Are you leaving or
have you left Pittsburgh?

I grew up in Pittsburgh in the 1970′s and 80′s. I remember: unemployed steel workers, the radical minister who put fish in Mellon Bank safety deposit vaults, nothing was air-conditioned, being mugged at a Pirates game, rude police, ruder government workers, grey skies, cold weather, pot holes, rust, decaying buildings, the Turnpike, loud mouthes wearing jean jackets, pandemic carsickness from the goat hills, being at Kennywood and seeing a fight, long, dismal winters, short summers, the preachy zoo, inconsiderate drivers, everyone else is leaving…

Basically, I am a whinny little 23 year old that thinks the grass is greener on the other side everywhere. I went to school for a very easy major in underwater basket weaving. I CANT FIND A JERB! It is so frustrating that there is no underwater basket weaving factories here!!! Basically I am one of those 23 year olds that complain about lack of nightlife, culture, and bla bla bla. But I am not smart enough (reason I didn’t go into a major with a purpose) to understand that Pittsburgh has a fairly remarkable culture for a mid-sized city. I (being not that smart) compare it too international scale cities like DC and NYC so I complain and whine without looking at the reality of things.

In reality the Pittsburgh population rose last year, and the year before. In reality the job market is the THIRD BEST OUT OF ALL AMERICAN CITIES AFTER HOUSTON AND AUSTIN. But again, I went to college for a useless degree and now can’t find employment in a economy that is hurting American cities across the country. But I am not smart enough to figure that out, so I spend my time whining on blogs on the internet.

Are you leaving soon?: The next 6 months

In 1998 I came to Pittsburgh to attend CMU’s design school on full scholarship, cross-registering at Pitt for several writing and art history courses. Both schools afforded me unique learning opportunities. Oakland was a thriving neighborhood, a little dangerous, very edgy, with plenty of concerts, dance nights, etc. to attend, and all kinds of people to meet.

After graduating in 2002, I struggled to establish myself professionally. Of course, the economy wasn’t stellar, but my friends who left Pittsburgh got great jobs right away, as they should – CMU’s reputation in anything design or tech-related is excellent. The years of floundering in my early 20s chipped away at my self-esteem. At the same time, I struggled to fit in socially. It seemed like everyone here already had long-established social cliques. Pittsburghers hate you when you characterize them this way, but it’s true. I floated from group to group, never finding one to call my own. Finally, at age 27, I gave up on having friends, at least as long as I lived here. It was the wisest decision I ever made. Banging your head against the same brick wall is never a logical choice.

Finally, I established myself into a successful career. Then, it turned out I needed mental health help. There is no shame in depression – it is something most of us will struggle with at some point in our lives. I’ve never experienced a city with such a limited mental health care pool. Western Psych was overbooked. Mercy Behavioral Health didn’t take my insurance, nor did half the clinics I called. The few therapists I did manage to get into see (each with a 1-2 month waiting period) all wanted to rush to diagnose me with a serious mental illness so they could try me on the high-priced flashy new drugs that their drug reps gave them samples of. No therapists in Pittsburgh have heard of “depression caused by social isolation.” It’s a totally foreign idea around here, I guess. I’ve even tried calling the help line, and every time I do, an elderly woman, who sounds bored out of her mind, and talks in a Yinzer-accented monotone answers the phone. She trivializes what I have to say and rushes to get me off so she can help a truly deserving person. Not me.

It’s been the same deal with finding a general care practitioner or gynecologist. Being childfree and unwilling to take fake hormones to control your reproductive system is unheard of here. The highly-touted UPMC doctors trivialize my issues, and West Penn-Allegheny has demonized me during a pelvic, with a male doctor calling me a slut.The Midwife Center was not the hip mecca it was made out to be…as I found when they coerced me into seeing a UPMC specialist for an unnecessary surgical procedure to the tune of a cool grand. Even at Planned Parenthood, the allegedly “liberal” clinic, they nag me into birth control every visit. And I hate to say it as a liberal, but the Pittsburgh Planned Parenthood sort of deserves to be shut down at this point. During my last visit, the exam gowns were made of single-ply paper, the rooms were dirty, and the toilet in the restroom where I gave my urine sample was festooned with fresh blood.

Finally, I lost my job over the holidays last year. The company I was working for kicked me out and replaced me with a kid. No one will hire me now. I’ve searched fruitlessly all winter and spring, and mostly, what I see are $10/hour positions requesting “no more than 3 years of experience.” Where were all these jobs when I graduated a decade ago? Simply because I’m a woman, everyone I’ve interviewed with so far tries to cut 10K off my salary requirements. Then, they turn around and post those same jobs with the 10K (often more) added back on. I’ve interviewed at a decent number of companies who pretended they wanted me. I wrote lovely thank-you notes, presented business plans, and…dead silence. The HR reps here can’t handle delivering bad news, so they just ignore you. Networking in Pittsburgh is the same deal. Don’t bother doing it if you’re laid off. You’ll be treated like the leper that you are.

My husband is a transplant like me. I’m from Tacoma (Washington…it’s near Seattle). He’s from the exurbs of Chicago, and came here to attend Point Park in 1996. We both feel like idiots coming here for school and wasting the prime years of our lives. Jobless, friendless, and running out of money, we’re leaving for Austin (Texas) next month. We gave this city more than enough chances – and it seems like being a friendly, talented person with lots of job experience and a willingness to help yourself is a liability, not an asset, here.

I won’t miss this town. It was a mistake, and one I hope I forget about soon. I may be over 30, but I’m not dead yet, and the time to start over is now.

Are you leaving soon?: This year

This post was submitted by Juliet.

I grew up in Charleston, WV, which is a similarly terrible city on a smaller scale. Moved to Morgantown, WV for college at West Virginia University. After college, I thought I couldn’t wait to get out of Morgantown, so I moved up to Pittsburgh with a couple of my friends who ended up at Pitt for grad school. I had a job where I could live wherever I wanted – WHEREVER I WANTED AND I CHOSE PITTSBURGH – because I traveled 4 days a week. I figured since I was gone, Pittsburgh would be a cheap place to have a “home base” of sorts. Well, the traffic sucked, the taxes sucked, the people are morons, and that was that. So I’m back in Morgantown, which some might say isn’t a move up. However, the college town atmosphere contributes to a lot of opportunities and fun. Plus, I have a low cost of living and am only a couple hours from several major cities. I win. Pittsburgh, as always, you lose.

This post was submitted by Logan.

Ugly city, even uglier people.

I have always loved Pittsburgh. It is a beautiful city with centuries worth of character. The only probably is that I am in my twenties and I am trying to become a teacher. Sadly there are not very many opportunities to teach in Pittsburgh. I have also searched for other jobs in the city, but unless you want to be in sales or retail it is very difficult to find employment. Pittsburgh does not have a very good transportation and driving anywhere normally takes an hour. Sadly it is not a good place to be if you are young.

I will be entering the era of “Retirement Age” in exactly 5 years and 4 months. It is then I will be making the move from Pittsburgh to a foreign country. Why? Because most of my children have themselves left Pittsburgh for parts unknown (well, KNOWN to me, but not you) and I’m tired of not being a part of the lives of my grandchildren so I must go to them. I refuse to wait any longer. Life is too short. Not to mention the FACT that the violence here is getting way out of control. Every single day there is a shooting or another violent act that occurs in this town and I’m just plain sick of it. If I could leave sooner I would.

Are you leaving soon?: Some Day

This post was submitted by A Baby Boomer.

In 2005, I visited Pitt as a high school senior. I grew up in suburban Birmingham, Alabama, and I had never seen tight neighborhoods like those in Pittsburgh up close. Oakland was this enchanting swarm of people, and I thought it was liberating you could ride the bus around. The Pitt Honors College, which was then run by the legendary “Doc Stewart,” gave off a very industrious, generous vibe that struck a chord with me.

My years at Pitt were and probably always will be the best five years of my life. I lived all over Oakland and got in countless adventures. I earned a disorderly conduct for throwing a wild party on Meyran for Halloween 2008. Worth every bit of the $410 fine. The next Halloween, I organized a Misfits cover band and played a show in our basement in deep south Oakland, on Ward St. across the Boulevard. I made a TV series on UPTV called Andrew Carnegie show, and in the six years since I have been recognized on the street at least five times per year by some ex-resident of Pitt student housing. I wrote a column in the Pitt News for four years. I had some great girlfriends. One time, a drunk guy punched out my window, and my roommate and I chased him with samurai swords. Then we found him bleeding all over the street from the broken glass, so we had to call an ambulance. During the 2009 super bowl riots, I made a short documentary of the night, “Cloversteeled,” part of which ended up on KDKA’s evening news…the part where a bunch of bros charge a PG newspaper stand through a bus stop on Forbes and then tear it down. This was just an incredible, insane and magical time.

After graduation, I went to work covering pipe and tube at Steel Business Briefing, a newspaper for the steel industry located in the south side works. I worked there for one year while living on Ellsworth in Shadyside…a location I was able to afford only because of the karaoke night that took place twenty feet from my bedroom. Every morning, I would choose between the bus and biking through Panther Hollow and over the Hot Metal Bridge. My free time was spent at bars with work friends and learning animation at Pittsburgh Filmmakers. Eventually, I got enough work making web animations for small businesses to quit my job and animate full time. I spent part of my last summer subletting a sweltering room in a house in Lawrenceville . The house was rented by my friends from school, who’d taken up vegetable gardening. Every night we ate meals fresh from the garden, like something in a retirement planning commercial.

I left Pittsburgh in September 2010. It was always my dream to get involved in public policy, and I ended up winning a scholarship to come to England to study transportation. I will always yearn for Pittsburgh, though. In my mind, Pittsburgh is a wonderland of adventure, where every alley hides the promise of a great story and every person has something hilarious to say. It sounds obsessive, but I dream one day I can come back and manage the Port Authority or something.

This post was submitted by Lewis.

Despite all the “Most Livable City” hype, there aren’t any jobs in Pittsburgh outside of healthcare. I’ve been looking for almost two years, well before I got laid off, and have gone on very, very few interviews. I’m supposed to feel grateful that I even got those interviews, or so I’m told, because some people don’t get any, and that’s wonderful, but without a job, I can’t pay for our housing and bills once the unemployment runs out. I constantly have people review my resume and portfolio and get mad compliments, and every time I’ve done a resume or portfolio for someone else, they got a job (usually outside the area), but there’s been nothing for me.

People here are also very unfriendly and look down on you, as if you’re scum, because you can’t find work. I can’t just get a job at McDonald’s or 7/11, because I have a family to feed. They won’t take me anyway because they can hold out for people who have years of recent experience in fast food/convenience store cashiering. I’ve tried looking at entry level jobs in my field, too, but no one believes a middle manager like myself will really be satisfied with those, and I know they’re thinking I’ll leave as soon as the economy improves (which I’m not sure it will, but that’s beside the point). I look at job boards at Craigslist in other cities, and those are filled with positions I could take. But here, positions that suit me open up about once every two months, if at all. I’m not trying to be picky, and as I’ve said, I have applied for positions that are beneath me and pay awful salaries, but there’s no interest in me. The few times I have gotten interviews were when I applied for jobs appropriate for my level and skills.

So after applying for every open position possible, cold-calling every firm in the area that might want to hire me, utilizing all the recruiters and headhunters in my field, tapping into my networks, and asking around, I’ve concluded that there’s nothing more I can do. It’s time to leave before my unemployment runs out and my family is homeless.

Are you leaving soon?: This year

This post was submitted by Stephen.

I went to Grad school at Pitt ( GSPIA ) and after graduation there just wasn’t anything to do career wise. Although I am from DC, I would have considered staying in Pittsburgh. The night life is below average ( compared to what I’m used to) and i got tired of meeting the same educated group of people everywhere i go (very small city). I have a Master’s in Urban Development and Public Policy and there just didn’t seem to be a big issue with housing affordability here. If I can purchase a home for $60,000 and I make $45,000 then I’m good and thats what Pittsburgh offers but what it does not offer out weighs that.

No Diverse night life
No Cultural Diversity
Limited Venues
No main attractions ( concerts or shows )
No destination appeal
Bad politics for such a small city ( if only you knew )

I want options and Pittsburgh doesn’t give you that.

Could I come back? Yes but what DC offers me right now is next to none. For the record, DC is not as expensive as everyone thinks. I love it.

This post was submitted by Rahim.