Dear Grads, How About Staying in the Midwest? COVID-induced Trends Could Benefit the Heartland
The month of May is traditionally a time for commencement speeches, graduation parties, and gearing up for that first big job. Many soon-to-be grads have dreams of working in a big city as they embark on their careers. But what happens when a global pandemic throws a wrench in those plans? “Stay at home” might also mean “stay in the Midwest” for that first job.
Is Work from Home the New Normal?
It would be shortsighted to think that we’ll live in a permanent state of fear, forcing us to feel we need to permanently work from home. However, the mass social experiment that has gone alongside Covid-19 will change expectations and habits. Companies that may not have previously considered a large-scale WFH policy have been forced to try and many have been surprised at the level of cost-savings and efficiencies created. Many have actually noted productivity increases. In the wake of uncertainty regarding when we can safely return to offices, we could see a wave of businesses jumping all in, cutting office costs, and deciding to make the temporary WFH permanent, or at least experiment with a hybrid approach. Even heavily regulated industries like finance, where supervision is a necessity, may join the trend.
Once large companies and small startups located in places like Silicon Valley, Seattle, and New York start working from home, the need to live in the country’s most expensive cities in order to have your dream job goes away. If the public health crisis continues, fears about living in dense cities will exacerbate that change. With sky-high rents and long commutes, that lifestyle becomes harder to justify. Enter the Midwest.
Large-scale Work from Home and the Heartland
Cities offering a balance of medium-density living, attractive cultural and social options, and lower costs of living will win out. Places like Columbus and Indianapolis, with already burgeoning tech scenes, are especially well-positioned. As location becomes irrelevant to hiring managers, talented workers who prefer the Midwest will see their job prospects widen. As colossal firms start to employ more and more people in Columbus and cities like it, those communities will benefit from the increased exposure to innovative ideas, people, and business models that come from that talent.
The virtuous circle of developers leaving large tech firms to found start-ups, which then themselves spin-out more talent and newer start-ups, could take root across the Midwest. In addition to an increase in higher-value jobs in the Midwest, the phenomenon will bring a renewed focus to the important industries that are already concentrated in the region. Instead of developing an app for ordering dry cleaning, developers in a manufacturing-oriented city will create solutions related to producing protective gear.
Implications for the Country Outside of “the Office”
As our country becomes more accustomed to social distancing and the spaces around us, young graduates might find their first career successes in the places that are most familiar. This might not only keep people safer in the medium term, it could lead to more cultural understanding across the board in the long term.
America is currently divided on so many different fault lines. These lines are often drawn based on where we live and work. Sometimes it feels as though it’s the coastal states versus flyover states. Unless we work together, we’re barely aware of differing viewpoints and when we encounter them, we’re less likely to empathize instead of demonize.
When San Francisco project managers begin developing products with Indianapolis engineers, conversations begin to happen. And as work becomes less tied to place, the virtual workplace will become a cause for unification.
So, grab that laptop and a quiet place in your parent’s house and get to work.
Max Brickman is Founder and Managing Director of Heartland Ventures, a Midwest-based venture capital firm connecting large Middle America companies with vital technology being developed on the coasts. The Heartland Ventures model helps corporations embrace a competitive, early-adopter approach while helping startups spark meaningful conversations with key corporate decision makers.
