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[quote=ncwbwilm;28852564]No, you shouldn't steer clear of Wilmington. Most of the problems you listed arent Wilmington's fault, it's the economy.
1) There are plenty of good paying jobs not in those fields. Many people just plain out working in retail make 20 dollars an hour-minimum. Have you realized Wilmington has a large film industry? Film jobs pay moderate, to very, very, high. Even as an assistant the minimum you would make would probably be around 800/week.
$20 an hour working in retail? you must be smoking something.
and Film jobs that pay "high" are people who have been working in the industry for 20+ years and are in the union.
and do u realize how hard it is to get in the industry/union? you don't just start working in it right away.
you sometimes have to "intern" aka no pay just to get the experience and to network.
800 a week as an assistant? hahahaha. If you are on higher budget films (which is very hard to get on)
The work is also not steady. you could be working one day in a week or maybe 2 or not working at all for 2 months. It is a different industry. I have worked as a P.A. and I have never made 800 in one week.
AGREE!!!! If you don't have a job already, I wouldn't move here! It took me 5 months to find a "dead end" job at $7.25 an hour (YES, I HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE). I will be working this until I find a "real job." I have applied everywhere, news stations, etc. (my degree is in media communications). I have even applied at places I would NEVER work. Out of 100 applications I filled out (I have 8+ years of retail experience and a bachelors degree), I only got 3 interviews. 2 didn't call me back (how hard is it to work at a freakin coffee shop?) and finally got this one, but it pays minium wage. think I can pay my bills on that? nope. currently looking for job #2. I wonder how long this will take me...
This isn't a problem that's unique to Wilmington. It's like this everywhere. My son can't score more than a part time job in Raleigh and he's 29. I have a friend here in Greenville with the same problem. And he's 43. And I know it's also like this in MD. I can't speak for the entire country but I know it's hard to get a full time job in at least 2 states. Thank a real unemployment rate north of 20% and Obamacare destroying full time jobs by the millions. And if you're a young black man, you can forget it.
I know this post may upset some people, but Wilmington, NC is a city that most people should "steer clear" of.
Here are my reasons:
1) Lack of good paying jobs. Unless you are a doctor, lawyer, accountant, or a professional in the medical field, most jobs in ILM pay a whopping salary of $10 an hour. And on top of that, employers want 5 yrs of experience...what a joke.
5)Eduation is not valued. I feel that most employers in ILM do not want to hire someone with a college degree. They would rather hire someone with a GED who is willing to work for $10 an hour for the rest of their life.
6) It seems like a vast majority of the people in ILM are not educated and have been content working in some dead end job. Now let me reiterate this point. Everyone in ILM is not poor and stupid, but for the most part people are not well off.
AGREE!!!! If you don't have a job already, I wouldn't move here! It took me 5 months to find a "dead end" job at $7.25 an hour (YES, I HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE). I will be working this until I find a "real job." I have applied everywhere, news stations, etc. (my degree is in media communications). I have even applied at places I would NEVER work. Out of 100 applications I filled out (I have 8+ years of retail experience and a bachelors degree), I only got 3 interviews. 2 didn't call me back (how hard is it to work at a freakin coffee shop?) and finally got this one, but it pays minium wage. think I can pay my bills on that? nope. currently looking for job #2. I wonder how long this will take me...
I think there needs to be explained some context to your individual situation....Wilmington is one of the smallest "media" markets in the country. You have a degree in media communications. There are limited media companies in Wilmington (because of the size of the market) so it is hard to obtain a job in that particular field. That doesn't necessarily apply if you are in the medical field, medical research field (PPD), nuclear development field (GE), creation of fiber optic (Corning) or professional service jobs. "Steering Clear" depends on your situation, your degree, your experience....Wilmington does have some media communications jobs (and it is at a lower level), however many of the folks that work in those jobs choose to stay in Wilmington rather than move up because they like the quality of life....those type of jobs can take you all over the country...but there is not too much turnover. Greenville actually has as many media communications jobs as Wilmington and its market is actually bigger....Fayetteville, which is actually a bigger city than both has relatively none of these jobs (basically one newspaper), because it is lumped into the Raleigh market. I would think with this type of degree however that the on line world is an avenue, and in many cases working in the on line media world can mean living from anywhere.
Most of your information is incorrect. I was born here in Wilmington. I've traveled and lived all over the country and I always come back. The weather is awesome, the people are nice and I have a great job. Wilmington has more than GE. We also have Corning, PPD, Verizon, Corning and a booming film industry that brings lots of money and creative people to the area. We have heaps of outdoor activities, a great local music scene and a thriving downtown business district. I make $26.50 and hour. I love my hometown, so please stay right where you are.
I can't believe that person who said that retail jobs there pay $20 an hour minimum. that is probably the biggest lie that has ever been told in the history of the internet. retail =$1 an hour above minimum wage MAXIMUM.
Not trying to start a war here, but I think this is a problem everywhere? I lived in Wallace up until about three months ago. When I did, my boyfriend worked in Burgaw on a farm, which is the place that everyone is supposedly suggesting for people to move instead of Wilmington. What a JOKE. WHY would you ever move to Burgaw instead of Wilmington? The only reason why I could understand doing that is if you want to get into farming yourself. Otherwise, don't do it. I'm not saying that Burgaw is a bad place, but there is nothing there.
Although I have never lived in Wilmington, I've lived close to it and have lots of friends who went to UNC-W and lived there for four years. My aunt lives there as well, and I go to Wilmington at least once every two weeks for shopping and such. I don't see how it's such a bad place at all. Crime? Meh, I've never felt uncomfortable, and I'm pretty much a pansy about such things. Traffic? Yeah, it can be busy and troublesome at certain times, but it's definitely nowhere close to what you deal with when you go to Raleigh. Overall, Wilmington seems like a nice place to me. I just don't understand why people keep suggesting Burgaw. Move there if you want to, but you will have to deal with the constant smell of turkey crap being sprayed to fertilize the fields (and believe me, if you have never experienced this smell, you do not want to...it's horrid, at least 20x worse than hog manure), nothing to do and the annoying decision of driving to either Wallace (where there is nothing) or Wilmington to do nearly anything.
When I did, my boyfriend worked in Burgaw on a farm, which is the place that everyone is supposedly suggesting for people to move instead of Wilmington. What a JOKE. WHY would you ever move to Burgaw instead of Wilmington? The only reason why I could understand doing that is if you want to get into farming yourself. Otherwise, don't do it. I'm not saying that Burgaw is a bad place, but there is nothing there.
Thanks for your insight. I recommend Burgaw when people say they want a small-town atmosphere. Some people are afraid of "big cities" like Wilmington, and Burgaw has a small downtown with a park, amenities like doctors and stores, and it is somewhat walkable.
I love Wilmington for shopping on a weekend, but I don't want to live there. The traffic is crazy and the roads can't keep up with the amount of people moving to the Wilmington/Leland area. I live in a very small town about 35 minutes outside of Wilmington. I can get from my house to Target in less time than a person who lives in Wilmington. If you want to live close to the beaches or the Wilmington area, try one of the smaller towns. You get the great country living, a much safer place and you are still within driving distance without going crazy with the traffic. We take only three roads from our house, 53, 421 and I40, its so easy and so relaxing!
I love Wilmington for shopping on a weekend, but I don't want to live there. The traffic is crazy and the roads can't keep up with the amount of people moving to the Wilmington/Leland area. I live in a very small town about 35 minutes outside of Wilmington. I can get from my house to Target in less time than a person who lives in Wilmington. If you want to live close to the beaches or the Wilmington area, try one of the smaller towns. You get the great country living, a much safer place and you are still within driving distance without going crazy with the traffic. We take only three roads from our house, 53, 421 and I40, its so easy and so relaxing!
What area are you in? I'm interested in living near Wilmington, close enough to enjoy the beaches but far enough from crazy traffic.
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Move to the small towns outside of Wilmington.
