Should we give up on ever returning to the Burgh? (Pittsburgh: extended stay, violent crime)

[burghgirl]

I just read the recent thread about a couple looking for teaching jobs in Pittsburgh, and it was so depressing. It is sad to me that a city with so much to offer (or so I've always thought) seems to have very little to offer in terms of job opportunities for those who would like to move into the area. It is discouraging and makes me wonder if people like me, who are trying to get back to the Burgh, should just give up and learn to call someplace else "home."

I've posted on this forum before about our situation. My husband and I moved away from Pittsburgh 13 years ago (for grad school in Ohio) and have been unable to get jobs in southwestern PA, which is where we really want to settle down eventually. He is a computer programmer/analyst (SAS programming) and I'm in the healthcare field. I do think I could find a job in Pittsburgh, but since he is the major wage earner and I only work part time (we have two young children), it is really his job that we need to secure first. And his getting a job there seems to be so difficult. He had a phone interview for a job in Pittsburgh and the recruiter told him he was competing against hundreds of local candidates, all of whom the company could get at a much lower salary, due to the competition for jobs in Pittsburgh. Reading that post about teaching jobs, that stated a school district was interviewing 800 candidates for two jobs, reminded me of that situation.

I'm also wondering if moving back to Pittsburgh is really even a good decision for my kids. It sounds as though they will ultimately have difficulty finding jobs there (assuming they want to stay in Pittsburgh, which may be a wrong assumption!) even after college.

So maybe it's time to stop fighing a losing battle and find another city to call home. Any thoughts? Anyone else feel the same way?

[Hopes]

Teaching jobs are different because the pay scale for teachers in Pittsburgh is super high compared to most of the country. Everyone wants to be a teacher in the Pittsburgh area because it pays so darn well. A teacher can make over 100k after just 10 years here (some districts even less time).

As for programming, those jobs are starting to become difficult to find throughout the country due to outsourcing to India. I know quite a few programmers who lost their jobs to outsourcing. Entire divisions were closed down. Computer programming is today's steel industry and it's not just Pittsburgh. On the flip side, I know many programmers who are earning more money by being self employed. They are very successful.

One question: What's wrong with calling the city where you live home?

[burghgirl]

Thanks for your response, Hopes. I am hesitant to say anything negative about the city I currently live in due to not wanting to elicit a bunch of responses that I am a "basher" of this city. I will say that what I love about Pittsburgh is its hilly topography, unique neighborhoods, varied ethnic restaurants, Mt. Washington, and its general vibe. Plus I have family in the Burgh. Where I live now is flat and lacks character, and is basically a bunch of strip malls which make up various suburbs. No family here, although we do have some great neighbors. There are a couple of cool areas here but NOTHING like what I loved about living in Pittsburgh. I grew up near Pittsburgh, and for me, the hills and rivers make me feel at home.

It's hard to explain and it's somewhat ethereal...it's just a sense of being where I'm supposed to be when I'm in southwestern PA. Also, I've lived here in Ohio for 13 years and still don't feel that way here, and believe me, I've tried to convince myself, get involved, have a great attitude, etc. about being here. We even sold our first house and bought a bigger house with hopes of setting down permanent roots here, but my desire to get back to the burgh is still very much there. Maybe it's even more pronounced because my kids are getting older and I really want to get back to Pittsburgh before they're in high school.

Hope that explains it. I think we will keep trying for the next year or two to get back to Pittsburgh, and if nothing works out, perhaps we'll look to retire there after our kids graduate from high school. It would just be nice to get a positive response from employers in Pittsburgh for once! As I've posted before, anytime we had contact with an interviewer in Pittsburgh, the response has been cautious and negative (ie., why would you want to come to Pittsburgh, the competition is fierce for jobs here, etc.). And I don't think it's a situation of negativity leading to negativity, because we have, for 13 years, been extremely positive about moving to Pittsburgh. For some reason, that post I read the other day about the improbability of getting a teaching job in pittsburgh hit home with me. Although as you pointed out, teaching jobs are different due to the pay rate and benefits, etc.

Anyway I appreciate your, and others', input on this matter, so thanks!

[dickens]

I'm trying to get back to Pittsburgh too! My husband is a software engineer (C++, Java-BS Computer Science, 10+yrs of experience, currently works for a fortune 500). We can't get a foothold either.

Feel my pain--I live in craptacular Baltimore! I can't afford a home (with a combined salary of over 100K) and I am very afraid due to our escalating crime problem (204 murders to date)

[guylocke]

My husband is a software engineer (C++, Java-BS Computer Science, 10+yrs of experience, currently works for a fortune 500). We can't get a foothold either.

Really??? This surprises me. Where has your husband applied?

[dickens]

He looks for jobs on PGH Tech Council, Careerbuilder, Dice. He has had a few phone interviews.

I find it hard to believe that no one has interviewed him face to face. He states in his cover letter that he can be at a new job in two weeks ( It's my job to coordinate the move. He could live in corporate housing/extended stay hotel).

Plus, he is very presentable. Most engineers do fit the nerdy, weird stereotype-hub does not. I think a prespective employer would be pleasantly suprised to get the whole package.

Truly, I am being unbiased. I am a HR Generalist and I've been with the man for 17 years--the rose colored glasses are definetely off at this point!

[PApisces]

[quote=burghgirl;1365960]Thanks for your response, Hopes. I am hesitant to say anything negative about the city I currently live in due to not wanting to elicit a bunch of responses that I am a "basher" of this city.

QUOTE]

Unlike you, I am NOT hesitant about "bashing" MY current city: Dallas, Tx is the fifth circle of hell! Violent crime is on the rise; Every day the news gets worse and worse.

A couple of weeks ago, a guy wrecks his truck; 3 differnt people and a Police Officer stop to help him. He proceeds to shoot them ALL with a shot gun, for no reason whatsoever, as they were strangers to him.

Also, I am now "officially" a minority in Dallas. I am definately not a racist, but, there is definately a "reverse racism" vibe in Dallas now. Especially from the illegal and legal Mexican immigrants. I have walked into McDonalds' and have been ignored, for being white; I have heard on multiple occasions, mexicans saying derogatory things about myself and "gringos" in general, because they don't realize that I can understand Spanish.
Races in Dallas:

Hispanic (35.6%)
White Non-Hispanic (34.6%) <===
Black (25.9%)
Other race (17.2%)
Two or more races (2.7%)
American Indian (1.0%)
Asian Indian (0.6%)
Vietnamese (0.6%)

Pittsburgh truly is one of those places where you don't know what you have, until your gone! On October 26, I finally get to return to AMERICA! :-) Good luck getting a teaching position, and I hope you get to return home too.

[dickens]

Baltimore is similiar. It is a city for the others. I love diversity too-- when they are clean, quiet and educated. That is not the case here.

I get the hostility as well. I am verbally harrassed and ogled (latino men--What's up with that? It's not like I have a provocative appearance. I guess being female is all that is required).

I struggle everyday with trying to understand why some people embrace their respective stereotype. I would be appalled if people looked at me and thought I lived in a trailer married to my cousin with a pack of feral children or conversely, lived in a mcmansion, drove a suv, played golf and sipped pinot grigio.

I travel alot and it seems to be a socio economic thing rather than a race thing. The shanty poor/uneducated of every stripe seems to be rising.

I am forever opining--Where are the normal people?

[guylocke]

He looks for jobs on PGH Tech Council, Careerbuilder, Dice. He has had a few phone interviews.

I find it hard to believe that no one has interviewed him face to face. He states in his cover letter that he can be at a new job in two weeks ( It's my job to coordinate the move. He could live in corporate housing/extended stay hotel).

Plus, he is very presentable. Most engineers do fit the nerdy, weird stereotype-hub does not. I think a prespective employer would be pleasantly suprised to get the whole package.

Truly, I am being unbiased. I am a HR Generalist and I've been with the man for 17 years--the rose colored glasses are definetely off at this point!

Dickens this might be meaningless coming from me, but I wouldn't get discouraged yet. I think maybe your husband has just encountered a spell of bad luck or perhaps not the right season for that market. Has your husband directly contacted the companies along second ave technology drive? I'm sure they must be looking for people. Have you contacted the fortune 500 and fortune 1000 companies in Pittsburgh? Microsoft and Google are both opening campuses in Pittsburgh, affiliated with CMU. Has he applied to the universities? Especially CMU?

[guylocke]

Races in Dallas:

Hispanic (35.6%)
White Non-Hispanic (34.6%) <===
Black (25.9%)
Other race (17.2%)
Two or more races (2.7%)
American Indian (1.0%)
Asian Indian (0.6%)
Vietnamese (0.6%)

PApisces I hear you loud and clear. However (and I don't mean to stray off topic) but we better get used to this.. because we will definitely not die in the same country we were born. White people of European descent, like you and I, the founders of this country, will be a minority someday. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, good or bad, it's just a fact... BUT PLEASE, at least LEARN English and get your children educated when you come here for a better life.