[I_Want_Snow]

I was born and raised in S.E. MI and moved away Jan 05' to Tampa, FL. I moved away because I thought I hated the cold weather, the snow, and MI in general. But the old saying is so true, you don't know what you have till it's gone. I absolutely hate the south, the humidity, the heat, and from my experiences the people in the south (GA & FL) are not as nice as the people of MI. I miss my home, my friends, and all the great outdoor activities and the overall general beauty of the great state of Michigan.

I then moved to just outside the Atlanta, GA area in May of 08' and found a job and began saving every penny I could so I could move back home to MI. I had a savings goal of 3 years of living expenses. I have zero loans, no credit cards, my car is paid off, and I pay my car insurance a year in advance. The only reoccurring bill I have is my cell phone.


Well I have finally reached my savings goal and now it's time to start looking for work and preparing to come back to MI. I would prefer the Grand Rapids area, but would also be happy in the Detroit or Lansing area just so I can get back home.

I work in I.T. as a Network/Telecomm/Security Engineer. I have 12+ years of experience and have multiple advanced certification in both Cisco and Microsoft. I have my resume up on all the major job sites; Careerbuilder, Monster, Dice, etc. Starting next Monday I will begin looking for work in MI. Here are the steps I plan on taking, to get back home where I was happy but didn't realize it till I left.

1.) Change my cell phone number to a local MI number and possibly change my address to one of my friends addresses in the area.

2.) Update my resume twice weekly on the job boards. I was told by a recruiter that they not only search for skills, but also by the last time your resume was updated. They assume that if you don't update your resume at least weekly, it looks like to them that you have found a job and they are less likely to call you. I will search for any and all Tech jobs that I qualify for and will apply and if there is a number, I will follow up my application with a phone call.

3.) Going to yellowpages.com and searching in both the Detroit, Lansing, and Grand Rapids area for employment agencies. Once I get a list of agencies, I will then go to their website and research what types of employment they recruit for as not all agencies do Tech work.

4.) Once I have filtered through those agencies, I will then begin to send them my resume and follow up weekly with calls.

5.) Search for any Head Hunters in the area. If you know of any I ask you to please send me a message with their contact information.

6.) My plan is to be back home to MI no later than July. If I can't find a job by then, I am packing up and heading there anyways. My ultimate goal is to find work in the Grand Rapids area.

If worse comes to worse, and I don't find work before I move, my parents said I can't rent out their cabin in Oscoda to stay till I find work. Which won't be too bad since the cabin is paid off and all I have to do is pay for my utilities. They spend from June to mid September in their cabin in Oscoda, then they head down to their retirement home in Ocala FL for the winters.

I know it will be a little tough trying to find work in the Grand Rapids, Detroit, or Lansing area while living in Oscoda, but as long as I can schedule and interview a day or two in advance, then I can drive down/across and rent a cheap hotel for the night to get ready for my interview.


If anyone has anything more that they could possibly add, please feel free to give me and and all types of feedback. If you know of any openings or of any recruiters/head hunters, please message me.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

[skyl4rk]

Good luck, Grand Rapids is a great place to live.

I don't know much about your field but you might take a look at Secant, they are a pretty good company.

[michmoldman]

Good luck! Seems to be a lot of people moving to (moving back) Michigan lately. Thats so awesome you are wanting, and able to return!!

[I_Want_Snow]

Thanks for wishing me luck guys... I appreciate it! I know it's tough out there, but I know I will make it. Failure is not an option for me, I can and will overcome any obstacle that gets in my way.

MI is where my home and heart is, I just can't wait to get back!!

Skyl4rk thanks for the name of that company, I am definitely going to check them out.

As far as people moving back, I never in a million years thought I would miss the cold, snow, and cloudy days. But boy was I ever so wrong!!

The south is cool to visit, but it's just not for me as far as living, going to the beach even gets old after a while.

[YAZ]

Wow.

Atlanta is like my second home.

Next to Michigan, of course.

I always have a great time in Georgia, but.....I never lived there.

Go home.

It's where you want to be.

You're gonna make it.

[michmoldman]

Originally Posted by I_Want_Snow

Thanks for wishing me luck guys... I appreciate it! I know it's tough out there, but I know I will make it. Failure is not an option for me, I can and will overcome any obstacle that gets in my way.

MI is where my home and heart is, I just can't wait to get back!!

Skyl4rk thanks for the name of that company, I am definitely going to check them out.

As far as people moving back, I never in a million years thought I would miss the cold, snow, and cloudy days. But boy was I ever so wrong!!

The south is cool to visit, but it's just not for me as far as living, going to the beach even gets old after a while.

I am a firm believer in if you have the will to do something bad enough, anyone can do anything. Yes...even in Michigan. I also truly believe Michigan is on the comeback trail. Many will disagree...and thats fine, just my gut feeling.

[michiganbob]

Don't forget Kalamazoo. My brother-in-law from Indianapolis just got a management-level job with Stryker. They still seem to be doing pretty well, so you may want to check them out. Not exactly GR, but close.

[1coolcustomer]

Originally Posted by michiganbob

Don't forget Kalamazoo. My brother-in-law from Indianapolis just got a management-level job with Stryker. They still seem to be doing pretty well, so you may want to check them out. Not exactly GR, but close.

True indeed, if I were to relocate back to MI I'd live somewhere about halfway between K-zoo and GR with close access to US131 because there are some good jobs to be had in both metros.

[I_Want_Snow]

michiganbob thanks for the info about Stryker and 1coolcustomer thanks for the advice about K-zoo and US131.

I am not familiar with the area as I grew up south of Ann Arbor. But I got a map of GR and the surrounding areas that I am going study to get familiar with the roads, counties, and the cites/townships.

[KMSFLA]

Originally Posted by I_Want_Snow

...The south is cool to visit, but it's just not for me as far as living, going to the beach even gets old after a while...

I can relate to that. Sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic to get to the beach gets REALLY old (I lived on Clearwater Beach many years ago).

My company has a few IT-type positions in Michigan. I might be able to get some cash if I get you hired - I don't know. Send me a message. There's a Network Administrator position in Battle Creek and a few in the Detroit area. I'm an Electrical Engineer so I don't know much about the IT field. My company has Michigan locations in Battle Creek, Ann Arbor, and the Detroit suburbs.