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That position is long gone and I'd want to live near a city, so going in between wouldn't be a great fit. I like Rochester's proximity to Buffalo, which gives us more options for jobs, outings, stores, restaurants, cultural events, etc. Syracuse is a bit small but I wouldn't completely rule it out, its just not on our radar.
We have been focusing on mid-size cities with a nearby major city. Sacramento fits this bill well (proximity to San Francisco) and Tacoma / Olympia's position near Seattle without being in either city. Also both are capitals so that opens up some possible government positions. Rochester also somewhat fits this scenario, although Buffalo is quite a bit smaller of a "major city" and not a capital city.
I feel like you get the best of both worlds- all the access of a major city nearby enough without the high prices, traffic, or hassle.
Got it....I think the only other area that may give that balance between bigger area, vibe, relatively and state capital is probably Minneapolis-St. Paul. Perhaps Columbus OH as well. Madison WI may be a bit too small.
Have you perhaps looked into the public sector at different levels(federal, state, county, municipal, etc.) in regards to Rochester?
Got it....I think the only other area that may give that balance between bigger area, vibe, relatively and state capital is probably Minneapolis-St. Paul. Perhaps Columbus OH as well. Madison WI may be a bit too small.
Have you perhaps looked into the public sector at different levels(federal, state, county, municipal, etc.) in regards to Rochester?
Actually, we thought long and hard about Minneapolis-St. Paul, as it would fit almost all of our criteria and be a 4 hours flight closer to the east coast. But in the end, I just think the winters are a bit too cold for us, especially as we get older. I am one of those people that can feel a significant difference between -5 and 20. Rochester would be 20. MLPS would be -5
Columbus just was never on our radar. I've been through Ohio many times and while the city of Columbus is really nice, I always come back to this fact (which holds true for PA as well): why move to OH when NYS is nicer? I mean, close your eyes and OH looks a lot like Upstate; but without the mountains, lakes, and closer ocean access. For those reasons, I know we want to be more coastal.
As to the second part, I have for sure. There just isn't much. At least compared to what I've seen in CA and WA capital cities. Everything for us here ends in November, our lease and contracts, so we have to make a decision within 6 months. Plan to visit WA and ROC again this summer, and CA in fall.
So, let me ask: What is the pace of work like in Rochester? I know every field is different, but I get the feeling that NYC metro has a faster work pace in almost every field than other places. Here, it is not common to work a 10 hour day, and often bosses feel that it is perfectly ok to text or call you after hours. Weekend emails are not uncommon, and they expect responses. I was told that in Raleigh, this is also pretty common. However, when I worked Upstate, I never got calls after hours and I worked exactly 8 hours a day. Bosses would say- hey, that's your time, do as you wish.
Also, here it seems that bosses will friend you on Facebook or constantly check your LinkedIn profile. no problem. Talk about being put in an awkward situation. Upstate they never did. I don't want to be friends with my boss. And I prefer to stay low key on LinkedIn, after all, its primarily used to find another job!
I'm kinda looking to semi-drop out of society. I want to put in my 8 hours and be left alone. Here, it doesn't seem possible- I've tried. When I was in Rochester, it *seemed* that people were less corporate and lived on their own terms.
I want to put in my 8 hours and be left alone. Here, it doesn't seem possible- I've tried. When I was in Rochester, it *seemed* that people were less corporate and lived on their own terms.
You just described my life. I don't know what it's like everywhere, but at my company I go to work, put in my 8 hours a day, and then I'm out. I don't hate my job and actually enjoy it some days, but it's still a job and I leave it in the building 99% of the time. That said, other people are certainly friends with coworkers outside of work and there are plenty of opportunities to play the corporate game here too if you choose to, I just want no part of it. My life is my life, and work is work, and it's pretty easy to keep it that way. I actually used to hang out with coworkers more often but I just found myself not totally enjoying it and conversations at the bar turned to work-related topics way too often for my liking. And I can't even blame them since I was probably just as guilty, it's just kind of a strange situation and I don't even bother trying to make that work any more, it wasn't really for me. I'm sure a lot of it comes down to where you work though and who you work with, so it's hard to say that everywhere in Rochester would be like this.
You just described my life. I don't know what it's like everywhere, but at my company I go to work, put in my 8 hours a day, and then I'm out. I don't hate my job and actually enjoy it some days, but it's still a job and I leave it in the building 99% of the time. That said, other people are certainly friends with coworkers outside of work and there are plenty of opportunities to play the corporate game here too if you choose to, I just want no part of it. My life is my life, and work is work, and it's pretty easy to keep it that way. I actually used to hang out with coworkers more often but I just found myself not totally enjoying it and conversations at the bar turned to work-related topics way too often for my liking. And I can't even blame them since I was probably just as guilty, it's just kind of a strange situation and I don't even bother trying to make that work any more, it wasn't really for me. I'm sure a lot of it comes down to where you work though and who you work with, so it's hard to say that everywhere in Rochester would be like this.
I hear that. I'd like to believe that there are still parts of this country that are a bit "old fashioned"- that is, my boss gets my home number and that's it and he doesn't call! That's how it was when I was younger. It seems like the first thing bosses do now is give you a cell phone and hook it up to the enterprise server, and expect that he can call me or email me anytime he wants. Even if I'm on vacation. At least that's how it is in NYC metro.
So, let me ask: What is the pace of work like in Rochester? I know every field is different, but I get the feeling that NYC metro has a faster work pace in almost every field than other places. Here, it is not common to work a 10 hour day, and often bosses feel that it is perfectly ok to text or call you after hours. Weekend emails are not uncommon, and they expect responses. I was told that in Raleigh, this is also pretty common. However, when I worked Upstate, I never got calls after hours and I worked exactly 8 hours a day. Bosses would say- hey, that's your time, do as you wish.
Also, here it seems that bosses will friend you on Facebook or constantly check your LinkedIn profile. no problem. Talk about being put in an awkward situation. Upstate they never did. I don't want to be friends with my boss. And I prefer to stay low key on LinkedIn, after all, its primarily used to find another job!
I'm kinda looking to semi-drop out of society. I want to put in my 8 hours and be left alone. Here, it doesn't seem possible- I've tried. When I was in Rochester, it *seemed* that people were less corporate and lived on their own terms.
As someone who moved from NYC, I can tell you with certainty that Roc is much slower paced than NYC. Many fields in NYC are filled with the young and the ambitious. These people often do not have a family that they need to get back to at the end of the day and they care more about advancement than work-life balance. You can call that a rat race or a dynamic workplace. It really depends on your perspective.
Workers in Roc are generally older and of lower caliber compare to NYC, and they are far less likely to be backstabbing, type-A *******s. Young people that have the option of leaving often do leave. This makes Roc less dynamic and less intellectually engaging than larger cities, but Roc compares favorably to other cities of similar size. Large international corporations often have back-office type support operations in cities like Roc to take advantage of the low cost, but keep their cutting edge operations in areas like Boston, NYC or the Bay Area where they can more easily recruit the brightest talents.
I think Roc will fit your bill really well. The pace is relatively calm here and commute is short. People here generally don't demand that you devote yourself completely to your work, even in demanding fields like law or medicine. Just don't expect huge advancements though. The ceiling is lower here.
As someone who moved from NYC, I can tell you with certainty that Roc is much slower paced than NYC. Many fields in NYC are filled with the young and the ambitious. These people often do not have a family that they need to get back to at the end of the day and they care more about advancement than work-life balance. You can call that a rat race or a dynamic workplace. It really depends on your perspective.
Workers in Roc are generally older and of lower caliber compare to NYC, and they are far less likely to be backstabbing, type-A *******s. Young people that have the option of leaving often do leave. This makes Roc less dynamic and less intellectually engaging than larger cities, but Roc compares favorably to other cities of similar size. Large international corporations often have back-office type support operations in cities like Roc to take advantage of the low cost, but keep their cutting edge operations in areas like Boston, NYC or the Bay Area where they can more easily recruit the brightest talents.
I think Roc will fit your bill really well. The pace is relatively calm here and commute is short. People here generally don't demand that you devote yourself completely to your work, even in demanding fields like law or medicine. Just don't expect huge advancements though. The ceiling is lower here.
I think it could be a good fit too. What you said here was pretty much what I had envisioned. Thanks for responding.
Based on what you said about not wanting to be very corporate, I echo others in agreeing that's possible here. While there are traditional corporate opportunities available if you'd like them, they're not as expected or as common as they are in other cities.
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