Is It a Good Idea to Move Out of State in Search of a Job?

Dear Papa Bear

I live in Northern Minnesota with my grandmother. I'm 19 years old and I've been looking for a job for the past two months. I was recently let go of my last job, and I haven't been able to find any. I've looked and looked, I've made calls, I've had interviews, but it doesn't seem like interested in hiring me.

My grandmother is getting rather fed up with me not having a job, but she puts up with me anyways. I have an option to move to Fargo, North Dakota and live with a friend so I can find some work; granted I couldn't find any last time I went there... Do you think relocating to an entirely new area is a smart choice? I just don't know who to turn to ask about this. I've asked myself several times and it always seems that I'm more trouble than I'm truly worth. :P

What do you think I should do?

Sammi Foxxpaw

* * *

Hi, Sammi,

It might very well be a good decision to move to look for work, but don’t put the cart before the horse. Before you make the leap anywhere, you can do a lot online to explore job opportunities in areas where you might like to live. Based on my reading, North Dakota could be a good place to move if you work in the health care industry. Places like Fargo (surprisingly!) have become retirement meccas because there is a very positive doctor-to-patient ratio, low crime rate, and reasonable housing costs. Another industry in North Dakota that is booming is the oil industry (seehttp://money.cnn.com/2011/09/28/pf/north_dakota_jobs/index.htm). 

The good thing about this is that whenever there is a boom in one industry, such as health care or oil, a lot of related and support businesses grow up around them as a result. Go online and look up newspaper sites where your friend lives and check out the want ads to give yourself an idea of what may be available for you.

Here’s a very interesting chart as well (source: http://wpcarey.asu.edu/bluechip/jobgrowth/jgu_states.cfm).

As you can see, North Dakota ranks at the top for job growth. But be a little wary of the stats because this is based on percentage of population. So, the number of jobs added in North Dakota is actually a lot fewer than in Utah, Texas, or Colorado, for instance.

You can see, too, that Minnesota ranks 14th in job growth, not too bad but not all that great. If you are having no luck finding work where you are not, expanding your search to other states is actually a sound choice. But, instead of moving to your friend’s place and then looking for work, search for jobs first, and then make arrangements to move. That’s the smart thing to do.

Another smart thing to do is to get more education. You say you are 19, so I am guessing you only have a high school degree. Remember, the more education you have, the easier it is to find work, as well as higher-paying work.

Good luck!

Papabear