Possible jobs in Cincinnati (Dayton, Hamilton: apartment, rent, job market)

[Swanns6]

We are planning to move to Cincinnati around February or March, but are concerned about the job market. We use to live in Elkhart, IN which has a horrible economy right now, but where we are now Lubbock, TX is doing pretty well. My wife works at Wal-mart so it should be fairly easy for her to transfer. I will be graduating with my degree in communications with an emphasis in Journalism. Is there that much opportunity in Cincinnati for a journalist? I believe I have heard the local newspaper shut down.

We will be making a trip in September to take a look through the area and help us to finalize our decision. Any answers would be a great help, we just don't want to move our family to an area where we are going to struggle very bad.

[Sarah Perry]

The Cincinnati Enquirer is still publishing, but the physical size of the print paper and the circulation keep shrinking. The remaining employees are subject to occasional unpaid furloughs. I haven't seen anything in their online efforts that leads me to believe they're going to find an alternate revenue source there, either. Objective observers will tell you that the Enquirer hasn't been a very highly regarded or good quality paper for a long time, something you should be pretty easily able to confirm through your professional connnections.

I realize journalism is bigger than just daily print papers. Cincinnati does have some very large, desirable employers like Procter and Gamble, Children's Hospital and Fifth Third Bank. If such companies would represent an employment opportunity for you, this may be a good place for a look.

Cincinnati has more than its share of naysayers and haters, and I'm not one of them. I spent many years away and deliberately moved back when I had a chance. But off the top of my head, I'd think you could find better places than here for a career in journalism.

[high mileage]

I pretty much agree with Sarah Perry.

Not to sound like a pessimist, but journalism is kind of a 'dying' field. Sure the jobs are out there, but how easy you can find a job also depends which area of journalism you are in: media, editing, magazine, print, etc. If you are attempting to go into anything besides media, you may have a hard time finding a job. You can partially thank the advancements in technology and bloggers for that.

You could try looking into a local news station here, but many of the stations here seem to have fairly high turnover rates. I have a friend who works for WLWT News 5. While she likes it okay, the pay is not all that great.

I say, if you can afford it, try looking at finding a job in a larger city with better opportunites in journalism. It can be done here, but I knew a few people in the field who have left here and went to places they claimed had better opportunites; mainly southeast and east coast.

Good luck to you!

[kjbrill]

Can you stretch that degree in communications and journalism to also include advertising? Some of the biggest advertisers in the country are located right here in Cincy.

[kjbrill]

My youngest daughter got one of those What's It? degrees in Mass Communications with an Advertising Minor from UK. After several false starts at jobs with a whole lot of hours and very low pay, she went back and got a masters in primary education. She is now very happily teaching school.

[high mileage]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Can you stretch that degree in communications and journalism to also include advertising? Some of the biggest advertisers in the country are located right here in Cincy.

You're right. That could surely be a possibilty. I forgot about the advertisers.

[Swanns6]

I am trying to think of some other course work I have done, I have done some freelance graphic design and photo design. I am really good with page design, and I have done some with advertising. I have taken a couple courses in sports managment, and of course the required courses.

[progmac]

frankly it will be a long job search, but you should be able to find something eventually. we are better off than many midwestern cities though. the construction industry around here is actually still doing pretty well. unfortunately the market for white-collar jobs for new grads is really tight here and around the country.

you could live in between dayton and cinci and look for opportunities with the Dayton Daily News, which is, shall we say, a little more respectable of a newspaper. Dayton's paper is in almost every respect about twice the paper that the Cincinnati Enquirer is.

my wife had very positive experience with temping through a big-name temp agency downtown. that is, especially in this economy, a good way to get your foot in the door for a better position. in both cases, i think pay was $11 per hour with no benefits. but, it is a full-time job and in many cases can lead to something permanent.

my advice is to keep your living expenses low. rent somewhere safe and cheap until you have some solid employment. i lived in norwood for like $350 a month about 7 years ago when i was starting out. even in east walnut hills or walnut hills by eden park you can get a good apartment for under $500 and be a few short miles from downtown and also reasonably close to the new wal-mart on red bank (which, by the way, DESPERATELY needs some experienced employees)

[Ohiogirl81]

If you're just starting out in journalism, don't turn your nose up at the weekly newspapers or the smaller dailies in the area: Community Press/Recorder, Middletown Journal, Hamilton Journal-News, Western Star, Clermont Sun, etc. The turnover is usually such that there are often jobs available.

[Swanns6]

Thank you Ohiogirl I am very into ANY paper that is in the need of help. Entertainment (not gossip) is my specialty but I have the experience writing it all. I did apply at the Family Videos in the area, I was offered a job to manage one in Indiana but we did not end up moving there.