Boston job with non- boston degree (Cambridge: job market, schools, statistics)

[info120]

I am moving to Cambridge with my other half and would like to know how possible it is to break into the job market in and around boston. I do not have a degree from any of the numerous schools in boston but I have Masters and I am primarily looking for a job in a quantitative field (statistics).

Where do I start looking, are they any good recuitment firms out there?

I am willing to start with 6 month and 1 yr contracts.

[HenryAlan]

Your degree is credential enough, regardless of where it came from. The problem you will have is that there are so many other graduate level statisticians looking for work.

[Pisto3]

My girlfriend's mom is unemployed right now and she's been going to all the Unemployment offices' networking events, classes and job fairs. The thing she keeps bringing up is that the people she sees there week in and week out are guys in the tech fields with loads of experience and all types of degrees. It's really crowded right now, but things are turning around.

If you are willing to start out with 6 mo and 1 year contract work like you said you are and have a few years of experience under your belt, you'll do fine. My friend is 30 and has worked in the field (biotech statistical analysis) for 7 years w/ a Bachelor's Degree. He got laid off about a year ago and quickly found contract jobs paying about the same as he was making before. He did a 3-month and then got a salaried position at a different company making more than he was making when he got laid off and got a signing bonus on top of that. He had multiple offers on the table at the time.

As long as you really pound the pavement and have relevant experience, there are jobs here. You can't expect one to just fall into your lap, though...