New Orleans Job Offer

Parent Cafe
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<p>D just graduated college in FL (we are in IL) with a degree in Hospitality. She has been working at an part-time internship in the accounting department at a Hilton in Orlando. However, she hates accounting and wants to do catering/events/meeting planning and use her degree. Too bad that she has no job offers in that field, but does have one in hotel accounting in New Orleans. This is not a place she wants to go to due to not knowing anyone and not wanting to stay in accounting, but she can’t stay in Orlando much longer with on;y part-time work. She does have a few leads for jobs in Orlando, but nothing solid.</p>

<p>We don’t know ANYTHING about New Orleans. Housing, transit system, traffic, cost of living, nothing! I had heard that due to the oil spill and Katrina, accomodations are at a premium. She will also need a roommate.</p>

<p>Any insights on New Orleans would be helpful.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Lisa</p>

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<p>Knowing nothing about your D, it’s impossible for me to say whether New Orleans would be a suitable destination or not. My suggestion would be for your D to ask her prospective employer about housing, transportation, etc. Good luck to your D!</p>

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<p>If she <em>hates accounting</em> why is she even considering relocation to an unknown city to perform that job function? </p>

<p>I would focus on her current location or her home state if she is going to do accounting, and focus on the hospitality field if she is planning to relocate.</p>

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<p>If this job keeps her in the Hilton system or gets her into the Hyatt or Marriott etc system, I think that it is a good first full-time job option for someone who wants to be in the meeting planning/events business. (Fresh grads don’t usually have a huge number of choices.) </p>

<p>If she had school age children, New Orleans might be less than ideal - the public schools really are not very good there - but for a young person who is accustomed to warm weather, I think it would be a lot of fun to live in New Orleans for a while.</p>

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<p>There is a new Hilton in Deerfield Beach, FL. My friend’s son just got hired there. Perhaps your dtr could explore other openings before relocating such a distance.</p>

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<p>From what I can see, the event/catering market is still feeling the effects of the economic downturn. The businesses that I know of are just not having the kind of events that they did in the past. This is the second year in a row that holiday parties and annual meeting trips to interesting places were almost nonexistent. Weddings will only get you so far.</p>

<p>I suspect the current state of the industry is going to make it more difficult to get a hospitality job specifically in event planning. Crossed fingers for your daughter…my nephew just graduated with a degree in communications and is finding it very tough to get an interview for a position remotely related to his degree. At least your daughter can get her foot in the door through accounting. I hope that an event planning job comes her way very soon.</p>

<p>My big question about the move to New Orleans would be whether the job has room for growth. My Cornell hotelie friends all moved around during the early years of their careers - even those on the numbers side of things.</p>

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<p>D is feeling that any job (even one she does not really want) should be considered in this market, but she does not want to jump blindly into a whole new city without some information on what it’s like there. We are of no help because we have never been there and don’t know a thing about it. </p>

<p>As far growth, that is a good question that I will send to her.</p>

<p>Does anyone know anything about the rental market? It is the Hilton on the river if that helps.</p>

<p>Thanks.
Lisa</p>

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<p>“Does anyone know anything about the rental market?”</p>

<p>Yes, but it’s of little use without knowing what your D wants/needs in a home. Orlando is a new city … New Orleans is an old city. She needs to go there for a few days and decide for herself IMHO.</p>

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<p>Tell yr D to take the job. Why? Because its always easier to get a job when you already HAVE a job first. </p>

<p>Events planning is not the strongest biz these days (this from a buddy I know who runs an events facility here) but not quite as weak as you might suspect. Parents still find the bucks for a daughter’s wedding or a son’s bar mitzvah. He also tells me that planners with a head for biz and numbers are a relatively rare breed and sshould have good prospects–the accounting stuff won’t go to waste. </p>

<p>I haven’t been back to the city since Katrina, so I echo others hwo have said let her go and see for herself. Obviously it was beautiful place before the storm and oil spill (through troubled in many respects) but I dont have a feeling for it now.</p>

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<p>Suggestion: read through some of the threads on the Tulane board. There are many who have asked there about New Orleans and what it’s like. </p>

<p>As far as the Hilton, yes there is a large Hilton right at the Mississippi river but I believe there is more than one Hilton in the city. </p>

<p>My son went to Tulane for college and loved living in NOLA. As frequent visitors, H & I find the city to be unique and friendly. However, it isn’t for everyone. Some people see “old” as charming, others as run-down, for example. It isn’t a great place for those who insist on pristine suburbs and a “manicured” lifestyle. It doesn’t have that kind of feel.</p>

<p>Both my kids (20 somethings) love it there and I think it could be a great place for that age group. Honestly though, it isn’t that far away from Orlando–your D should definitely visit and see how she feels. The good news is that there is a fairly large population of young adults there due to the presence of Tulane, Loyola, and University of New Orleans.</p>

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<p>I just stayed at the Hilton Riverview in NO, checked out yesterday. Very nice hotel, BTW, although charging 16.95 per night for wireless internet access was a bit over the top when I can get it free at much cheaper hotels. I was there for a conference, the entire town was packed with people and there was lots of nightlife (according to my younger co-workers who attended!). I am from the Northeast and personally would not want to live in NO, but I think for a young person it would be fun for a while. As someone else said, I have not heard good things about the schools but don’t think that’s an issue for your D at the moment. I did not venture into the hard-hit hurricane areas, but where I was everything looked fine. The Hilton was in a great location. Don’t know what the housing costs are though. </p>

<p>Just my view from being there most of the past week.</p>

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<p>I would think that New Orleans hospitality opportunities would rival anywhere given that they are rebuilding and have received millions from the government to spend! Why not take a quick trip over there? Go see the French Quarter and the giant gambling hotel nearby (I can’t remember the name). Maybe her new employer would let y’all stay a couple nights for free (or discount)?</p>

<p>For a young single person I think there is great opportunity there! She just needs to view it as a stepping stone. Right now… a job is a GREAT thing!</p>

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<p>As a resident of New Orleans, I have to give some words of caution, as I have made many observations of young people who relocate here for jobs.</p>

<p>First off, they are lured into buying an expensive condo in the downtown district to be close to their jobs. If your daughter is assigned to the Downtown Hilton, she will be wooed by this. Or they are lured to rent high priced apartments in the quarter or downtown. </p>

<p>Midcity is a nice area with lots of rentals. Easy on street parking and transportation by streetcar down Canal Street to the Downtown Hilton. However, there are lots of sketchy areas in between midcity and downtown, so if she works nights, I would not recommend this. Even though she’ll be on the streetcar, it will be scary going through those areas.</p>

<p>If she is assigned to the airport Hilton, which is on Airline Highway, she may want to live in the suburbs. Again, some sketchy areas there, too. </p>

<p>New Orleans, for young people, is a stepping stone area. We have many Tulane grads that stay for awhile. Many buy inexpensive property, fix it up, then flip it. As a resident, I am not too happy about this, seeing people profit off of our misery, but I understand it is a necessity for our economics, as we have no real industry to speak of.</p>

<p>And why do we have no industry? Back to a previous poster. Terrible public schools. Although we do not pay high property taxes, we have to pay for private/parochial schools to get a halfway decent/safe education for our kids.</p>

<p>So, as a first job, get her foot in the door, a line on her resume, I would recommend it, but again, be careful where she lives. Feel free to pm me if you have questions on a neighborhood when looking for rentals. Even though Tulane/Loyola are in the nicer parts of the city, there is a lot of crime there, preying on students, so I would not recommend renting in that area. Parking will be a problem, too. </p>

<p>There are many gated apartments in the nearby suburbs, with easy access to public transportation. My husband and I lived at the Gatehouse Apartments for ten years, and my sister and her husband still live there. Bus to the Canal Street bus, as well as easy access to the interstate.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>