Jill boucher/Staff Writer
The beaches, nightlife and gorgeous people attract outsiders to come to South Florida, but not to stay.
A lack of opportunity in the region has encouraged many young professionals to look to other states for career caliber jobs.
“I’m moving when I graduate. I’m going far, far away. I don’t want to be limited,” said Ashley Ferbeyer, a senior journalism student.
South Florida is ranked fifth for metro areas that are losing people in the 25 to 34 age demographic, according to the Brookings Institute.
For many, it’s the lack of opportunity in South Florida that has them leaving to find a job in another city.
These other cities include Seattle, Denver, Houston, Dallas and Austin.
When asked about the job market in South Florida for her field, Lauren Samani, freshman studying biology said, “I love Miami and would love to stay for my physical therapy career, but I feel like leaving Miami would provide a better education and opporturnity. There’s not a large enough market here, but out of state, yes.”
Ivette Duarte, associate director of career services said her office provides help for students looking for a job.
Through the NACELINK online database, students of FIU enrolled with Career Services can search through local, national and international job opportunities.
Still, South Florida is losing many of its brightest prospects.
They’re finding success in other states and opting not to return to Miami.
This trend is known as “brain drain,” and means that the well-educated young professionals in local college systems are taking their talents elsewhere.
“We encourage students to consider relocation in particular cities, not just anywhere. Certain industries are headquartered outside of South Florida,” said Duarte.
She mentioned Silicon Valley is a hot spot for computer science majors in Los Angeles.
Although this major averages some of the highest pay nationally, there is a minimal market for it in South Florida.
The Miami Herald reports that Miami rates among the top for cities with the smallest percentage of tech jobs.
MSNBC ranks Austin, Texas, Boston and Washington D.C. as the three best jobs markets in the United States.
Miami was ranked third for cities with the worst job markets, with Orlando and Jacksonville ranked tenth and ninth, respectively.
“I’m staying. Florida is home. I would prefer to pursue a career where I can see friends and family on a regular basis instead of just on holidays. Not to mention that by building your career where you live strengthens your home town. Leaving doesn’t fix anything,” said Begoñia Saiz, a second year graduate student studying Social Work when asked about her plans for the future.
Regardless of the city, internships are a key for any post-graduate.
“Internships help you. Eighty-two percent of internships lead to a job offer,” said Duarte.
Some students around FIU appear to want to leave South Florida not only because of an unstable job market but because they want to experience life in another city.
“I don’t see an issue with finding a job here. I think it would be easy for someone to come here and find a job. There’s a lot of different markets in the area. I just want to move elsewhere,” said Nicole Perez, a senior journalism student.
Recently, The Miami Herald, published an article regarding the subject: “Brain drain in Miami? More like ‘brain gain.’”
Michael Simmons, the author of the article, doesn’t feel brain drain is a problem for South Florida.
He notes that Miami has an ideal combination of factors that lead him to believe that South Florida will quickly begin to attract young professionals again.
Among the factors mentioned are Miami’s accessibility to Latin American markets, the low cost of living and the opportunity for development within the region.
Major corporations can look to Miami as a new market, one where they have leverage.
According to Duarte, jobs with great potential in South Florida after graduation include those within the tourism, travel management, retail management and accounting fields.
“Understand that relocation is not permanent, and your job may lead you back to South Florida,” said Duarte.
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