Relocating? This isThe Thread for YOU!

[RedefinedDiva]

OK, as of today, I have 363 days left before I graduate from law school. YAHHH ME!! During my so-called summer vacation and the upcoming fall semester, I am hoping to land permanent employment. The thing is that I don't want to stay in the (great) state of Louisiana. I am ready to branch out and explore other parts of the US. I've even considered moving abroad, but I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to do that, considering the state of international affairs these days.

So, here's where my wonderful GC family comes in. I'm looking for some recommendations as to where I should consider moving. I am open to just about any place, but I would like to live somewhere that would afford me a good blend of cultural experiences, ability to mingle with a collection of young, professional, upwardly mobile African-Americans, low to moderate crime (I know that no place is perfect, but I can't live in the murder capital either), affordable housing, and an all-around good quality of life.

So, if you live somewhere, have lived somewhere, or just know a lot about a particular place and can offer me some advice, hook me up! It would be GREATLY appreciated!

[Wonderful1908]

Houston!!!! When I finished school also in the (great)state of Louisiana I was ready to get! My husband and I considered Dallas, Houston and Atlanta and Charlotte just a little.

I love Houston, at first I hated it....it was wide and I didn't have friends or family but now so many people have moved here and the cost of living is great. Its city but still country, large, diverse and you can do anything you want, in the 5 years we have lived here we have had a SuperBowl, World Series, Baseball and basketball All Start game, etc. Its a great place for young educated African Americans, and there are plenty of suburbs that are within 5 minutes of Houston!

[AKA2D '91]

Don't sleep on your opportunities abroad. I have 2 LSs working abroad as civilians. They love it and they have not had any problems with security risks. One is in Dubai.



My cousin graduated from SULC in '05. He got a job with the Fed Gov't in Dallas. He left that and moved back home, when he passed the bar. If you don't want to move abroad, something with the Federal Government is an option. You can get placed anywhere. As with any profession, your possibilities are endless.

You can always do like Eddie in Coming to America...spin the globe and pick a place. LOL

ETA: You have to make the decision. You know what you prefer or do not prefer. Are you comfortable with the south? Would you like the hustle and bustle of a large city like New York or LA? Would you like the coldness of the north? Do you want to move far, far away from your family? You have to answer simple questions like that. Only you can do that, and only you will know that. Whatever you decide, you will be fine.

[SummerChild]

To piggyback on what Soror AKA2d'91 said, one of my LSs worked abroad in France, which might be very amenable to your law degree from a Louisiana school. Don't they teach the civil law of France as opposed to the law that is typically taught in other U.S. lawschools that comes out of England?

Might be an interesting time,
SC

Originally Posted by AKA2D '91

Don't sleep on your opportunities abroad. I have 2 LSs working abroad as civilians. They love it and they have not had any problems with security risks. One is in Dubai.



My cousin graduated from SULC in '05. He got a job with the Fed Gov't in Dallas. He left that and moved back home, when he passed the bar. If you don't want to move abroad, something with the Federal Government is an option. You can get placed anywhere. As with any profession, your possibilities are endless.

You can always do like Eddie in Coming to America...spin the globe and pick a place. LOL

ETA: You have to make the decision. You know what you prefer or do not prefer. Are you comfortable with the south? Would you like the hustle and bustle of a large city like New York or LA? Would you like the coldness of the north? Do you want to move far, far away from your family? You have to answer simple questions like that. Only you can do that, and only you will know that. Whatever you decide, you will be fine.

[RitaMae1908]

Darn Soror Wonderful you beat me to it... but to reiterate Houston is a great place to live and prosper in your career, any career. There are so many young Black intellectuals and professionals in Houston and the surrounding areas. There are 5 major Universities in the city of Houston (Rice University, Texas Southern University, University of Houston, Houston Baptist University, University of St. Thomas) if you want to further your education. Houston is also melting pot having residents from probably every corner of the world. The night life is great if you're into that. There are numerous festivals and events that occur every year (Houston Livestock and Rodeo, Jazz Festival, International Festival, Cajun Fest, and many more) so there's always something to do. Come on to the Bayou City Soror RD!!! The traffic is everything that you've heard... but you get use to it. Once you learn I-45/ I-610/ I-59 and Beltway 8... driving is a breeze. And I love my Brothas from the The-H.. but you gotta watch them, sometimes they think they're prettier that you are.

Originally Posted by Wonderful1908

Houston!!!! When I finished school also in the (great)state of Louisiana I was ready to get! My husband and I considered Dallas, Houston and Atlanta and Charlotte just a little.

I love Houston, at first I hated it....it was wide and I didn't have friends or family but now so many people have moved here and the cost of living is great. Its city but still country, large, diverse and you can do anything you want, in the 5 years we have lived here we have had a SuperBowl, World Series, Baseball and basketball All Start game, etc. Its a great place for young educated African Americans, and there are plenty of suburbs that are within 5 minutes of Houston!

[risingstar]

Originally Posted by RitaMae1908

Darn Soror Wonderful you beat me to it... but to reiterate Houston is a great place to live and prosper in your career, any career. There are so many young Black intellectuals and professionals in Houston and the surrounding areas. There are 5 major Universities in the city of Houston (Rice University, Texas Southern University, University of Houston, Houston Baptist University, University of St. Thomas) if you want to further your education. Houston is also melting pot having residents from probably every corner of the world. The night life is great if you're into that. There are numerous festivals and events that occur every year (Houston Livestock and Rodeo, Jazz Festival, International Festival, Cajun Fest, and many more) so there's always something to do. Come on to the Bayou City Soror RD!!! The traffic is everything that you've heard... but you get use to it. Once you learn I-45/ I-610/ I-59 and Beltway 8... driving is a breeze. And I love my Brothas from the The-H.. but you gotta watch them, sometimes they think they're prettier that you are.

Hi! I want to second this! (or should I say third!)

Congratulations on everything!

[MeezDiscreet]

[hijack]I didn't know there were so many Houston people here! I knew Wonderful1908 but I didn't know so many others![/hijack]

[OneTimeSBX]

i went to Charlotte and fell in love...now i will be relocating there next summer. the housing market is ridiculous. one of my friends had a house built, 2200 sq. feet, for under 180k. it is also very diverse, coming from the south (i live in Richmond now) i know how important it is to be around more people of your education level, etc. Charlotte also has pro teams, which means lots of parties, lots of places. i dont plan to return to VA once we get down there...

also if you dont want to deal with as many people or travel time, Savannah GA is absolutely gorgeous! that same southern feel without all the people. i want to retire there one day!

congrats!

[RitaMae1908]

Originally Posted by MeezDiscreet

[hijack]I didn't know there were so many Houston people here! I knew Wonderful1908 but I didn't know so many others![/hijack]

Yeah we come out the wood works when necessary... If we can rep our city, we can, and we will!

[teena]

Originally Posted by Wonderful1908

Houston!!!! When I finished school also in the (great)state of Louisiana I was ready to get! My husband and I considered Dallas, Houston and Atlanta and Charlotte just a little.

I love Houston, at first I hated it....it was wide and I didn't have friends or family but now so many people have moved here and the cost of living is great. Its city but still country, large, diverse and you can do anything you want, in the 5 years we have lived here we have had a SuperBowl, World Series, Baseball and basketball All Start game, etc. Its a great place for young educated African Americans, and there are plenty of suburbs that are within 5 minutes of Houston!

OK. This is where I am trying to go. But I am having the hardest time. Some prospective employers have flat out told me that my out of state address is a deterant. I refuse to move without a job lined up. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[SummerChild]

Teena,
This happens in law too. Employers always want to find out whether you will be around for awhile and think that if you are from out of state that may not occur.
I recommend identifying an important connection to the place where you want to go. Employers respect this and believe that it will keep you in an area. For example, do you have family there? Other ties? You would want to point this out early on in your cover letter noting all of your qualifications - yes, it's that important to employers. I recommend explaining the tie that you have in the cover letter and reiterating somehow during the interview. It costs employers alot of money to train someone that leaves so they want some assurance that you're likely to stay in the area. For some reason, it's almost as if they see themselves as interchangeable with other companies so it's not enough to just say that you really want to work for their company. YOu have to have more...geographically so think about it. I'm sure that you have some tie to the place where you want to move.

SC

Originally Posted by teena

OK. This is where I am trying to go. But I am having the hardest time. Some prospective employers have flat out told me that my out of state address is a deterant. I refuse to move without a job lined up. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[teena]

Originally Posted by SummerChild

Teena,
This happens in law too. Employers always want to find out whether you will be around for awhile and think that if you are from out of state that may not occur.
I recommend identifying an important connection to the place where you want to go. Employers respect this and believe that it will keep you in an area. For example, do you have family there? Other ties? You would want to point this out early on in your cover letter noting all of your qualifications - yes, it's that important to employers. I recommend explaining the tie that you have in the cover letter and reiterating somehow during the interview. It costs employers alot of money to train someone that leaves so they want some assurance that you're likely to stay in the area. For some reason, it's almost as if they see themselves as interchangeable with other companies so it's not enough to just say that you really want to work for their company. YOu have to have more...geographically so think about it. I'm sure that you have some tie to the place where you want to move.

SC

Good Stuff!!! I will make some changes.

[SummerChild]

Teena,
Good luck!
SC

Originally Posted by teena

Good Stuff!!! I will make some changes.

[Still BLUTANG]

You can check out Black Enterprise latest list of Best Cities for African Americans

Although the DC metro area somehow got #1, I would recommend without reservation Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte (you'd probably make better money there than Raleigh). I also have a good friend who moved to Nashville and LOVES it.

Good luck and enjoy your lil bit of break this summer

[BlessedOne04]

I recently moved from Columbus, OH. I thought that is was a great place to live especially for young professionals. It made someone's list of best cities for African American young professionals. I found the shopping and cultural experiences to be top notch. Good luck!