Job market in Iowa (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids: housing, rent, jobs)

[Prince Albert]

Hi all. I am from Michigan, and the job market here is DEAD. I graduated last summer from Wayne State (the university here in Detroit) with a Bachelors of Science in Information Systems. I worked contract at Ford for 5 years as a CAD Designer. I got laid off from there a few years ago. That led me to get my Bachelors Degree. The automotive industry is dead; I don’t want any part of it anymore.

I’m thinking of moving to Iowa. I have a friend there. What is the job market like there? I’m looking to get into something in the IT field or Logistics, because I did work at UPS before I was at Ford. I don’t have any real IT experience except for classroom experience. What are the chances for a person with my degree to find something there? I would appreciate your input. Thanks.

[DSMGuy]

I just saw this right before I saw your post:

absoluteDSM.com :: View topic - Iowa Job Growth 2007-2008

Des Moines and Omaha-CB are the hottest areas in the state for job growth. Iowa City job growth is good for its size.

I'd check Dice.com for IT jobs in these areas. Google is opening a big data center in Council Bluffs. There is a possibility Microsoft will open a data center in the DM area, too. Good luck!

[WoodwardGirl]

While I agree with DSMGuy -- I'd look at Council Bluffs because I think Google is awesome -- the Cedar Rapids area is huge for software and electrical engineering. If you'd like to stay in the larger corporate model, check out Intermec and Rockwell Collins.

[Deselminator]

The job market is going to depend on what part of Iowa you're talking about. If you're talking about the state as a whole, I wouldn't say it's great, but it's definitely better than most places in MI from what I know. I can tell you that here in the Iowa City area, the job market is doing very well. The population here is growing rapidly, and new businesses are opening all the time. To give you another example of how the economy is doing here...the housing market here has merely slowed down a bit, there hasn't been substantial losses in property values as there have been in other areas, nor have there been countless numbers of foreclosures here. Personally I would choose either the Iowa City or Cedar Rapids area. You may be able to land yourself a decent job in the Des Moines area, however in my opinion Des Moines doesn't have that much to offer for a city it's size. Sure it is the largest city in the state and therefore you will find amenities there that you can't find anywhere else, but it's still not what you would probably expect for a mid-sized city. The other nice thing about the Iowa City area is that it's only about 3 - 3 1/2 hours from Chicago...so you could always take a trip there for big city amenities.

[metro223]

Originally Posted by Deselminator

You may be able to land yourself a decent job in the Des Moines area, however in my opinion Des Moines doesn't have that much to offer for a city it's size. Sure it is the largest city in the state and therefore you will find amenities there that you can't find anywhere else, but it's still not what you would probably expect for a mid-sized city.

I find it ironic that you say this. Most people usually have the opposite to say about the Des Moines Metro - and think it has quite a bit to offer for it's size.

I'm not trying to disagree with you though, it's just not what I'm used to hearing about Des Moines.

[pepe1]

Originally Posted by Deselminator

You may be able to land yourself a decent job in the Des Moines area, however in my opinion Des Moines doesn't have that much to offer for a city it's size. Sure it is the largest city in the state and therefore you will find amenities there that you can't find anywhere else, but it's still not what you would probably expect for a mid-sized city. The other nice thing about the Iowa City area is that it's only about 3 - 3 1/2 hours from Chicago...so you could always take a trip there for big city amenities.

???

I'm of the opinion that Des Moines "over achieves" in terms of amenities for cities of similar size. What sort of things are you finding in similar sized cites that Des Moines "lacks"?

[DMRyan]

I'll admit Des Moines' shortcomings as a city, but I think most people that criticize Des Moines in relation to what other Iowa cities offer just don't know Des Moines very well.

My biggest criticisms of Des Moines are that it doesn't offer much in terms of people looking for a bohemian, artsty type place (in terms of comparisons to other cities that Des Moines hangs with regionally or nationally, not smaller places in Iowa), the lack of a major college presence, not much on history or sense of place, partially fueled by the stoic white collar insurance/finance economy. Otherwise, I think Des Moines stacks up very well as a city to be reckoned with in terms of the amenities it offers. You won't find a better economy, better shopping, more to do, or even a bigger city vibe in the whole state, sans downtown Iowa City, which has even been losing ground to a more cosmopolitan Des Moines, particularly when it comes to performing arts and live music. Des Moines ain't perfect, but it offers one of Iowa's best hopes for a bigger city atmosphere, yet retains a very high quality of life for those looking for safe place to raise a family. Hard to believe that as recent as the early 1970's, the Quad Cities was a larger metro than Des Moines. There's no looking back now though, as Des Moines cements it's place as the prominent hub of business and in some aspects, culture (finally) of Iowa.

[Deselminator]

Well Des Moines is in my humble opinion indeed lacking in many things that other similar sized cities offer. There are no major college sports, or any major universities for that matter. The zoo is small, and honestly not very exciting. Only very recently did Des Moines get a decent venue for concerts, events and similar functions. Des Moines is lacking in the public transportation department also. One thing Des Moines does have is lots of shopping and restaurants. So I guess if you consider malls and restaurants a lot to offer, then sure I guess Des Moines is decent. Only recently did Des Moines actually get a mall that is comparable to the mall in Coralville, and hoestly Jordan Creek isn't even that much better then the Coral Ridge Mall, only bigger. The airport in Des Moines isn't that great, and flights aren't that affordable. Des Moines is about 3 times the size of Iowa City, and yet it barely has more to offer except for more malls, restaurants, and crime. Yes Des Moines is safe on a national scale, however, I certainly wouldn't walk around most places at night, nor would I feel safe leaving my car or apartment/house unlocked there. I do all the time in Coralville and Iowa City. And I'm not just talking about the bad parts of town in Des Moines either...I've known several people who have lived in some of the nicer areas of Des Moines and have had their cars vandalized and their houses broken into. The only area of Des Moines that I would consider living would be West Des Moines, and unfortunately it is over-priced as hell last I knew.

Also I should note that when comparing Des Moines to other places, it can be a lot like comparing apples to oranges. Because there are no other cities in Iowa the same size as Des Moines, you end up having to compare it to cities in other nearby states, such as Omaha or Madison. And while those cities are somewhat larger, they offer way more than Des Moines does and probably ever will. If you want to compare Des Moines to another city in Iowa that has about the same amount of amenities and cultural offerings, you would most likely end up comparing it to Iowa City, which again is about 3 times smaller. And even though this is true, Iowa City probably has Des Moines beat for the most part in cultural offerings, and isn't that far behind in city amenities either. So if you take into account the size, Iowa City had Des Moines smoked. So that is why I say that Des Moines is lacking where other cities aren't.

[pepe1]

I get the sense you are still in college - And as you go through life, you'll find college towns offer different amenities from cities whose economy and livliehood is not based off of the university.

Nearly every mid-sized city you'll find probably offers poor public transporation. There is just no demand for public transportation in mid-sized cities (even in some larger cities there is no demand). Airports in mid-sized cities are always expensive because of economies of scale - and on that note, I know your in college now and money is tight, but someday you will appreciate how easy it is to get in and out of the Des Moines airport and you will be more than happy to pay a little extra for that convenience. Small zoo? Be thankful Des Moines even has one. Alot of mid-sized cities don't. The same can be said for thinkgs like Adventureland, Prairie Meadows, AAA baseball, Wells Fargo Arena, etc.

Crime in Des Moines? Laughable pal. Property crime happens everywhere in the world. Consider yourself very lucky never to have anything of yours stolen or vandalized in Iowa City.

[vblodgett]

I was born and raised in Iowa but have only in the last 4 years moved back and from what I see, the job market here isn't anywhere near as bad as in other areas of the country. DesMoines is a great city with good housing, lots to to and the job ads in the DesMoines Register are always several pages long. The small town I live in now has just opened another office of Iowatelecom which is a business using IT people. You should look into that.