COMMENT BY
Abhd from Swansea, IL
COMMENT ABOUT PLACE
Belleville, IL
COMMENT
Not the worst place but definitely leaves much to
I am a native of southern Il which borders St. Louis. Born and raised here and never lived anywhere else until i went off to college in chicago. One thing i can say, if you ever leave and see something else, you will not desire coming back. Where as the area will always be home, I am in a quest to leave in the next year. It's economy is horrible for educated people. It doesn't even matter about your color, the economy is just horrible. I am a black professional accountant with an MBA and I work with other professionals with MBA and we make less than i made on my first job after undergraduate degree. The city is more of a place that you settle into or get stuck into. The benefits on the job are great but pay is low and if you have a family and want to afford them better opportunities than maybe you were able to have as a child or you just want to start paying off some bills like student loans, this is not the place for you. Trust me the job market sucks!!!!!!!!!! I'm not saying you can't find a job because you can but you might need to work 2 or 3 to get ahead. I personally think the city is still behind in times and are not for forward movement and progression, They don't like change. Trust me, don't come here if you are looking to advance professionally. On the other hand, if you are looking to work on the same job for 20 years and stay in the same position or only make latteral moves within that 20 years and you are comfortable with living comfortably with your family but not really progressing too much over time then maybe you'll like it. I was born and raised here and I desire more. I love the family roots and closeness but it does not do anything for me professionally. I hope this helps anyone considering this area. Like I said, its far from the worst place to live but there are plenty of alternatives to St. Louis that might be more desirable.