NY Pharm Rep Looking to relocate to NC...Badly (Raleigh: sales, renting)

[TrappednNJ]

Hey Everyone,

Thank you for reading this post! I'm a pharmaceutical sales rep in NYC and I live in NJ. I'm applying for a transfer within my company to NC as well as applying online to other companies in the same industry but I'm unsure which cities in NC will be the best fit for my husband and I.

We are in our early 30's, no kids yet and we are an interracial couple (I'm mixed and he is eastern european). We have chosen North Carolina as our relocation destination because of:

1) Lower priced homes
2) Greener neighborhoods
3) Family friendly areas/parks
4) Great schools
5) Medical device/biotech/Pharmaceutical career opportunities
6) Less harsh winters
7) Quality of Life

My husband would love to live close to a lake and I would like to live near (no more than a 20min drive) from where I would work (and I have no idea where that would be). We would start off renting before we settled down but can anyone tell me what specific cities they would begin submitting their resumes for if in my situation? I'm not in a rush but now that summer is almost over I'm getting antsy about the winter and I want to leave!

[mdp_az]

Most of the pharma industry in the state is located in the Triangle region, and within that region the pharma is centered in Durham, RTP, Morrisville & Cary, with a bit in Raleigh, too. That is the actual company locations...obviously field-based positions can be anywhere. The Triangle has Falls Lake to the north and Jordan Lake to the southwest, so you could probably find a place that's 20 minutes to the lake. The problem is going to be finding a job. Unemployment remains high in the area (8%+) and the pharma industry, as you surely know, has taken a beating. GSK has been a huge presence in this area but is laying off in droves, so the stock of well-qualified pharma folks out of work is increasing dramatically. Within the industry, it seems to be the sales jobs that are taking the biggest hit, too, so I imagine it could be a long process for you in finding employment...especially if you're looking for a relo package, too. That said, I would focus on the small startup and specialty companies as they seem to be the only source of growth in the industry right now, or look at other industries. I was in pharma for 15 years but left recently to move into software sales...so glad to be away from the constant fear of having my position eliminated in the next round of layoffs! Good luck to you.

[yellowbelle]

Based on your wishlist, either the Raleigh area or Wilmington area would probably work.

Pfizer had a NC-based sales position posted pretty recently.

[TrappednNJ]

Thank you mpd_az for your response. I know it's scary to think the future of pharma sales is not the brightest but I imagine that I will hold on to what I have a little longer (If it's possible lol) and work hard here to get a transfer before I do any moving. First thing's first though, I need to plan a trip to actually visit NC!

[Francois]

Originally Posted by TrappednNJ

First thing's first though, I need to plan a trip to actually visit NC!

Uh, yeah...I can't imagine how someone would decide they want to move to "X" (let alone "looking to relocate BADLY") without even ever having visited "X"!