State of Illinois #4

[linicx]

You have to remember something. California employees will not only give up close proximity to the ocean and year round decent weather to move East, they must be willing to live in ice and snow. The only other place in the US that can offer the WOW! factor is NYC which offer more expensive real estate than LA. Therefore the next choice would be Chicago. I read an article the other day that states Peoria is actively looking for PhD candidates in math and the sciences for engineering, technology, and research. U.S. students are nor persuing the fields they are looking in, consequently they are looking at India and Asia for candidates.

World Fact: Residents of the Island of Mali are the most educated individuals on earth.

[DrJoey]

Originally Posted by linicx

You have to remember something. California employees will not only give up close proximity to the ocean and year round decent weather to move East, they must be willing to live in ice and snow. The only other place in the US that can offer the WOW! factor is NYC which offer more expensive real estate than LA. Therefore the next choice would be Chicago. I read an article the other day that states Peoria is actively looking for PhD candidates in math and the sciences for engineering, technology, and research. U.S. students are nor persuing the fields they are looking in, consequently they are looking at India and Asia for candidates.

World Fact: Residents of the Island of Mali are the most educated individuals on earth.

I have to disagree. I grew up in Chicago and knew going into college that I was likely to leave the state after schooling because the jobs weren't there. I didn't come to California for the beach and weather (although no one complains much about either) I came here because this is where the VC money is and this is where I can find a larger density of high paying jobs in my field.

If I end up unemployed here I can find myself a job in the same city with similar or better pay fairly quickly. What happens to me in Peoria if I'm unemployed? Even in Chicago the tech scene, aside from some software companies, was spread out over exburbs and places I wouldn't want to live or work. There isn't a core in Illinois that I'm aware of that could compare to places like Silicon Valley, Cambridge, MA or the research triangle in NC. Any of those areas and about 5 others would be places I would move before even considering coming back to Illinois at this point.

[Zoness]

Yea mostly wishful thinking on my part because California is the place to be: weather, culture and location-wise and here (that specifically is my hometown Galesburg for the time being) is a post-industrial wasteland with inhospitable weather much of the year. The Silicon Valley area churns out an insane number of patents compared to the rest of the country is the place to be if you are a young person in the technology field who wants to innovate and is ok with rapid change and trying new things. With exceptions in Seattle and New York City (which still specifically isn't the techie capital in anything but volume) you are basically looking at the rest of the country and you see nothing that will keep your interest, definitely can see what linicx is saying about WOW! factor. Yet another reason I have to get out of here!

DrJoey is right as well, there really isn't a "core" here in the state in the same way you see in the Valley. In Peoria most software companies tend to be more traditional and corporate, not the same cutting-edge and innovative vibe of the west. The upside is that its all vastly cheaper to Silicon Valley or NYC and taxes are lower.

[linicx]

What happens to you in Peoria if you unemployed would probably have a great deal to do with your job title and experience. I just saw 25 jobs for a wide spectrum of engineers. What I know is R & D has held a place in Peoria since before WWII when the first Fed research lab was built, and probably long before then considering the history of the town. Compared to the places you list - with the exception of Cambridge - are at least 10 time larger than Peoria, I would suppose the billion plus dollar research in Peoria, and its Renaissance Park is probably chicken feed.

It is very difficult to compare an apple to a hot air balloon. Lack of qualified candidates is most likely why Peoria is looking outside of the United States.

On the other hand, if you have a great idea, a good business plan, and the expertise it is possible to get a start up company funded.

[Zoness]

I will admit its not really fair to compare top regions in the U.S. to Peoria at least because they are so much bigger.

That said, there is surprisingly little (from what I can tell) competition in my field right now because the demand is so high. Regularly officials from various local and regional businesses visit campus to tell us they need spots filled immediately and often there are more spots open than students in my undergrad and grad programs combined so maybe I should just count my blessings that opportunities are even out there.

[linicx]

Do you mind disclosing your field of expertise?

[DrJoey]

Originally Posted by linicx

What happens to you in Peoria if you unemployed would probably have a great deal to do with your job title and experience. I just saw 25 jobs for a wide spectrum of engineers. What I know is R & D has held a place in Peoria since before WWII when the first Fed research lab was built, and probably long before then considering the history of the town. Compared to the places you list - with the exception of Cambridge - are at least 10 time larger than Peoria, I would suppose the billion plus dollar research in Peoria, and its Renaissance Park is probably chicken feed.

It is very difficult to compare an apple to a hot air balloon. Lack of qualified candidates is most likely why Peoria is looking outside of the United States.

On the other hand, if you have a great idea, a good business plan, and the expertise it is possible to get a start up company funded.

The only reason I mentioned Peoria is because you brought it up as an area that is "actively looking" for PhD candidates in STEM. To be honest I don't even really know what that means.

[linicx]

STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.