Leaving Iowa
I grew up in Iowa 
. I went to college in Iowa. After college, I desperately wanted to leave Iowa . Not that there's anything wrong with my home state—I just craved a change of scenery and wanted to live in a "cooler" place.
So I moved to Colorado . Very cool place. But I couldn't find a job in my field and missed my friends, so I came back to Iowa. The lure to try something new was still there, however, and after a couple of years, I moved out of state again—this time to Minneapolis .
Eventually—OK, nine years later—I found my way back to Iowa, where I happily live today. But clearly, I wasn't alone in my desire to strike out somewhere new after college. These days, about 35 percent of grads from my alma mater leave Iowa after graduation.
In an effort to stem this "brain drain," Iowa lawmakers have proposed a bill that would allow employers to pay back all or part of an employee's student loans in exchange for a tax credit.
Sounds like a cool idea to me. It might have even kept me in Iowa after graduation. Would it keep you in your home state?
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Comments (2)
Found in Financial education, Parents, Paying, Post-college, Preparing, Student loans, Wells Fargo Bank
Comments
That is definitley a motivation, I am still, unwillingly in my home state. In my home state of CT (where I reside now) many companies are looking for seasoned people to hire. Not fresh out of college. This may encourage businesses to hire more recent college grads and help me pay my student loans back.
Posted by: Spartanette | March 28, 2007 11:32 AM
It's totally a motivation to stay in your home state, even mine (North Dakota)! As someone who attended undergraduate and graduate school at private institutions (and accumulated at healthy $56K in student loan debt), I think I could handle living 10 yrs of my life in ND in lieu of 25 yrs of student loan payments. Yes, I'm on a 25-year repayment plan. So by the time I'm 50, I'll be ready to take on a mortgage!
Posted by: Mr. G. | April 3, 2007 02:29 PM