jobs in Akron, Ohio (Columbus, Cleveland: rent, homes, job market)

[Debs1030]

Hi - i've lived in S Florida for 14 years and am ready to move. All my family
is in Navarre/Brewster/Zoar area of Ohio. When I lived up there before, I worked & lived in Canton. From what I understand from friends, if I do move back to Ohio, I will probably need to work in Akron, so I would look to live in the North Canton area. Can anyone tell me is the job market really as bleak as it appears on CareerBuilders.com? I have 20 years of office experience,
payroll, accounts payable, administrative aide. I don't have a degree & little
management experience. I have 13 years w/government here in Florida.
The jobs I'm pulling up are $9-$10/hour, some are maybe $10 - $12. It appears to be mostly the $10 range. I know cost of living is much cheaper, but without a degree, is that pretty much what I could expect? Did anyone
else move from warm climate back to their homestate & survive the winters without going nuts thanks

[paintballer1708]

Akron has a good job base. The I-77 corridor from Cleveland to Canton is really doing well. I would check out the suburbs of Tallmadge, Cuyahoga Falls, and Fairlawn around Akron.

BTW, if your in the tech field, you should have no problem finding a job in the Akron metro.

[Debs1030]

Thanks Paintballer - will keep those areas in mind. No, i'm not in the tech
field. I see you are from Cincinnati area - how do you know so much about
all the different parts of Ohio? I see your replies alot on the forum. You
must have done quite a bit of traveling throughout OH I was waiting to
hear from you since I've seen you reply to most of the other posts!! ha ha

[paintballer1708]

^ LOL well i am an urban planner and that results in me traveling across the country. I use to live in Cleveland a couple of months ago, but then i had the oppurtunity to move to Cincinnati. The Cleveland/Akron area is really doing well though. Its nice having my job because i know so much about these areas. Mostly big cities. But i talk to the city government when i travel there, and get to know a lot about these areas. Just recently i got back from Indianapolis and Detroit. in two weeks i will be going to Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

[Ohioan86]

I would just like to warn you that the jobs in the Akron area do not pay a lot and most people are moving down to southern or the Columbus and Southeastern OH. Most big companies that used to have good-paying jobs have left the state and sometimes the U.S. There are health/medical jobs. Education...NO JOBS!!!! The area around Akron is somewhat depressed, however, home prices are very reasonable because of this fact.

Now North Canton is a nice area....middle to upper-middle class. I don't know how some ppl can afford to live in such places like N. Canton and the Jackson area. Homebased businesses or they must own their own businesses??!! BTW, the schools there are very good.

There might be government jobs...in Columbus. Hopefully, OH will improve because we have a new governor. Oh and the winters here can be brutal and there is NO sun. Lots of gray skies.

[Debs1030]

Ohioan86 - thanks for the reply. I guess I have reason to be scared of the job situation then. Have you been in the Akron area a long time?

I heard & read alot of college students are leaving the state for jobs, families too, huh? Medical field is usually good everywhere I think. It's so sad, so many big companies have left Ohio. Sad for the people who live there too.

Yes, the North Canton/Jackson area is nice. I can't afford to buy there tho!
I think I will rent for awhile, if I do make the move & see what kind of work I
find & if I could handle the weather again. Oh, the grey skies, I remember them all too well - the reason I left. But I'm tired of baking in the heat down here (our winters are great tho! I'm just really tired of being away from my family. Florida - will never move back here - that's a given!!! I'm sure I wouldn't have a problem finding a good job in Columbus, but I was hoping to find something in the areas I mentioned. Anyways, I may just move on & see what happens. thanks again

[Debra1425]

I grew up in Ohio and moved to FLA for about 5 years and I'm glad I moved back to Ohio. I too have family and quite frankly got tired of the heat. My background is similar to yours except more years in the field but I didn't have a problem getting a job. Do not let not having a degree hold you back. If you're confident with what you know, don't be afraid to go for it. The jobs are there, you just need to be persistent.

[NEOhioBound]

oh my.. how is the job market in Canton? Wondering if I need to look for jobs in Akron instead of Canton now

[Traveler87]

Akron/Canton's job market is doing well in some areas. You have to look around just like everywhere you are looking into moving to. You can't just find something and stick with it. You have to look into all the details to make sure it fits you just right.