Upstate

I've lived in upstate NY for a little over 15 years now and for the most part I really like it. Beautiful country, nice people, and not that far away from home. My original purpose for moving here was school. Obviously I haven't been "in school" for 15 years, there were two when I lived in Northern Kentucky after undergrad, and when I moved back in 1998 I worked until I figured out my next move. Now that I've finished with school, I'm looking at my options.

My first choice, obviously, to me anyway, is to stay here. I've been here for most of my adult life and it's become home. And I really like where I live and the people I've surrounded myself with. But it's a bit frustrating because of the local job market. My first thought was that this is a Buffalo issue.. It's no news flash that the population here has been dwindling for years. But then I came across this article in the NYTimes. Seems that upstate in general is dwindling and it's due to a disappointing job market.

It's not that there are no jobs at all, but rather the kinds of jobs. I'm nearly 40 and have no desire to work in a call center or cashier. I've got student loans and all that sort of thing and I'm really tired of being poor. Which is what those jobs mean: you have a paycheck that barely covers living expenses and get treated like crap to boot. Jobs like that are perfect for kids just starting out, but not when you are trying to build a life for yourself.

It's not that I have a problem with moving to another part of the country, my job hunt is nationwide. What bothers me is that my hand seems to be forced. I don't particulary want to bounce around between four part time jobs. I want health insurance and a saving plan.

I suppose I'm jut frustrated. 15 years is a long time in a region. I hope I can stay here, but it's not looking good.