What careers are the best to get into for a UK or international citizen in Florida?
The south-eastern state of Florida is known the world over for its status as the theme park capital of the United States. When it comes to career prospects, however, Florida has much to offer outside of the hospitality category. Interestingly enough, it is the city of Orlando, home to Sea World and Disney World, that is also rapidly becoming a hub of medical and technology jobs in the state. Excellent career prospects also draw UK and international citizens to South Florida, where companies in cities such as Miami and Fort Lauderdale are booming due to foreign trade.
Career opportunities in Orlando
Centrally located Orlando is home to a thriving biotechnology sector that offers professional career opportunities featuring not just excellent compensation, but also generous fringe benefits. According to the Economic Development Commission for the Metro Orlando area, the biotechnology research sector in the region is already worth more than $3 billion, a figure that is slated to increase when the medical school at the University of Central Florida opens the new "Medical City" currently under construction.
UK and international citizens with strong cutting-edge technology skills may also find it advantageous to relocate to central Florida. Orlando, in keeping with its status as a leader in the entertainment field, possesses a bustling video-game industry. Game developers here, however, often work on lucrative projects outside the field of personal amusement. Due to their expertise building realistic and challenging combat simulations, game development companies in central Florida routinely secure contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, which invests tens of millions of dollars annually to develop software that can help train soldiers and specialists.
Career prospects in South Florida
The beach paradise cities of Miami and Palm Beach are also excellent places for UK and international citizens to relocate in search of high paying and personally rewarding careers. Bio-medical job opportunities in Palm Beach County are growing in part because the area now boasts a new Scripps Research Institute. Meanwhile, the prestigious University of Miami also has a medical park under development.
Unlike Orlando, however, South Florida is undergoing a Renaissance in foreign trade. UK and international citizens who own businesses involved in trade may wish to relocate or open a branch office in South Florida, which provides an ideal jumping-off point for companies trading with Latin American nations. The brisk Latin American trade in South Florida also makes it a place where financial skills are in high demand. According to Jaap Donath of the Beacon Council, the economic development agency for Miami-Dade County, South Florida's financial jobs have increased by more than a thousand positions in the past year. The dramatic nature of this figure can be seen from the fact that during the same period, Orlando actually lost jobs in the financial sector. “Companies are hiring,’’ added Donath. “They’re hiring across the board.’’
Relocating to a foreign country can be a daunting challenge on a number of levels. UK and international citizens with strong business, medical, or technological skills, however, can rest assured that rewarding careers with excellent future prospects are in abundance in the several regions of the Sunshine State.
