Boston job market too competitive? (Worcester, Springfield: 2015, luxury, contractors)

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Urban Peasant

I am curious to know what other cities have you lived in? I am just curious to know if you lived in any so called "Rustbelt" cities such as Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, or Milwaukee. If finding a suitable job is hard here in Boston, I'd like to know how hard can it be in one of those cities.

I didn't live in Milwaukee, but spent a fair amount of time there having lived in Madison a good amount, and having gone to grad school in the upper midwest, I have many friends living in some of those cities (I only lived in Chicago other than Madison, in that region), but it is FAR FAR easier to find decent employment in Boston than any of those, IMO. Chicago (I know not on your list) is a great, affordable, large city (I think it is top 5 in the U.S., easily), but employment is HARD to find.

[xo_kizzy_xo]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Chicago (I know not on your list) is a great, affordable, large city (I think it is top 5 in the U.S., easily), but employment is HARD to find.

One of my nephews got his masters at one of Chicago's universities. He also did his undergrad there. Loves the city, loves the people, but he moved back home simply because he couldn't find a job there. And yes, the the job he found here was through the "old boy network", so to speak. He knows how lucky and humbled he is in having that because there are many, like the OP, who don't.

[Urban Peasant]

I was thinking the same thing which is why I am hesitant to move to the Midwest anytime soon despite being oh so tempted by the low cost of living in that region. Boston is competitive but there are definitely opportunities to be found here. Sometimes one has to start of low (I was a substitute teacher in the BPS for a number of years, during which I honed my management, communications and operations skills) and work the way up to a desired position. It can actually be a better experience to work your way up rather than simply merging into a mid-level position by using an advanced degree. I went to graduate school too and graduate school can only take you so far. I hope the O.P. is taking note.

[timberline742]

I would not dissuade people from the upper midwest. I love it here, born here, moved away, returned here, but the upper midwest is where my heart is. The people is second to none, and the quality of life vs the wages are fantastic. I hope, personally, to retire back to Wisconsin.

[notafan]

Originally Posted by Urban Peasant

I was thinking the same thing which is why I am hesitant to move to the Midwest anytime soon despite being oh so tempted by the low cost of living in that region. Boston is competitive but there are definitely opportunities to be found here. Sometimes one has to start of low (I was a substitute teacher in the BPS for a number of years, during which I honed my management, communications and operations skills) and work the way up to a desired position. It can actually be a better experience to work your way up rather than simply merging into a mid-level position by using an advanced degree. I went to graduate school too and graduate school can only take you so far. I hope the O.P. is taking note.

That is fine if it is a feasible option for you. Nothing wrong with starting "low", however, I not only have that advanced degree, but also nearly 10 years of experience gained in the workplace. I have bills to pay and do not have the luxury of going back to a "low" or entry level (i.e. LOW salary) position at this stage in my life/career. I am "taking note" of the helpful replies thus far, and they are much appreciated.

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by notafan

That is fine if it is a feasible option for you. Nothing wrong with starting "low", however, I not only have that advanced degree, but also nearly 10 years of experience gained in the workplace. I have bills to pay and do not have the luxury of going back to a "low" or entry level (i.e. LOW salary) position at this stage in my life/career. I am "taking note" of the helpful replies thus far, and they are much appreciated.

Something is missing here. With 10 years of experience you should be able to apply for a job that's comparable to the last one you held. If you're seeing a shortage of those jobs then yes you apply for the next closest thing because you need to eat and pay rent. I understand you don't want to downgrade but at a certain point some money is better than no money.

[Rhapsodie2014]

New Question on Boston employment; I used to live and work....always had great success in finding work in Greater Boston....but my question is for my two college age children;

1. They have lived in So. Cal for many years now,,,,,,My daughter is graduating USC in May. I feel that she will be eaten alive here (in Greater Los Angeles),,,,,,,she does not have car and I CANNOT AFFORD TO BUY HER ONE.
2. I am planning on moving back to New England....perhaps Southern Maine....or somewhere I can afford....
If Mom is back in New England.....I am hoping that she will consider Boston or Cambridge to find work (knowing Mom has home in Maine etc)...............I KNOW RENTS ARE OUTRAGEOUS THERE, THEY HAVE BEEN FOR A LONG TIME...
3. I am just thinking she will fare better in the Boston area however......even though she did not attend a local university there...but USC.
4. She is a graphic artist/designer.....has experience as she worked for university.

I want to get both kids out of CA and I feel it is too tough here.....at least Boston has great central transportation etc.....I lived with it for years......and MA is there home state anyway.

Thanks for any input.

[Dm84]

Your kids would have a better chance of finding gainful employment in LA to be honest. Graphic design just isn't as big here.

[MidwestRedux]

There are a few places that represent a happy medium between the high cost, ultra competitive "world cities" like Boston, SFO, NYC etc. and the stagnant/declining rust belt cities like Milwaukee, Cleveland and the rest of the usual suspects.

I recently moved from the Boston area to Minneapolis, one of the places that I would put at or near the top of the list of "just right" cities.

Minnesota is the only flyover state that regularly makes the top 10 for median per capita and household income:
America’s Richest (and Poorest) States - 24/7 Wall St.

The unemployment rate in the twin cities metro is something like 3.1%. While the workforce is highly educated, the abundance of large corporations and the relatively low cost of living make this a pretty easy place to earn a comfortable living.

Other cities that I think are similar would be Denver, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Charlotte and a few others. These cities have a similar combination of a healthy economy and growing population coupled with a moderate cost of living.

I would argue that just about every large city/metro area in the US falls into one of the three categories mentioned above. At least for the foreseeable future, I think this trend will continue making Boston and the other super desirable places more and more impractical for people of average means.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Dm84

Something is missing here. With 10 years of experience you should be able to apply for a job that's comparable to the last one you held. If you're seeing a shortage of those jobs then yes you apply for the next closest thing because you need to eat and pay rent. I understand you don't want to downgrade but at a certain point some money is better than no money.

I think maybe the OP thinks that getting that advanced degree means they should be able to take a step above what they were doing? I learned quickly that isn't the case. I went to a very good school for my management degree, and had 8 or so years experience, but I found I had to go back to the same level I was at when I left for grad school. Now that degree has increased my ceiling and I've moved up, but I had to get back in the system. I've found that to be true for most people here. Often you even have to take a little step back to get in as you've been in school a couple of years.

That's just reality for most people. No one is entitled to more just because of another sheepskin on the wall. And yeah, I had to pay bills! The "luxury" in my book is not working and being very picky.