Year in America - but whereabouts?

Original Username

So I've just finished University - graduating in a couple of weeks - and am now thinking about what I want to do. I'm from Northern Ireland by the way, and I'd really like to go to the States, and have been looking at the 12 month USA work visa with USIT.

Should I go, I'd obviously want to go somewhere with decent job prospects, but also that is easy to meet people, (as I would be going alone).

My first thought is New York, (as I'm sure it is for many), but I know it can be expensive, so I'm just wondering if there is anywhere else I should think about as an alternative. Does anyone have any experience of a working year or even a summer in the US?

Thanks

silja

What kind of degree do you have/ what kind of work are you looking for? For example for IT, California and Seattle should be considered; Florida or the Gulf Coast for tourism etc...

Original Username

My degree is largely based around website design and development, so that is the type of work I'd be looking for.

careca11

Original Username wrote: »

So I've just finished University - graduating in a couple of weeks - and am now thinking about what I want to do. I'm from Northern Ireland by the way, and I'd really like to go to the States, and have been looking at the 12 month USA work visa with USIT.

Should I go, I'd obviously want to go somewhere with decent job prospects, but also that is easy to meet people, (as I would be going alone).

My first thought is New York, (as I'm sure it is for many), but I know it can be expensive, so I'm just wondering if there is anywhere else I should think about as an alternative. Does anyone have any experience of a working year or even a summer in the US?

Thanks

speaking from experience , Stanford Connecticut is a great place to start , lots of irish people , its a big uni town so a huge mixed bag of peeps , head for the tighne bar ..................someone there might be able to sort you out a job or at least advise you ,cheaper than NYC (only 40mins ago by train) ,

I spent 6 months their working (bar work , painting , bit of this , bit of that) had an absolute ball, after 6 six months I headed off around the country , san diego , boilingbrook, NYC , washington , SF
unbelievable and unforgetable experience

well thats just based on my experience

Darren1o1

careca11 wrote: »

speaking from experience , Stanford Connecticut is a great place to start , lots of irish people , its a big uni town so a huge mixed bag of peeps , head for the tighne bar ..................someone there might be able to sort you out a job or at least advise you ,cheaper than NYC (only 40mins ago by train) ,

I spent 6 months their working (bar work , painting , bit of this , bit of that) had an absolute ball, after 6 six months I headed off around the country , san diego , boilingbrook, NYC , washington , SF
unbelievable and unforgetable experience

well thats just based on my experience

Stamford you mean?

Killer Wench

For the love of fried cod, don't go to New York City or LA unless you plan on visiting. If you are here for a year, do yourself a favor and try to find a city that doesn't attract a large amount of non-Americans due to the images provided through movies and tv shows. People who do end up going to NYC or LA walk away from their experience complaining that America lacks culture....

First, do a bit of research and find out what areas of the country are hiring. You will learn that the southeast is currently buzzing. Austin was recently ranked as the best place to go to find a job in the US. With San Antonio and Houston filling second and third, respectively. It truly amazes me how many people overlook our nation's capital, but when you think about the number of federal jobs that attract Americans, and thus creating plenty of service jobs to support those employees, it should be high on people's lists. Not to mention with its access to the northeast and the south, it is a good place to be for weekend jaunts out of town.

No offense as it is not directed at you or anyone particularly in this thread, but I have heard plenty of people who come to America for a year asking about the best places to be with large Irish populations. I get that it is nice to be with people who know your home, understand your local dialect, and can swap stories, but if you are coming here to experience America, then consider blending into the American communities.

starky

Killer Wench wrote: »

For the love of fried cod, don't go to New York City or LA unless you plan on visiting. If you are here for a year, do yourself a favor and tried to find a city that doesn't attract a large amount of non-Americans due to the images provided through movies and tv shows. Then they walk away from their experience complaining that America lacks culture....

First, do a bit of research and find out what areas of the country are hiring. You will learn that the southeast is currently buzzing. Austin was recently ranked as the best place to go to find a job in the US. With San Antonio and Houston filling second and third, respectively. It truly amazes me how many people overlook our nation's capital, but when you think about the number of federal jobs that attract Americans, and thus creating plenty of service jobs to support those employees, it should be high on people's lists. Not to mention with its access to the northeast and the south, it is a good place to be for weekend jaunts out of town.

No offense as it is not directed at you or anyone particularly in this thread, but I have heard plenty of people who come to America for a year asking about the best places to be with large Irish populations. I get that it is nice to be with people who know your home, understand your local dialect, and can swap stories, but if you are coming here to experience America, then consider blending into the American communities.

That is very true, good advice. Living in Boston, I some time forget altogether that I am even in the USA :-) Its like an extra Irish county there. Not sure what to suggest though, NYC is great but you would need some serious cash to live there, so you might find the year a bit of a struggle money wise! Boston is great, but then I am biased on that, and its marginally less expensive to live in. I definitely have a desire to live in CA at some point in the not so distant future so would maybe recommend somewhere out there too. I have herd good things about Austin too, I think its one of the few places south of DC that I would consider living in. I have family and friends in DC/MD and would definitely live there too. There is also Seattle too, Its actually mind boggling how many cool cities there are in the US, its a tough choice!

Killer Wench

starky wrote: »

That is very true, good advice. Living in Boston, I some time forget altogether that I am even in the USA :-) Its like an extra Irish county there. Not sure what to suggest though, NYC is great but you would need some serious cash to live there, so you might find the year a bit of a struggle money wise! Boston is great, but then I am biased on that, and its marginally less expensive to live in. I definitely have a desire to live in CA at some point in the not so distant future so would maybe recommend somewhere out there too. I have herd good things about Austin too, I think its one of the few places south of DC that I would consider living in. I have family and friends in DC/MD and would definitely live there too. There is also Seattle too, Its actually mind boggling how many cool cities there are in the US, its a tough choice!

Geez. My post was a mess, I am glad you understood what I meant! :P

Roche

My advice - find a place that doesn't attract the typical hoards of Irish immigrants. 1). You will stand out to prospective employers 2). Americans are very receptive to other nationalities especially Irish. Cities like Portland / Seattle / Denver / Austin / The Twin Cities etc....all great options.