences just to start a dynasty with other coaches trying to do the same.
- Joined a D1 conference because a group of us were trying to make a non-traditional conference into a powerhouse.
- Joined a D3 conference with a group, starting with a 300 RPI school, just to see if we could build it from the basement.
- Took over a D2 powerhouse because I was bored with D3.
- At one point, I had UC, Notre Dame, and North Carolina in various worlds because they are my favorite programs.

In each scenario, the needs/factors were a bit different. There is definitely a common theme of having a factor that generates interest (being in a group/with a favorite team), being a key contributor. Once you get that settled, then you get into the success factors.

Depends on what you want from the game. If the idea is to move up to high level D1 as soon as possible (or to rack up credits to play as cheaply as you can), yeah you want to look at location and scholarships to fill. Pick schools in regions that are not dominated by human-controlled coaches in the level above you (so if the MAC is empty in this world, the GLV or GLIAC are good recruiting regions for D2; likewise, if the PAC10 is weak for whatever reason, the MWC may be able to field a powerhouse or three). Also pick schools that don’t have a lot of scholarships to fill that first season.

If you’re looking to have fun, pick a conference with some established coaches to compete against, pick a rebuild, try something new like a combo defense. It’s your money.