Relocating to Roanoke: Any advice? Especially for Employment? (Blacksburg, Radford: real estate, for rent)

[athornbury]

So I am relocating to the Roanoke area by no later than August 1st, 2006 because my girlfriend got a great job with Carillion Health Care. Don't take any of this the wrong way: I am very happy for her and will support her in whatever ways I can. It is a great opportunity for her to use her soon to be aquired degree, and I know she is very excited.

To start and hopefully to avoid any flaming, I like the city of Roanoke, make no mistake about it. It is situated in the mountains with scenic vistas and outdoor activities abound. In short I love the area. However, I am for the moment very fearful of employment opportunities in the area, more importantly the apparent lack thereof. This has been a growing fear too, like a thorn twisting in my side, as the date grows closer. So much so that I am planning on going back to school for a master's degree in order to cover a possible gap of meaningful employment on my résumé.

Perhaps I am over-reacting, but as I continue to look at Roanoke.com for employment ideas, I repeatedly see trades, retail, and service industry postings or jobs that barely require a high school/GED diploma where familiarity with a computer/keyboard is listed as a big plus. There is nothing wrong with these areas of employment, but if I am to look towards the future, they are not doing a great service to my résumé and/or professional experience. I have also started contacting some of the staffing agencies, searching their postings on the web. However, most of these seem to top off at $12.00/hr. This also seems to be the case with many of the classfied jobs.

So what am I to do? Any ideas? Currently, I make $15.65 an hour, which isn't much, but it is enough to cover the expenses i.e. rent, food, utilities, insurance, outstanding debt, transportation, etc. and allows me some enjoyment i.e. movies, dates, trips, etc. What, if anything, can I do to hopefully find meaningful employment in this area and avoid what looks to be a significant pay cut? To be sure it sounds arrogant, but I did retail/service industry work when I was in high school/college. Approaching 30 and reduced to the level of cashier or similar is not a situation that truly appeals to me in anyway. Not to mention such a position would probably top out around $8 to $9 an hour and would do no great service to my professional experience/résumé. It would take me the better part of a month just to make enough to cover rent, and not much left to pay other expenses.

My greatest skills lie in computer work and problems solving; an expert in Microsoft Office and experienced in the operation of Windows 9x, 2000 Professional, 2000 Server, XP, and 2003 Server. I am not necessarily solely looking for IT work, but anywhere I can apply my skills and hopefully stay close to my current rate of pay. My current employment allows me to work in groups and alone, come up with novel and custom situations to varying problems, learn new technology like Visual Basic for Applications, Javascript, HTML, XHTML, etc; a trend I would like to continue as learning new things is a win-win situation for me and an employer.

Are there any locals of the Roanoke or surrounding areas with advice? Truthfully anyone with advice? Especially pertaining to relocating, finding work, dealing with possible prolonged unemployment, and how to work with your spouse/significant other to ease the transition/tension? Any thoughts would be welcome! Many thanks!

[newpath4com]

You would give up $15.65 to come to Roanoke? hahahaha Sorry friend but I can't endorse that at all. Once you're here, you're going to find they discriminate against outsiders. You may as well burn your resume and find jobs as an illegal immigrant. Claim you have amnesia.

Great mountains & vistas? Yes, enough mountains to trap the diesel pollution from 2 interstates through the area. 18,000 trucks come through here on average daily. Do you understand what diesel exhaust does? It eats the bark off those mountain trees.

However, as long as you don't jog out in the muck I guess you'll live. You can always jog at 5am before the sun rises. Your best bet to survive here would be to sell Amway on the side and apply with the SBA for a new business loan. THEY will give your resume some credence.

Let your girlfriend's job be a springboard for you to begin your business. Otherwise, IF you even got a job you'd find out Roanoke puts caps on area employment. Heck, they advertise cheap labor nationally to attract corporations to move here... Sort of like we're illegal aliens.

This area just voted to demolish the one distinctive memorial it had, a football stadium that was deeded the land on provision it never be destroyed. So there's your respect for the Law. And disrespect for Common Sense.

Fortunately for you, your friend will have hospitalization benefits once you marry. Otherwise you'd be in big trouble, and will still be introuble if she kicks your butt out for not doing the dishes on time.

Let me put it this way. Those Roanoke Virginia brochures aren't telling you the true story. Glossy paper was used for a REASON. Shiny sells. But, should the mesrizing effect already set in, you could buy some land in Floyd or south towards Boones Mill and that might be nice. As far as land, Roanoke doesn't have much left. Don't buy a mobilehome; no land to put one on here.

Bedford, 35 miles east of here, has a few nice trailer parks. Dale Hull owns one of them. He's a rich guy there. His park is directly across from the big Wal-Mart Super Center on Rt. 460. Bypass. But there's a bum who lives in there who will hit on you, "help" you with your problems, getting set up. Next thing you know he'll grow on you and your money. Bill is his name.

Stay clear of him. Big money drain. Sure, come on down here. They don't want you to gas your car or run lawnmowers in the daytime. They say it adds to the already-rough air pollution in the Roanoke Valley. Their words not mine. Come on here and find out all about plantation life, plantation living, and the fact you'll likely never see that $15.65 an hour again in your lifetime.

[bethybb]

Um, sounds like the last poster is a little biased? I personally don't have an answer for your employment question, but I will tell you that the area is beautiful and a wonderful place to start your family some day. There are a lot of government offices here, and they generally pay well, so I'd look at the government web sites - state, federal, local, etc. With so many businesses, I find it hard to belive that you'd have trouble getting a job with your computer knowledge. You may get paid less, but that is becuase the cost of living is less here as well. You can't move from a big town and expect to be paid the same in a small town - unless its for the government.

If you really can't find a job you are satisfied with and have the flexibility to go back to school, that is fine - but then you might have the problem of being overqualified for the positions in this market? There are a number of employment agencies in the area, which I would suspect is how the higher-paid people get their executive jobs.

You really can't rely on the newspaper for job info. Only about 20% of jobs are found that way. Word of mouth, company web sites are the better ways. I'd look on the employment support (used to be unemployment) sites by the government for leads on how to access these other position. In my prior state the employment office had classes on where all the leads were in town, and how to really market yourself to get the great jobs. Don't count on the newspaper for what you need.

[finalmove]

Sounds like that NEWPATH guy needs a vacation. In Radford! There's plenty going on in Roanoke. All the banks have regional offices there, and need your skills. There's car dealers and real estate companies that also need good people. My wife and I have a place near Boones Mill on Blackwater Creek and love the area. Be positive and explore all the new things to do there. Good luck and welcome to the area.

[SarahB]

I also moved to Roanoke for a significant other- specifically to be closer to my Fiance as he finished his last year of school at VMI an hour away. I did have trouble finding employment. And I did end up taking a job whose pay is significantly lower than I had dreamed of earning after working my rear end off for this college degree. However the cost of living in Roanoke is one of the most reasonable you will find and as a previous poster said, this really balances out the lower wages. You are on the right path by checking out the job listings in the Roanoke Times, also try the VEC (Virginia Employment Commision, I think) and job search engines like Monster. Roanoke is also a great place to pursue continued education because there are a ton of colleges within a 60 mile radius.

Good luck!

[donsabi]

newpath4com,
Thanks for the refreshing and realistic review of Roanoke. I will rule it out and move on. I wish I had a warning similar to yours when I bought here in NC. I am here a year now and still considered a "damm yankee" by the locals. I am selling my house at a loss to move on and searching for a liberal area without Bible thumpers and rednecks.
Don

[witness]

Depending on how experienced you are in the IT arena you may want to consider working offsite for one of the consulting firms in the DC metro area. These folks are always looking for people who are experienced in cold fusion and other web development applications. They also need help with custom designed software. The reality is you don't need to be on site to do this sort of work. In fact if you are supporting a specific contract you qualify as direct labor. In other words you are someone who generates revenue as opposed to someone who is on overhead like an HR Director or a contract specialist. What's more when you work from home the company doesn't have to provide you with an office which lowers their overhead. If you're still with me that means you are cheaper to employ which means in theory it doesn't cost the client as much to have you supporting him. How this can work to your advantage is that your employer might be willing to pay you more (on an hourly basis) than someone for whom he must provide an office, phone, utilities, etc. Requirements vary. You may have to participate in conference calls and you're physical presence may be needed from time to time. These are things you can discuss/negotiate in advance. Best advice is to visit websites for contractors, they all have a page for employment opportunities. Best bet is to look for smaller companies. The big ones can usually afford to pay people enough to keep them on site.

[rubytue]

I love the Roanoke area. It might take some time, but I think you will eventually find something. If you live south of Roanoke, and don't mind about a 40 minutes drive, consider Blacksburg. Virginia Tech is there, and lots of IT type jobs at the corporate research center. But I am biased, I love Blacksburg

A couple links to check out if you are willing to drive a bit:
http://www.hr.vt.edu/employment/
http://www.vtcrc.com/employment/search.asp

I know several folks employed in IT type stuff in the Roanoke area. Verizon, one of the many colleges, and such.

[kitkatjmu]

You should check out possible employment with all of the colleges and universities between roanoke and blacksburg too

[athornbury]

Sorry, I haven't consulted this message board in awhile, but I really appreciate the responses. The time is drawing nearer, as in this weekend I will cease living in North Carolina and be full time in Roanoke.

Still no luck on jobs. I interviewed with a major employer in the area, sadly all four interviewees were passed over bc we couldn't walk right on and do the job. Interviewed for another position with one of the local school systems....haven't heard back yet. I just hope I can find something other than waiting tables or running a register.

Does anybody know of websites that specialize in advertising distance, contract labor e.g. as was suggested in one of the posts, for a company in Washington DC? I am beginning to think it may be my only way to find decent employment.

I fully expect to take a pay cut when moving to the area, but even though it is cheaper to live in Roanoke...it isn't 50% cheaper. Not to mention if the best I can find is ~8/hr, that is a huge hit on morale. It would take me the better part of a month just to cough up enough cash to pay for rent.


Anyway, again I appreciate the responses...still really uncertain of how well this is going to work out. I am just hoping it doesn't become a hot button issue i.e. while she is doing very well, I am scrapping by!!!