Starkville or Cleveland, MS? (Greenwood: real estate, home, high school)

[The Weird Girl]

Okay, last year, I made a huge mistake when I decided to 'play' instead of focusing on my studies when I was enrolled at Mississippi State. I really did love the school, but my friends and social life distracted me and I will admit that it is all my fault. Because of that, I had to move back home at Greenwood, MS and go to a local community college, where I am finally excelling. The problem is, I am going to graduate with an Associate's Degree, very soon, and while the original plan with my grandma and primary caregiver throughout my life was to move back to Mississippi State, my mother is very against me going back.

Her beliefs is that my grandmother is too elderly and Starkville is too far to drive to (I have no car and we usually ride with a family friend who is really able to do so), and for the past few months, she has guilt tripped me into thinking that I am selfish and a horrible grand daughter for wanting to go back.

My mother has suggested that I got to Delta State University, which is located in Cleveland, MS. My issue is this: Which town has better job opportunities for people who are just starting to work? I am 20 years old and I desperately feel that I need to make some income before I graduate. I have tried with Greenwood, no one seems to want to hire or bother to even conduct an interview with me and I have zero work experience.

I'm afraid, that if I don't get a job (ANY honest job) I will be stuck living at home in Greenwood for the rest of my life. I want to earn a career in Public Relations/Communications, and I desire to travel the world. I don't think I can do that being stuck without a job.

Basically, I'm a college student that's stuck between choosing Starkville or Cleveland for work opportunities. Thank you for reading this, and I really hope that I can receive some insight from you all.

[peppermint]

The biggest problem I see is transportation. You can look into jobs on campus at MSU. I believe you can monitor the desk at a dorm, work in the cafeteria or clean or something (they used to have students at the library as well). I don't know how competitive that is.

I was in the Starkville area from June to October and I don't remember seeing a lot of "Help Wanted" signs, but that was probably because the high school students were working the summer jobs. I think you have a lot of opportunities in Starkville; however, without a car, it will be difficult to work off campus. I don't know about Cleveland.

I wanted to say, as a person who's been guilted a lot recently, you need to think about your future and your life. I certainly don't mean anything negative about your mom or grandmom. The reality is, however, that after your grandmom passes, you still have a life to live. Your life will go forward, and you need to make choices now that are good for you. If you are in the position where you would always feel bad or guilty for moving when your grandmom is sick, then you need to stay for yourself. If you aren't in that position, if it's more about your mom, then you need to think about that. I'm very sorry you're in this position.

Good luck to you!

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

Starkville is larger and has a better economy than Cleveland. On the other hand, it might be a more expensive place to live than Cleveland, which probably has the higher real estate prices in the Delta.

[Drifter42]

Somehow I believe that Starkville is where you want to go and your mother is against it. I think you should go to Starkville. It's not like your going across the country, I mean it's like 2 hours tops from Grenwood.

[gvillesux]

Starkville is the better area for jobs, Cleveland is struggling just like the rest of the Delta. My son goes to DSU and it took forever for him to find a decent(to him) job. He does not make enough to put any money back, but it is enough to live on and put gas in his vehicle.