Should I Do It?? (Greenville: sales, apartment, lease)

[cabin]

Ok - Girlfriend has a job offer there and I do not. I think that I can get one but feel like it is a little risky to move to a city with no job. BUT I live in Washington DC and am fed up with my current job and the quality of life here. Should I take a gamble and move to Greenville? I work in advertising and public relations and have a few good leads. I hear the job market is good there...but above all...I just want a change! Skliners, others...advice?? Please! Thanks.

[AJNEOA]

Sorry, but I don't know much about that area. The only thing I would ask is, will she help you out for a few weeks or a month while you work on getting a job? Maybe trying to net a job while you're still in DC would be the safest bet. With Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, etc....you should be able to find a lot of opportunity over the web. Maybe even trying to visit for a few days during the week would let you personally stop in at some businesses.

I think the biggest question is: will you be able to be happy if you don't try it? You can always go back if things don't work out. If it's an "I'll always regret it if I don't try" thing, then I say do it! Good luck!

[averagenyjoe]

I left NY 24 yrs ago for Charlotte, NC for at least 6 yrs before that I made trips to try to line up work. I was young and wasnt applying for high end jobs. No one wanted to hire me with an out of state Address. I dont believe it was a NY address, it was just that they probably wanted to know I was local and ready to start and not have to wait for me to move and risk complications on a start date. So I just took 500.00 which was all I had and a credit card with a line of 3,000. and packed my little ford escort slam full and went for broke. I was going to swim or die. No one would give me an apartment without a job, which I expected so I put a 6 month lease all on the card and had a local address and knew I better take this thing serious. Boomyow! within just over a month I had a great job. Allstate regional office. Stayed there almost 10 years and got well on my feet. Within 5 years I found the greatest wife in the world and we qualified for our own house and became happy homeowners.

23 yrs later I am getting old and just cant take the heat and desired to return to NY to care for ailing family among other reasons as well. I now had a good job and looked for work up here while still living in NC. It was the same dreaded situation but I had a much greater earning power and more stable work history but still no luck. I was REALLY REALLY motivated and had to get going quickly and just up and moved in like fashion as the first time around. However, this time I had a wife and family. I up and moved and within about 4 weeks I had a great job up here. Not saying it was an easy move. There were some very difficult times to face. I have been here now for 1 year and things are begining to look up again.

What am I saying: It is always best to line up work & housing. That is ideal. but anyone would agree life is never ideal and if you are motivated and burn within you to go somewhere or do something, you will make it. With alot of people the more you are pressed against the wall the more motivated you will become ie; "when the going gets tough, the tough get going" People have this survival mode and unless you are among the lazy, which you dont seem to be, you can make it in Greenville. The place is brimming with work.

Just assess your desires and attitudes before you go. Greenville is busy but much more laid back and family oriented than DC. Please dont approach people and business as you would need to in DC. Be gentle and display a willingness to be a community player and I believe you will NEVER, EVER regret your move there.
Hope this helps. Best wishes

[flgargoyle]

I don't know the job market in either city, but I have made similar moves, and always landed on my feet. The trick is to minimize your financial exposure until you're into something solid. In other words, don't buy an expensive home, run up your credit cards, and live like you're loaded. You might have to take a (much) lower paying job until the right position comes along. When my wife and I moved to FL, we had nothing, but also had few responsibilities. We both had solid jobs within a week. Soon, we are going to do the same thing in moving to Greenville. Again, we actually have few responsibilities- our son is grown, and if it goes as planned, we won't have a mortgage, so I can be a Wal-Mart greeter and get by. BTW, I've never had any luck landing a job until I moved to the area.

[g-man430]

Originally Posted by cabin

Ok - Girlfriend has a job offer there and I do not. I think that I can get one but feel like it is a little risky to move to a city with no job. BUT I live in Washington DC and am fed up with my current job and the quality of life here. Should I take a gamble and move to Greenville? I work in advertising and public relations and have a few good leads. I hear the job market is good there...but above all...I just want a change! Skliners, others...advice?? Please! Thanks.

Erwin-Penland advertising agency in downtown Greenville is on a hiring spree.

[Greenville]

The advertising and PR market is strong in Greenville. Whether you should bite the bullet and move to Greenville without a job lined up is your call.

[Carolina_1690]

I see both angles here. I don't think you are going to be held back by applying to a position with an out of state address. Moving down to SC without a job is a risk though, so you better be prepared to look around a while if need be and put up with a crappier job for a while. I wouldn't suggest moving here to South Carolina without a job- but thats my nature. If you can get by on your girlfriend's salary for a while if you have to, then go for it. Who knows, you might land your dream job. The job possibilities in the Upstate are only expanding these days.

[myrc60]

Many of the employment ads online for this area state that applicants should be local to the area. I think you are better off applying once you are here. Erwin Penland as mentioned above by g-man430 is growing and I believe they are the largest most well known agency in town but there are others. Check out careerbuilder for current listings. Greenville is in a growth spurt that will continue for years to come. ICAR is coming and others will follow.

[Skyliner]

Erwin Penland is the largest marketing agency in the state.

[ECUFAN]

I live in the Greenville Area as well and will state that there are many job opportunities here. The only downfall is that many people apply for the same position so it's very competitive. Ex. I went to a job interview to become a sales rep in the medical industry, and when I arrived I realized that over 150 people were at the same interview. Not saying that this is always the case, but many people like the Greenville area and many are coming to the area. You may be fine because of your back ground, but have you game face on.