A late-20s college grad's thoughts on the Orlando job market

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Crane's Rooster

That's not to say that with time the demand will shift so much to make Orlando the more logical or attractive location for regional offices.

The issue is Orlando isn't considered the logical or more attractive location for regional offices. Corporate regional offices typically go as afar as geographic subsections of the country, and within our subsection the most logical and attractive is typically Atlanta which has a similar cost of living, much larger/more efficient infrastructure and a deeper/more skilled labor pool. From within the state there will always be the disadvantage to South Florida's existing dominance as well as the Tampa Bay area's more favorable coastal geography and more extensive highway/road infrastructure. Even Jacksonville is seemingly emerging as a contender for attracting a diverse base of companies setting up operations there. I'm not saying that this area won't grow, but find it unlikely in my opinion that Orlando will become another Austin or Raleigh/Durham with similar efforts in two other neighboring markets.

[Ping322]

I do think that one poster nailed it in the sense that Orlando is still pretty new in terms of being a location for "corporate offices".

And it definitely is a big challenge that Orlando has, the already established presence of South Florida and Tampa, and the continued success of Jacksonville. When there's already enough action in other parts of the state (let alone the major business presence of Atlanta), it's hard for Orlando to have a large number of corporate offices.

When I first moved to Orlando and met with a recruiter, he said to me, "Don't move to Miami, it's dirty there." .... Ha, if I had been able to get a job in Orlando, I wouldn't have moved there.

I'm in Miami now and working a good-paying temp job that could last several months, but I don't particularly like it here (even though I do already have some friends here). I really liked the cleanliness and tranquility of Orlando. I love that downtown Orlando still has plenty to do, but is nowhere near as packed and expensive as downtown Miami. After living in Chicago most of my life, I like the quietness of Orlando, and I really don't like the noise and chaos of Miami.

Hopefully I can find a decent job in Orlando and be there long-term, but I'm not holding my breath.

[dlamp4]

Originally Posted by bdpop

The best answer to all this is to secure a job before you move here. That really can be applied to any move anywhere.

Unfortunately, though, many companies will not even consider your application unless you are local. It is a catch 22.

Now this is accurate.

[Guyanese]

I blame all this on Dwight Howard

[g0gat0rs]

Originally Posted by Guyanese

I blame all this on Dwight Howard

While Dwight Howard had a lot to do with the downfall of Orlando's economy, I wouldn't blame him entirely. Rich Devos is the real culprit behind the downfall of Orlando's economy.