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Hey all. In exactly a year, I'll be finishing my Master's Degree in Higher Education from a mid-sized university in Arkansas and I will be looking for a place to work. I know it's early, but I research everything to death, and I'd like to know as much as I can about potential places to work or live before I start throwing applications and cover letters around. I'm a Southerner (south Mississippi near the Louisiana border), but the Midwest isn't completely foreign to me, as I graduated high school in Nebraska. My supervisor lived in Des Moines about 10 years ago--she highly recommended it to me as a place to work and live. I've searched this site and others over and over for information, but I know there is only so much I can learn from them. I need to hear from locals about their experience, which is why I'm so thankful for this site. So, here goes:
1.) I noticed that there is one larger university (Drake), a business school and a medical school in town. I also read that there is some sort of merger between the University of Iowa and the business school? Are they turning it into a branch school? If so, that might create some jobs in my field.
2.) As is the case in any state, I'm sure that Iowa grads (from any school) or neighboring state grads will be first choice for really any position that comes open. I'm a 30 year old man, so getting a strange look or being made fun of for my accent isn't going to make me whine or cry, but will it be a bit of an issue for me being a Southerner when it comes to getting TO the face-to-face interview? I don't blame hiring managers for having some reservations, I know how Southerners are portrayed on television and in movies (and we don't do ourselves any favors most of the time if you watch the news), but I just hope that I'm not applying for a job and a HR person will look at my resume and say "Ooo, journalism awards, 4.0, Master's, published writer....Arkansas Tech University? Is that really a school?" or hear me in a phone interview and wonder if I broke a date with a cousin that day to interview with him/her.
3.) What's the deal with some of the whiny people that create threads on this forum? From what I hear/read, it seems that people in Des Moines are cordial, but they go about their business and won't tell you their life story the first time you nod at them. I sometimes wonder if people need to toughen up a little bit with things like that. Considering the crime I grew up witnessing in the South (I've lived in six states), if the worst of Des Moines is that the people won't immediately sit in your lap and blow into your ear when you say hello to them, I think you're doing alright up there.
4.) I know Des Moines is most likely more expensive than Arkansas, but what would rent set me back for a studio or 1 bedroom in a safe part of town? I would think on the average salary in my field, between $625-$675 would be a good price point. Maybe up to $700 a month if I eat bread sandwiches. How much do you guys pay for auto insurance? I drive a seven year old Dodge Ram, for reference. Also, how are utilities priced there? In Mississippi, at least, they're astronomical, and for what reason I don't know.
5.) I'm the kind of guy that enjoys coffee houses, bookstores, plays, theater performances, etc. I take it the options for those things are pretty nice there. I see that you also have an NBDL team, which is exciting for me because I love the NBA. What's the parking like downtown for these events? Expensive? I like to go to Northwest Arkansas for the same kinds of things, and they charge a pretty decent amount for parking. I also like to keep in shape and yoga helps with some of my knee issues--any decent yoga places around?
6.) Stupid question here, but what's the dating scene like there for someone like me? The issue here is that there just aren't enough single women above 25 who don't have children or a serious drug problem. As judgmental as it may sound, it's a big problem in this part of the world. I'd just love to meet more women whose interests mirror mine at least a little. We have a limited amount of young professionals here (30,000 people) and most of the women I've dated love them some huntin', fishin', muddin', and things of that nature. Nothing wrong with that if you like it, but it's not for me.
7.) Finally, I'm used to cold weather and snow, but what are the winters and summers like there? I've seen people talk about humidity there, but it honestly makes me laugh being from the Gulf coast, because I'm just used to walking out into a sauna in May-late September. I've also experienced sandstorms, blizzards and -30 degree temperatures in western Nebraska, so it won't be a complete shock to my system.
I apologize for this being so long, but I always like to be thorough. I appreciate any help you guys can offer in advance. Have a good weekend everyone.
My sense is that one needs a PhD in higher ed for the administrative positions in the area. Drake U wasn't part of the merger: it was a for-profit college (AB--? Can't remember the last letter). I'm told there are a lot of politics. U of I generally hires PhDs for full-time staff. They may hire MAs as lecturers (3-year gigs) and part-time gigs. Pay is poor with no benefits.
DMACC hires lots of part-time faculty, few new full-timers, except in the sciences, math, and nursing, but I haven't looked at their page lately:
If you can teach/work in the high schools, Ankeny Public Schools is still staffing their new high school. You might need an Iowa Teaching License. Ankeny is a few miles north of Des Moines, easy access along I-35.
My friends tell me the job market in higher ed is brutal. Try not to take any "college adviser" positions without getting any agreements about advancement in writing. They are generally *not* a stepping stone to administrative positions. They are more of a sales position and if you don't meet your quotas, you are out after the first year.
My sense is that one needs a PhD in higher ed for the administrative positions in the area. Drake U wasn't part of the merger: it was a for-profit college (AB--? Can't remember the last letter). I'm told there are a lot of politics. U of I generally hires PhDs for full-time staff. They may hire MAs as lecturers (3-year gigs) and part-time gigs.
DMACC hires lots of part-time faculty, few new full-timers, except in the sciences, math, and nursing, but I haven't looked at their page lately:
If you can teach/work in the high schools, Ankeny Public Schools is still staffing their new high school. You might need an Iowa Teaching License. Ankeny is a few miles north of Des Moines, easy access along I-35.
My friends tell me the job market in higher ed is brutal. Try not to take any "college adviser" positions without getting any agreements about advancement in writing. They are generally *not* a stepping stone to administrative positions. They are more of a sales position and if you don't meet your quotas, you are out after the first year.
Good luck!
That was what I was worried about. "Degree creep" has put people like me on the outside looking in. I've noticed that if a position advertises for a Master's and two years higher ed experience, it's likely someone with a Master's and lots more experience will be hired, or a PhD. Master's grads get the Bachelor's jobs, Bachelor's grads get the High School degree jobs...of course that happens in every field, but especially in Higher Ed.
I also suspect that you will need to stay in your state. Sorry! But you'll need to work your networks as hard as you can! There are already a ton of unemployed PhDs in higher ed around here, some with 10+ years experience.
I wish I had better news for you. D-M is a great place to live!
If business is your thing, consider getting a business technology certificate and high school certification. That segment is doing better than average as high school jobs go.
The MA may price you out of that market but if not, it'll give you an initially higher paycheck.
I also suspect that you will need to stay in your state. Sorry! But you'll need to work your networks as hard as you can! There are already a ton of unemployed PhDs in higher ed around here, some with 10+ years experience.
I wish I had better news for you. D-M is a great place to live!
If business is your thing, consider getting a business tech certificate and high school certification. That segment is doing better than average as high school jobs go.
The MA may price you out of that market but if not, it'll give you an initially higher paycheck.
My Bachelor's degrees are actually in Middle Level Education and Public Relations, so I'm more in the education/journalism/writing field. I see that there is a need for copywriters in places like Kansas City, but I'm not sure what the market for that would be in DM. I may need to stay in my state or neighboring states like Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee simply because of the name recognition and networking. I loved the midwest when I lived there, but hey, if it's a stacked market, it's a stacked market. In this day and age I guess you have to go with the connections you have.
You might want to look into opportunities at McGraw-Hill in the textbook division and such. They hire people to go around to the schools giving tech seminars (or Webinars from the home office), such as how business text X can be incorporated with Blackboard - tablets - etc. Again, the MA would probably price you out of it, but it's worth looking into if you decide not to finish.
A background in writing, education, and public relations would probably be a good fit. The salary is not the greatest but they do promote from within.
Other textbook publishers may have similar positions. Stay out of sales, if you can. That's a dead end, even if you have a silver tongue. Again, tough quotas and a tough economy.
I'm not trying to talk you out of your MA but around here, most savvy candidates already have a job in a school system and are getting the one-year Ed PhD so they can advance to administration, and they already have the approval of their supervisors to do so.
Re: copywriting -- another very hard field to break into. It's better to take some tech writing courses, plus a few advanced graphics courses. Contract work for tech writers is slightly easier to get into, but it's harder to learn, initially. A BS in engineering doesn't hurt.
I'm offline for the day, now. Good luck with your research.
Hey all. In exactly a year, I'll be finishing my Master's Degree in Higher Education from a mid-sized university in Arkansas and I will be looking for a place to work. I know it's early, but I research everything to death, and I'd like to know as much as I can about potential places to work or live before I start throwing applications and cover letters around. I'm a Southerner (south Mississippi near the Louisiana border), but the Midwest isn't completely foreign to me, as I graduated high school in Nebraska. My supervisor lived in Des Moines about 10 years ago--she highly recommended it to me as a place to work and live. I've searched this site and others over and over for information, but I know there is only so much I can learn from them. I need to hear from locals about their experience, which is why I'm so thankful for this site. So, here goes:
1.) I noticed that there is one larger university (Drake), a business school and a medical school in town. I also read that there is some sort of merger between the University of Iowa and the business school? Are they turning it into a branch school? If so, that might create some jobs in my field.
The medical school is actually called Des Moines University. I vaguely recall something about this business school with University of Iowa, but don't remember specifics. It makes no sense to me why neither Iowa nor Iowa State don't open a branch campus in Des Moines with parallel programs (at least popular ones) to the main college. I live in Indiana now and both IU and Purdue have a combined campus downtown along these lines.
2.) As is the case in any state, I'm sure that Iowa grads (from any school) or neighboring state grads will be first choice for really any position that comes open. I'm a 30 year old man, so getting a strange look or being made fun of for my accent isn't going to make me whine or cry, but will it be a bit of an issue for me being a Southerner when it comes to getting TO the face-to-face interview? I don't blame hiring managers for having some reservations, I know how Southerners are portrayed on television and in movies (and we don't do ourselves any favors most of the time if you watch the news), but I just hope that I'm not applying for a job and a HR person will look at my resume and say "Ooo, journalism awards, 4.0, Master's, published writer....Arkansas Tech University? Is that really a school?" or hear me in a phone interview and wonder if I broke a date with a cousin that day to interview with him/her.
I am from Tennessee. I was hired at a major employer after several Skype interviews, but this was for an entry level position. Management was nice to me, but the average line worker at this employer (PM me if you want more info) treated me terribly. They were very condescending and rude based on my accent/background. I don't want to say you'd run into this everywhere, but I ran into more insulting/demeaning anti-Southern behavior in Iowa than I have when I've had to go to Boston for my current job.
3.) What's the deal with some of the whiny people that create threads on this forum? From what I hear/read, it seems that people in Des Moines are cordial, but they go about their business and won't tell you their life story the first time you nod at them. I sometimes wonder if people need to toughen up a little bit with things like that. Considering the crime I grew up witnessing in the South (I've lived in six states), if the worst of Des Moines is that the people won't immediately sit in your lap and blow into your ear when you say hello to them, I think you're doing alright up there.
My experience is that most Iowans just are not social/outgoing. Forget "grocery line chat" say hello to surly service. I've lived in six states to some extent (IA, IN, TN, VA, SC, MA) and the Iowans were by far the most standoffish/rude.
4.) I know Des Moines is most likely more expensive than Arkansas, but what would rent set me back for a studio or 1 bedroom in a safe part of town? I would think on the average salary in my field, between $625-$675 would be a good price point. Maybe up to $700 a month if I eat bread sandwiches. How much do you guys pay for auto insurance? I drive a seven year old Dodge Ram, for reference. Also, how are utilities priced there? In Mississippi, at least, they're astronomical, and for what reason I don't know.
Electricity was much more than what we paid with the TVA. Car insurance is much less than TN. The budget is on point, though it won't be in the nicest/hippest parts of town. The south side and east side are more working class. There is no unsafe part of DSM coming from the South
5.) I'm the kind of guy that enjoys coffee houses, bookstores, plays, theater performances, etc. I take it the options for those things are pretty nice there. I see that you also have an NBDL team, which is exciting for me because I love the NBA. What's the parking like downtown for these events? Expensive? I like to go to Northwest Arkansas for the same kinds of things, and they charge a pretty decent amount for parking. I also like to keep in shape and yoga helps with some of my knee issues--any decent yoga places around?
Downtown DSM has a lot of culture for a city of its size. Check out the East Village.I usually paid $8-$10 for downtown parking, if I couldn't park in the corporate garage.
6.) Stupid question here, but what's the dating scene like there for someone like me? The issue here is that there just aren't enough single women above 25 who don't have children or a serious drug problem. As judgmental as it may sound, it's a big problem in this part of the world. I'd just love to meet more women whose interests mirror mine at least a little. We have a limited amount of young professionals here (30,000 people) and most of the women I've dated love them some huntin', fishin', muddin', and things of that nature. Nothing wrong with that if you like it, but it's not for me.
Fair to middling. I was 25 when I moved there and had some dates and a steady girlfriend for a few months. After that it was mostly older women, 40+. If you stay in the urban core, people will at least act more cultured, whether they truly are or not.
7.) Finally, I'm used to cold weather and snow, but what are the winters and summers like there? I've seen people talk about humidity there, but it honestly makes me laugh being from the Gulf coast, because I'm just used to walking out into a sauna in May-late September. I've also experienced sandstorms, blizzards and -30 degree temperatures in western Nebraska, so it won't be a complete shock to my system.
Endless wind. Wind, wind, more wind. Windiest place I've ever been. Storms are the most violent and will absolutely terrify most people. If you've been in western Nebraska, it's probably slightly less violent
I apologize for this being so long, but I always like to be thorough. I appreciate any help you guys can offer in advance. Have a good weekend everyone.
I am sorry that your experience in DSM was less than favorable. Having lived there for the first half of my life, I've never known Iowans to be explicitly anti-Southern. I don't know where you worked, and while they were obviously wrong to make fun of you, you have to keep in mind that quite a lot of folks in the Des Moines area originally hail from rural areas and small towns, so they just aren't used to diversity. Fair or not, there's a reason why the state is still well over 80% white. For a state that prides itself on being progressive (and there is truth to that), they are slow to accept change (heck, they'll only raise the state minimum wage kicking and screaming, even when states like South Dakota already bumped theirs). And they have a nasty habit of keeping the same people in office for decades on end.
I also am inclined to say that Iowans also tend to have a bit of a chip on their shoulders, that their state doesn't get the due they believe it deserves. It doesn't have any real major cities (I suppose you can call DSM a "mid-major", akin to Omaha and Madison), it doesn't have a lot of natural recreational opportunities (no mountains, no beaches, etc), doesn't have any major-league professional sports teams or even a true college powerhouse (i.e. the U of Iowa football program has seen its share of success, it's just not a consistently great program). It is one of the finest states for whitetail and pheasant hunting, but is one of the least friendly states for non-resident hunters (and I have no idea why, there could be some serious tourism money in hunting alone). And the drivers, while competent, are some of the biggest a-holes of any state. Good thing the traffic is usually pretty tolerable.
But I won't go so far as to say Iowans as a whole are unfriendly jerks. Some do want to keep to themselves, but a lot of them can be pretty warm and neighborly.
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