Moving After Graduation?

Zek

So I'm graduating this May with a B.S. in Computer Science. I go to school right on the outskirts of NYC, but I'm not a big fan of the city life and am really dead set on not working there. I've been applying for jobs since last semester, but probably 50% of the job openings in the area are in Manhattan which means I'm passing them up, thus limiting my options a lot. I'm starting to weigh my options in the event that I don't find something local before I graduate. I don't mind moving a long distance but it's hard traveling for interviews while I still have classes, and not a lot of places will pay for airfare.

Anybody have any pointers for handling this? I've even thought about moving out to the west coast right after graduation to search there if necessary, but I'm iffy on the risks of moving without a job.

VeritasVR

Zek wrote: »

So I'm graduating this May with a B.S. in Computer Science. I go to school right on the outskirts of NYC, but I'm not a big fan of the city life and am really dead set on not working there. I've been applying for jobs since last semester, but probably 50% of the job openings in the area are in Manhattan which means I'm passing them up, thus limiting my options a lot. I'm starting to weigh my options in the event that I don't find something local before I graduate. I don't mind moving a long distance but it's hard traveling for interviews while I still have classes, and not a lot of places will pay for airfare.

Anybody have any pointers for handling this? I've even thought about moving out to the west coast right after graduation to search there if necessary, but I'm iffy on the risks of moving without a job.

Point this out to employers. They will pay for your travel. If they don't, well, it's their loss. I had several job interviews in other states that paid for everything even though it cost them a grand or more.

By the way, I would not recommend moving into a non-city area. It's a huge culture shock, and not the good kind.

Endomatic

It's a huge culture shock, and not the good kind.

This is advice to consider.

I moved from a metropolitan area (Vancouver) to a rural area south of Calgary, Alberta and it's been the most depressing period of my life.

Knowing no one, having tremendously less to do for leisure, being unable to travel anywhere without a car... all those things add up.

A sudden change like that can affect you for a very long time, even if it's not evident right away.
It's not something I think about everyday you know, but it's there.

I want to go back to Vancouver so badly, and I don't really care what it takes.

So make sure you think about the environment around your potential new area and how it might affect you.
You will likely have to make some compromises.

Zek

I grew up in the suburbs in PA, and I really wasn't talking about moving into the country, just anywhere less hectic than NYC. I went out to Seattle for a Microsoft interview not long ago and that wasn't bad.

Thanatos

You're a comp sci major. 99% of the jobs you find are going to be in cities.

You may want to start with going to smaller cities, rather than avoiding city life entirely. NYC is basically the most urban area in the U.S.; there are cities in other places which aren't anywhere near as "city" as NYC.

Edit: Yeah, Seattle is a great option. If you like suburbs, Portland is a better one.

VeritasVR

Endomatic wrote: »

It's a huge culture shock, and not the good kind.

This is advice to consider.

I moved from a metropolitan area (Vancouver) to a rural area south of Calgary, Alberta and it's been the most depressing period of my life.

Knowing no one, having tremendously less to do for leisure, being unable to travel anywhere without a car... all those things add up.

A sudden change like that can affect you for a very long time, even if it's not evident right away.
It's not something I think about everyday you know, but it's there.

I know what you mean; I'm in that situation right now. After considering everything I decided trying to join the Air Force. Well, *try* is the operative word. (We'll see how that goes.) One of the perks to that is getting the fuck out of here. Not to say my decision is due to my location, but it didn't help.

Zek

By the way, if I were to fly out elsewhere to interview, how likely am I to be able to schedule multiple interviews for within a couple days of eachother? Should I maybe schedule the first interview I get as far out as possible to maximize the amount of time to get more interviews scheduled for that period? Supposing only one of them was willing to fly me there and back, would they generally be willing to schedule the flights early/late enough to leave me a couple extra days(even if they're not paid for)?

supabeast

Look into Maryland/Northern Virginia. Lotsa suburbs, lotsa tech jobs.