Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've been in the Atlanta area for the past 2 years, finishing up my MA next year. I am establishing my career in Public Relations, specifically in University Relations. Things at my job are going well, and I plan to stay here for the time being, and I like the area, but I've always had it in the back of my mind that I may try and relocate to the DC area. I know about the cost of living ($$) and all the headaches and joys associated with living in a large, urbane city like DC. I have family in the area, and I've visited many times. I do have this thought in the back of my head that I may be in love with the area as a visitor but the reality of living there may be different.
DC strikes me as a much more cosmopolitan and urbane city than Atlanta, and people there seem to care about more than just going out to eat and shop or going to the nightclub or going to church...I was thinking about Dallas too, but it seems like Atlanta with less culture.
But anyway, how are opportunities for PR in the area? Particularly in University relations or education? I'm still in the beginnings of my career, but I am curious about the opportunities out there for someone like me. I'm also thinking about going into technical writing too...
Can't help you with industry specifics, but I think you're pretty accurate in your perspective of DC. It is a great deal more cosmopolitan than Atlanta.
It's a concentration of highly educated, highly motivated professionals focused on addressing global issues beyond themselves. Makes for very interesting bar conversation with very interesting people doing jobs that exist nowhere else in the country.
I'm in PR, so it is always a pleasure to help out a fellow professional. I think DC will provide you an abundance of employment opportunities than the ATL. DC is the association and non profit capital of the world. Many of these organizations have PR departments. In addition, almost every government agency has a public affairs/communications office. As for university relations, the DC area is on par with Atlanta. You definitely need to come up and check it out.
I'm in PR, so it is always a pleasure to help out a fellow professional. I think DC will provide you an abundance of employment opportunities than the ATL. DC is the association and non profit capital of the world. Many of these organizations have PR departments. In addition, almost every government agency has a public affairs/communications office. As for university relations, the DC area is on par with Atlanta. You definitely need to come up and check it out.
Thank you DC's finest. I figured with the Fed Gov't and all the non-profit companies up there and the abundance of colleges and universities, there would be a pretty good market. In terms of networking and finding out about openings, what are the best websites and organizations to see? I know about PRSA and Opportunity Knocks, but if there are others, I'm eager to know! It took quite a bit of networking to obtain the job I have right now, so I'm familiar with the 'rigormarole' so to speak...
Like I said, I'm in the beginnings of my career, and I have a good thing going, but it never fails to have other plans going on just in case.
Well, I wouldn't exactly go that far. There are upscale cosmopolitan parts of Atlanta, just as there are 'ghetto' 'trashy' parts of DC (I have family up there, so I'm familiar with the area due to frequent visits). Let's be fair here...
DC:
Good
More Jobs
Nicer Musuems
Close to major cities
Better rail
Bad
-Highest Aids rate in the country (1 out of 20) Fight HIV in DC (http://www.fighthivindc.org/labels/schools.html - broken link)
-One in three people cant read in dc Study Finds One-Third in D.C. Illiterate
- One of the highest cost of living in America
- More crime in DC, city averages 200 murders per year (atlanta being close to 110)
- One of the highest ranked areas in cars being stolen
- residents dont speak in public
- Cold winters
DC has higher paying jobs and a higher cost of living comes with that. You cant get a nice house in DC that cost under 400k. DC is a great city for updating your resume but its not a good city to live in for a long period of time
Chip -
I really don't understand why you spend so much energy attacking DC. You've never even lived there. You also try to attribute suburban values on an urban culture, and then use that difference as a negative against DC rather than just a difference.
No, you can't live the American dream so popular in the South / Southwest in DC. The suburbs are dying anyway. They were built on the shaky basis of oil and will die with oil. Places like DC are thriving in part because they were designed around the human scale and humans are returning to urban environments where they are not foreign objects.
Cold winters? Bostonians, New Yorkers, and Minnesotans would laugh at you. Many people love cold winters. The problem with DC is it's not cold enough or warm enough - weak winters but not tropical winters. Too in-between, if anything. Cold is not intrinsically bad.
Residents don't speak in public? Huh? Seriously. You don't live there. Stop relaying what your friends tell you. I've talked to many "residents" in public. If you're wondering why people don't chat up their neighbor on the Metro, then perhaps you should ask yourself how many strangers you chat up on a daily basis. If you're one of those people who says hi to every person you pass, then stay where you are. It doesn't work in a big city where people walk.
I'm genuinely curious why you are so obsessed with the AIDS rate. I've never heard anyone who actually lives there talk about AIDS as much as you have on this forum - every chance you get.
DC has higher paying jobs and a higher cost of living comes with that. You cant get a nice house in DC that cost under 400k. DC is a great city for updating your resume but its not a good city to live in for a long period of time
You don't even live here. Who are you to say?
And the part about no nice houses under 400 k is blatantly wrong. Please, stop loitering on our forums with misinformation and go back to where you came from.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
