Retention of young Professionals in Boston

Retention of young Professionals in Boston

Research question – is Boston actually unappealing to young adults, specifically recent college graduates? The interviews and personal point-of-views from the four individuals offer some insight into the young professionals’ minds but they are by no means representative of all young professionals. The inclusion of these four individuals was simply to shed light on the thought of some Ivy League educated individuals and their retention. The decision of the Harvard University students to remain in the Boston area both serves as contradictory to the idea that Boston is unappealing to young professionals because they chose Boston as their post-graduate destination, but their long term plans demonstrate that Boston has not been and will not be appealing enough to remain here long term, which draws validity to the ideas that many professionals hoping to improve Boston have suggested and the initiatives to improve Boston. These individuals demonstrated short-term appeal for Boston because of opportunity or circumstance, but eventually plan to move away. The interesting addition was the Columbia University student who finds Boston appealing and would consider relocating to the Boston area at some point in the future. Nonetheless, among the reports demonstrating a higher than expected retention of young professionals and the idea that the “brain drain” exists, there is an inconsistency and room for improvement. A single conclusion cannot be drawn from the retention of young professionals in Boston. Many professionals believe more can be done to make Boston nightlife more appealing, affordable, and accessible in addition to providing more transportation for the suburb dwellers who cannot afford the city’s rent. The “brain drain” has not been disproven even though BRA / UMass report demonstrates that retention is higher than previously perceived, but as Hopper’s blog mentions, the report could be stronger if it included more comparison and more sources. There are initiatives in place but they require civic engagement, meaning they require more motivation from the busy young adults, and although the individuals I interviewed are staying or have stayed in Boston, their intentions are short term and Boston is weeded out by other options because their initial reasons for staying in Boston came out of circumstance or opportunity.

Erika Garcia