Should I relo to Pittsburgh?? (low income, job market, construction)

[gateway141]

I lived in Atlanta for the last three years, but I recently moved south to my small hometown for personal reasons. I'm ready to move on, and I'm pretty much open to any location. There are no--and I mean NO--jobs in Atl, so I'm not sure about moving back there. My experience is in writing and editing, and I'd like to break into tech. writing.

What's the job market like? How about housing and cost of living? Overall city vibe? I visited once years ago and was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the city was.

[WINDCHIMES]

I would secure a job before moving anywhere first, esp here...its a tight market unless you don't mind living on a low income and can live very cheaply, I have heard however that people here fight over full time jobs at target, panera ans etc...I certainly hope that is not the case, but it may very well be...good luck.

[pman]

Its usually very hard to secure a job before moving somewhere...sort of a catch 22. Atl is projected to recover a few years after pa. Remember, job market is tight most everywhere but some are less bad than others.

[ForYourLungsOnly]

very dependent on field. if you were, say, a teacher, I'd tell you to not even get anywhere near pittsburgh. I'm not sure about your field though.

[BrianTH]

Before getting to the employment situation:

COL is relatively low in Pittsburgh for a larger metro, and on a reasonable budget you can usually find housing in a well-located area (depending on your needs for location). Housing tends to be on the older/historic side, and the nicer newer places tend to be priced at a premium. The area is very eclectic in terms of vibe--there are older blue collar areas (some with artists/hipsters arriving), newer and older suburbs, college-town areas, old money areas . . . really you can pick your lifestyle. People are a little reserved at first but generally friendly once you get to know them. For a larger metro, most people don't have much of a "rat race" mentality.

On jobs:

It is better here than many places, but the data suggests we are getting enough job-seeking migrants to keep unemployment rates somewhat elevated (but still well below national and state averages). You should try to check out your prospects in advance (ideally you would get a job in advance, but that isn't always possible). It helps if you wouldn't mind taking an entry-level service job or temping when you first get here.

[Blackbeauty212]

While Pittsburgh has significantly lower unemployment and higher job growth than a lot of places in the US...hence coming out of the recession a faster than many places

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_770219.html

In this era of Mobility....NO One City is going to be a One Stop Shop for All Skilled Labor Careers...Cities are now centers for up to 5 specialized industries MAX..

Pittsburgh is strong for

IT
Higher Education
Medical/Bio Med
Finance
Construction

[BrianTH]

Energy, Professional Services, Corporate HQs . . . I think de facto regional capitals can have robust employment opportunities in a wider range of fields.

[gateway141]

Thanks for the advice. I'm working in customer service now. This is my first time working in a call center. It helps with the bills, but definitely isn't where I'd like to stay. But the job market is so tight, I'm happy I found something period.

I don't know how long it'll take me to find a job wherever I decide to relocate, and I'm hoping to stay here max another five or six months. So I'm fine with temping or entry-level work, if necessary.