columbus/stories/2009/06/15/daily4.html 

 

Monday, June 15, 2009, 11:51am EDT

Survey: Most Ohio college students plan to leave

Business First of Columbus

 

More than half of the students at Ohio colleges surveyed by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute plan to leave the state after graduation, the organization said Monday.

 

To see more, click link

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/

811 out of over 400,000 college students in the state of Ohio is not a good sampling.

I wonder how this compares to other states.  Without this context, it's pointless to draw conclusions.  I went to grad school in Seattle, and after finishing nearly everyone left, and that's one of the supposed magnet cities.  That's what talented and ambitious young people do- they move around.

This isn't an ohio problem... this is a most everywhere except for the handful of mega cities problem.

Count me in as "planning to leave" barring the miracle of health insurance.

 

I wonder how this compares to other states.

 

Anyone who went to college recently can tell you Ohio is worse than the norm. It all comes down to economy. Of course there is always the issue of magnet areas taking everyone (New York, California, Texas, Chicago, Carolinas, etc.), but if we had a good economy, these numbers would be different. This is what we're dealing with before anything else:

 

• 89 percent said they want to live in a place where good jobs are available, but only 11 percent rated Ohio’s job prospects as excellent.

 

 

Anyone who went to college recently can tell me anything they would like.  I'm going to want some actual data.

^Then explain the allure of NASCAR cities in the south. Kids aren't drawn there for the "cultural attractions." They're drawn there for jobs. Almost everyone I know who moved south did it strictly for a job.

 

Only Chicago, New York, LA, San Fran, DC really have the "megacity" draw, but plenty of other places are magnets for college grads.

 

they were sold on the allure of jobs.  Many of the "new" south current job climates make places like ohio look like an oasis of employment.

I wonder how this compares to other states. Without this context, it's pointless to draw conclusions. I went to grad school in Seattle, and after finishing nearly everyone left, and that's one of the supposed magnet cities. That's what talented and ambitious young people do- they move around.

 

I agree.  This article is not in context of the rest of the country.

 

I also agree this is a bigger problem for Ohio in other states....but there are always two sides to the story.  I know plenty of people who work Downtown Cleveland who are not from Ohio.

My roommate and I are both planning on leaving, he moreso than I, because there's so little work here in our fields.  I don't want to leave but I may have no choice.  That's all there is to it.

One thing that has to be considered in any such survey is the sheer amount of higher education institutions in the state of Ohio.  I believe Ohio has 1/4 the population of California, but half as many colleges/universities.  It has three schools (OSU, UC and KSU) that are as big or bigger than many other state's largest institutions.  I think I heard somewhere we have around 400,000 students enrolled right now.

BG is pretty big too.

Well I graduated and stayed.  Didn't quite hit my field of study dead on but close.  Now I'm back getting my MBA and again plan to stay.  Why?  Because when it really comes down to it, there are people who run to jobs and then there are people who try and create jobs.  I want to be a person that tries to create jobs.  Ohio is excellent, it has a ton of resources, a below average cost of living and the ability to produce decent amounts of cheap energy.  Once the realization of cost and lack of resources hit in these "rapid growth" states companies are going to see that it is more expensive to do business down there than in the north.  They are trying to dodge tax and wages and those things can only be dodged for so long.

I work for a f500 company in Cincinnati and only a few of the hundreds of people went to college in Ohio. I didn't attend college in Ohio but yet I moved here, not for a job though.

This is another pointless survey from americans who think its different somewhere else in this country. Is there any wonder why america is in a downward spiral of uncontrollable economic decline?

I see from the post above that I wasn't the only person to notice Ohio has an extreme abundance of higher education institutions. To expect that every one of those people could find a job in this country, let alone in one state is an ignorant assumption!

I know I am going to get a lot of sh%$#t from the younguns on this board but quite frankly I don't think surveys like this carry much practical weight because what college students want, or think is out there, and what real life is like are two different things.  In other words, the survey participants are people with little life experience.

 

I graduated with a law degree in the early 80's in the middle of recession almost as bad as this.  Went to college and law school in Ohio.  Had absolutely no intention of staying in the state and told everybody I knew that.  I wanted to live in a much bigger city than Cleveland.  Very keen to live in Chicago or DC and looked hard for jobs there.  In fact lived in DC for 5 months sleeping on a college friends floor looking for job.  No luck and came back to Cleveland, found my first job, and have always lived here.

 

Looking back on it I realize I just had stars in my eyes.  It simply made more sense to stay put and I could not believe what an idiot I was thinking that life would be the same in a strange city without my family and long time friends (hey dad, my toilet is on the blink, can you come and check it out...just one example of many...life is just easier with friends and family around but you don't appreciate things like that at a young age).

 

Anyway, surveys like this make me very suspicious given a couple of decades of real life.

 

 

And for the record, I was raised in Ohio, went away for college and came back for "life".... after I insisted I never would.  What can I say.... home is home.

Im graduating in 3 weeks from college and am really up in the air about moving. I have a lot of family in Scotland and would like to live there for a little bit but i really dont know how practical that is. My cousin already said i could stay with them as long as i needed to until i found a place on my own. I really dont see myself moving away from Cleveland though, there's just too much i love about the city. Ive been to the west coast, lived in Tempe for a year, been to Florida and South Carolina, and while they are nice places to visit, i cant see myself ever being happy while living there.

Keep in mind a lot of us no longer have family or long-time friends in this state though. A lot has changed since the 80's. My family spread all over after graduation and are all doing well. Ditto with my long-time friends. My story is hardly unique, and it makes getting up and moving much easier. The state has declined a lot since the 80's, but we have more college kids than ever.

 

C-Dawg, things were not much better in the 80s for Ohio... not much better at all.  I realize this was probably before you were born, but Cleveland and Cincy were well on the decline and C-Bus was an afterthought.

 

Your story might not be "unique", but it is not the norm either.  A lot of us have friends who never went to college (most of mine did not).  Most of my HS buddies are still in NE Ohio... even the few that did go to college.  In fact, out of the 11 of us who were as close as brothers from the time we were riding BMX's, 8 are still here in the Cleveland area, and one is in Youngstown.  And everyone of them is employed, with professions ranging from restaraunt mgt to Lincoln Electric to Landscaping to Real Estate. 

 

As far as family goes, my mom and her husband are here.  My sister recently moved back after several years in the upper midwest and brought her Wisconsin-bred husband with her.  I moved back from NC and brought my NJ-bred wife with me.  My brother never left.  The only casualties are my dad, whose southern b!tch... I mean.... wife made him move to Charlotte, and my other sister who just graduated with a degree in film production from USC and pretty much has to be based in either LA or NYC due to her career of choice.

 

I realize that I am lucky in this respect... just trying to point out that all hope is not lost.  Far from it.

Looking back on it I realize I just had stars in my eyes. It simply made more sense to stay put and I could not believe what an idiot I was thinking that life would be the same in a strange city without my family and long time friends

 

Keep in mind a lot of us no longer have family or long-time friends in this state though. A lot has changed since the 80's. My family spread all over after graduation and are all doing well. Ditto with my long-time friends. My story is hardly unique, and it makes getting up and moving much easier. The state has declined a lot since the 80's, but we have more college kids than ever.

 

Keep in mind too the social connections of this generation are quite a bit different from past generations. This isn't a generation of family-oriented kids (only when it comes to mooching). The American family has continued its descent. This is a generation of kids who don't think twice about getting up and moving, abandoning everything/everyone they know, etc. It goes hand-in-hand with the whole instant gratification, hook-up culture, etc. No one has ever been as mobile as American youths today. Hell, I know people who move just for the sake of moving. Sometimes it's not even for a job, it's just to say "I live in Chicago" or something. There is that Chicago/New York fetish influence going on, which does differ from general out-migration to good economies.

 

Desperate people do desperate things! New generations of americans are blessed with excellent educational opportunities, but their lack of individual talent is killing this country. The most intelligent americans need not move for employment, and/or the ones who do decide to move leave the country entirely. I personally would never move for a job, I am qualified to get a job wherever I decide to move. I could not imagine having to move from Cincinnati, Chicago, or Cleveland because I couldn't find a job, that gives me chills...  Any individual that was forced to make such a move should reevaluate their credentials and realize they are seeking employment for which they are not qualified.

I am qualified to get a job wherever I decide to move.

 

In this economy, that's one hell of a bold/arrogant statement.

 

I know genius engineer majors having trouble right now. I make twice as much money as them (though bust my ass for it), and by all means they are smarter than me. It's not always about how smart or talented you are. Sometimes it's just about being in the right place at the right time, and even just how you look or the people you know.

 

I personally would never move for a job

 

Most men only get a few opportunities in life. If you see one, take it, regardless of where it is. Hell, if someone in Russia offered me a good job, I'd take it, and I really have no desire to live in Russia.

 

 

I understand you calling that a bold/arrogant statement, it just might be, but I did have my boss tell me a few months ago that he knows I could get a job somewhere else because I am smart/qualified. That is something I already knew but It was obvious to him that I am an asset to our company. I have never settled, I get what I want and that is how it is. Call me lucky or call me a jerk, but you will not call me unemployed! I like to say that I have a talent for life.

C-Dawg - some people look for the best possible job and let that dictate their where they live.  Others choose where to live and then look for the best possible job.  It is a choice you make.... unless of course you (like my sister) have niched yourself to the point where the job you are trained for is only offered, or is much more prevalent, in certain locales.

 

Bottom line, if you really do WANT to stay, you can/will find a way to make it work.  You might have to pass on a more lucrative offer, but always remember that happiness and monetary compensation are not synonymous.

Anyway, more numbers. BG did a great project on it. It's not just college grads, it's young people in general. And again, these are from back when the economy was good:

 

Between the years 2000 and 2004, the average rate of net

migration was -1.7, in other words more people moved out

than moved in to the State of Ohio. Several counties around

the state experienced high rates of loss: Hamilton (-13.2),

Paulding (-10.3), and Cuyahoga (-10.1), while other counties

such as Fairfield (18.5), Warren (32.9) and Delaware (44.7)

experienced high net gains due to migration.

 

Age Distribution. The ACS asks respondents to indicate where

they lived one year prior to the survey date. This information is

used to understand the characteristics of migrants and non-

migrants. Figure 2 is a population pyramid, which depicts the

age distribution of out-migrants that left the state compared to the

population of in-migrants that came to the state (on the right).

Clearly, there is a concentration of younger ages among those

leaving the state—almost 40 percent of the out-migration

stream was composed of those ages 18 to 34 compared with

only 23 percent of the in-migration stream. In addition, nearly

twice as many in-migrants were ages 65 and over compared to

out-migrants.

 

From 1990 to 2004, the number of Ohio

residents ages 25 to 34 declined by roughly 19 percent

statewide.

 

http://www.bgsu.edu/downloads/cas/file36251.pdf

 

That is a seriously flawed report, it would consume to much valuable time to clean that up. Although some points should have had you scratching your head the first time you read it.

And the negativity and pessimism I see in this thread do nothing to help.  You can sit here and whine about it and take up the typical Ohioan woe is me position... or you can be part of the solution and not part of the "out-migration" or whatever you want to call it.

Where are they getting the money to get drunk all the time?  Some need to realize that just because Daddy had enough money to send you to college and can support your unemployed arse after school, does not mean you are supposed to be handed a 6 figure job right out of college.  Me... I worked as a gopher for a year after undergrad.  There are plenty of those jobs for those who don't have their noses in the air.

^-----"There are plenty of those jobs for those who don't have their noses in the air"

 

Noses in the air or not, there simply are not as many jobs in Ohio to meet the unemployed. I know people with professional level training who are either unemployed or under-employed. And furthermore, if you are underemployed, such as a chemist working at a grocery store, you just bump that grocery clerk out of a job.

You need to be talking to the hordes of unemployed kids who just get drunk and have not a care in the world (I see lots of them). There really is a disconnect with reality in a lot of this generation. It shocks me sometimes. Anyway, those kids need to start contributing something to the state. There are two types of people in the world- those who pay taxes, and those who take taxes.

 

Every drunk-ass n'er-do-well is one less person who is competing for the jobs I want.

 

Also, on this whole topic of Ohio's out-migration of students. I'll take the positive route. How many of these kids were born in the state of OH, and how many came here for school and simply went back home after graduation? I'd like to have good solid numbers around that before I call this bad news. If the out-migration is essentially the same as the number of kids who come here from out of state, then I'd see Ohio acting as more of a 'cradle of colleges' and not as a wasteland of lost opportunity. We may not have quite enough jobs for all of the students in our state, but by all means, come here for 4 or 5 years and support our wonderful academic institutions.

 

One final spin on this, as I would technically count in the numbers of students who left. I was born and raised in Ohio, went to school at Xavier University in Cincinnati, then moved across the river in KY to live and work.  I'm not sure what the overall impact on the numbers might be, but there are a lot of jobs in NKY (3 Fortune 500 companies right across the river from Cincy). My point is that the numbers could be skewed b/c Cincy has a ton of colleges, and a metro that spans 3 states.

^-----"There are plenty of those jobs for those who don't have their noses in the air"

 

Noses in the air or not, there simply are not as many jobs in Ohio to meet the unemployed. I know people with professional level training who are either unemployed or under-employed. And furthermore, if you are underemployed, such as a chemist working at a grocery store, you just bump that grocery clerk out of a job.

 

Having a degree in a chemistry related field does not guarantee a job in a good or bad economy. You must be qualified beyond a degree to sustain employment. It is probably better for all if said chemist is a grocery clerk, there is a reason he is doing that in the first place. Everyone claims to be under-employed, I know I do! I should be the president, chairman & CEO of my company. Better yet I should have control over BoD and shareholders. BUT, considering the state of this dying country we call the United States, I'll settle for just having the position I now have.

Looking back on it I realize I just had stars in my eyes.  It simply made more sense to stay put and I could not believe what an idiot I was thinking that life would be the same in a strange city without my family and long time friends

 

. This isn't a generation of family-oriented kids (only when it comes to mooching). The American family has continued its descent. This is a generation of kids who don't think twice about getting up and moving, abandoning everything/everyone they know, etc.

This pattern is not new to your generation. It became widespread with the baby boomers.

Hey BBC. I graduated with degrees in engineering and law in the mid 8os.  The only job I could  get in Cleveland at that time was as a file clerk in a law firm. I was recruited by a west coast  law firm and all they wanted to know was i) would I move and ii) could I fog a mirror. I took  the job. Four years later the same Cleveland firm that I was a file clerk at asked me if I would move back and offered me a full time job.  It was all about the economy. I was the same person with the same degrees, grades, etc.

I'd also note that many of Ohio's colleges simply do not aim to educate Ohioans. The Big Five Private do most of their recruiting out of state. The best colleges at UC (CCM/DAAP) do a lot of out of state recruiting. Miami does well on the out of state crowd.

This recieved some coverage at the DDN, and the paper will be hosting a panel discussion on the findings.

 

BBC's comments do add a new wrinkle on "outmigration"...that the people leaving Ohio may not be the best and the brightest.

 

For people who are at the top of their class plus with some experience and access to a network of potential employers they shouldnt't really have a problem finding work since these are the people employers are looking for.  The problem is if the majority of the cream of the crop actually wants to leave the state, since out-of-state employers will also be recruiting top performers. 

 

I can understand out of state students leaving Ohio, as that just seems logical if they came here just for college and have plans returing to their hometowns or states or moving elsewhere.

 

 

And of course, many Ohioans are doing likewise (going to school out of state only to return home for jobs, love, and life).

And of course, many Ohioans are doing likewise (going to school out of state only to return home for jobs, love, and life).

 

Like me :)

 

On Jeffrey's point, I went to undergrad out of state (and then worked out of state for a few years).  However, I came back to Ohio and went to grad school.  From my grad school, the majority of "top" students were signed up by the best local employers.  There were a few that went back to their home state and there were a few that wanted to be in D.C. and that type of work, but I would say the great majority of students who were from Ohio, stayed in Ohio after graduation. 

 

I think this problem, if it can be accurately termed one, has more to do with young people with bachelors degrees trying to find a job.  The way of the world is that anyone who can afford to go to college, most likely will go and recieve a bachelors.  It has the effect of diminishing the prestige of a four year college education.  I have several friends with just HS diploma's (or even GED's) making more $ than many 4 year college grads.

I am one of those who is leaving, and I admit I feel quite guilty about it.  As much as I preach about restoring Cleveland and making it a better city, I am off fleeing to other pastures. 

 

However, the type of job I wanted did not exist here, so I do not consider myself a complete sell-out. 

I'd also note that many of Ohio's colleges simply do not aim to educate Ohioans. The Big Five Private do most of their recruiting out of state. The best colleges at UC (CCM/DAAP) do a lot of out of state recruiting. Miami does well on the out of state crowd.

 

Miami's big out of state crowd is from Chicago.  Ohio kids visit Chicago, fall in love with Chicago, move to Chicago.  I'm happy to say I found a very good job in my field in Cleveland.  But if there's no jobs to pay the bills, they aren't challenging and don't see much growth in the field, it's very tough to sell the city to a college grad.  I do what I can, but they need jobs.

Brookings' study on middle wage jobs references a study that says the pay differential between having a Bachelors and just a high-school + some postsecondary education ended in 2000. 

 

Heres the Brookings study webpage:  Middle Wage Jobs in Metro America, but the pay differential study reference is in the more detailed .pdf.

 

 

Ohio has 4 of the top 30 best cities for new college grads (Columbus at 10, Cleveland at 17, Dayton at 20, and Cincinnati at 23).  Apparently, there are job prospects in Ohio, but the grads are still leaving.  Is it an incorrect perception, or is this ranking inaccurate?

 

See "Top Cities for New College Grads" at:

 

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jul2010/bs20100714_914593.htm?campaign_id=bschools_related

 

The slide show includes the rankings.

Many, through fart-in-the-wind hearsay that "its better somewhere else"...leave because of just that. The Ohio inferiority complex takes over. Many end up finding their way back. The complex just does not exist in Cleveland/N.E. Ohio. Its as though their parents teach them to hate it here. We definitely need a better education about all this state is, can offer, and all its rich history etc....to stimulate a bit of better civic pride. I did the moving around thing and there is really no place in the country I would say I "must live there"... My next move will be totally off the continent to a different culture altogether. When places start to be listed "as the place to be" and so many jump on the bandwagon....this is a clue to me that it is time to defect.

The recession has definitely affected the availability of entry level positions, and not just in Ohio.  Qualified candidates who were hired prior to the recession lost their jobs and the new college grads have to compete with those individuals and their accompanying experience for those entry level positions.  Once again, this is hardly unique to Ohio.

 

I am more than 5 years out of school and have no interest in switching jobs at the moment.  However, I have been offered two positions this past year.  My wife is almost 10 years out of school and she does want to switch jobs.  She has been offered 4 jobs in the past few months but none have been the right fit.  On the other hand, my brother is about to graduate from college and it is not looking too good for him.  He will probably have to take something outside of his field for the time being.

Many, through fart-in-the-wind hearsay that "its better somewhere else"...leave because of just that. The Ohio inferiority complex takes over. Many end up finding their way back. The complex just does not exist in Cleveland/N.E. Ohio. Its as though their parents teach them to hate it here. We definitely need a better education about all this state is, can offer, and all its rich history etc....to stimulate a bit of better civic pride. I did the moving around thing and there is really no place in the country I would say I "must live there"... My next move will be totally off the continent to a different culture altogether. When places start to be listed "as the place to be" and so many jump on the bandwagon....this is a clue to me that it is time to defect.

This is very true.  The inferiority complex is strong here in Cleveland and also this misplaced belief that there is nothing to do here.  This from my experience can't be further from the truth after having a friend visit from Spain for two weeks and not having time to do everything.

 

The best group which seems to be educating people about what there is in Cleveland to young people is the Summer on the Cuyahoga internship.  It is actually a group of college grads from Ivy league schools who work in Cleveland but the program also does a  bucnh of after work activities around the area. I have talked to a number of people in the program and they say that they were very surprised in how much there really is to do in Cleveland.

 

^ That is a good program. On a side related note.. I have a lot of people who visit here who are well traveled and from other countries...and are brutally honest and would say what they feel....and after showing them around the area...taking them to many artistic, cultural, and historical areas...natural areas, and just a general mix of things, all seem to see all that many cannot see here. The "moving to the sun-belt thing" is passe...  for me, been there done that in the late 70's early 80's. It just does not have the heart/soul we have, in my opinion, because so much is just all new and sprawling. It is amazing when I ask locals if they ever heard of this or that...been here or there in Ohio...and how many say "No" There is plenty to do here and it depends on what one likes to do...and we are within close proximity to all the larger cities too...but with a scaled down cost in many respects.

^ That is a good program. On a side related note.. I have a lot of people who visit here who are well traveled and from other countries...and are brutally honest and would say what they feel....and after showing them around the area...taking them to many artistic, cultural, and historical areas...natural areas, and just a general mix of things, all seem to see all that many cannot see here. The "moving to the sun-belt thing" is passe...  for me, been there done that in the late 70's early 80's. It just does not have the heart/soul we have, in my opinion, because so much is just all new and sprawling. It is amazing when I ask locals if they ever heard of this or that...been here or there in Ohio...and how many say "No" There is plenty to d here and it depends on what one likes to do...and we are within close proximity to all the larger cities too...but with a scaled down cost in many respects.

 

I have to admit.  This is spot on!

Northeast Ohio losing two Akron grads who happen to be some of the regions biggest advocates:

 

BLACK KEYS SAY GOODBYE TO AKRON

Northeast Ohio’s Most Successful Band Begins to Cut Its Hometown Ties

by D.X. Ferris

 

The Black Keys are the biggest local-music success of the past decade. But the duo’s latest album, Brothers, could be their last as an Akron band. Drummer Patrick Carney has already moved to New York City. Frontman Dan Auerbach is still in Akron, but he’s got his eyes on Nashville.

 

“Akron’s a great place,” says Auerbach. “But we get to see all these great cities and spend time in these beautiful cities, and sometimes you come home and it’s a little bit of a bummer. We have to drive to Cleveland to go to Whole Foods and the West Side Market almost every week. To see an independent film, you’ve got to drive 40 minutes.”

 

article continues at http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/black-keys-say-goodbye-to-akron/Content?oid=1953648

Indeed, many great places... but seems a bit like these fellows don't know their own region very well...and that's typical of many Ohioans.

“Akron’s a great place,” says Auerbach. “But we get to see all these great cities and spend time in these beautiful cities, and sometimes you come home and it’s a little bit of a bummer. We have to drive to Cleveland to go to Whole Foods and the West Side Market almost every week.

It must suck to live in Akron, what with all the affordable groceries.

 

Anecdotally I find that the retention of college graduates can be strongly tied to the universities themselves. The last two places I have lived—Cambridge, Mass. (along with more of the Boston area) and Madison, Wisc.—both seem to hold on to a lot of graduates. In both places there is something of hip vibe that has developed around the colleges, making them attractive to young graduates. In Madison it's really a whole culture growing out of and beyond the university. And in both cases a decent number of jobs are coming to graduates, who can stay put. There are tons of private companies that have developed around UW in Madison and MIT in Cambridge, many of them ventures started by graduates from those schools. (In fact, I'm a partner in one of those companies, although we don't count because we have no actual location.) Besides collaboration with the universities, I think the "cool" factor helps keep these enterprises local.

 

Ohio may not have an MIT, but it has good large schools in its cities. What's missing to make these places as attractive as, say, Madison is to businesses and graduates?

CWRU is Ohio's MIT

^ Ah yes, s'pose it is.

 

I'm curious about places like CWRU or a huge research school like Ohio State, which I'm sure do have a lot of private enterprise surrounding them. Is there a sense that these local university-based economies are desirable to graduates? I know that the great majority of graduates are just not involved here, nor are they in Madison or what have you, but somehow I always got the impression that a lot of Madison grads really actively desired to remain local, whereas the various Ohio grads tend to be more about going wherever the job is, with no particular attachment to place. But that may be a dour outlook brought on by reading this thread...

My guess is that in a small town with a really big school the grads who do stay will be much more visible.  There are a lot of Case grads in Cleveland, but I'm sure they're a smaller proportion of the population than UW grads in Madison.

My guess is that in a small town with a really big school the grads who do stay will be much more visible. There are a lot of Case grads in Cleveland, but I'm sure they're a smaller proportion of the population than UW grads in Madison.

 

I've been to Madison. There's a Kraft Foods and State Government; There didn't seem to be much else surrounding the campus.

 

A lot of it depends on how well universities and corporations are connected. Battelle and Honda work alot with OSU, UC is hooked up with P&G, etc. I know personally one of my friends who went to MIT lives in Germany and works for BMW now so Boston didn't retain him. If you're the best of the best at what you do, another city or country can easily snatch you up.

Dang why can't the criminals leave instead??

I will admit, despite going to college on and off...and completing a few fruitful educational ventures, I have pretty much always wanted to...and have worked for myself; always made my own opportunities....so I really never had the problem or pressure of needing to find a job/work for someone else.... that may or may not have been here at any given time, but sometimes if it has not been tried, you have to make your own opportunities by literally contacting prospective employers that may not even be advertising at any given time through any networking employment means. (paper, magazines, internet, etc.)

 

But, I did have to do that for a while, and have done it before... and you'd be surprised that their actually are jobs there when you look hard enough, are lucky and happen to hit the right chord or know a good contact. But, I can feel the frustration for those who have tried  this sort of thing and have come up short, and who really didn't want to leave. Then there is not much choice.

 

Having said this, however, I do have a feeling that much of this "there are no jobs" catch all summary, is more of an easy way out and repeated phrase...because "someone else heard from a friend who said", and so on.  Much of it having about as much credibility as those ridiculous Forbes top ten lists.....Hence, and easy excuse to flock to places like "Arid-Zona" 

 

If all things in life are cyclical, then I look for, in their own way, as we have here in what was the heart of America's manufacturing force.... someday, all these supposed incredible places the grads flee to, to have their own turn for their own brand of economic demise.....and then, the "place to be" will eventually be where people least expected.

I wouldn't freak out about Ohio students leaving Ohio.  That happens and we can deal with it.  What we should worry about is if there are more non-Ohio students coming to Ohio than there are Ohio students leaving.  Put yourself in the student's shoes, maybe you want to try a different state or you want to return to wherever you came from.