What is your opinion of the Chatta job market?

[bluckarma]

I live in Rocky Face and work from home for the most part. My employer is headquartered in Alpharetta north of Atlanta. I've been thinking about a new job, and I have no contacts in Chattanooga nor have I ever seriously looked for a job there. So I posit, what is the job market like. Are there jobs and if so is the pay scale comparable to Atlanta?

I am a database administrator (Msoft SQL and Sybase ASE 10 years experience) with a software company. I like Chattanooga and would like to get a job there with my next career move. I'm not in any hurry though.



edited for spelling

[Warkitty]

There's a job market in Chattanooga?

[bluckarma]

uh oh.

[Kordax]

Check this out: www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_104703.asp

[bluckarma]

Wow that is depressing.

Sucks. Chattanooga is a nice town.

[Red]

There's a market... depending on what you do. There are so many variables it's insane.

[caterer]

you need to talk to thyst about this. She has been looking for something for over a year that is comparable to charlotte and not having much luck. I have even forwarded her stuff to a couple of close contacts of mine and they have not had promising outlooks for her....she is in the relatively same field as you.

[RuneDeer]

My own subjective impression is that this town is VERY "old boy network." And I mean OLD boy. I would need a lot of fingers to count how many men of retirement age interviewed me last year, even for short-term temp positions. I felt like I'd gone back in a time machine to the early 1960s.

I think whatever you got in Atlanta, expect to make a lot less money (my hourly went down by more than $4 and only the lower cost of living has made that bearable) and quite possibly have to work longer hours & harder than in ATL. Of course it depends entirely on the company and the position, but that's my POV as a relative newcomer.

Regrets? Nopers.

[serendipity]

I had no clue we had a "job market" ?

[whimdriven]

9,000+ insurance jobs in Chattanooga, and I moved 500+ miles away to get one that paid based on my education, training, and experience instead of continuing to battle the never-ending morass of corporate red tape and bureaucracy.

Does that tell you anything?

I'm with everyone else: what job market?

[traveler]

It is really sad about Chattanooga. I have told many people over recent years that it is a great and beautiful place to live and raise a family but not a great place to survive, much less prosper, financially. And it certainly is not a place to try to build a business.....head...meet wall!!

[Kordax]

The major premise behind the gentrification developments in the core city & along the riverfront was that if we (the city & county & non-profits & foundations) built it, significant corporations with significant career type employment opportunities would choose to locate in Chattanooga for the quality of life additions our betters orchestrated for us.

To date, I haven't seen or read any explanations ("this is what went wrong) from the movers & shakers whose numerous "visioning" sessions predicted explosive growth based on the different rounds of gentrification we've undergone. The Riverwalk will attract business relocation, the walking bridge will attract relocation, the aquarium will attract relocation, Coolidge Park will attract relocation, 21st Century will attract relocation -- all of them together were supposed to attract business relocation. The only thing for sure is that they'll be a host of additional schemes designed for the core city only with all the attending, tired & worn out promises for economic growth.....

[bluckarma]

People want to stay or visit because of public works. Businesses want to relocate because of $$$$.

I'm guessing local politicians and the companies they own or do business with have done quite well over the years.

bummer.

[el Gusano]

I make nearly double what a bus driver in Chattanooga makes.

My wife, who had 7 years experience in insurance in Chattanooga, was offered a 40% raise for an entry level insurance position here. (Although, "entry level" was based upon her experience.)

We live in a remote town of 5,000 people. Our tax burden is about half of what it was in Chattanooga, and if Tennessee foists a state income tax on you, it will be even better. Well, better for me. Twould suck for you.

Ironically, I can make much, much more with my stained glass in Chattanooga. Of course, there, there are millions of people within a reasonable driving range, and here, I deal with tourists and people living in Anchorage, which is a 4.5 hour drive away.

[thyst]

I have been disappointed in that many jobs have a starting salary which is less than half of what I made in NC. I knew moving back here that the job market was bad, but I never expected the trouble I have experienced. When I left town in 1998, I was working three jobs to make ends meet. I read an ad just today in which they want the applicant to have experience and the job level is listed as a specialist II. They then go on to say it is an entry level position. Huh?

I am in the process of interviewing with a company. The process has been extremely slow. I applied in late December. Took an aptitude test in Feb. Had my first interview in March. I called last week and they are still interviewing applicants. Then they will do callbacks for a second interview. Sad thing is, this isn't the first time I have gone through such a lengthy interview process when applying for employment in this town.

I did have a job last summer, but my personal ethics did not mesh with the company procedures.

[Racin' Angel]

I love my job! I landed a really GREAT job with Unum, and hopefully in a few months I will be headed home to work as a teleworker!!!

[serendipity]

Are you no longer in nursing school? I am confused. I thought you were going for it?

[Jay]

Yah, Chattanooga doesn't exactly pay well, but the cost of living is a bit better...specifically renting and costs of houses..

[Deleted]

Moving from Atlanta to Chattanooga? Divide your salary by two.

[el Gusano]

Our cost of living is about $5,000 more per year here.

Our income is considerably more than that.

Plus, we don't have to put up with the heat, humidity, crowds, crime, heat, or humidity.

Well, sometimes. It did hit 81 last Summer. I sat in my car for over an hour simply because it has A/C.

[Longshot! [ Saint ]]

Good place to work, but not live. I've had unique experiences working with local government and with businesses here, and my impression is that this is a Country Club town. It has been mapped and operated by some fantastically wealthy people--we lead in national statistics for 'Holy Shit' Rich People vs. other parts of the country, thanks to Coca Cola, Krystal, and Communications empires--and they want two things:

For this place to Look Pretty,

and to not let ANYONE ELSE into their Club.

They are exceeding even their wildest expectations. It's gorgeous, and I will not move--in the end, it's only 'money', and I live within my means--but it should be no surprise that we have a national 'Megasite' for industry, yet we are literally focusing on the import of HOMELESS PEOPLE, with an economy LITERALLY expected to be bolstered by Tourist Dollars accomodated by MINIMUM WAGE JOBS.

This very night I refused to participate in a local newspaper story about local salaries because I no longer wish to place my annual income below my picture after 12 years on the job doing something I love, but the three raises in seven years is a continuing trend. I run one third of one of seven police districts in this City, and we had a resignation just today, and another expected to come in tomorrow. We can't keep people on Government jobs, and we can't even get (qualified) folks into our academies in the first place.

It may be that this town is like a large scale season of 'LOST' in which the importation of the Homeless and the construction of a much vaunted 'Homeless Mall' is actually the intended DESTINATION of our own citizens since they cannot find livable wages here...but that's only theoretical on my part thus far.


If you're looking for an IT related job, know that we have an innovative idea of being a high-speed fiber optic hub based on Railroad Right of ways, and the fact Chattanooga used to be a major RR hub. So naturally, we are not acting on it as a city and instead focus on bums and vending / fast food jobs.

I suggest you save your applications for elsewhere as postage is always rising...but join us here if you'd like a modest lifestyle with great amenities and beauty.


And folks. I wouldn't trade my friends here for the world.

Well, friend, anyway.

[el Gusano]

Thanks to the internet, you can be here and have your friends there at the same time.

Chattanooga's a great place to visit.

[spinsandbarks]

kordax said:

Check this out: www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_104703.asp

No offense Kordax. I'm just grumpy, but...

Riverbend porta-potties have more credibility as a think tank than this overindulged pipsqueak.

[tcrashfx]

The HCSO and the CPD are almost always hiring.....

And think of the job security!

[ScarlettP]

HA! The artical complains that the problem is that there are no people. Maybe the people are LEAVING because there are no jobs. Hmmmmm.....

[kroisis]

In 2001 I was working as Sr. Network Engineer/Sr. Consultant for a company HQ'd in Foster City, California (now Yahoo!). Part of that job involved my traveling approx 3/4 of a million air miles per year. I was consulting in places from Singapore to London. I was making 6 figures and living the good life. All the travel back and forth from my family in Chattanooga quickly began to take its toll. I began looking into the local job market and got an offer from what was then a prominent local company.

After the air travel shutdown post 9/11 my company suddenly dismissed almost the the entire consulting department and I lost that job. I quickly approached the local company only to discover they had quite suddenly initiated a massive shakeup. Shortly thereafter they went under.

I searched the local job market for 2 years looking for a decent job. I finally had to settle for major income cuts and eventually helped form a new company here.

After all the travel and the extended time I spent either unemployed or working at low paying jobs my marriage collapsed.

Today, I am in nursing school hoping to find a way to integrate my computer background into the medical field. I still work with the local company I helped create but not as much as I once did.

As far as the local IT job market is concerned....if you -CAN- ....STAY IN ATLANTA!

At least the money is decent!

[Warkitty]

I got back into my old profession because I was tired of seeing my funds hemhorrage and ability to afford the simplest damned repairs on my house never materialize. In another month I should be able to start some of those stupid repairs. I even have a supervisor to keep an eye on the handyman I'll get in to do the things my troll doesn't know how to do.

Its harder, I love Chattanooga and got spoiled by the incredible cycling roads and groups there. Here I've had to scale back my weekday mileage and had to accept the necessary interruptions that come from riding in a more urban setting (at home, I can find roads without stop signs and lights, not here!) but its worth it to be able to afford supporting the multiple responsibilities I have.

[daworm]

I found my job by accident nearly 16 years ago, and am still here and paid fairly well (although for the first 10 years or so, I was not, but my needs were modest then as well). I'm still not quite at the national average for my position and seniority, but not much below it either.

I figure I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm not sure I could find another job in town if this one were to ever disappear. I have too much experience and make too much for most places here - they couldn't afford me doing my current job (software development), and I have no experience as a manager (nor any real desire to be one).

[Kordax]

that downtown music festival porta-potties have more credibility as a think tank than this overindulged pipsqueak.

With that position, I'd love to read your reasoning....

[spinsandbarks]

*Not* an article. Press release. Not complaining that the chattanoogan posted it...that's a big part of chattanoogan.com.

My complaint is that nobody does due diligence. Everybody is so link happy that all they care about is 25-word snippets and a link and see what the ad program pulls up on the sidebar. (And I'm not talking about this site). And I'm really annoyed that news media don't even bother to check the numbers, put them into context, or even express the most basic curiousity about the motives, funding, schooling, or if the "staff member" answering the phone sounds an awful lot like the CEO and Founder and Head Strategist's mom. (the last is mostly snark).

Even *google* brings up enough to snort at using the word think tank. But it does look like he got a good package deal on Olan Mills head shots.