Saint Louis Sucks (only if you're Black.) (St. Louis, Florissant: house, employment)

[SimeonKane]

I grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri and moved to Florissant, Missouri when I was in high school. When I was younger, I thought Saint Louis was a nice place to live. They had a zoo, an art museum, and was self promoted as a great place to raise kids. I held this belief until graduating college. Upon graduation from Washington University in the 90's, I found it difficult to find employment in Missouri, more particularly Saint Louis. I picked up and moved to New York. I found it was not extremely difficult to find employment and gather experience that would make me more marketable in my degree profession.

After more than a decade in New York, I was compelled to come back to Saint Louis. My father was in failing health and I thought it best to be nearer to him. The good news - is that my father's health has improved, he is doing quite well, and he is progressing toward a complete recovery. The bad news - I am now unemployed college graduate because the city of Saint Louis, Missouri hasn't made any more progress toward racial, social, and economic equality than the Saint Louis, Missouri of the 1950's. You can imagine the shock of hearing from non-descript caucasians, who knew me in the 90's, that I should have never moved back to the South.

[BoomBoxing]

I'm glad your father is doing well. I will do you a favor and inform the dozens of black people I work with (over half my entire office) that they need to quit their well paying jobs and move to New York because an anonymous internet poster claims that this must be a racist place because he personally has had a hard time finding a job.

By the way, I hope your degree isn't in geography.

[Jeepin79]

Please don't too hastily blame your misfortune on your ethnicity unless you have been blatantly and obviously racially discriminated against. I am a Caucasian male in his young 30's who has a master's degree in mechanical engineering. I was an engineer at the Chrysler manufacturing plants in Fenton, MO (just southwest of St. Louis). I've been unemployed for over 2 years and it was certainly not through lack of effort on my part to find a new job. This economy SUCKS. The national numbers are hovering around 10% for the longest stretch of time in recorded history. That doesn't even include the people who are not on unemployment but are out of work as well. That number is estimated to be around 18%. Within the last month I finally got a job offer that I interviewed for almost 9 months ago, but its in Dayton, OH so I have to relocate and lose a ton of money on my house which is now worth 3/4 of what it was when I bought it.

I believe your interpretation of your misfortune is most likely misguided. Everyone who is out of work is struggling because there are very few open positions that are being hired for. Its miserable and its not because of anyone's skin color. Its because of much more complicated reasons than that. I'm sorry you are out of work. I spent 2 years in your shoes and I know how tough it is. Its morally depressing. You just have to keep your head up and keep plugging away. Best of luck to you.

[aragx6]

I'm sorry you are having a rough time now, but I think you mistakenly attribute it to your race. The economy is difficult in the area, but if you keep looking, push hard, and try to stay positive I am certain you will find something that pays the bills, even if it's not your dream job.

And seriously, St. Louis is not southern. You are not in the south.

[lifelongMOgal]

Nice that your father is doing better. Too bad you chose the "race card" for the basis of your first and only post to date in this forum. Likely your additude and chip on your shoulder is something potential employers find rather off-putting. Please, return to NY as Missouri needs neither race baiters nor folk who believe they are entitled to anything simply because of the amount of melanin expressed in their dermal layers.

[DinsdalePirahna]

To many people in the Northeast, Missouri is a backwater southern State.
Its a Perception vs. Reality thing.
And yes. I have noticed a lot of racial prejudice in the Area. But I also see a lot of the larger companies are very big on affirmative action, especially if you have a great (local) resume.

That being said, it is very difficult finding work in the local Saint Louis Area. The economy sure doesn't help. On your plus side you do have local credentials. On the negative side your experience is from out of state.

[goat314]

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but I feel like this poster is trolling.
The only post you put on city-data is "St. Louis sucks if you're Black".
This is a totally ridiculous statement that is almost not even worth replying.
First off I'm skeptical of the poster for a few reasons.

1. Who from St. Louis spells it like Saint Louis?
2. Who from St. Louis doesn't consider themselves Midwestern? Not Southern.
3. Why is St. Louis home to so many successful Black professionals if its a 1950s Jim Crow city?

Personally, I think you need to get over your self. St. Louis is a great town to live in and anybody with any sort of sense can make some real money here (regardless of race). Whatever happened to the saying "if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere?" What degree did you major in? Maybe New York was the only place you could make it it with your degree.

I just got my degree last year and I already have a job working for the city.....and guess what?
I'm Black! From St. Louis and my whole really Black family has done really well for themselves.

My Mother - RN at BJC for 25 years
My Father - Owned a small business for most of his life
My Grandfather - retired AFSCME union rep
My Grandmother - retired St. Louis City and University City (worked in the 50s and 60s) school teacher
My Other Grandmother - Work for City Hospital until she ran the whole place (literally), started working there as a nurse in the 1950s.
My Uncle - Architect at Arcturis before quitting to start his own small firm with his Black architect buddies
My Aunt - head of HR for St. Louis City Public Schools

And the list goes on.

Not only are there successful Black people in St. Louis that get jobs. There are also a crapload that own very successful business. Some of the largest businesses/organizations in St. Louis are ran by Black people, but you wouldn't know it complaining from a computer. Not to mention the St. Louis County executive is Black in a county that's 70% white (would that have happened in the 1950s anywhere? including New York!). I'm not trying to sugarcoat it and act like St. Louis doesn't have race problems, but I feel like they often are totally overblown. As if New York is a haven for racial tolerance. Dont let the big city lights fool you, there are racist everywhere.

[stlcitygirl]

^
Well done.

[STL88]

While talking about race let's not forget that not only whites have the ability to be racist.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by goat314

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but I feel like this poster is trolling.
The only post you put on city-data is "St. Louis sucks if you're Black".
This is a totally ridiculous statement that is almost not even worth replying.
First off I'm skeptical of the poster for a few reasons.

1. Who from St. Louis spells it like Saint Louis?
2. Who from St. Louis doesn't consider themselves Midwestern? Not Southern.
3. Why is St. Louis home to so many successful Black professionals if its a 1950s Jim Crow city?

Personally, I think you need to get over your self. St. Louis is a great town to live in and anybody with any sort of sense can make some real money here (regardless of race). Whatever happened to the saying "if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere?" What degree did you major in? Maybe New York was the only place you could make it it with your degree.

I just got my degree last year and I already have a job working for the city.....and guess what?
I'm Black! From St. Louis and my whole really Black family has done really well for themselves.

My Mother - RN at BJC for 25 years
My Father - Owned a small business for most of his life
My Grandfather - retired AFSCME union rep
My Grandmother - retired St. Louis City and University City (worked in the 50s and 60s) school teacher
My Other Grandmother - Work for City Hospital until she ran the whole place (literally), started working there as a nurse in the 1950s.
My Uncle - Architect at Arcturis before quitting to start his own small firm with his Black architect buddies
My Aunt - head of HR for St. Louis City Public Schools

And the list goes on.

Not only are there successful Black people in St. Louis that get jobs. There are also a crapload that own very successful business. Some of the largest businesses/organizations in St. Louis are ran by Black people, but you wouldn't know it complaining from a computer. Not to mention the St. Louis County executive is Black in a county that's 70% white (would that have happened in the 1950s anywhere? including New York!). I'm not trying to sugarcoat it and act like St. Louis doesn't have race problems, but I feel like they often are totally overblown. As if New York is a haven for racial tolerance. Dont let the big city lights fool you, there are racist everywhere.

Great post!
Also, I know of no alumni that refer to the school as Washington University.....everyone in STL, whether they went there or not, calls it Wash U.
ETA: Upon re-reading the post, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck....well, you know.......
And if the OP graduated from Wash U, I'm Lady Gaga.
Look at the syntax and sentence structure.