Q. I don’t want to go back to my hometown after graduation, and I am sure I want to move to a bigger city. I hear good and bad things about most cities, but more pros than cons about Chicago. Since you’re a Chicago booster, tell me if there are other cities that compare. -TH
A. I won’t deny it. Chicago is the best city to start your career. For years, Chicago was viewed as the Capital of the Midwest as it lured graduates from the surrounding states. It is now drawing increasing numbers of job seekers from throughout the U.S. and abroad. Although suffering the same job market slow down as the rest of the world, Chicago remains a magnet for talent and the downturn has not hit as hard here as it has in other cities.
A Twitter friend called my attention to Gradspot, an information-packed website that validated my pro-Chicago point of view. Gradspot provides a wide variety of interesting information about making a post-graduation move, and how to survive it. Here’s Gradspot’s listing of the top 10 cities for recent graduates:
All great cities. All I can say is, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Wherever you go don’t give up. I still see demand for all types of professionals and jobs posted on specific employment sites –
http://www.linkedin.com (networking)
http://www.indeed.com (aggregated listings)
http://www.realmatch.com (matches you to jobs)
I see 100K, 150K and 200K jobs. Things are changing, don’t be afraid to participate.
Great information! I’m going for city #3 in May — we’ll see how it works out.
Here’s an interesting site to help you find a job if you use Twitter:
http://mashable.com/2009/03/13/twitter-jobs/
Good luck to all looking in this economy!