Tips for Choosing a City for Your Career

𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦? 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 > 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔.𝐒. 🇺🇸 When choosing a university in the U.S., it’s easy to get caught up in rankings. But after living in 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐒𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡 in just 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, I’ve realized that 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡—𝐢𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞—𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠📈. Your surroundings shape 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 come your way. Being in the right place at the right time can open doors that rankings alone never will. I feel grateful to have experienced these 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 firsthand, and I hope to guide those making this big decision. Each city offers something unique, for example: 📍 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 – A global hub for 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 📍 𝐒𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨 – The heart of 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 📍 𝐑𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡 – A growing center for 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 If you're deciding between universities, ask yourself: ✅ 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬? ✅ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨? ✅ 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬? If you’re unsure about your industry or role, 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬—one that allows you to 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐮𝐩𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐭 as needed. The job market demands adaptability, and where you position yourself matters. 💡 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐩: Connect with alums 2–3 years into the industry—they have the hindsight to help you make a well-informed decision. #MastersDegree #HigherEducation #CareerGrowth #InternationalStudents #Networking #JobMarket #StudyAbroad #USUniversities #GradSchool #LocationMatters #CareerAdvice

Should I relocate for a job? I'm hearing of candidates weighing this major decision. There often is no right or wrong answer, as it varies on each individual situation; but there are several “blanket” things worth considering that I’d like to talk about today. First- in terms of the new job you’re considering- affordability is a big factor. Will the salary and benefits of the new position justify the move? Even if the salary is more than your current position, cost of living is absolutely something that should be researched. For example- If you’re thinking of locating from somewhere like Cleveland to NYC, are you ready to re-adjust your budget and some of your spending habits? You should also look into the costs associated with moving itself. Hauling all of your belongings cross-country isn’t cheap, no matter how you slice it, but could end up being worth it in the long run if the new position will lead to additional opportunities where your salary will increase.  Another career factor to consider is the job market where you’re relocating, and whether or not there will be opportunities in your industry. Moving from somewhere rural to a city will most often allow for greater opportunities career-wise and for networking. If your new position doesn’t work out- and you’ve planted roots in your new home- will you be able to easily bounce to a different position, or will you end up having to move again? And will the specific position allow for career growth? As most of you probably know by now, I relocated from the northeast to Pittsburgh in 20201. The differences between where you are and where you’re going- and whether or not you’d appreciate them. If you love the heat and sun, you’d probably benefit from moving from Maine to Arizona. But if your favorite part of the whole year is ski season, that major difference could likely end up affecting your opinion of your new state.  In addition, considering a support network is important. In some instances, people move closer to family or friends where they’ll have a network of connections. But moving on your own- if you aren’t ready to put yourself out there- could be tough.  Are you willing and able to handle an abundance of change at once? Adjusting to both a new job and a new location is extremely stressful, and it's worth having an honest conversation with yourself- and your friends, family, and even therapist- to see if you’re in a place to cope with all these changes at once. Finally- trust your instincts. Intuition is valuable. When you think of the new job and new city, are you more excited, or feel sick to your stomach? While instincts aren’t 100%- and it’s normal to be scared before making a big change- taking some time to sit with these feelings is never a bad thing. I’m always happy to chat more with folks about my experience relocating. Have you ever made a big move in your life- for a job or otherwise? What do you recommend?

𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲. Too often, job seekers focus solely on the position they want without considering location first. But where you live directly impacts your job market opportunities, cost of living, and overall lifestyle. ✅ 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: ✔️ You want to live in Austin, TX → You research growing industries there (tech, healthcare) → You tailor your job search to match demand. ✔️ You plan to move to a rural area → You prioritize remote-friendly roles or industries with local opportunities (education, healthcare, logistics). ❌ 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸: ❌ You apply for jobs nationwide with no location strategy → You get an offer in a high-cost city but can’t afford to relocate. ❌ You pick a job first without considering location → You land a role in a declining industry in that area, limiting long-term stability. 💡 𝗜𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽? The same applies to your partner! It’s important to find a location that supports both of your career paths. A thriving job market for one but not the other can create challenges in the long run. 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟭𝟬 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁-𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨.𝗦. (𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰-𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱): 1️⃣ Fort Myers, FL 2️⃣ Killeen, TX 3️⃣ Port St. Lucie, FL 4️⃣ Daytona Beach, FL 5️⃣ Tallahassee, FL 6️⃣ Ocala, FL 7️⃣ Baton Rouge, LA 8️⃣ Lakeland, FL 9️⃣ Orlando, FL 🔟 Melbourne, FL For more details, check out the full list here: realestate.usnews.com Largest Employer By State: https://lnkd.in/eSUVBxPi Graphic: Robert Half Start with finding your where, then let the job market guide what’s possible. #JobSearch #CareerAdvice #JobMarket #LocationMatters #CareerGrowth

Here's what 46% of U.S. workers already know: sometimes the best career move is changing your zip code.   But LinkedIn's "Cities on the Rise" report reveals that the smartest moves aren't necessarily to the biggest cities. The data shows 25 mid-size metros where hiring growth and talent migration are creating tomorrow's economic powerhouses—and the opportunities for young professionals are compelling.   The Talent Migration Story: These cities aren't just growing; they're attracting skilled workers at unprecedented rates. The inflow-outflow ratios show more professionals moving in than out, creating vibrant professional communities in places like:   • Wilmington, NC: Coastal growth with GE investing millions in local facilities • Hartford, CT: Financial services hub with companies like Travelers leading expansion • Colorado Springs: Aerospace and defense emerging as a tech talent magnet • Richmond, VA: Healthtech sector growth with global companies choosing Virginia's capital   The Strategic Advantage: Early-career professionals entering these markets aren't just finding jobs—they're positioning themselves within growing ecosystems. When Oracle brings 8,500 jobs to Nashville or Micron Technology expands semiconductor manufacturing in Boise, they create ripple effects that benefit entire professional communities.   The Numbers Game: Portland, Maine offers $78k average income in a city where locals frequent beaches and art scenes. Compare that to similar coastal markets where the same lifestyle costs significantly more. Fort Wayne provides $60k average income with homes at $385k—numbers that allow young professionals to build wealth while building careers.   Industry Diversification Matters: These metros aren't betting on single industries. Milwaukee balances manufacturing with healthcare and professional services. Kansas City combines tech growth with its billion-dollar sports economy. Sacramento mixes government, tech, and healthcare.   The methodology behind this ranking isn't subjective—it's based on concrete metrics: year-over-year hiring growth, job posting increases, and talent migration patterns. These cities earned their spots through measurable economic momentum.   For biotech and pharmaceutical professionals specifically, your choices are limited to Boston, the Bay Area, NJ/NYC/Philly, and San Diego. As more companies return to the office, choosing to live in Chicago, for example, basically limits you to AbbVie, whereas living in the NJ/NY area allows many choices like Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo US, & Regeneron, to name just a few.   The career calculus is changing. Success increasingly means identifying growth markets early and positioning yourself within them. The professionals who recognize this shift—and act on it—will likely find themselves ahead of those who default to traditional job markets.   What factors would influence your decision to consider an emerging market for your next career move? #CitiesontheRise