Orlando Residents: Please HELP! (mover, find a job, school)

[mike2642]

Hi everyone!

I frequently read this forum and really enjoy learning about the Orlando area from the people who live there. I posted on here well over a year ago asking for some general information on the area, as my wife and I were considering moving back to the Orlando area in the next 2-3 years (we lived there for about a semester in 2008).

Like I said, well over a year has passed since then, and we are now seriously considering our options and would love to get back to Florida some time next year. I will be graduating with my Bachelor's degree in Accounting about a year from now, and we would love to find an opportunity down there (we are from freezing Lincoln, NE). Ideally, I'd like to work for a CPA firm when I am finished with school, and will be continuing classes so I can take the CPA exam soon after. I don't really want to work in a big 4 firm, something more midsized or local would fit me better. I'm sure it is very hard to find a job like that living 2000 miles away, so I was just wondering if anyone had any advice for me? I have looked at some area firms' websites and have considered contacting a few of them to see if they would be willing to answer some questions for me and hopefully build a little rapport with them. This way, I may have a better chance when I'm actually ready to make the move.

I know that this post may seem premature, but I figure a cross country move and trying to find a good job means that it's better to start this earlier than later.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

[BrittanyMilstead]

Hi Mike!
My husband and I move around quite a bit every few years due to his job. He's finally at the top of the food chain, so to speak, so we'll be here in Orlando pretty much forever! My advice to you is to network. Network, network, network. Everytime I know that we're about to relocate, I begin networking online (and sometimes in person as well) toward the city that we're moving to. If you're not on LinkedIn, you should be! Gear all of your LinkedIn profile information towards finding the perfect employment in the city that you're trying to find work in. Join groups, message boards (like this one!) and talk to your current city's network mogels to see if they have any connections here. You'd be surprised where you end up. And networking is not meeting someone for the sole purpose of finding a job - you may end up working a job that's mediocre at best before all your networking pays off and lands you your dream gig. But networking will build a foundation under you that is sort of a patchwork quilt, allowing you to be a mover and a shaker. Come down here and hang out where the young professionals do and meet people in your line of work. Go to a seminar or two and introduce yourself to others. Just put yourself out there! It's never too early to start networking. Best of luck to you and I hope you find exactly what you're looking for!