Move to Pgh only if you have a job or like being unemployed. (Pittsburgh: relocation)

[LivingSingle123]

I love my hometown -- don't get me wrong -- but Western Pennsylvania's job market is utter bullsh*t. If you're not in education, tech, finance or medicine, you are screwed.

I've been looking for a professional job for more than a year and have decided to pack it in and go elsewhere for work. I've networked, sent emails, trolled the job boards and even gone to job fairs, but still have no job to show for my efforts.

I even contacted some of our illustrious local officials to see if they had any insight into where the jobs might be.

I sent a friendly email to Ron Painter, head of the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board. It took him a month - A MONTH -- and three phone calls before he finally had one of his staff get back to me.

I emailed Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, and specifically noted that I had had no luck finding a job on Careerlink, a job site run by the state. Mr. Ravenstahl's staffer who replied to my message suggested that I use -- get this -- Careerlink to find a job. Luke, you might want to hire staffers who know how to read.

The staff working for Allegheny County's Chief Executive Dan Onorato supplied me with the name of one of the executives at a local bank. This executive suggested I look at the jobs listed on his bank's web site. There are PLENTY of jobs listed -- almost all of them part-time teller positions. Methinks that a degree and 15 years of professional work experience makes me a bit overqualified to be a part-time teller.

My favorite response has to be the one from Dave Fawcett, Allegheny County Council's at-large member, who, when I asked if he had any suggestions or ideas as to where I might find a job, told me, "I don't know. I'm not a job-hunting service." Thanks for the help, Dave.

I wish I was making this up. Trying to find a job here has been an utter joke. If you move here to Western Pennsylvania without a job or without the job skills that make you VERY employable, you may find yourself unemployed or flipping burgers for quite some time.

[CaptainObvious]

Originally Posted by Love2Travel

I love my hometown -- don't get me wrong -- but Western Pennsylvania's job market is utter bullsh*t. If you're not in education, tech, finance or medicine, you are screwed.

I've been looking for a professional job for more than a year and have decided to pack it in and go elsewhere for work. I've networked, sent emails, trolled the job boards and even gone to job fairs, but still have no job to show for my efforts.

I even contacted some of our illustrious local officials to see if they had any insight into where the jobs might be.

I sent a friendly email to Ron Painter, head of the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board. It took him a month - A MONTH -- and three phone calls before he finally had one of his staff get back to me.

I emailed Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, and specifically noted that I had had no luck finding a job on Careerlink, a job site run by the state. Mr. Ravenstahl's staffer who replied to my message suggested that I use -- get this -- Careerlink to find a job. Luke, you might want to hire staffers who know how to read.

The staff working for Allegheny County's Chief Executive Dan Onorato supplied me with the name of one of the executives at a local bank. This executive suggested I look at the jobs listed on his bank's web site. There are PLENTY of jobs listed -- almost all of them part-time teller positions. Methinks that a degree and 15 years of professional work experience makes me a bit overqualified to be a part-time teller.

My favorite response has to be the one from Dave Fawcett, Allegheny County Council's at-large member, who, when I asked if he had any suggestions or ideas as to where I might find a job, told me, "I don't know. I'm not a job-hunting service." Thanks for the help, Dave.

I wish I was making this up. Trying to find a job here has been an utter joke. If you move here to Western Pennsylvania without a job or without the job skills that make you VERY employable, you may find yourself unemployed or flipping burgers for quite some time.

And now you will leave the area, which will mean you won't spend your dollars at the local widget shop, which will mean the local widget shop owner will go out of business, which will mean he won't be able to buy his whatnots anymore, which will cause the whatnot store to lay off workers, which will cause them to stop buying burgers at Mr Burger, well...you get the point. Such is this economy. The only reason this city is here in the first place is because of natural resources (read: coal, iron, and water route), none of which is either particularly profitable or important in today's world. You, like many thousands of others just like you are victim of circumstances. Unfortunately, with a little foresight back in the day, and with a little ambition today it could have all been, if not prevented, at least minimized. Now we're too far down the hill to make our way back up. I wish I could say something of encouragement, but I'm afraid you've already got the right idea...moving to a better job market is probably your best bet. If I lost my job tomorrow my next phone call wouldn't be to a headhunter- it would be to a real estate agent.

I calls 'em like I sees 'em.

Cap

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Love2Travel

I've been looking for a professional job for more than a year and have decided to pack it in and go elsewhere for work. I've networked, sent emails, trolled the job boards and even gone to job fairs, but still have no job to show for my efforts.

I mentioned to you in your other thread that your degree and experience don't really line up with the demands of the Pittsburgh economy. You have a degree in journalism and work experience in financial marketing. Meanwhile, there are plenty of Pittsburghers with degrees in journalism with experience as journalists, and there are many people who have experience in marketing who have degrees in marketing. Employers will hire the person who has both the relevant degree and the relevant experience before hiring someone with a patchwork of education and skills. You really do need to move to a city with an economy that makes the competition not as tough as Pittsburgh for someone who doesn't possess all the requirements for a position.

[CaptainObvious]

Originally Posted by Hopes

You really do need to move to a city with an economy that makes the competition not as tough as Pittsburgh for someone who doesn't possess all the requirements for a position.

Ouch!

------------------------------------------------------------------

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I mentioned to you in your other thread that your degree and experience don't really line up with the demands of the Pittsburgh economy. You have a degree in journalism and work experience in financial marketing. Meanwhile, there are plenty of Pittsburghers with degrees in journalism with experience as journalists, and there are many people who have experience in marketing who have degrees in marketing. Employers will hire the person who has both the relevant degree and the relevant experience before hiring someone with a patchwork of education and skills. You really do need to move to a city with an economy that makes the competition not as tough as Pittsburgh for someone who doesn't possess all the requirements for a position.

The other thing is before you move, have your job lined up... I hate to say this but with 15 years experience on your belt, you could be reaching an age where it's harder to find a job. They want young, they want new, they want CHEAP with the health insurance rates that go along with that....

This might also be the time to start thinking about free lancing with an eye to opening your own business.... a hard row to hoe, as they say, but you really do reap the benefits when you own it yourself...

[LivingSingle123]

Ouch is right….but not in the way you mean it, CaptainObvious.

Ouch, as in, Western Pennsylvania is in trouble. The last thing it needs is yet one more educated professional moving on to greener pastures. But as I indicated in my initial post, the response from our elected officials regarding the brain drain in our community is abysmal.

That Ron Painter, head of the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, took a MONTH to reply to a query from a job seeker is just pathetic. I’m paying these people’s salaries, but they can’t be bothered to reply???

I agree, Hopes, that I need to move from the Pittsburgh area if I am to have any semblance of a career. The fact that I have been applying to jobs for which I am grossly overqualified -- and not receiving even a nibble of interest -- clearly brings that fact home.

However, my relocation from the area means that the remaining residents pick up more of the tab for the many costs related to maintaining a community.

And given that Western Pennsylvania has one of the highest percentages of senior citizens in the United States, the relocation of workers from this region becomes even more problematic for the remaining residents.

The fact is, Pennsylvania is a GREAT state in which to be a retired person. Retirement income is not taxed in Pennsylvania -- and I don‘t anticipate that situation to change. Additionally, Pennsylvania offers a very generous program of benefits for senior citizens.

According to the state Department of Aging:

In Pennsylvania a large number of services are available to our senior citizens. This is in part due to the Pennsylvania State Lottery. The Lottery has provided as much as $701 million in a single year to programs and services for senior citizens.

Services in Pennsylvania come from multiple sources. There are state-funded services primarily provided locally by Area Agencies on Aging under the auspices of the Department of Aging. These services cover a wide range of in-home community services, and an extensive pharmaceutical program.

Additionally, a large amount of funding is made available from the Department of Public Welfare often through the Department of Aging. Department of Public Welfare sponsored services include assessments for nursing facility care, nursing facility financial assistance, health care services, and community services. In addition to these two departments other branches of state government, federal government, and both profit and non-profit agencies provide varying forms of assistance to our senior residents.

So seniors receive a great many benefits in Pennsylvania for which they don‘t pay a commensurate amount in taxes. And, the introduction of casino gambling to our region will shortchange the state Lottery, which may mean that the money for these senior services will come from tax dollars -- but, since retirement income is not taxed, it’s the current workers who pay for these senior services.

Compounding this matter is the number of baby boomers who are soon to retire and who will fully expect to receive these state benefits currently granted to retirees. Even worse is the small number of Allegheny County residents under the age of 24. Not only are educated workers leaving this area, the people who remain aren’t having kids.

My initial post was to make it clear to all who relocate here that finding a job here can be an uphill struggle -- ESPECIALLY if you don’t have the right credentials…credentials that in other communities would be more than sufficient. And don't expect ANY help from your elected officials -- that would be asking too much.

[RowJimmy]

quit taking it out on western PA. Your problem is you got a degree in Journalism, and yes ouch! My buddies in college use to make unemployment jokes about people getting degrees in Journalism and psychology. Your like the many many people I know. You cant find a job and start ranting off about this area. YOu will move to Phoenix or Atlanta and get an average job that you could find here that isn't in your degree or field....ouch again. Sorry, but true.

In my field there are hundreds of positions open. We are looking for engineers, architects, interior designers, left and right and cant filll them. I believe the Post Gazette, Tribune Review, and Valley probablay are full though, and so are your banks.

Try to pull a Hunter S. Thompson and write some creative book for money, or choose a career change.........ouch.

Also, for the people who are here not spread negitive thoughts. Pittsburgh's job market is picking up for youths. The reason, all these boomers are starting to finally retire. As long as you have a degree that fits todays local economy there will be a ton of jobs to soon fill in here in Pittsburgh for the younger generation. Retire boomers, please.

[RowJimmy]

Also, why are you pestering the people who work for the Allegheny county govt.?

"My favorite response has to be the one from Dave Fawcett, Allegheny County Council's at-large member, who, when I asked if he had any suggestions or ideas as to where I might find a job, told me, "I don't know. I'm not a job-hunting service." Thanks for the help, Dave."

This is true, why bother him and us on this forum instead of using a job website to find a job here or somewhere else. Its all on your perception of life. Some people are motivated, positive, and look in the right places and land a job in a second. Other people are negitive, complain, and take it out on anything but theirselves. This makes people look very unemployable.

[bls5555]

Originally Posted by Love2Travel

I love my hometown -- don't get me wrong -- but Western Pennsylvania's job market is utter bullsh*t. If you're not in education, tech, finance or medicine, you are screwed.

.

Probably not any help to here this, but that sounds like the EXACT direction jobs need to be going to keep the city viable in the future.

[burghgirl]

I'm starting to feel hurt just from reading some of these posts! I don't think the OP is here "to spread negative thoughts." As she said originally, she (for some reason I'm assuming the OP is a female) loves Pittsburgh and is trying to stay there, but reality seems to make that an impossible achievement. I posted a couple of weeks ago about my frustration with having a hard time getting back to the Burgh. My husband has two master's degrees (including an MBA) and 10 plus years in SAS programming/analysis and hasn't got a bite from Pittsburgh employers for the past 13 years we've been trying to move back. So, even with "the right credentials," it's difficult to find employment in Pittsburgh.

And there are plenty of people who get degrees in one field but end up working in a different field of expertise. A lot of employers are much more interested in work experience than what someone majored in (I know in some fields that wouldn't be true, but true in others). Given that (and our own experience), I don't think the OP would necessarily have better luck even if her degree happened to be in marketing/finance.

I, for one, can understand why the OP went to the lengths she did as far as contacting county officials, etc. for connections. It's because (correct me if I'm wrong, OP) it seems like the only way to get a job in Pittsburgh is to know someone or have a personal connection. There was a story in the Trib a few months ago by Brian O'Neill about a man who, despite his great work experience (the only thing I remember exactly is he was an ex-Marine) just could not get a job in Pittsburgh, and he wanted to stay in Pittsburgh because he was divorced and his little girl lived there. After this heartfelt plea was published, the man suddenly was offered a job. Not through an employment website, but because various county officials/company executives read the article and decided to help. A follow up story was published a few weeks later with this happy ending. For those of us who don't get a story in the newspaper, the ending seems to be different.

There also seems to be a Catch 22 in looking for jobs...if you're fresh out of college, employers say you don't have enough experience. After you get solid experience, then you're overqualified for the positions and they don't want to match your now higher salary.

I'm not trying to be negative about PIttsburgh either. If you've read my other posts, I absolutely LOVE the Burgh and still hope to eventually settle down there. I can relate to the OP's frustration about trying to get a job there though; it certainly isn't easy.