Quote Originally Posted by royce View Post
I read the entire article. It's the same old stuff that's been reported for years, families leaving for safety reasons or older folks leaving because they can't take the cold winters here in Michigan/Midwest. I get that. For the others interviewed in the article, some of the reasons for leaving have a lot to do with their level of education and the careers they chose.

One of the expatriates worked in big pharma, left to start their own health food store but said the rent increased, causing her to close shop. She couldn't find another area in Detroit to run her shop? Then she says she goes to Atlanta and finds another job in big pharma. Couldn't she just have gone back to big pharma here?

Another expatriate talks about not being able to find the funding for some unproven AI powered software to make home buying easier. He goes to Baltimore and he finds investors. However, the article says he found the money he needed and tested his software in Macomb and Oakland counties and the company is going to launch the software here in Michigan. Then what's the problem?

A third expatriate said they couldn't find work after getting a secondary degree in education. There are many school districts here in Michigan to find a job. Then she leaves here but finds jobs in everything else but education. Did she have a desirable teaching degree, such as one in science, math, or special education?

Finally, one expatriate is an actor. He says that the loss of the Michigan Film Incentive made it hard for him to find work here. Well, Detroit had nothing to do with that. Besides, if you want to be an actor with consistent work, then you go to LA or NYC. Everybody knows that, right?

A lot of Detroiters who get college degrees often get degrees in subjects that aren't in high demand. An arts degree, a degree in social work, or a degree in social justice is not going to pave your way to big salaries. Again, because of educational choices, the people interviewed couldn't find work here in Detroit. I don't think Detroit had anything to do with this, at least not this time.

BTW, how do you measure middle income neighborhoods? The article says that Detroit had 22 middle class neighborhoods but now only has 11. I would like to see those numbers.
I would venture to say if most of these ex-pats had no problem securing funding for their ventures or establishing their careers in other states once they left, common denominator would imply the problem doesn't lie with them but the state they grew up in.

And that problem is a complete dearth of opportunities for young/ambitious people who are starting out and just want to catch a break. Said state has failed them in this regard.