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Old 06-10-2013, 12:58 AM
 
58 posts, read 77,737 times
Reputation: 24

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[I created threads similar to this on a few other cities pages, but I swear this is the last one]

Hello everyone,

I guess I will start by giving some quick background info. I am a young man who has lived in Michigan my entire life. I currently go to college and I will graduate next May. I will be 23 when I graduate and I will have a degree in Finance from a Big 10 school.

I want to leave Michigan. It was a good place to grow up as a kid, but it is not for me anymore. I want to move somewhere warm as i love the heat and hate the cold. The combination of darkness and cold weather for months at a time can put me in a bad mood. I have been to Texas a few times in the past as I have family down there (Dallas). I have nobody to support but myself, and I am not going to just stay in Michigan my whole life because it is the safe thing to do. I will be in the best position of my life to make a move out of Michigan. I can live on a budget for a while until I find work, and I can spend the rest of this year building my savings for when I do move. Living cheaply is not a big deal to me, and it will only be my family and a handful of good friends I will be leaving behind in Michigan.

Right now Houston is what interests me most, but I am also looking at NOLA, Charlotte, Tampa, and San Antonio. To be honest I really do not know much about San Antonio, and to an outsider it seems like a pretty mysterious city. But I wanted to give everyone an idea of what I am looking for, and also mention a few amenities that I really do not care about. So, based on the following is SA a good match for me in your opinion?

My needs
1) A good job market (My degree will be in finance with an emphasis on supply chain management, but I am most interested in real estate. Although I am not picky regarding working in a specific industry).
2) A favorable Cost of Living
3) A city that is at least partially catered towards young single people. Everyone talks about how amazing San Antonio is for families, but I don't hear many people talk about life for singles.

My wants/interests
1) I really like history and culture. I like to be able to walk and see history and actually feel like I am in a historic area. I am not talking about driving to a location to just look at one historic monument. I like to be more immersed than that. I hear SA has some vibe about it that is reminiscent of this.
2) A decent night life. It does not have to be amazing, since I cannot tell the difference either way. It is not like I am going to 50 bars in one night. But it has to be respectable.
3) An aesthetically pleasing city. I hear people rave about how beautiful San Antonio is. Is this true?

Things I don't care about
1) Having the best "High end" amenities. I don't care about having the best restaurants in the entire nation, or the best shopping malls or whatever. I like good restaurants and good shopping, but I am no millionaire so I can't afford the 5 star stuff.
2) Amenities oriented specifically towards families. I am single and not looking to settle down. I want to take risks and live in a city that feels like I am on the frontier or living in the new west.


I swear I try to keep my posts short, but it never ends up that way. Oh well, thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read my post and help me out.
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Old 06-10-2013, 06:45 AM
 
Location: San Antonio
584 posts, read 1,193,179 times
Reputation: 413
You may want to consider Austin and then visit San Antonio when you aren't working. I think you would find it more of the fit you are wanting. Just my opinion. I have been in SA nine years now and love it but I am 20 years older and when I was in my 20s I don't think SA would have been right for me ... but hey I was partying it up in DC and Georgetown then.
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Old 06-10-2013, 06:55 AM
 
Location: USA
4,437 posts, read 5,349,686 times
Reputation: 4127
I just turned 25 and I have been back in San Antonio for about 7 years. San Antonio is a city that you have to explore to find all the truely great areas of interest or
activities partake in. We are not like Austin with a majority of our night life in a single area but the city isn't really lacking either.


Is the city pretty? Most of San Antonio is pretty and kept up very nice but like any city it also have less than desirable areas. The prettiest areas would be the Broadway/281 corridor inside loop 410 and most of the areas between interstate 10 and US 281 from 410 north through the hill country.

Culture/History will not be a problem in San Antonio.
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Old 06-10-2013, 07:27 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX via San Antonio, TX
9,851 posts, read 13,701,644 times
Reputation: 5702
I would recommend finding the job first. Add San Antonio to the list of cities you are looking for work in. It could fit. While 1our job market is good, it's not one that you could walk in to and get a job within 24 hours.

Good luck!
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Old 06-10-2013, 07:27 AM
 
4,307 posts, read 9,557,307 times
Reputation: 1858
Apply for jobs in all the cities that interest you. If you have more than one offer, then consider the options. I don't recommend moving anywhere without a job first, unless you have a trust fund to support you.
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Old 06-10-2013, 07:57 AM
 
1,807 posts, read 2,970,576 times
Reputation: 1469
With a major like finance you're going to have way more job opportunities in Houston. I know people with finance degrees here working in call centers. They hope on moving up to a position that utilizes their degree someday.
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Old 06-10-2013, 12:32 PM
 
58 posts, read 77,737 times
Reputation: 24
I will try applying for jobs down south in a few cities, but I don't see why I would be looked at over people who actually live in said cities/states. In the event that I do not end up getting any offers, I will still end up moving. I will have a few thousand of savings and as I said I can do temporary work while I try to find a better job. I guess I am one of those stubborn young guys in their 20's, but I am going to end up moving out of state when I graduate no matter what.

If it came down to Texas (which it most likely will) I would prefer Houston or San Antonio. I do not think Austin sounds that interesting, and based on how people describe the culture and atmosphere, it does not appeal to me. I want to be around young people, but I don't want an area that feels like a college town.

Just how much better is the job market in Houston than San Antonio? That is obviously the most important thing, but based on what I have seen San Antonio seems to have so much more charm. Also, is the weather nicer in either of the two cities?
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Old 06-10-2013, 01:03 PM
 
Location: San Antonio. Tx 78209
2,649 posts, read 7,441,550 times
Reputation: 1769
I'm a homer obviously, but Houston has a more robust job market in the oil/ gas industry, but that's about it. San Antonio has more charm to me anyway. Houston outside of downtown and upper Kirby just seems to be a conglomeration of office building and strip malls.
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Old 06-10-2013, 01:06 PM
 
4,307 posts, read 9,557,307 times
Reputation: 1858
Quote:
Originally Posted by Manimarco View Post
I will try applying for jobs down south in a few cities, but I don't see why I would be looked at over people who actually live in said cities/states. In the event that I do not end up getting any offers, I will still end up moving. I will have a few thousand of savings and as I said I can do temporary work while I try to find a better job. I guess I am one of those stubborn young guys in their 20's, but I am going to end up moving out of state when I graduate no matter what.

If it came down to Texas (which it most likely will) I would prefer Houston or San Antonio. I do not think Austin sounds that interesting, and based on how people describe the culture and atmosphere, it does not appeal to me. I want to be around young people, but I don't want an area that feels like a college town.
I applaud your efforts to make a change. Definitely move! Travel the world. Go wherever opportunity takes you! I just can't imagine moving to a city with no job lined up, unless I was travelling and living on savings.

I don't see why they wouldn't hire you if you didn't live here. I'm not in the financial world, so maybe it's different, but when I was hiring staff, their current place of residence wasn't a big deal, provided they explained when they intended to move.

San Antonio has a lot to offer, but you'll hate it if you end up with no job....
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Old 06-10-2013, 07:08 PM
 
2,007 posts, read 2,905,586 times
Reputation: 3129
I like Houston and SA but live in Austin. I've lived in all 3. Austin is definitely not a sleepy college town anymore! It's really big now - not as big as the others but big. Houston has more to offer in terms of jobs, "young person life." It has its own culture with world class musuems, for one thing. SA has a totally diferent vibe, more culture but different, and has a good arts and young poeple scene. I think Austin is the prettiest - it has hills, a river/lake in the middle of town, etc. Lots of green spaces. Hosuton has more green than SA I think. Both cituies have lots of large criss-crossing ugly highways but you can avoid once you learn the back ways. If I was moving from Michigan, I'd choose Austin, Houston second. SA but only after I'd lived in other Texas cities for a while. I don't think you'll find much in terms of jobs and life in NOLA, although it is an awesome place to visit!
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