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Agreed. Most of the best cities for employment right now are not the "hip" cities for young people, one exception being the Minneapolis/St Paul. The trendy cities on the east and west coast are tough markets right now and even cities like Austin that have low unemployment have extremely stiff competition in the job market. It really comes down to what a person's priorities are and what makes them happy.
Very true and if a young person wants something "hip", college towns may be the way to go. So, the aspect of size may have to be scaled down in terms of a city/area.
I graduated college in June with a BS in Business - Marketing and Finance and a BA Economics. I've been trying the NYC scene since August looking for jobs, with the mindset that all the marketing firms = lots of opportunities...but really means they want free labor from interns, and entry-level positions (AC, Assistant AE) require 2+ years of experience.
I would keep staying, but its just too expensive. It seems that the only job growth in NYC is for 100k+ jobs or $8-10/hr part-time positions, which is unsustainable for NYC. Even living with my parents, I still pick up the tab for overpriced food and car insurance for interview driving purposes, which is $6k per year.
So, I'm considering moving out upstate...possibly Pittsburgh, since the cost of living is MUCH cheaper, possibly more job opportunities, no 1+ and hr subway commutes, and lower wage jobs that hire full-time (mostly hotel front desk) . I went to UB, so I know most of these areas (Buffalo, Rochester).
My idea with Pittsburgh is that its drive-able to all the areas within the Midwest, and also apply for positions using my parents address in the city/Boston.
Is this a decent plan? Are there particular cities that are better suited for entry-level work? Thanks for the advice!
North Dakota has the best unemployment rate in the country. It's booming because of oil which brings the other industries up as well.
"The Labor Department says the North Dakota capital of Bismarck had the lowest rate among the 372 largest U.S. cities, at 2.2 percent. Bismarck is followed by Fargo at 2.8 percent and Grand Forks at 3.1 percent. Sioux Falls, South Dakota's largest city, is eighth on the list, with a rate of 3.7 percent."
"Help Wanted" signs litter the landscape of cities such as Williston in the same way "For Sale" signs populate the streets of Las Vegas. "It's a zoo," said Terry Ayers, who drove into town from Spokane, Wash., slept in his truck, and found a job within hours of arrival, tripling his salary. "It's crazy what's going on out here. The reason? Billions of dollars are coming into the state and thousands of people are following—all because millions of barrels of oil are flowing out. The result: A good, old-fashioned oil boom. Here are some examples of what a boom is like in 2011. There's no available housing, so people sleep in truck stops and Wal-Mart Stores' parking lots. Developers have expanded plans from just a few dozen new homes and are now building hundreds of houses and thousands of apartment units. The McDonald's in Williston is one of the busiest in the country, and they need to pay $15 an hour just to attract employees to work there."
"With oil companies paying top dollar to the new onslaught of workers they need -- doling out average salaries of $70,000, and more than $100,000 including over-time -- other local businesses are boosting their pay to compete. Entry level jobs everywhere from restaurants and grocery stores to convenience stores and local banks pay a minimum of $12 per hour, according to the McKenzie County Job Development Authority. Truck drivers make an average of $70,000 to $80,000 a year. Taco John's, a Western fast-food chain, has increased its pay from $8.50 an hour to $15 an hour in Williston to hold on to its workers during its busiest shifts. It's also trying to keep pace with competitors, including the Subway and Hardee's down the street, said general manager Christie Smith."
Thanks for all the advice! I was going to stay around 2-3 hours near Buffalo, but the opportunity I was looking for fell through, so I'm much more willing to look outward now. I'm not sure how many Marketing opportunities are available in rural Kansas, tho...
Thing is, are there a lot of skilled NON ENGINEERING opportunities available in those rural areas? I'm skeptical there would be a lot of support-oriented work in rural places, especially due to natural resources mining. I personally have no alliances with being in a place because its 'trendy'. Besides my cube (which is debatably the opposite of trendy) I'm usually the polar opposite of trendy. I'm a techy nerd metalhead who knows nothing about clothing style, and usually wears the cheapest utilitarian thing available.
For now, I'm staying at home for another month to get all my stuff together, and see if things with the headhunters I've made contacts with pan out with enough on-coming leads. If not, I'll move out probably the last week of December or Jan 2, since most hiring is dead until the holidays, anyway.
If I do move out (which is very likely), should I go south to Tennessee, more south to Texas, west to Indianapolis (as another forum member suggested) due to its proximity to a large number of of Midwestern and Southern areas, or go the rural route to Kansas/North Dakota or similar? Bear in mind I am still mainly looking for opportunities in Marketing in the long-run. Thanks a lot!
Texas is moving and shaking and has several large metropolitan cities that are vibrant and growing - Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, Houston, Austin, San Antonio and even Tyler/Longview. Don't overlook the smaller areas like Tyler and Nacogdoches and central Texas areas. Natural gas prices are going up and the oil business is booming - all over the state and into the Arkansas/north Louisiana area.
Oil and gas companies pay well too. When I say that, keep in mind that the cost of living is very low here so your dollar will go further.
Express Employment Services is a staffing company that offers professional placement and is in nearly every small to large city in the Ark/La/Tex region (actually they are nationwide). I don't work for them anymore but I did so for ten years and they are a great staffing company in this region. They may be a source you want to check into.
Thanks for all the advice! I was going to stay around 2-3 hours near Buffalo, but the opportunity I was looking for fell through, so I'm much more willing to look outward now. I'm not sure how many Marketing opportunities are available in rural Kansas, tho...
Thing is, are there a lot of skilled NON ENGINEERING opportunities available in those rural areas? I'm skeptical there would be a lot of support-oriented work in rural places, especially due to natural resources mining. I personally have no alliances with being in a place because its 'trendy'. Besides my cube (which is debatably the opposite of trendy) I'm usually the polar opposite of trendy. I'm a techy nerd metalhead who knows nothing about clothing style, and usually wears the cheapest utilitarian thing available.
More than you would probably think, not that there are alot, but when there are they have a hard time filling them. There are alot of needs in things like medical jobs and social work. Marketing wise it probably wouldn't be your stereotypical corporate marketing job, but more like Museum Director, Economic Development, or something along those lines. Our town was looking for someone with a marketing degree for our tourist attraction/museum for about 6 months. I think Colby Community College had a marketing job for a while too. I will keep an eye out for you.
Based on your desire to stay somewhat close I would recommend Pittsburgh or Columbus.
They are both the best performing economics in the NE/midwest region. They are the best performing near you basically.
If you were already considering Pittsburgh I would give Columbus a chance (research both). It is has been performing very well economically for years and is about the same size. Both have a lot of companies expanding. I would say Columbus may have an ever greater diversity of economy spread across many sectors. It, also, does have a very young and hip population. I know many who move from the east coast to Pittsburgh and then to Columbus and have ended up enjoying both. And either would be a short plane ride to the east coast.
If I needed a job RIGHT NOW, I'd go over to North Dakota.
This sentence frightens me, even if its true.
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