I hope I'm not stealing what someone else wanted to blog about and the reason I say this is because I had no intention on talking about myself and/or my experience in Des Moines compared to Iowa City. I HATE talking about myself, I always feel awkward. Which is my weakness when I'm being interviewed. Interesting how I get to practice getting rid of this weakness tomorrow at the career fair... Anyway, with the fair tomorrow and my goal of the semester being to find a job by the time I graduate in December, I figured I better try to hash out some thoughts on Des Moines versus Iowa City and see if I come out with a clearer picture on where I might want to look for a job and spend at least the next few years. I'm definitely feeling torn between my love for this exciting and new bigger city I find myself in and my hometown with my family, friends and duh... the Iowa Hawkeyes. As opposed to the majority of our class, I grew up in Iowa City instead of Des Moines. I worked for the admissions office at the University of Iowa all throughout undergrad and trying to explain to both perspective and even current students why I chose Iowa being from Iowa City was extremely difficult. Everyone figured I would have wanted to escape the state of Iowa or at least get out of the town. Without giving you my typical admissions speech about why I chose Iowa, (because in some respects, it is kind of corny) one thing I don't think my fellow students can understand is that the University of Iowa has been around my entire life, (this will sound creepy) almost like a third parent. You name it, the university probably sponsored it or was somehow connected to it. Educational field trips were to Hancher, the Old Capitol, MacBride Nature, etc. Your friends' parents were probably doctors, professors or lawyers who had attended/worked at the university. I think a lot of Iowa Citians cared more about the politics of the university than actual Iowa City government. And then of course the lack of professional teams in Iowa leads to the ridiculous following of the Hawkeyes (which is also a state pride thing, but I think for us in Iowa City it goes even deeper- we almost feel like the Hawks ARE Iowa City's professional team) and we all know how the downtown scene and the university go hand in hand. I promise this is not a one sided post- I've been coming to Des Moines all my life to visit relatives and go shopping, Iowa State Fair etc. In terms of big or, bigger cities, I could say I've frequented Des Moines the most, possibly even more than Cedar Rapids. I think it's the perfect size for an urban community. Its got suburbs, its got a downtown with, at least, a couple of tall buildings! I like the fact that there is more than one of the store you're looking for. As in: more than one Target/Walmart, Menards, Subway, Younkers, Gap, and on and on. If there is one or two in Iowa City- there are three, four or five plus in Des Moines so even if you do have to do more driving in Des Moines, there are more locations of what you need to go to. I love the amount of job opportunities with all of the major insurance companies and businesses. As a history major, I appreciate that Des Moines has the state capitol. I feel like I'm starting to make sentence lists, sorry... I think the thing I'm most excited about is that I don't know everything about Des Moines... I learn new things all the time! I'm having a great time discovering new little restuarants and bars to try out, concerts to go see and networking events to attend which sometimes even a university can't bring to its town. So maybe in this post I just made giant lists about mostly pros and a few cons over Iowa City and Des Moines but I guess maybe I just wanted to point out that I'm struggling over where I'm going to be come December. The more I get to know Des Moines the harder it is going to be to leave (that is, if I do), geez I didn't even mention how much I love my office/internship! Alright fellow classmates- if you've got reasons I should stay in Des Moines I'd love to hear them! :)
-Kaitlin D
3 comments:
Wow, thought making the font smaller would help... not so much.
Coming from a fellow december graduate, I know where you're coming from on the big "what ifs?" of what is going to happen come December 20th or so.
As for why Des Moines? Being from here, I would have to say its size is perfect, like you said, not too big, not too small with plenty of places to go without having to go too far. Urbandale, Johnston, WDM, Waukee, etc. are all great suburbs of Des Moines that have a lot to offer a person.
As a fellow Iowa Citian I understand your struggle. I debated about attending The University of Iowa and am constantly being asked why I didn't move away. I agree that the Hawks feel like our own professional team and that everything you do as a child has something to do with the University.
I am going through the same debate about where I would like to end up after graduation. Experiencing a new place like Des Moines has given me the confidence that I can in fact move somewhere new and unfamiliar.
Although I miss being near my friends and family I like to think that they will always be there. My advice to you would be to try somewhere new for a while and if you don't like it....Iowa City will always be there!
Tamra
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