Job market for out of state applicants? (Virginia Beach: contractor, college)

[quietthings]

After a recent vacation to Virginia Beach, my wife and I have decided that we would very much like to live in the area. My main question at this point is what kind of challenge are we up against? I know it's a difficult for someone to secure a job from out of state (Texas) anywhere but I would like to know if there are any special challenges we may face in this area.

For our current jobs, I work for a software development company in a sort of admin/sales role and my wife is in clothing retail management but would definitely like a change of industry. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[stva]

It's tough to find college graduate/paraprofessional type jobs. Most of the good paying jobs involve the military, either as a civilian employee or contractor. There are definitely some private sector jobs, but competition is fierce for them and they can pick very qualified employees and pay them less than in other areas.

If you're willing to work in the service sector, employment shouldn't be an issue.

I hope I don't sound too negative. It's tough to find work in most parts of the country, Texas is actually one of the better areas. If you are a veteran, your chances here might be good.

[poloi3eai2]

Like STVA said it's hard to land a good paying job in Virginia Beach unless you're military, federal employee, contractor, or in the medical field. My girlfriend and I tried to make a career in Virginia Beach after graduation and we were only making slightly more than retail. I was in marketing and she was in event planning. We both moved to DC in July and almost instantly doubled both our salaries.

Virginia Beach is a great area geographically but it lacks jobs and a network of young professionals. If you can land a well paying job in Virginia Beach, it's a great place to live.