Every new place/city is like a school. If you don’t know anyone there and have no idea what’s going on. You are pretty much starting from the elementary school level. But a good part of this school, if you show good improvement, you can skip the classes in a couple of years. Still, some lessons need to be learned. They take time.
Great things about good schools are well known & accredited by globally. Such as if you have a Stanford master’s degree, you can start PhD program at Oxford without repeating your master’s degree. They respect and accept your hard work and degree.
It says so if you start from scratch in New York, SF, or Los Angeles, after 5-10 years, you will be fine to settle in other cities or countries. No matter where you are going, you are alumni of those cities.
Or, if you like your place (your school), you can keep studying and complete your all degrees and research and start to teach at the school. Now, your new position is Professor.