My husband Tim and I had a brief discussion today with a local government employee, whose son will graduate from college next month.
We inquired about what his son had majored in, where he wanted to live, what kind of job he hoped to go after.
Of course that led us to share some thoughts about ‘the work ethic’ and how employees in different age groups seem to value different things.
Which led me to share something I’d read recently on some great community development and rural development blogs, like ReimagineRural.com
Specifically, I mentioned that people in their mid-20s to mid-30s (often referred to as ‘Millennials’) seem to choose where they want to live first and THEN look for a job in that location.
And that trend has consequences for rural communities, because they need to viewed as attractive and desirable places for 25-35 year olds to live and work BEFORE they choose to move there.
And our local government employee had an interesting response.
He said, “Well, that’s West Coast job hunting. You decide where you want to live first, then find a job.
East Coast job hunting is when you send out hundreds of resumes and go where the job is rather than where you really may want to be.”
Since I was raised in Connecticut and chose to live in Appalachia, I realize I’m not the best one to ask.
What do you think?
What comes first? The Chicken or the Egg?
How do people decide a rural community is best for them?
What are the differences when ‘East’ meets ‘West’ and can rural America rise to the challenge?
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