How is the job situation in/around Athens, GA and Baton Rouge, LA?

[AlHayatZween 2]

Dear Friends,

i recently got offered a job at the Univ of Georgia, at Athens. it doesn't pay great, but it is okay... enough for me to consider it because i'm not happy with my current job in NYC.

my concern is, how is the job situation in general in Georgia (also in Baton Rouge, LA, where i also put in some applications)? my husband has been in this country less than a year... his English is so-so, and he does not have any advanced degrees. right now he is working construction in NYC, and he's doing great... would he be able to find something if we relocated down south?

thanks for your advice & input!

hz

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Baton Rouge, excellent (LA actually added jobs, based on last GAO report).

Athens, so-so (but it never really is above that) unless you're prepared to do a 100-km (one-way) commute to Metro Atlanta.

[Marina-Del 10]

OOOO.......sooo exciting!

I'm from Athens. I lived there from 0-19, then moved to London for a couple years, then lived in Athens again for 2 years and now I live in São Paulo, Brazil. BUT, my whole family still lives in Athens and when me and my soon to be husband finish filing DCF we'll be moving back to Athens.

Sooo...if you have any questions in general about life in Athens, then please let me know and I'll be happy to tell you all I know about my lovely city! As stated, the job market in Athens is So-so. Normally, I would say it's pretty good considering how many jobs the University always has available. However, the crisis has hit there too! The University had a freeze on jobs that were absolutely not needed (although I *think* my mom said this was recently lifted). Even so there are still lots of jobs available there. Although not as many as there used to be. If you go to the University website there is a list for staff positions and there is a HUGE amount of jobs listed with their pay and qualifications needed. A lot of the jobs do not require you have a degree but only a high school diploma. There are also jobs available for those that do not speak English that well (in the cafeterias for example) but the more English they know the better, of course! There are also a lot of jobs always available (and again you can see these on their websites) at the two hospitals located in Athens -Athens Regional Medical Center and St. Marys. There are also hospitals in the surrounding areas of Athens (like Jefferson County) which have a lot of jobs available. Again, most of the jobs only require a high school diploma. However, with the way the job market is right now, there are lots of people WITH degrees applying for these same jobs and they would probably get them over someone without a degree, but I think you'll find that that is how it is everywhere now!

Another thing to note about Athens, you can get a job in Atlanta (which is about a hour and 15 min drive away --without traffic!) that pays about double what you will earn in Athens (depending on the job of course, if you work as a waitress or at Macys or something it is the same!). However, while a person can make a lot more money in Atl it also costs a lot more to live there! Athens is a relatively cheap place to live. Actually, GA in general is a relatively cheap place to live. Just as an example, my mom is currently renting a house in Madison County, GA (it's about 15 mintues outside of downtown Athens). The house is on a nice street half a mile from the big grocery store and everything you need close by. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, 2 bathrooms, a car port and laundry room, and nice sized back yard. She rents this for $700 a month (not including bills of course!), with bills it comes to about $1150-ish). You can rent a normal sized 1 or 2 bedroom apartment in the center of Athens for about $350-400 a month and a nice duplex for about $450-500. You could never find prices like that in ATL -unless your living conditions weren't great! The prices that I have quoted to you are for really nice places, located in great places.

Athens has a great social life as well. Anyway, I'll stop here, but seriously, if you have any questions about Athens then just let me know! And do check out the websites I alluded to above...I'm sure you can find them if you type in Athens Regional Medical Center in google or something!

Good Luck!

[Marina-Del 10]

OOOO.......sooo exciting!

I'm from Athens. I lived there from 0-19, then moved to London for a couple years, then lived in Athens again for 2 years and now I live in São Paulo, Brazil. BUT, my whole family still lives in Athens and when me and my soon to be husband finish filing DCF we'll be moving back to Athens.

Sooo...if you have any questions in general about life in Athens, then please let me know and I'll be happy to tell you all I know about my lovely city! As stated, the job market in Athens is So-so. Normally, I would say it's pretty good considering how many jobs the University always has available. However, the crisis has hit there too! The University had a freeze on jobs that were absolutely not needed (although I *think* my mom said this was recently lifted). Even so there are still lots of jobs available there. Although not as many as there used to be. If you go to the University website there is a list for staff positions and there is a HUGE amount of jobs listed with their pay and qualifications needed. A lot of the jobs do not require you have a degree but only a high school diploma. There are also jobs available for those that do not speak English that well (in the cafeterias for example) but the more English they know the better, of course! There are also a lot of jobs always available (and again you can see these on their websites) at the two hospitals located in Athens -Athens Regional Medical Center and St. Marys. There are also hospitals in the surrounding areas of Athens (like Jefferson County) which have a lot of jobs available. Again, most of the jobs only require a high school diploma. However, with the way the job market is right now, there are lots of people WITH degrees applying for these same jobs and they would probably get them over someone without a degree, but I think you'll find that that is how it is everywhere now!

Another thing to note about Athens, you can get a job in Atlanta (which is about a hour and 15 min drive away --without traffic!) that pays about double what you will earn in Athens (depending on the job of course, if you work as a waitress or at Macys or something it is the same!). However, while a person can make a lot more money in Atl it also costs a lot more to live there! Athens is a relatively cheap place to live. Actually, GA in general is a relatively cheap place to live. Just as an example, my mom is currently renting a house in Madison County, GA (it's about 15 mintues outside of downtown Athens). The house is on a nice street half a mile from the big grocery store and everything you need close by. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, 2 bathrooms, a car port and laundry room, and nice sized back yard. She rents this for $700 a month (not including bills of course!), with bills it comes to about $1150-ish). You can rent a normal sized 1 or 2 bedroom apartment in the center of Athens for about $350-400 a month and a nice duplex for about $450-500. You could never find prices like that in ATL -unless your living conditions weren't great! The prices that I have quoted to you are for really nice places, located in great places.

Athens has a great social life as well. Anyway, I'll stop here, but seriously, if you have any questions about Athens then just let me know! And do check out the websites I alluded to above...I'm sure you can find them if you type in Athens Regional Medical Center in google or something!

Good Luck!

PS! I forgot to mention, that UGA has EXCELLENT benefits (but since you have been offered a job there, you probably know that!). The health benefits are great and your wife/husband will be covered automatically. They don't ask any questions and all pre-existing conditions are covered (great for those who have things like diabetes or something or for something like me who has cancer in their history!). You get pretty good vacation time as well and the retirement benefits are great too!

[AlHayatZween 2]

Wow, thanks Marina-Del, for the pick-me-up...

i was feeling a little down about it today, but i feel better now, thanks...

yes, i may take you up on the offer to pick your brain again, if you don't mind... you make me happy about the prospect of a renting a place for $400-$500, when here (in NYC) it's a real struggle to make ends meet sometimes! so thank you for that.

i think i may take a trip down there the end of the month... probably will be the best way to get a feel for things...

thanks again! :thumbs:

i may be pm'ing you soon...

Baton Rouge, excellent (LA actually added jobs, based on last GAO report).

Athens, so-so (but it never really is above that) unless you're prepared to do a 100-km (one-way) commute to Metro Atlanta.

thanks Cherry!

[Rob_Lesya 4]

I'm in Baton Rouge and as was mentioned in an earlier post, this is one of the few areas in the country where the economy is still expanding (at least for the moment).

If your husband works construction he will have NO trouble finding work here. The city basically doubled in size after hurricane Katrina as people and businesses relocated here from New Orleans and the construction boom that movement created is still continuing. There was also a lot of damage in the city last year as a result of hurricane Gustav, and that repair and rebuilding is still continuing. All of that is in addition to the construction caused by the general economic expansion in the area.

One downside of the increase in population though is that the cost of housing here is relatively high. Compared to what the other poster was describing regarding the cost of apartments in Athens..... anything here for less than $600 a month will definitely be in a part of town that you wouldn't be safe living in. In general, figure at LEAST $750-$800 a month for an apartment.

If you DO hear back regarding any of the applications you submitted here, let me know and i'll be happy to talk to you in more detail about Baton Rouge.

Good Luck!

[AlHayatZween 2]

I'm in Baton Rouge and as was mentioned in an earlier post, this is one of the few areas in the country where the economy is still expanding (at least for the moment).

If your husband works construction he will have NO trouble finding work here. The city basically doubled in size after hurricane Katrina as people and businesses relocated here from New Orleans and the construction boom that movement created is still continuing. There was also a lot of damage in the city last year as a result of hurricane Gustav, and that repair and rebuilding is still continuing. All of that is in addition to the construction caused by the general economic expansion in the area.

One downside of the increase in population though is that the cost of housing here is relatively high. Compared to what the other poster was describing regarding the cost of apartments in Athens..... anything here for less than $600 a month will definitely be in a part of town that you wouldn't be safe living in. In general, figure at LEAST $750-$800 a month for an apartment.

If you DO hear back regarding any of the applications you submitted here, let me know and i'll be happy to talk to you in more detail about Baton Rouge.

Good Luck!

Great Rob_Lesya!

Thank you for the insight... Will definitely let you know if it looks like we might head down that way...!

:thumbs:

[Marina-Del 10]

You can also google Athens Banner Herald (the newspaper for Athens) and they have a great classified section where you can look at things like apartments online. I *think* the web address is www.onlineathens.com

Take a look there and seriously don't hesitate to PM me!

Good luck!

[AlHayatZween 2]

Just an update, VJ friends...

i'm headed down to Athens, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans next week to take a look around...

i'm very, VERY excited because 1) i'll be getting out of Brooklyn

and 2) i've always wanted to take a trip south

So if you have any ideas of fun things to do, please let me know.

Edited March 27, 2009 by AlHayatZween

[Rob_Lesya 4]

You have a message waiting for you.....

[reeses16 8]

OP,

I'm from Louisiana. I lived in New Orleans for several years and I spent a lot of time in Baton Rouge. I think either place could be a good choice. I love love love New Orleans, but it hasn't been the same since Katrina. If you move there, I highly recommend looking for a home/apt in Metairrie or Kenner (these are suburbs on the same side of the lake, Slidell, Covington and Mandeville are very nice but they are on the Northshore of the lake and you'll have to cross bridges that are frequently congested and possibly pay tolls). Housing is more expensive now, but its relative- its expensive for Louisiana. But food is waaaay cheaper so is gas. In terms of your hubby's adjustment, neither place has great public transportation. So, if he doesn't already have a drivers license, it might be key to living in New Orleans or Baton Rouge. Since Katrina, there is a lot more violence in the NO. That is something to consider.

Baton Rouge, is pretty nice. Lots of newer housing. Flooding isn't an issue. Construction is definitely need in NO. Not too sure about this industry in Baton Rouge.

Let us know what you think after your trip. PM me if you have any NO BR questions.

[AlHayatZween 2]

OP,

I'm from Louisiana. I lived in New Orleans for several years and I spent a lot of time in Baton Rouge. I think either place could be a good choice. I love love love New Orleans, but it hasn't been the same since Katrina. If you move there, I highly recommend looking for a home/apt in Metairrie or Kenner (these are suburbs on the same side of the lake, Slidell, Covington and Mandeville are very nice but they are on the Northshore of the lake and you'll have to cross bridges that are frequently congested and possibly pay tolls). Housing is more expensive now, but its relative- its expensive for Louisiana. But food is waaaay cheaper so is gas. In terms of your hubby's adjustment, neither place has great public transportation. So, if he doesn't already have a drivers license, it might be key to living in New Orleans or Baton Rouge. Since Katrina, there is a lot more violence in the NO. That is something to consider.

Baton Rouge, is pretty nice. Lots of newer housing. Flooding isn't an issue. Construction is definitely need in NO. Not too sure about this industry in Baton Rouge.

Let us know what you think after your trip. PM me if you have any NO BR questions.

Thanks for the info, Reeses!

Going down this week, and very, very excited... Will let you know how it works out!

Appreciate your insight regarding public transportation & such...

Take care,

hz