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Actually I used to go over to Kingston, Ont a couple of times in my younger days - lived south of Syracuse but my sister was in Lowville then. But back then Ft Drum was only just starting to build up and there weren't any windmills.
A few years later I was in eastern Iowa for a couple of years. What I missed most compared to upstate was the lack of un-programmed territory - even though eastern IA has more rolling terrain than parts of IL, it's still corn and beans from road to road. It wasn't even as easy to catch fish then, since they didn't jump into the boat like they do now.
If you're far enough north there's likely enough to keep a girl happy in Montreal.
Actually I used to go over to Kingston, Ont a couple of times in my younger days - lived south of Syracuse but my sister was in Lowville then. But back then Ft Drum was only just starting to build up and there weren't any windmills.
A few years later I was in eastern Iowa for a couple of years. What I missed most compared to upstate was the lack of un-programmed territory - even though eastern IA has more rolling terrain than parts of IL, it's still corn and beans from road to road. It wasn't even as easy to catch fish then, since they didn't jump into the boat like they do now.
If you're far enough north there's likely enough to keep a girl happy in Montreal.
Or Ottawa, which is Canada's capital city. Very nice old world architecture and a good nightlife. A lot of soldiers in my company back when I was stationed at Ft. Drum used to go there a lot. Combined with Gatineau Quebec, both cities have over 1 million people. It's the 4th biggest metro in Canada behind Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. You would also have a strong bilingual presence due to the French influence in Quebec nearby.
I work for the city where I'm from now, and its not as cracked up as people think. I am lucky to be working, I know. I have a construction background and my girlfriend is an 8th grade spanish teacher. I would love to get another city job which is hard to come by but If I had your surroundings I could sacrafice other things.
I was just reading in a trade publication how hurting even upstate NY towns are for qualified water and wastewater operators. Bear in mind that civil service rules are strong in NY state and apply to all minor civil divisions. The county civil service commission or personnel office (counties can optionally streamline to an appointed personnel officer instead of maintaining a local commission) could be a regular contact to inquire about job postings and examinations - even if you're hired "provisionally" you still need to pass a publicly advertised test and score high enough on the list to keep your job.
Wow that is pretty serious. I actually work in the water department as well for the last 4 years and also did sewer and water excavation for another 3 years. I'm studying on my own the get my water license but that really wont apply in NY. I wasn't aware of such strict regulations. Thats a good thing though I suppose. Thanks for the info
I worked briefly for a relatively large city waste water lab in the Albany area as a lab tech. It wasn't hard to get in at all. Granted, I had a few years of R&D drinking water experience and a B.S. but I noticed that they'd hire anyone for an entry level lab job or a trainee operator position IF AND ONLY IF they knew someone that already worked there. Some of those characters barely made it through high school and more than a couple had felony drug convictions.
I'm not sure if that's normal for NY but I think it would be a good idea to make some contacts.
In regards to keeping your job as a licensed NY operator...from what I saw, all you need to do is maintain your license once you get it and fulfill any continuing education credits. Trainees trained for a year or two and then took their test to get their license. Once they passed the exam, they were golden if they kept up with the requirements.
Last edited by Rumblebelly; 12-16-2009 at 09:42 PM..
I'm going to do that, starting with a few towns up north(Ogdensburg, Watertown, Massena etc etc). If I move it won't be a for little while (issues home to wrap up) but a head start is definately in order. Thanks again for the info
One of my jobs in NY saw a certified operator city sewer superintendent let go for non-passing the civil service test. That was pretty uncomfortable, but not too common. Also that was 15 years ago.
PA has looser civil service rules and plenty of fishing as well. Here's another job board: PRWA - Pennsylvania Rural Water Association (http://www.prwa.com/v2/marketing/classifieds.asp - broken link)
Not so much anymore. Especially since the border crossing requirements have become more strict.
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