Want to move, but need a job (Pittsburgh, Dallas: good hotels, house)

[brandrei1]

This is my first post, so be gentle....LOL.

I currently live in Las Vegas, and want to move to Pitts. area because of the price of housing and climate. But, my house is still worth what I paid for 2 years ago. I hope to sell it by next summer and live in anpt., until i can find a job in Pitt.

I work 2 jobs, both in the casino/hotel industry. One as banquet porter and the other a Race/sportbook writer (mutual clerk at horse racetracks). the problem is I get paid to good $13.85 an hour as a banquet porter and $8.60 an hour in the racebook plus tips. I do not think that I could find a job that pays that high for those jobs in the Pitt. area.

My question is, does anyone know what the pay at "the Meadows" race track is? I tried their website but not hiring, but sometimes they do not list anything, so I thought maybe somebody locally knows. Also, any good hotels that have a conference center that is reputable. I work for a high class hotel in las Vegas so I have the experience as a banquet porter, plus I have the experience also a catering cordinator, but it has been a while.

I was hoping for some local "feel" and see what you guys might now.

Thanks in advance for the asssistance.

[NowACityGirl]

If I were you I'd check out the Gateway Clipper, I heard that their banquet servers make wonderful tip money. Plus you could check out WV casinos and such, they aren't that big of a drive from Pittsburgh and once the casinos open in Pittsburgh you could get a job there. Also, if you wanted you could check out various high class hotels in Pittsburgh and maybe work as a server/bartender there. They probably make really good money there, esp. around the airport.

[kpoeppel]

Brandrai1,

There are countless numbers of people in your position: they want to move to Pittsburgh, but they can't find a decent job there. Pittsburgh ranks high in livability and quality of life, but very low in job growth. There has been almost NO growth in private sector employment since 2000. The only significant growth has been in government-funded sectors like health care and education, which saw significant growth.

The latest government-funded project is the new Casino, which is supposed to make up for the lack of economic growth in the region. If you currently work in Vegas, you might try applying at the casino when it is complete (not sure when, might be on the order of months or at least a year). Unfortunately, competition for jobs here is stiff, due to the lack of economic growth. There is also a strong tendency toward nepotism and having the "right connections" to get a job in Pittsburgh.

There is a reason housing is so affordable here. People are moving OUT of the region to find much better opportunities in the Sunbelt (e.g. places like Las Vegas). You might want to consider staying in Las Vegas.

If you don't like heat, I'm afraid you might be out luck. The high-growth areas are almost exclusively in the Sun Belt: Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Charlotte, Florida, etc.

[Katarina Witt]

I would definitely have something lined up before selling the house in Vegas and moving to Pittsburgh.

[leeving]

I'd look into other options before choosing Pittsburgh, solely because of the job issue. It's really bad here across the board. Minimum wage jobs are even tough to land. There's also a lot of professionals who make less than 1/2 what they could make somewhere else, but they're locals and they consider it a sacrifice so that they can live here and be close to family.

[cruise40]

What about mechanic jobs. I am in the same boat. I left Pa in 87 for lack of work but now am a quite qualified mechanic.

[kpoeppel]

cruise40,

The economy hasn't gotten any better since '87, I'm afraid. There are no more private sector jobs in the Pittsburgh metro today than there were in 2000.

I still consider the region "home", and most of my family still lives there. I'd never say bad things about the region without good reason. I still think the area has many stregths and good things about it, but unfortunately the economy isn't one of them. Sadly some of my family has had to move away to find work. I can't help but be angry at the politicians (state and local) who keep pandering to the same special interests instead of enacting the big changes necessary to improve the business climate here.

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by kpoeppel

Brandrai1,

There are countless numbers of people in your position: they want to move to Pittsburgh, but they can't find a decent job there. Pittsburgh ranks high in livability and quality of life, but very low in job growth. There has been almost NO growth in private sector employment since 2000. The only significant growth has been in government-funded sectors like health care and education, which saw significant growth.

The latest government-funded project is the new Casino, which is supposed to make up for the lack of economic growth in the region. If you currently work in Vegas, you might try applying at the casino when it is complete (not sure when, might be on the order of months or at least a year). Unfortunately, competition for jobs here is stiff, due to the lack of economic growth. There is also a strong tendency toward nepotism and having the "right connections" to get a job in Pittsburgh.

There is a reason housing is so affordable here. People are moving OUT of the region to find much better opportunities in the Sunbelt (e.g. places like Las Vegas). You might want to consider staying in Las Vegas.

If you don't like heat, I'm afraid you might be out luck. The high-growth areas are almost exclusively in the Sun Belt: Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Charlotte, Florida, etc.

This is not true. The Pittsburgh region has one of the lowest out-migration rates in the country. Not that many people are moving out at all. Problem is, no one is really moving in either...and a lot of older folks are dying (the real culprit of population loss).

[kpoeppel]

danwxman,

I hope you're right about the low outmigration rate. That's good news. Nonetheless, our job growth rate is well below the national average, sad to say. My main point was that the original poster would probably have a tough time finding work unless they are in medicine or higher education. Population loss...whether from outmigration or death rates, really hurts population-dependent sectors like housing, retail, and entertainment/leisure. The original poster works in gambling/lodging, so finding work in that sector could be tough for him/her.

[smokecitytdi]

" Want to move, but need a job"


Quote:
"I currently live in Las Vegas, and want to move to Pitts. area because of the price of housing and climate. But, my house is still worth what I paid for 2 years ago. I hope to sell it by next summer and live in anpt., until i can find a job in Pitt."


I bought my house in Pittsburgh 13 years ago for 80k, yes I know it's cheap. But I've put 26K (a/c, windows, new furnace, plumbing, nothing fancy) into the money pit and it's worth 100k now, maybe??? Don't complain about your house not being worth more in two years. I've lost thousands of dollars by not staying in a growing economy. (Moved from DC area back to PGH to care for my parents) All of our friends (in other cities) have 1-500,000+ equity because of the housing market, even with the current decline. Stay in LV, the market will return in time and you will be better off in the long run.

As for jobs, I have an MBA and with the last promotion I make 52k after 12 years. The one other problem in Pittsburgh, with so many applicants you can't ask for a raise. I have approx. 200-500 people/yr. applying for my job! How can I ask for a raise? When I returned from the DC area in 1993 the new Pittsburgh area Kmart had 1500 applicants, they were standing outside like it was the depression era. I hope the outlook is better now.

Your moving for the climate???? Look up Pittsburgh weather, we have 54 days of full sun each year. Yes, that ties us with Seattle.