Scotland, Austin, Albany…… in one fell swoop!

By Angela McNerney

Gillian Hill is a young, beautiful, vibrant, adventurous woman who knows the challenges and thrills associated with being uprooted. She and her husband Richard moved from their home of origin in Scotland four years ago to Austin, Texas and now most recently to Albany – when he took a job with SEMATECH. They knew from the very beginning that the company plans would have them moving to Albany, New York… eventually. Her story is one of a powerfully consistent positive attitude, courage and the necessary willingness it takes to learn about a new country and its culture enough to call it ‘home.’

Hill, like many other recent transplants, is finding her way in the Capital Region one day at a time. The challenges that face relocating professionals and their families are sometimes overlooked by employers and colleagues who have been established in their communities and jobs for many years. Gillian and her husband moved to Albany from Austin about a year ago and became first time; home buyers, parents and Capital Region residents.

The Hills married after a long romance and as a result of Richard being offered the job from SEMATECH. They had lived together for over a decade and hadn’t exactly ‘planned’ on getting married. They soon found out that Gillian would not be allowed to come with Richard because of visa restrictions if they were not married. Interestingly enough, this very issue comes up often when relocating candidates from other countries. So.. they got married two months before moving to Texas, got on a plane with four suitcases, with no furnishings and took the leap! Gillian laughed, “We were joking it was a shotgun wedding!” Four years later, they are bubbling with enthusiasm over their 17 month old son Rory and finally taking a breath now that they are settling into a home they plan to be in for a while.

When Gillian reflected on their journey, she highlighted some of the challenges they faced which are common when it comes to professionals relocating to take a job. With respect to living in Texas temporarily, she said, “It was hard making real connections because we knew it was going to be short term. Richard came over on an H-1 visa and I had no work visa.” The dual career issue is an important one. Going from two incomes to one can drastically change the quality of life for a family and often risk. The Hills were lucky they were young and willing to take the chance it would all work out. Gillian is an attorney with a background in commercial real estate and environmental law. She knew it would be very difficult if not impossible, to find a firm that would sponsor her for work, so she has had to wait for her green card.

Still once they got to Texas, it was a challenging transition. Richard was consumed with his new job and Gillian, unable to work, had limited access to a social or professional network. Isolation for family members of new hires can be a real risk. Culture shock extended to more than weather differences. “Because I didn’t have a job and social events to attend to meet people, the isolation was tough. When we came to Albany it was different. We had Tech Valley Connect and that was really helpful.” In Texas, Gillian didn’t have a social network or structured support to help meet others. She wasn’t sure what to do with herself. “If I had a job I would have met people. I’m not the type to sit around. When we moved to Albany, it was a 180 degrees difference.” By the time the Hills moved to New York, the support they received before, during and after the move became invaluable. For this last move, they were no longer a young couple making an exciting leap of faith – they were now a family facing some serious and scary medical issues with regard to their son who had been born 3 months premature.

Tech Valley Connect had been contracted by SEMATECH to assist the families they had relocating to Albany. Family coordinator Julie Hansen worked with the Hills intimately during their transition to upstate New York. She provided vital information, guidance and assistance to ease the stress and trepidation of moving with a child who had had such a difficult start. “We needed a medical network we could count on and Tech Valley Connect was able to help us coordinate with the specialists we needed. Having that support system in place was much more helpful in this second move.” Julie was also able to set the family up with a trusted realtor who was able to facilitate them buying their first home.

The Hills have been living in the Capital District for eight months now. They plan to take advantage of the easy commutes to New York City, Boston and Quebec as well as explore outdoor activities like hikes, mountain biking, and skiing in the Adirondacks. They have transitioned from ‘couple’ to ‘family’, so the things they do for enjoyment may alter for awhile, but Gillian is determined to get outdoors now that the weather is getting nice and really see what the region has to offer.

Gillian is interested in pursuing work at a corporate level versus getting back into working for a law practice. She is meeting people in the region and exploring her options now. But mostly, for the time being, she is really enjoying spending time with her growing and thriving young son Rory at home.

Tech Valley Connect schedules regular monthly social activities to encourage newcomers to meet one another. As the spring approaches, many of these activities will be outdoors and at different venues giving newly relocated families an opportunity to experience a variety of options within the region.

If Gillian had one piece of good advice to give to another newcomer it would be this; “Push to get out and meet people, even when it’s hard – get up and go to events. Personally it can be really hard to do that. You absolutely have to push yourself to do those things. However tough it feels, give the effort. It can be very easy to be isolated. Colleagues have their lives already set up and so you have to find the opportunities to make acquaintances and friends. Going to restaurants with your spouse won’t help you meet people. The danger is that you’ll miss home and not embrace where you are. Presumably you want to explore another culture and if you are going to make the most of it, you’re going to have to get involved in that culture that is going on around you.”

For more information on relocating professional contact…
Tech Valley Connect, Inc. or author, Angela McNerney at [email protected].

Angela McNerney is President of Tech Valley Connect, an organization assisting newly relocating professionals and their families to assimilate into the Capital Region.