In the fall of 2011, I found myself with two engineering job prospects on the table. I’d graduated with an engineering degree earlier in the year and spent the summer (and early fall) trying to turn my four years of college and a handful of key experiences with internships into a permanent position with an engineering firm.
I’d even flown half-way across the country to spend a day and a half interviewing with a couple of firms in the Midwest – which was a unique opportunity that was expertly orchestrated by a staffing specialist at a Kansas City Engineering job placement company.
- Should I stay close to home, or move away for a better opportunity?
The out-of-town interview process wasn’t as difficult as I’d initially thought it would be. I’d prepared well, researched the engineering firms, spoke numerous times on the phone with my contact at the KC technical jobs company, bought a new jacket, shined my shoes, all that stuff.
And after the interviews were concluded, I couldn’t wait to call my wife and tell her how well they went. Then, back at home, I had to make a decision. I could take a job at a small firm in the immediate area, or relocate to the Midwest for a bigger opportunity.
- “Why not take the job in Kansas City?” my wife asked me.
I didn’t answer right away. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good job with an engineering firm that had a history going back decades. They had offices and employees all over the country. It was a great opportunity, especially for a young engineer who had recently graduated from college. What’s more, I was newly married and my wife and I had talked at length about buying a home and starting a family.
We lived in the Northwest, where we’d both grown up and gone to school. The prospect of moving two-thousand miles from home wasn’t strange or frightening, but it was something that I had never really considered. At the same time, the real estate market in our city (and the surrounding region, for that matter) didn’t offer much in the way of a home for what we could afford.
The job opportunity with the firm in Washington State paid a decent salary, but it just wouldn’t go far on the local real estate market.
- The Midwest does have a lot to offer.
My wife had been looking at homes in the Kansas City Area, especially in Southern Johnson County. “These are big, beautiful homes,” she said. “Green grass, swing sets, and bike trails all around.” She flashed me a big grin. “And they’re affordable. What more could you want?”
- Sometimes you have to take the best opportunity available.
I had to admit that Kansas City offered a home buyer a sizable piece of property for a fraction of the cost of a much smaller home in Washington State. It was a good job, I reminded myself. You’d be well-set with an engineering firm of that size. I received another call from my staffing contact at the KC technical jobs firm.
We talked at length about what I wanted to accomplish in the course of my career. By the end of the conversation, I knew that the engineering firm in Kansas City offered me that best possible opportunity. It was settled.
My wife and I started the packing process almost immediately, and found ourselves more and more excited as our departure date grew near. As we prepared for the trip, we even found ourselves singing that Fats Domino song from time to time. I’m going to Kansas City. Kansas City, here I come…
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After graduation Todd used Austintec.com to get his interview, and jobsearch.about.com to help him prepare for the interview.