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Well, in the places that I'm looking for jobs, the ratio of job postings to unemployed persons is 1:1, which is good news. That means there is a job opening for everyone.
Yes, I am now open to living in areas that I was not previously open to living in before, as long as I'm getting paid in correlation with the cost of living, and have a job that is suitable for me.
I actually no longer care where I live. I've come to the realization that it just doesn't matter that much. As long as I'm living comfortably, am healthy and able to visit my family periodically, I'm good.
My new attitude/outlook is to focus on the positive things about any place, and that is the key to happiness. I think that's a better philosophy instead of trying to find the "right" place to live. Maybe I'm just getting older, but that's how I'm starting to think now.
Most of the places that I'm applying to jobs in now are actually easier to access family in CT. I mean, NYC, Philly and DC are in the northeast corridor and easy to get to CT by plane, car or train, in 3-6 hours. Chicago has direct flights to Hartford and are only 2 hours. Rochester is only a 4.5 hr drive to their house, too.
Hey, it was BobNJ1960's suggestion to look for jobs in large metropolitan areas. And I agree with him now. Those places just have MUCH more job opportunities that are up my alley.
I also no longer mind renting for the long term. I've come to the realization that purchasing a house should not be the be all end all in life. It also makes no sense to relocate somewhere just to purchase something.
But I mean, if I ONLY continue job searching in Columbus, I could be unemployed for 6+ months, which would be tragic. I cannot let that happen. Especially not with only 4 jobs applications per month.
I am glad to see that you learned from your experience there. I just hope this new attitude is permanent. I can't believe you are looking for jobs in New York, New Jersey, Long Island and Westchester. The reason you said to have left Fairfield County was that you hated being so close to New York and hated anything to do with the city. Still if there are good opportunities there, you should be open to them. I think your biggest problem with Fairfield County was your choice of apartments. In the nearly 8 years you have been posting on the Connecticut forum, you complained about all but one place you lived. Well two if you count Granby. That said selecting an apartment with people above you on a busy and noisy road was just asking for trouble. Good luck with your search. Jay
You had a thread lamenting you must see them 6 times per year. Make up your mind. 6 times is family oriented. I did 2x in Tn.
This was why I had cautioned nep321 to not take the job he took in Columbus. The PTO given was way too little if he wanted to be able to visit family and take a vacation. He insisted it was enough but apparently it was not. I hope he learned from that. Benefits like insurance and PTO are just as important as salary. You need to look at the whole package. Good luck nep321. Jay
This was why I had cautioned nep321 to not take the job he took in Columbus. The PTO given was way too little if he wanted to be able to visit family and take a vacation. He insisted it was enough but apparently it was not. I hope he learned from that. Benefits like insurance and PTO are just as important as salary. You need to look at the whole package. Good luck nep321. Jay
Well, it is what it is.
I have been consistently looking for jobs in greater Hartford, but there's virtually nothing there that is specific to my career interests. There were only two jobs there to apply to this time around, and no callbacks whatsoever. Recruiters have absolutely nothing for me in the Hartford area. And if you recall, during my job search prior to moving to Columbus, I was also looking for jobs in the Hartford area, and couldn't even get a damn interview, let alone applying to enough jobs. And even a year AGO, I attempted for five months straight to look for jobs in the Hartford area and still found nothing. So, collectively, over the past two years, I spent a total of 7 months looking for jobs in greater Hartford, with zero luck.
I have to accept the hard truth that it's highly unlikely that I can move back to the Hartford area. The jobs just aren't there specifically for me and my career.
He may be independent, but 6x a year seeing family is not normal...especially if he views that as a requirement. In his family thread, he said that seeing family once or twice a year is a joke.
Maybe it's because I'm from Appalachia where a lot of people have strong family ties, but if someone is reasonably close, seeing family six times a year is poor, IMO. I'm in Indiana and I either go to see my parents or they come to see me at least once every two months. My grandparents are also getting up there in years and probably won't be around in another ten years. I don't consider spending a weekend every two months or so going to see family "abnormal."
I have been consistently looking for jobs in greater Hartford, but there's virtually nothing there that is specific to my career interests. There were only two jobs there to apply to this time around, and no callbacks whatsoever. Recruiters have absolutely nothing for me in the Hartford area. And if you recall, during my job search prior to moving to Columbus, I was also looking for jobs in the Hartford area, and couldn't even get a damn interview, let alone applying to enough jobs. And even a year AGO, I attempted for five months straight to look for jobs in the Hartford area and still found nothing. So, collectively, over the past two years, I spent a total of 7 months looking for jobs in greater Hartford, with zero luck.
I have to accept the hard truth that it's highly unlikely that I can move back to the Hartford area. The jobs just aren't there specifically for me and my career.
You're really going to have to decide if such a narrow career is worth it to you.
Let's face it - $60k-$70k in midsize metros like Columbus is a slightly above average to good salary, but it's not knocking it out of the ballpark. You have pretty substantial savings and are either debt-free or relatively close to it, unemployed in a city you don't really know. Now is the time to go somewhere else if you want and you've made numerous threads about not liking accounting, so now is the time to take whatever you can get and reinvent yourself if you like.
If you can find only two or three jobs you can do in major metro areas of ~2 million, that's a problem.
Naturally. You moved around too much, and they can see that on your resume I assume. I'd ask, too.
I went to Nashville in 1997, but stayed until 2014. So 3 decades in Ct, 17 years in Tn, 1 year now in NJ.
Had I moved every few years, I'd have faced the same logical questions from employers. they are not going to hire you unless you convince them you are looking at many years with them in Ohio. Study what locals know about the area, talk about it when discussion hits non work segment. "Oh yes, I want to get annual season passes to XYZ, can't wait for the "ABC Day 11 months from now" kind of thing. LONG term.
You can't say "I wanted to "try out" a new city. They aren't looking for a 1-2 year gig, so you need to convince them you seek to break your past pattern, and stay, long-term in Columbus.
Many companies don't look at roles as being for "many years" these days. I work in IT, and of the ten people currently employed at this site, none were here on 1/1/2012. Of the roughly thirty people in the division, only a handful were here before 2010. I was hired last March, my manager the week after me, and everyone else under my manager is newer than him. Come to think of it - I'm the co "most senior" person that reports up through my manager's manager, which is nearly twenty people.
I graduated college in 2010 and have held six jobs (only list four on resume - two were short term contract) in four different states since then (IA, IN, TN, VA) and have three interviews on the table now, as well as some more casual calls. Maybe it's impacting me, but I can't tell.
Sometimes people move, and sometimes those moves fail for whatever reason. I moved to IA from TN sight unseen for a job that paid only 20% more. It looked like a decent move up, and maybe it was, but after the newness wore off after a couple months, I really began to dislike the job, the area, and the people I worked with. I moved back to TN after about a year because I despised IA. Occasionally I get asked about it, but I chalk it up to a learning experience and move on. Life happens.
I don't have any imminent plans of leaving IN, but I am not going to feel yoked to an area if a better opportunity comes along or if I can relocate to somewhere I really want to be.
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