Purpose: Another factor that limits people's career choices is the tendency to consider only jobs or career options in geographic areas with which they are already familiar. The reality of today's job world is that we must go where the jobs are. Going to a new or unfamiliar place can be a bit scary, but it can be exciting, too. This assignment is designed to help you explore new geographic areas and the career opportunities they offer.

Assignment:
Your geographic comparison will center on one of the careers you chose for your Career Snapshots.

• First, conduct a job search and find three (3) jobs relevant to that career. The positions do not have to be identical, but they must all pertain to your chosen career.
• The jobs must all be in different locations and must also meet the following criteria:
• No more than one of the jobs may be in Kentucky (none of them have to be in Kentucky, if you prefer).
• At least one of the jobs must be in a state where you have never lived and in which none of your relatives live.
• At least one of the jobs must be in a state that does not border Kentucky.
Note: These are only the minimum requirements. If you wish, all your jobs may be outside of Kentucky and in states that do not border Kentucky and in places where you and your family have never lived .

• Provide a copy of the job advertisement (web page, newspaper or journal ad, etc.). If it is on a website, print it off as soon as you find it. Web listings may not remain posted for long and it may not be there if you go back later to print it off or if you just record a URL for the ad.
• Next, you will do research on the location of each of the three jobs and compare their geographic qualities. Your comparison is to include a written summary/discussion of each of the following for each job:
• Climate and Community - What is the average summer and winter temperature, rainfall, snowfall, etc.? What is the population of the city/town in which the employer is located? If the population is less than 50,000, what is the nearest city with a population of 50,000 or more? How far away is it?
• Culture, recreation, and entertainment - Find out the availability of the kinds of cultural, recreational, and entertainment opportunities you enjoy or that would be of interest to you (movies, plays, restaurants, shopping, sporting events, concerts, skiing, sailing, historic sites, etc., etc.).What is available within a reasonable distance and travel time?
• Connections - How far is the nearest airport (local airports do not count; it must be an airport that serves commercial carriers)? What airlines does it serve? How easy is it to get connections to the airport nearest your family and/or significant others? Are there other options readily available (e.g., Amtrak)?
• Housing - Remember that in many cases, you will not live right where your employer is located. This is especially true if the employer is in a large city. Decide your maximum acceptable commuting time and distance (remember that distance does not equal time: a 15 mile commute may take 30 minutes or more depending upon traffic, etc.) and identify at least two (2) potential communities or residential locations within that distance. Do you plan to rent or own? If possible, determine average housing costs (monthly rent or home prices) for the area.
• Cost of living analysis - Take the starting salary provided in the job ad (if a salary range is given, use the lower endpoint as your starting salary; if a starting salary is not provided, determine what the minimum salary (or starting salary) would be based on the average salary for that kind of job. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website can be very useful for that (use the Pay and Benefits link and select Wages by Area and Occupation from the dropdown menu.) The Occupational Outlook Handbook also has some general wage data. If you have to use a wage estimate, be sure to cite the source you use. Once you have determined a yearly salary/wage for that job, then determine the comparable salary in the region that includes Murray, KY (use Hopkinsville, KY if Murray is not listed on the site you use). Will the starting salary in your new location be adequate to meet your quality of life needs? Why or why not?
• Pros and cons - Make a list of pros and cons of that location. What are the positives and negatives? What are your feelings about accepting that job and moving there? What tradeoffs are you willing to make in terms of the quality or type of job and its location?
• References - Provide a bibliography of the sources you used to find the above information for that location; for websites, provide the name of the site, the date you downloaded/accessed the information, and the complete URL for the page(s) you used to find information on that site.