The land of PAM
Nine days ago, we got the news we had been expecting: our time in Indianapolis (10 years!) is drawing to a close. That very day, I started sending out resumes and seriously looking for a new job in North Carolina and the Atlanta, Georgia area. At last count, I had responded to 26 postings that I found on Monster, Indeed, and LinkedIn. The good news is that within a matter of hours, I got the first of several callbacks. I've already passed several "phone screens" and one interview with a hiring manager, and I have several interviews scheduled this coming week.
North Carolina is my home state and where my parents live, and that's why it's my first choice of a relocation spot. I lived in Charlotte a long time ago. I graduated university there and spent the first 2-3 years of my working adult life there and loved it. The city has grown by leaps and bounds since then, but I'm sure it would be fun getting to know this city all over again. The Raleigh area also has possibilities: it's the seat of state government, the Research Triangle Park and lots of excellent universities are nearby, and it's only about a 1.5 hour drive from there to my parents' house (as opposed to a 2.5 to 3 hour drive from Charlotte). I think we could be very happy in either place.
Atlanta is closer to where S's Mom lives, but still only about 5 hours from my parents. (By comparison, it takes 12 hours to drive from Indianapolis to my parents, and 8 hours to S's Mom.) I don't know much about Atlanta except that it's big and the traffic kinda sucks, but I guess traffic sucks in all big cities. At least Atlanta has MARTA (transit system) and a major international airport.
Turns out that all of these cities are located in an "emerging megalopolis" called PAM or the Piedmont Atlantic MegaRegion. PAM is one of 8 such regions in North America that is expected to be a huge growth area over the next 40 years. We would love to be a part of it!
We're really happy to see that there are so many jobs in our field in these places, and we're feeling confident that something will work out. It's an exciting time, but also a little scary. We'd both appreciate your thoughts, prayers, and good vibes as we head to the land of PAM this week to scout the possibilities. Stay tuned for updates!
North Carolina is my home state and where my parents live, and that's why it's my first choice of a relocation spot. I lived in Charlotte a long time ago. I graduated university there and spent the first 2-3 years of my working adult life there and loved it. The city has grown by leaps and bounds since then, but I'm sure it would be fun getting to know this city all over again. The Raleigh area also has possibilities: it's the seat of state government, the Research Triangle Park and lots of excellent universities are nearby, and it's only about a 1.5 hour drive from there to my parents' house (as opposed to a 2.5 to 3 hour drive from Charlotte). I think we could be very happy in either place.
Atlanta is closer to where S's Mom lives, but still only about 5 hours from my parents. (By comparison, it takes 12 hours to drive from Indianapolis to my parents, and 8 hours to S's Mom.) I don't know much about Atlanta except that it's big and the traffic kinda sucks, but I guess traffic sucks in all big cities. At least Atlanta has MARTA (transit system) and a major international airport.
Turns out that all of these cities are located in an "emerging megalopolis" called PAM or the Piedmont Atlantic MegaRegion. PAM is one of 8 such regions in North America that is expected to be a huge growth area over the next 40 years. We would love to be a part of it!
We're really happy to see that there are so many jobs in our field in these places, and we're feeling confident that something will work out. It's an exciting time, but also a little scary. We'd both appreciate your thoughts, prayers, and good vibes as we head to the land of PAM this week to scout the possibilities. Stay tuned for updates!
