Ohio Native looking to relocate to Austin (Cleveland, Columbus: to rent, job market)

[lastonestanding]

Hello everyone. I have been contemplating a trip to Austin, TX for a few months now, but never really seemed to do it. I've heard alot of great things about Austin,TX and I am curious as to how well I could do if I were to relocate to Austin. I am an African American male in my late 20s with a Master's Degree in Media and Communications. I currently live in Toledo, OH and Ive been searching for employment for almost year. The economy here has not been good at all and Im ready for something new. Alot of people Ive came across said told me to check out Austin, TX being that it should be a great option for me. Im not sure how to go about finding employment in Austin and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as far as where I should start? What areas are hiring right now and what parts of town could a single male do pretty well finding a place to rent that is not that expensive? I'm not sure about the cost of living in Texas, but as far as Toledo, we were recently listed as one of the cheapest cities to live in in the country. Sorry if Im rambling, but Im pretty fed up with the Midwest right now being I also lived in Chicago for a while and that wasnt too promising either. If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.

[twange]

Originally Posted by lastonestanding

Hello everyone. I have been contemplating a trip to Austin, TX for a few months now, but never really seemed to do it. I've heard alot of great things about Austin,TX and I am curious as to how well I could do if I were to relocate to Austin. I am an African American male in my late 20s with a Master's Degree in Media and Communications. I currently live in Toledo, OH and Ive been searching for employment for almost year. The economy here has not been good at all and Im ready for something new. Alot of people Ive came across said told me to check out Austin, TX being that it should be a great option for me. Im not sure how to go about finding employment in Austin and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as far as where I should start? What areas are hiring right now and what parts of town could a single male do pretty well finding a place to rent that is not that expensive? I'm not sure about the cost of living in Texas, but as far as Toledo, we were recently listed as one of the cheapest cities to live in in the country. Sorry if Im rambling, but Im pretty fed up with the Midwest right now being I also lived in Chicago for a while and that wasnt too promising either. If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.

Hi there, I relocated to Austin from Cleveland two years ago. I know the vibe in that region very well, although Cleveland is a bit different than Toldeo...but still. Anyway, I'll try to answer what I can:

1.) Austin does not have a very large black community - it isn't non-existent but not prominent. I don't know if that's uber-important to you but since you mentioned your race, I figured it was relevant. Coming from Cleveland, it's something I notice and demographic charts will confirm this. Austin is becoming more diverse, so I personally don't see it as a big deal but I'm a white male so I won't presume that other folk's experiences won't be different from mine.

2.) Having a masters degree is a great personal achievement but it can seem fairly ordinary here. There are so many educated people, that depending on your field, it might not be much of an advantage. Also, wages can be lower here simply because of the large amounts of recently-graduated job-seekers willing to work for less. Of course this isn't always true: the job I have, I got BECAUSE I have a masters.

3.) Finding a job can be difficult, especially when you're not living here. Austin's job market seems to have a cloister-vibe, that very much depends upon networking and connections. It might take you awhile to find something. I would recommend saving 6 months(or more) worth of living expenses before moving here(unless you find a job first). That way, you'll have time to get yourself positioned properly.

4.) As for communications and media, Austin is not a large market so I'm not sure how many opportunities there are. I have a friend who works in that field here and he said that work is generally pretty hard to get, and most of the freelance jobs are covered. Are you interested in teaching? There are of course many academic opportunities here.

5.) Without knowing more about what you're looking for and what is expensive for you, it's hard to give you really good info as far as locations and rent. But my wife and I rent a large 1 bedroom, very south-centrally located for $775 per month. It's nothing fancy but it suits our current need.

You'll really have to come on down and visit to get a feel for the place and see if you're feeling it. It's hideously hot right now, so that might be a good time to check it out and see if you can manage 4 months of summer temps!

I'm actually in Cleveland now where it's very mild and beautiful

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by twange

Hi there, I relocated to Austin from Cleveland two years ago. I know the vibe in that region very well, although Cleveland is a bit different than Toldeo...but still. Anyway, I'll try to answer what I can:

1.) Austin does not have a very large black community - it isn't non-existent but not prominent. I don't know if that's uber-important to you but since you mentioned your race, I figured it was relevant. Coming from Cleveland, it's something I notice and demographic charts will confirm this. Austin is becoming more diverse, so I personally don't see it as a big deal but I'm a white male so I won't presume that other folk's experiences won't be different from mine.

2.) Having a masters degree is a great personal achievement but it can seem fairly ordinary here. There are so many educated people, that depending on your field, it might not be much of an advantage. Also, wages can be lower here simply because of the large amounts of recently-graduated job-seekers willing to work for less. Of course this isn't always true: the job I have, I got BECAUSE I have a masters.

3.) Finding a job can be difficult, especially when you're not living here. Austin's job market seems to have a cloister-vibe, that very much depends upon networking and connections. It might take you awhile to find something. I would recommend saving 6 months(or more) worth of living expenses before moving here(unless you find a job first). That way, you'll have time to get yourself positioned properly.

4.) As for communications and media, Austin is not a large market so I'm not sure how many opportunities there are. I have a friend who works in that field here and he said that work is generally pretty hard to get, and most of the freelance jobs are covered. Are you interested in teaching? There are of course many academic opportunities here.

5.) Without knowing more about what you're looking for and what is expensive for you, it's hard to give you really good info as far as locations and rent. But my wife and I rent a large 1 bedroom, very south-centrally located for $775 per month. It's nothing fancy but it suits our current need.

You'll really have to come on down and visit to get a feel for the place and see if you're feeling it. It's hideously hot right now, so that might be a good time to check it out and see if you can manage 4 months of summer temps!

I'm actually in Cleveland now where it's very mild and beautiful

Twange speaks the truth......spot on......

My advice is to focus on the entire US......and don't be so fast to run out of the midwest/north central region.....Madison, Wisc is doing very well,
so are the Twin Cities........Indianapolis is actually holding its own.....also, you will get far less competition than you will in places that are on everyone's radar, like Austin.......

Keep small places in mind too.....with Obama and the newer mindsets taking place just about everywhere, being of color should not be a factor, unless you choose it to be......be entirely open to anything anywhere.......
alternative-type arrangements of any kind are more important than ever in this recession........

Do get out of Toledo, but DON'T just focus on one place, particularly a place that is memed out on the web as a/the place to go........

Good luck...

[lastonestanding]

Thank you both for your inputs. I really do appreciate it. I am looking into employment opportunities in the field of education although my concentration is in the media field, but this field is highly competitive and inthecut is absolutely on point when it comes to who you know especially in media. I really didnt take into consideration how competitive Austin could be, but I will look into searching other locations as well. Thank you both for your responses. I really havent looked into other parts of the Midwest past Chicago, but I will definitely look at that as an option. Other than Indianapolis and Columbus, this part of the midwest has been in a recession for a while, but I wasn't sure about cities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska or Iowa. As far as rent, Im looking for something fairly cheap between $400 a month to the most $700 a month. I was paying about $700 a month in Chicago, but I had a roommate and the neighborhood wasnt the best.

[pjoseph2]

Agree with inthecut about Madison, Wi. We lived there for 5 years, and enjoyed much of it.

Now we are trading 5 months of winter for 5 months of 100 degree heat. Everything else just fell into place. Also, i thought the Texans were much nicer than the Wisconsinites (broad generalization though).

[airboat5]

From what I hear I would try omaha ne. it sounds like a good fit for you.white or black with your background you will do well anywhere you want to .this is not the 50s anymore.good luck