Economic situation for tradesmen in State College/Centre County?? (Harrisburg: find a job, transfer)

[DandelionGrace]

Hi there,

My family is currently living near Hershey, but we don't really love it here - it's a little too conservative for our taste. My whole family lives here, though, so we stay for that reason. Also, my husband is a journeyman electrician in the Harrisburg area, and he's had good luck finding decent jobs - only a couple short layoffs when the economy was really terrible in 2008. I work during the academic year at a college, but our primary income comes from his job.

I used to live in State College, and a couple of my best friends still live there. It's also a really beautiful area. So my husband and I have been giving some thought lately to trying to move back up there. My concern is with work. Anyone know what the economy is like for the skilled trades in State College and the surrounding area? DH is used to driving up to an hour to work at a site, so he doesn't need to work right in SC. The Harrisburg area is relatively stable, so leaving makes us both nervous. Any advice or input?

[Lion11]

I would say that it is pretty stable. The State College economy as a whole is very stable, with a low unemployment rate. I would say to start looking at Penn State jobs at psu.jobs. Many of the OPP jobs require electrical skills and training. Good luck to you! However, what exactly do you mean by "too conservative"?

[DandelionGrace]

It's hard to describe - it's not even necessarily a political thing, because I don't particularly care about people's politics. It just seems like people in south-central PA (especially when you get outside Harrisburg) are kind of, I don't know, dour. I moved back here from Virginia, and it seemed like people were a lot friendlier in Virginia. It just isn't a particularly interesting area, I guess. I liked State College because the influence of the college meant there was always something going on, and even though it's not as liberal as some college towns, it had more diversity in terms of groups of people who were into different causes and issues. I heard a guy on the radio one day saying that one reason south-central PA did a little better in the recession than some other areas is because there is a conservatism here that kept the housing bubble from happening here - people weren't willing to bet on the market like they were in other places, and investors around here don't get overenthusiastic (again, this is according to the guy on NPR - I don't actually know economics myself). So on the one hand, that's a good thing - that people were conservative enough to keep the economy from getting into the mess of, say, Florida. But I think that conservative, unenthusiastic attitude transfers into daily life here.

[Lion11]

Ah, I see! I definitely agree with you, there is always something going on in State College! Wonderful community events all year round. Another thing that I love about State College is that it has many of the amenities of a city, yet at the core it is still just a friendly central PA town. People who move here from elsewhere always tell me how surprised they are with the friendliness of everyone. Sounds like State College would be a great move for you and your family!

[vetegnc]

But watch out - it is well know here that it is tough to find a job. The economy is *very* stable, but very few jobs are available. We absolutely love living here, but jobs are scarce (and I'm told it's very difficult to get a job at Penn State!).