Vanessa & Nick May Have Major Decisions Ahead

After a season of tears, laughter, dates, roses, and plenty of naps, we've reached the end of The Bachelor. It's down to country store-owner Raven Gates and Canadian special education teacher Vanessa Grimaldi. Though Raven is funny, surprising, and brings a genuine joy to the show, I think Vanessa has been the clear frontrunner since she first stepped out of that limo. With Vanessa so close to a possible engagement to Nick, the reality of their potential future is starting to sink in. Since her entire life is in Canada, one big question is whether Vanessa will quit her job if she ends up with Nick, or if he'd end up moving to Montreal so she could keep it.

It's easy to fall in love in romantic settings, removed from the realities of the outside world, but it's harder to take a relationship that has lived in a bubble, introduce it to reality, and have it last. Nick doesn't shy away from the tough questions about this transition and neither does Vanessa. The two have argued about where they'd live, who would have to sacrifice what, and if their love will last. Ultimately, they both have big decisions to make, and Vanessa's job is definitely one.

Vanessa is extremely passionate about her work as an adult special education teacher in Montreal. On her hometown date, she took Nick to her classroom to meet her students and the love they have for her was tangible. Even outside of the show, Vanessa mostly tweets about her work, sharing the projects her school is up to. Vanessa also finds a lot of joy in the work she does and is proud of her students, often posting about them and their work on social media. It's clear this isn't just a job for her, it's a passion. Her school is also close to her family, another major part of Vanessa's life. It would be a huge sacrifice for her to move, especially to L.A where Nick lives, because it would cause her to leave both her job and her tight-knit family.

With that being said, back in January, Vanessa discussed the possibility of moving in an interview with Glamour. "I am willing to leave Montreal. That’s definitely something that needs to be discussed," she said. "We’ll see. We don’t know what the future holds, but I’m here. I’m happy!"

Of course, just because she would consider moving doesn't mean that Vanessa definitely will. There should be no pressure on her to drop everything or rush into the decision. There are two people in the relationship, each of whom should be ready to make compromises.

Most couples after The Bachelor have these important choices to make. For some, they already live near each other so it's less of a concern, but others need to seriously consider uprooting their lives for love. On Chris Soules' season of The Bachelor, many of the women had to grapple with the thought of moving to Iowa because of his farming lifestyle. After Lauren Bushnell and Ben Higgins got engaged, she moved to Denver to be with him. When JoJo Fletcher picked Jordan Rodgers on her Bachelorette season, he moved to Dallas for her. But just because Nick is the lead of this season doesn't mean that Vanessa has to be the one to move, or that his work and life come first — this is a decision that needs to be made together.

Nick seems to respect the work that Vanessa does, so there's no reason to believe he won't carefully consider their options if he chooses her. In a promo for the finale, Nick's dad even talks about love not being enough, emphasizing the need for sacrifices in a relationship on both sides.

For his part, L.A seems to be an important part of Nick's future, at least for now — especially with his new role on Dancing With The Stars. Perhaps they'll wait to move in together until his time on the show is done and they can see what his next steps are. Or maybe Vanessa will see what kind of opportunities L.A. would offer her, especially since she has pursued acting before. They could also choose to move to a different city completely.

No matter what they decide, the important thing is, Vanessa shouldn't feel pressure to be the one to leave her life behind. If Nick gives her the final rose, there will be some important conversations ahead, and each of their feelings should go into making these major decisions.