Young professionals live here for the area, not the money

Image by flickr user willia4Image by 20080625jobs.jpg Jobs: Everyone needs them, but it's the city, its culture and its outdoors, not its jobs, that seems to draw young professionals to Charleston. You could say the same for this loggerhead turtle.

It's true, Charleston's climate and culture are better than its jobs. A survey found that some 61 percent of a group of young professionals are transplants to Charleston, but that only 31 percent of people came for a job offer.

The results come from a recent survey of the Charleston Area Metro Chamber of Commerce's roughly 500-member Charleston Young Professionals group, a group that aims to find ways to help grow and retain Charleston's young professionals.

The Charleston City Paper says:
They recognized cost of living, lack of jobs, and traffic as the three worst things about Charleston. It echoes similar concerns from the Chamber membership rosters outside the CYP age group, says Pennie Bingham, the chamber vice president of business development and innovation.

In a seeming confirmation of the survey, CNN recently pegged Charleston at number 81 on its "100 best places to live and launch," saying: "A travel destination that enjoys top billing from taste-makers, Charleston attracts a well-educated and wealthy crowd from all over the country. As a result, entrepreneurs catering to them — such as those in financial planning, interior decorating, and catering — thrive."

If you're interested in joining the Charleston Young Professionals group, you will need to pay $45 and be between 22 and 39 years old. The group recently launched a mentoring program.

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