Where to move when you're a new grad? (best cities, look for a job)

[dronnac]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum and it's a friend of mine who advised me to check it out.
the title of the thread, even though quite vague, says it all.
I'm currently finishing a master's degree in Montreal Canada (let's not get into those Canadian matters, right) and i'm pretty much off this country in Early November. The thing is, i have never quite lived in the states. I was Born in Virginia and my parents traveled all over so i've never gotten a taste of the states and i've worked my ass off in order to get to my natal land.

Forgetting those details, my domain is e-commerce and the IT and business fields in general, so i thought that probably the DC suburbs, Northern VA, would be the best bet for me. As a new grad, with not that much money (bummer), i have to chose carefully where to settle in and look for a job.

I thought as well, since i have no attach when you think about it, about Seattle but sure the trip from Montreal to there is not that easy.

I know this is very vague, but i'm wondering if you guys could give me some advises as to what cities to avoid, the best places to start a new life basically, for a young new graduate person. Living alone, no attach of any kind, with few resources as well. A point i think also to take into consideration is that i have no driving license, which is one of the first thing i'll work to get once in the states.

Hope my long post mad some sense.

Cheers.

[JakeDog]

DC and SF/Bay Area are good choices based on your field of expertise. Plus there are a ton of well-educated folks like yourself with no attachments so it is easy to get friends. Get roomates and don't move to a cheap family oriented city at your age. Live in a major metro area were dating/friendship possibilities abound. You can always move to somewhere boring later.

[bchris02]

The SF Bay Area will NOT be your best bet for IT. The market there is completely saturated. CS graduates from schools such as Berkeley and Stanford are having to settle for retail jobs such as Wal-Mart because there is no IT work available. Yes, there may be job postings, but for each "entry-level" job, there is a minimum of 2,000+ applicants. Plus, the cost of living there is astronomical. You should look into markets like Atlanta or Dallas/Ft. Worth. The market is tough everywhere, but those are two places where I don't think the market is ice cold "yet" in IT.

I am in the same sort of dilemma. I am preparing to graduate with a bachelors in IT. I currently live in rural Arkansas and absolutely hate it. I can't afford to relocate without having a job first, so I am pretty much going to have to go wherever employment is available. Unfortunately, I don't think its going to be one of my metros of choice.

[GoBeavs]

Um, I have a ton of friends in SJ/SF Bay Area with 4-year CS degrees, and not a single one of them is working at anything even resembling a Wal-Mart. Most of them are using their degrees working for companies such as Oracle, but a few of them are using their degrees working in settings such as banks creating business software. Really, to say that you're not going to get a job over there is wrong information. Also, quite a few of my friends down there are Oregon State University grads who were offered jobs down there at recruitment events up here.

[skatealoneskatetogether]

Originally Posted by bchris02

The SF Bay Area will NOT be your best bet for IT. The market there is completely saturated. CS graduates from schools such as Berkeley and Stanford are having to settle for retail jobs such as Wal-Mart because there is no IT work available. Yes, there may be job postings, but for each "entry-level" job, there is a minimum of 2,000+ applicants. Plus, the cost of living there is astronomical. You should look into markets like Atlanta or Dallas/Ft. Worth. The market is tough everywhere, but those are two places where I don't think the market is ice cold "yet" in IT.

I am in the same sort of dilemma. I am preparing to graduate with a bachelors in IT. I currently live in rural Arkansas and absolutely hate it. I can't afford to relocate without having a job first, so I am pretty much going to have to go wherever employment is available. Unfortunately, I don't think its going to be one of my metros of choice.

berkeley is the number one public school in the nation this year according to the rankings, and standford in number 4 in the nation out of all universities. graduates from these schools typically fare better than most of their counterparts.

[Vagus]

New York.

Yes, it will be expensive.

But . . . it's THE place to be when you're young.

Tons of businesses needing IT so I'm sure you'll find work.

AND . . . since they have something call "public transit" you won't need to bother getting a driver's license!

[sweettea1]

Look at Best Places to Live: Compare the Best Cities & Small Towns for You! and Making It In The City, Dream Big. Pay The Rent. for info pertaining to this question!