The construction that takes place on and off campus is a daily inconvenience for many NC State students. It’s loud, causes traffic and quite frankly, is an eyesore. But construction is a sign of growth within the campus and the city. The temporary inconveniences that students face now is a small price to pay for the emerging opportunity that accompanies a growing city.
The ongoing construction is altering everything from on-campus buildings, to restaurants and shops on Hillsborough Street and also downtown Raleigh itself. Students can expect that the campus they once toured as a prospective freshman will not look entirely the same by the time they leave, and that’s urban living. It is likely that, even now, when some 65-year-old alumni re-visits their old stamping ground, they are finding it to look and feel different from the space they remember thriving in all those years ago. This too will be what current students will experience after graduation, and it’s one of the many benefits of choosing State.
Currently, the young city of Raleigh has several projects in the works. One that many students are aware of is the Hillsborough Street Revitalization Project. Hillsborough is home to many students’ favorite local restaurants and shops, but the jackhammering and bumper-to-bumper traffic caused by the project has consumed the street for the past three years. Thankfully, the project is expected to be finished in the fall of 2017 and will bring with it added businesses and better infrastructure to accommodate the growing city. This project demonstrates a small example of how construction is yielding opportunity. Added business means more jobs and better infrastructure paves the way for further growth.
How does this directly impact students? Raleigh is a growing city that offers current students one of the best overall environments to thrive in. There are many job opportunities, the average population age is relatively young, median earning are high and costs of living are low and unemployment rates are low. For current students, all of these factors make for the perfect environment to live and graduate in. Should students choose to live in Raleigh post-graduation, they will be rewarded with financial opportunity. Living in a fast-paced growing city will ensure added employment, a rise in property values and the latest infrastructure design.
During the year of 2016, Raleigh was mentioned in Forbes Magazine on several occasions for being the second easiest place to find a job, the second hottest spot for American tech jobs, the third best city for young professionals and the fifth next “boom town” in America. It was recorded that Raleigh had 121 jobs posted on Indeed for every 1,000 residents. As a comparison, Miami which was listed as one of the hardest places to find a job, had only 27 job openings for every 1,000 residents. Raleigh is also said to be one of the country’s capitals for technology jobs. Between the years of 2010 and 2015, Raleigh experienced a 38.5 percent increase in technology jobs. For NC State students studying in related fields, this is good news. Also, as the city continues to grow, this number is only expected to increase.
Raleigh’s ever-growing job market means students don’t need to move away post graduation in order to obtain their dream job. In March of 2016, NerdWallet ranked Raleigh as the 15th best city in the country for recent graduates. It was found that 47.8 percent of the standing population in Raleigh was made up of individuals 25 years or older holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. Also, 46.6 percent of jobs in Raleigh were in management, business, science or the arts. This means that Raleigh has a highly educated population with the jobs to match. Throw in that Raleigh has a large and growing job market to begin with, it’s easily said that students don’t need to search far and wide after graduation for a job.
The secret about Raleigh’s enticing qualities is out, and NC State student’s can be the first to reap the reward. Attending an urban university in a growing city puts job opportunities at the fingertips of all State students. Local businesses are aware of the university’s prestige and as the city grows, more big businesses enter the area and NC State graduates flood the job market, the NC State name may be spread even further. This ability for the city, campus and students to grow together is what makes NC State opportunistic now, and even more so in the years to come.
