Frustrated with Atlanta job search so far... should I look to move?

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by Tarzanman

Long story short, I have been looking for a new job because of changes at my current company that I'm not content with.

I've not been having much of an easy time at all. I'm starting to wonder if Atlanta is just a bad city for my particular degree (even though it is in engineering and from a decent school).

Has anyone in the Atlanta area ever bothered with using a recruiter? Should I resign myself to the fact that I might have to leave the state?

Different field (IT), but when I moved here it was easy to find a job in pretty much any field. There's been a lot of talk about recovery in the area after the recession, but it doesn't really feel like that's altogether true. I guess the greater question would be recovery for who exactly. Admittedly, there is a lot of new development going on, but housing prices housing prices are going through the roof in a manner that not match salaries. It sort of like they know they have you over a barrel right now.

In my time here, I have not met that many engineers though I knew many in AL, LA, and even MS. I would like to be more encouraging about GA, but you may have to seriously consider your new game plan. I am big on quality of life and all that, but I would not hesitate to uproot almost anywhere if my source of income was in jeopardy.

It appears you decided to separate from your company for whatever reasons, but unless you're indepently wealthy, you still need to make a living. Also, if you love ATL a lot, there's nothing to prevent you from coming back later.

[afdinatl]

Don't know if you are religious or not but I did a lot of praying to get my job. I was ready to back to DC for a few years and my dream job just appeared out of nowhere last year

[DaBurgh]

What's wrong with the current company?

If your priority is to work for a great company you should research and find the top 10 companies in your industry for which to work. Apply for jobs there no matter where they are.

[Fubarbundy]

I wasn't exactly sure what a chemical engineer did, so saw this overview:

Historically, the chemical engineer has been primarily concerned with process engineering, which can generally be divided into two complementary areas: chemical reaction engineering and separation processes. The modern discipline of chemical engineering, however, encompasses much more than just process engineering. Chemical engineers are now engaged in the development and production of a diverse range of products, as well as in commodity and specialty chemicals. These products include high performance materials needed for aerospace, automotive, biomedical, electronic, environmental and military applications. Examples include ultra-strong fibers, fabrics, adhesives and composites for vehicles, bio-compatible materials for implants and prosthetics, gels for medical applications, pharmaceuticals, and films with special dielectric, optical or spectroscopic properties for opto-electronic devices. Additionally, chemical engineering is often intertwined with biology and biomedical engineering. Many chemical engineers work on biological projects such as understanding biopolymers (proteins) and mapping the human genome.

Sounds like a wide-ranging field... fingers crossed something becomes available for you before too long.