Can You Find Work In A Smaller City?
Posted on July 24, 2007 by Him and tagged employment
...oh right, we still have a blog. That we need to write stuff in. Yeah.
Anyway, one of the main reasons we haven't written is that we're both pretty busy with our jobs. While we both put in some long hours, if you speak to either one of us we'd happily tell you the there are many more pros than cons about our jobs. I firmly believe that by choosing to live in Chicago we exposed ourselves to the opportunity to work at the best places in the country, even the world.
I often wonder what our lives would have looked like had we stayed in small college-town USA. Our cost of living would definitely be lower, that's for sure. J.D. recently had a guest post about relocating to a small city, and followed up with small town personal finances. FMF is a huge advocate of moving to lower to a cheaper city to lower costs.
In that small college town we lived in, there was an abundance of culture, community, and social groups that fit our every need. The cost of living was cheap, the transportation was acceptable, and everyone was friendly. We often talk about maybe retiring there one day. The only problem with the town is that there aren't great jobs for us to pursue.
Her and I are both ambitious people when it comes to our jobs. We both love what we do, and are highly competitive in our respective fields. The jobs that we both hold now have opened many doors for our career in the future. These future opportunities could not have been realized in the town we were at.
Also, my job in particular is very specialized and tend to be near large urban environments. Thus, no matter how bad I would like to live in a smaller town, the opportunities to do what I'm doing now are virtually non-existent.
What about your job? Can you work just about anywhere, or are you somehow geographically limited?
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MVP | Jul 24, 2007
I'm somewhat limited. But I married a teacher, and I always thought they could go anywhere they wanted and get a job. To some extent, that's true, but it's not easy or simple. He's pretty tied to our state due to the years he's put in at public schools. Apparently, if we move to another state, he'll lose a bundle of retirement money the state's built up over the years, and he'll start at the bottom of the pay scale.
I'm a teacher also, and I found it impossible to find a job in a rural area of a large state. The schools didn't want to hire a NYC educated teacher, when there was a local teacher's college in the small town. They'd rather have fresh young teachers than someone who may have a different idea of how to teach. So we moved back to the city for work.
I'm quite limited. As long as I stay in publishing, I don't have many choices outside New York and maybe Boston, and small towns are not an option.
MVP | Jul 25, 2007
Jaime, not to mention, the small town schools probably would rather hire the recent grads because they don't cost as much as you (you're more experienced, higher on the pay scale and less malleable in your teaching views ;). Unfortunately, that's true in many companies and professions these days.
I'm tied by my career to living/working in either one of the major urban areas of the UK, or a particular region on the outskirts of London (expensive, without the benefits of London life). I could live in a small town (commuting distances are intrinsically smaller here) but not in a really rural area.
Ariella | Jul 25, 2007
I'm a lawyer, and in theory I could practice anywhere I'm licensed. Reality, however, is a tad different. I moved from an $85k/year job in NJ to a $47k/year job in Madison, WI. The benefits are great, and Madison is very nice, but unless you went to the local law school or you know someone, the bigger firms are basically closed to you. I detest the snobby attitude of UW grads, especially the lawyers.
We moved here for my husband's work, though, and he seems to be doing well. It is disappointing to move to a smaller community, at least in the legal profession, because it is such a tight market.
Hazygrey | Jul 25, 2007
I'm a lawyer in NYC. I could prettily easily move to another major city. It would be a little harder to move to a small town since the work I do would not exist out of major cities, but presumably I could find another legal job as long as I start again at the entry level. Funnily enough, my co workers and I were just talking about moving to Chicago for the low cost of living... I guess everything is relative.
I recently moved from Houston to a small town. I worked in a law firm in downtown Houston. Great job, great benefits, long hours, high stress. Here...the jobs are not as easy to come by. I am in a field that is related to legal, but is not a law firm. I make way less than I would have ever imagined accepting in Houston, the company offers no benefits, but I leave at 4:59 PM, home by 5:07 PM and have little to no stress.
I guess it depends on what you desire from a job, but man...I miss Houston! Big city is more my style than small town. Despite the longer hours and higher stress.
Bunbino | Jul 26, 2007
I'm a mechanical engineer in a small town in the Midwest. My job is manufacturing related and it seems like factories are often located in small towns. The pay is respectable, especially considering the low cost of living in the area and I feel like I have a lot of opportunities within my present company.
Livingalmostlarge | Jul 28, 2007
To use a job is a job and life is outside the job. So we're not stuck, we'd figure something out no matter what. I think we could move to a small town, but would we want to? I think so if it was the right opportunity.
I am a technical writer, so I could work anywhere, either on-site or off-site. I'm actually just in the middle of my own "do I move to another city?" quandary right now, as I was downsized from a job I wasn't that excited about, so I'm thinking I should take the opportunity to explore other options & other cities.
NP | Jul 31, 2007
Ariella, we share the town with you. I don't know about the legal field, but I think there are quite a few of good and well-paid jobs around, and I never had a problem not being from UW. It is true in our case we could move anywhere - accountant/CPA and IT developer, and maybe some day we will move, for now it quite comfortable for us in a college town. We bought our townhouse for much less than it could cost in other places. Schools are really good, low crime, plenty of outdoor/entertainment options. Frankly, even though I am curious about living in big city, I think I would dread long commutes and generally higher stress level. Income level could be a bit higher (not that much though), but so would the expenses.
Interesting point. It really depends on your profession and your family. For young professionals the city often offers higher wages and more opportunities - but with it high living costs. For families it can be a cheaper and more healthier lifestyle away from the the large cities.
IVA,
Just curious: can you explain how a more healthier lifestyle can be achieved away from the large cities?
As someone who has lived in large cities and smaller communities, I have personally found the lifestyle is healthier.
To start with, the massive reduction in 'convenient' stores, late night fast food outlets and 24hr supermarkets made me eat more healthy, home prepared food (benefiting my health and my bank balance!)
Living in London I am constantly off and on public transport which is easily accessible .. If you don't have a car in suburban and regional areas you have to learn how to walk to the bus. (not to mention public transport is usually cheaper!)
Living in areas with more space encourages me to explore that space > hence more exercise all round. (and save money on gym membership!)
When I live in large cities, I also notice the affect the pollution and so forth has a negative affect on my skin.
...
Hows that :)
Allum | Aug 9, 2007
This i completely understand. I currently live in Jacksonville, FL and the job market is decent. I'm in accounting (not an accountant) and my pay is moderate. I'm satisified w/the amount of money i make. however, i'll be getting married soon and moving to Ocala because of my FH job (he's military so we have no choice) and the job market is not built for finance industry.
The only way I'll make what I'm making now is if I go back to school and become a Tractor mechanic or something along those lines.
Our problem is that we're both in the same field. While we could find work in a college town, we couldn't find two jobs at different institutions. Also, my spouse grew up in a college town and hated the transience. Every five or six years, your entire community either graduates or doesn't get tenure and move away. I grew up in the burbs and wouldn't go back.
So, college towns are out. Burbs are out. No jobs for us in small towns. So we stay in the big city.
I miss easy access to nature, but I love the variety of people.
moominoid | Jul 24, 2007
The big downside of academia is that most people can't choose at all where they live. In the US a lot of the jobs are in small towns but you can't choose the state etc. Anyway, I've had enough of that and so am quitting and following my partner back to Australia where she got a job.
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