question for the NC guys

[dbales]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum and new to hiking. I've got a few questions for the North Carolina guys.

My wife and I love the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Smokies as well. In short, we love the whole east Tennessee and west North Carolina area. We love it so much that we want to relocate there. We've done a little research and looked into schools and such in the area and have decided that the Hendersonville, NC area looks good for us. We'd like to stick to smaller-mid size cities like this. We personally haven't visited this particular area but we've been close to it on vacation to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge.

I'm planning on going back to school as soon as I can next year to finish my degree to become a welder. I'd like a job in that field, but at the moment I work for Georgia Pacific so anything in the industrial field would work for me. Whats the industrial job market look like in this area? Are there areas close by that the job market looks a little better?

We'd like to move in the next 5 years, enough time for me to finish school and save up as much as we possibly can. We will be making a trip sometime in the next year, perhaps during our vacation, to the Hendersonville area to get a feel for the area.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and if you have any questions to help you help me, just ask. Thanks in advance guys.

[Venchka]

API certified welders are in HIGH demand. My company can't find enough good welders. In Texas. Come to Texas. Make a bunch of money. Vacation in NC.
In the meantime, do your job searching at job search web pages. When you are close to being qualified. The job you are looking for doesn't exist yet. 5 years is a lifetime in the job market.
Have you thought about the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton area?
Good luck.

Wayne

[Mr. Bumpy]

The job market feels tight in WNC because a lot of people (such as ourselves) move to the region as a lifestyle choice. Industrial prospects aren't that bad if you are willing to take second or third shift, but wages on average are lower than in a place like Charlotte. "Two-job Asheville," so the saying goes. Hendersonville could be a good choice because that allows easy access to the Greenville-Spartanburg job market.

[fredmugs]

Somebody on here had a huge awesome house right near the trail for sale. Not sure if it's still for sale or not but last time I saw it was deeply discounted.

[dale1627]

Look into Kingsport, TN. There is a paper mill and the Eastman chemical plant. There is also a good community college which has a good relationship with both plants. The big bonus is the close proximity to a ton of great hiking on the AT.