Considering moving to Colorado Springs mostly for job reasons... (Denver: home, job market)

[Ronan.Raine]

Hello,
My family has been seriously thinking about moving to Colorado, particularly the Colorado Springs area, for the past year or so. We took a trip out to Colorado Springs and Denver last year and my family really liked the area, particularly Colorado Springs. We are currently living in Erie, PA and the job market here is not the greatest. I know the economy plays a part in that but the job market here has been slow since I can remember. Many people move away from here once they graduate college and it seems like you always need to know someone to get a job anywhere.
Basically I would like to know how the job market is out there in the Colorado Springs and Denver area. My mom and I are involved in the medical field, dad is an aspiring wildlife artist, and brothers are in the restaurant and IT fields. If anyone is involved in any of those job fields and knows if there is work out there, especially in this economy, I would really appreciate it. We don't want to move if the job market isn't any better than where we currently live. From what I've researched so far though, Colorado seems to be growing which I would think is a good sign. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help us out!

[Fullback32]

As to the IT field, there are jobs but they are mostly with the defense contractors working on the several bases. It is far easier to get into the game if one has an active security clearance. While those without one CAN get on board, it is far easier if one has a clearance. The commercial side of IT in the Springs is definitely thinner.

[sskkc]

Generally, the more conservative states have better job openings, but IMO people need to quit running away from the situations they create with their voting habits in their "home state" and then trying to ruin others.

But then again, we've always been a very nomadic family... though only partially by choice. And when we move into an area, we do not take jobs from the locals... we were Navy for awhile, and now we're self-employed. We moved to Colorado Springs (and now we're heading to Texas) by our client's request. We create jobs when we move, both where we are moving from and where we are moving to.

Colorado is starting to have some major issues. Mostly because of the influx from California... as their state fails and falls deeper into a sinkhole, their residents flee here and then try to recreate their old environment... never realizing that the environment they voted in is what caused the problems in their old state to begin with! Texas has the same problems with the influx from Illinois & Wisconsin "refugees". Florida and Arizona are busy fighting off New Yorkers.

But that's just my two cents. Probably worth about that.

[Amery523]

As for medical fields, the four hospitals in town (two Memorial Hospitals, two Penrose Hospitals) are in hiring freezes except only for critical positions. So if you look on their websites at job postings, that is why there aren't too many. Denver, by being a much larger city and definitely more urban environment, will have more jobs to pick from. A couple dozen hospitals, not just four. You just need to decide where you want to live and what you are looking for, family-quality-of-life wise, because Denver is very different from COS. I commend you for looking and considering though. It is a hard decision to leave everything you've ever known and move to a new place. I did it 7 years ago when I moved from So Cal to COS, but it was the best decision I've ever made. Good luck.

[cawildes]

Just a friendly rebuttal to sskkc, we moved from CA last year and I have a few friends who have done the same over the past few years. Those of us who are drawn to the Springs tend to be more conservative in our politics and do not agree with the direction the state has taken. In other words, the last thing we want to do is recreate CA. Most people I know are families who want Mom to be able to stay home with their children, who desire a lower cost of living so they can provide and enjoy a better quality of life with their children, where there isn't so much hostility if you're a person of faith and so on. So before you roll your eyes when you hear we've come from CA, pls. bear that in mind. Thank you!