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Brain Drain

egrguy

By egrguy
in Michigan

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wolverine Town

wolverine

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Personally, I'm going to move where the jobs are. I want a job that is stable, where I can take decent public transportation to work and live in a neighborhood that is culturally diverse and has character. I feel that Michigan is always missing one or more pieces of the puzzle to make this a desirable place to live in the future for me and others. I could get a job in Chicago and be satisfied with all of the above, it's got me saying why not leave? I really think Michigan needs to focus in strengthening it's economy to keep young people working here. All the rest is secondary.

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michaelskis Hamlet

michaelskis

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I was part of that drain for a year. I moved to a city just outside of Philadelphia for a job and because it offered something that I did not think that I could find in Michigan.

Right now things are starting to change in that recent college Graduates are looking to more than just employment, they are looking for a place that they could truly live. This includes offering a diverse range of entertainment, cultural, social, and residential options.

Michigan

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RustTown City

RustTown

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I've heard that excuse, too, the one about the tech jobs, and I just don't see that one either. From everything I've been able to find Michigan ranks 4th in the nation in high-tech employment (70,000 jobs of which are in the automotive industry) according to MEDC, 3rd in overall Research & Development investment expenditures in the U.S. in 2001, 2nd in new corporate facilities and expansions in 2004...

I could go on and on. I just not buying that the state is the least competitive out of all the 50 states. I can't see it being anything much beyond the "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome. It seems like we're just as a point in time (along with Ohio) where we'd like to believe that the sky is falling back here in Michigan to justify the drain, but that's just largely an excuse, not a fact. This is not too try and gloss over that Michigan has some real problems, but I think they are WAY overblown.

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wolverine Town

wolverine

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You pretty much contradicted yourself. On one hand you're saying that Michigan needs those compentents you feel the state is missing to keep these students. On the other hand you're saying that jobs matter. Is it the chick or the egg, or both?

No, I'm stating my own personal interests. But I'm also saying that for most people, it's about getting jobs. I agree with what the article has to say. We need all of that. But no one will get to enjoy that if there is no jobs.

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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I was part of that drain for a year. I moved to a city just outside of Philadelphia for a job and because it offered something that I did not think that I could find in Michigan.

Right now things are starting to change in that recent college Graduates are looking to more than just employment, they are looking for a place that they could truly live. This includes offering a diverse range of entertainment, cultural, social, and residential options.

Michigan

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Ka3kab Hamlet

Ka3kab

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A little late in replying to this, but I agree with the second post. I don't think it has much to do with the quality of jobs around here. Like it has been said already, Michigan ranks quite high in high-tech jobs. If you think about it, Las Vegas has one of the highest population growths in the country. The highest if you don't count the Livingston County's of the country (that is to say sprawl-burbs). And what does Las Vegas have to offer that Michigan doesn't? Hmm, warmth is about all I can come up with. Construction? You can do that in Michigan. You wanna be a blackjack dealer? Hell, you can do that in Michigan now. What do we have. 3 casino's in Detroit and about 15 outstate. Want to go to the lake in Vegas? Too bad. Places like Arizona, Texas, Florida and California, IMO, have nothing to offer me but comfortable temps in the winter months.

I have to say that the brain-drain is nothing more than people running from the snow.

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RustTown City

RustTown

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That looks to be a much more comprehensive and accurate take on the issue than what the media has been putting out since 2000 or so. I've said it before, but us Michiganians have come to love bad news in an unhealthy way. If it didn't know any better and only listened to the media, I'd swear that the downsizing of the auto industry was the end of the world for Michigan.

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Paramaribo Whistle-Stop

Paramaribo

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I'm in my mid-twenties and live in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

I have several peers who have migrated to Chicago (and other attractive cities). They are college educated and constitute "the brain drain."

My peers enjoy big city pleasures, i.e., lots of ethnic restaurants, cultural events, and the sheer buzz of a large city life. But this comes at a cost for they cannot afford to leave the city for travel, let alone buy property or make financial investments.

Now, I have the same salary that they do except I own my house, make investments, and buy airfare to exotic locations for nice long vacations...and still manage to save income.

My base is Grand Rapids where my overhead is low. So, living in Michigan lets me experience a much larger world than those who actually leave the State. It's a wonderful thing.

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tracer1138 Whistle-Stop

tracer1138

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It's great that you enjoy your lifestyle... to each his/her own.

Consider though, that you and your friends enjoy life in different ways. You enjoy it by traveling elsewhere (to exotic locations), while they obtain fulfillment by living in a vibrant city. It seems you both enjoy the same things, but you find them in different places and in different ways.

Personally, I'm with your friends on this one. It would glady sacrifice my investment capabilites and ability to travel all the time to live in a vibrant city (or within a short commute of one). I wouldn't want to live in a stagnat place and always having to look elsewhere for fulfillment. Don't go looking for your hearts desire anywhere but your own backyard I say.

But whatever floats your boat.

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Paramaribo Whistle-Stop

Paramaribo

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Posted
It's great that you enjoy your lifestyle... to each his/her own.

Consider though, that you and your friends enjoy life in different ways. You enjoy it by traveling elsewhere (to exotic locations), while they obtain fulfillment by living in a vibrant city. It seems you both enjoy the same things, but you find them in different places and in different ways.

Personally, I'm with your friends on this one. It would glady sacrifice my investment capabilites and ability to travel all the time to live in a vibrant city (or within a short commute of one). I wouldn't want to live in a stagnat place and always having to look elsewhere for fulfillment. Don't go looking for your hearts desire anywhere but your own backyard I say.

But whatever floats your boat.

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Paramaribo Whistle-Stop

Paramaribo

Posted
Posted
It's great that you enjoy your lifestyle... to each his/her own.

Consider though, that you and your friends enjoy life in different ways. You enjoy it by traveling elsewhere (to exotic locations), while they obtain fulfillment by living in a vibrant city. It seems you both enjoy the same things, but you find them in different places and in different ways.

Personally, I'm with your friends on this one. It would glady sacrifice my investment capabilites and ability to travel all the time to live in a vibrant city (or within a short commute of one). I wouldn't want to live in a stagnat place and always having to look elsewhere for fulfillment. Don't go looking for your hearts desire anywhere but your own backyard I say.

But whatever floats your boat.

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MJLO City

MJLO

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Over the past 15 years Grand Rapids has really become a much more attractive place for graduates. Especially in the biotech sector. I really think that trend has started to reverse atleast on the west side. I'm sure it's gotten alot better on the east side too. I think in the coming years brain drain won't be an issue we discuss as a crisis.

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