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Hi! My family and I are thinking of relocating back to NC (from CA--big mistake!). We would like to try the coast, but are pretty unfamiliar with the job market there. My husband is an electrical engineer, and I stay home with our two young sons. We need some place with a reasonable standard of living (as we are going to try and continue to live on one salary) as well as a short commute (no more than half an hour--preferably less) for my husband. I've read good things about the Crystal Coast in other threads, but would love to hear about other areas, too. We are a bit hesitant to go as far south as Wilmington. Does anyone know about the job market on the Outer Banks? Thanks so much for any input you can offer--Kristin
Camp Lejeune is about to hire 12 more engineers in the construction office. I'm not sure whether they're looking for civil engineers only or whether electrical/mechanical engineers are welcome too. You might want to keep an eye out on the job postings just to see.
Wow, thanks for the tip! Do you have any feeling as to whether jobs in the engineering field are somewhat plentiful in the area (or are the Camp Lejeune positions something of a rarity?)?
Thanks again!
Last edited by artistatheart; 02-07-2008 at 09:28 PM..
Reason: misspelling
I have to highly recommend Charleston, SC. My husband, is an engineer as well. We just relocated to Mount Pleasant, (a really nice area just east of there) and love it! He got a great job as an electrical engineer. We couldn't be happier.
Thanks for the tip, Leebythesea. I've actually looked at the postings for Charleston from time to time and have thought it might be a good match for us. Can you tell me what you like about it and, also, how did you find the home prices--affordable, expensive? We'd really like to continue living on one income, so this will be a pretty significant factor in where we choose to live. Thanks for the reply!
charleston is pretty inexpensive as long as you aren't downtown. there is plenty of affordable housing. it is a very pretty area. I live in wilmington but have some friends in charleston. my biggest complaint about the area is no waves at the beach!
My husband's new job here just doubled his salary from what he was making in NC. So, it is definetly helping us to continue living off one income. Our house is on the market in NC and we're about to put an offer on a home in Mount Pleasant. One great thing about the area, is it is a buyers market right now. We're going to be able to afford a home we would never have been able to afford before. We're moving from a beautiful, quaint island in NC, so I was afraid Charleston would never compare, but I was so wrong! Mount Pleasant, Sullivans Island, Isle of Palms and downtown Charleston are all gorgeous areas! There are amazing public parks with waterparks and beautiful walkways through the marshes. And, of coarse my favorite places, the beaches! It seems to be an area for people who like to be ouside and be active! I love it! Stay away from North Charleston and the northern part of downtown and the rest of the area is lovely! There are a lot of engineering jobs here. My husband interviewed for quite a few and it was a hard decision between them all. We, as well, looked in other areas. We concentrated our search only in the southeast (we went as far south as Key West!) and this was definetly the best choice. Savannah GA is very nice as well. We have a friend who has an amazing civil engineering job there. It's a very beautiful and safe city. And with one of the countries best design schools there, it is a city overflowing with culture and art. That would've been my second choice. Good Luck!
I'm not sure about engineering jobs in general, just wanted to mention that it might be worth checking into local telephone companies as well. I know several people who hold electrical engineering degrees and make good money as engineers at the phone company. For example, AT&T.
I think it's harder to get hired on at the upper level jobs off the street though, their openings are mostly filled from within it seems, the people I know had to start entry level...it's also hard to tell what someone is looking for when they want an "engineering job" or are "an engineer" because honestly, some of the "engineers" at the phone company better stay in their current job if you know what I mean- they're not really "engineers". Having an electrical engineering background just helped them to pass entrance tests but they don't really use their electrical engineering education on the job, it was all OJT.
Anyway depending on experience and what your husband wants it might be worth checking at telecommunications companies on the coast..
Wow, thank you all so much for your replies! We would really love to get back to the southeast (we're hoping within the next six months, if all goes well with the job search). Leebythesea, you're getting me more and more interested in Charleston (although where you came from in NC sounds just like what we were originally looking for--did your husband have a difficult commute while living on the island or was he able to find a job nearby?). I was under the impression that the job market in Charleston would be tighter than in NC (what with the Raleigh-Durham Research Triangle and all)--I'm glad to know that's not the case. Charleston sounds great! I know this is a stupid question, but could you grow an orange tree there? I really want to grow an orange tree in my yard...
Really, no waves at the beach?! My 4 year old would be thrilled. My 2 year old would be horrified (he's such a daredevil). My husband and I would love it either way.
And BlueLily--thanks for the tip about the phone company--that's the type of thing we always forget about . We remember to ask about the engineering firms, but forget there are whole industries that, although not strictly "engineering firms" contain a lot of hidden engineering jobs. Thanks, you guys (uh-oh, that's my New Yorkiness showing, if we're going to be living in the southeast, I'd better get used to "you all", not "you guys"--way too Tony Soprano), you're definitely making me think this move might become a reality!
And, finally, BeachLiving--do you live in Wilmington? What do you think of it? We've been there a few times (on our way to Carolina Beach) and really liked it, but I've read so many opposing views about it in this forum--an insider's view would be really appreciated.
Thank you all again so much--SoCal is really starting to give me the blues (so crowded, so smoggy, so yucky!), just the possibilty of a move back to the southeast is making me feel better!
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Thanks!
Having an electrical engineering background just helped them to pass entrance tests but they don't really use their electrical engineering education on the job, it was all OJT.
