Happy September! For the first time in a long time I feel like I should be getting ready to go back to school instead of heading off to work like I do every morning. There’s something about having a long, hot, summer (trust me I’m not complaining) that makes me appreciate the fact that we actually have four seasons in Western New York. But alas, I am digressing.

This week, I thought I’d share some new reader questions with you along with my every-so-helpful and opinionated answers.

I have clients coming in from out of town that are not quite in the young professional demographic. Any suggestions on work-appropriate activities that I can entertain them with?

What a great question! I’d say bar-hopping on Allen and Elmwood are probably not the route you want to take, unless they’re into that kind of thing. Unless you know for sure, I’d stay away from the bar scene and go a little more middle of the road.

My dad was recently in town for the holiday weekend, and he is decidedly in the not a young pro category. He’s also a South Buffalo native who’s very into the revival of the community and seeing all the new developments over the past few years – especially at the waterfront. Canalside is a great place to start with out of town guests. Get some quality bonding in by renting a kayak and navigating the waterfront, or take a tour of the Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Military Park. If you’re not in meetings all day, try one of Open Air Buffalo’s open air autobus tours while the weather is still nice.

While there is plenty to do that I haven’t delved into at all, make sure to end your night at one of the many amazing restaurants Buffalo has to offer. There are plenty of high-end options like Mike A’s, Tempo and The Chophouse, for those with expense accounts; quintessential Buffalo-centric places like the Anchor Bar and Charlie the Butcher or middle of the road deliciousness like any of the places that can be found on Allen or Delaware.

Caitlin, I’m a born and bred Buffalonian but have spent the last few years working out of state because that’s where I could get a job. Lots of my young professional friends either stayed here after college or have recently moved home. They all tell me that the job market is opening up and I should really look into coming back. Any ideas on where I should start my job search?

First of all, I’m so happy that you’re ready to come back to Buffalo! Great things are happening here and there is a new wave of highly skilled, specialized jobs that are opening up. In addition to the usual places like monster.com and craigslist, company specific pages are a great place to start. If you know a company that could utilize your skills, check out their page directly for a list of their openings. Local companies like Ingram Micro seem to be placing new jobs on their website every day. If you don’t find what you’re looking for today, the perfect job for you could be there tomorrow.

I love the way the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus uses the employment page on their website.  Not only do they list the current opportunities for the medical campus organization, but they provide direct links to the employment pages of their member institutions. Even if you don’t have a background in the healthcare industry, these organizations need plenty of other support staff roles filled.

No matter the field you’re looking to go into, there are plenty of places to search for the perfect fit for you. I suggest using buffalohelpwanted.com, the Buffalo News Classifieds, and LinkedIn as launching points for your search if you’re stuck for where to start.

Good luck and hope to see you around town soon!

Well kids, that’s all for this week. Have a burning question on life as a young gun in Western New York? Send them my way at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). I’d also love to come visit you at work to see a different slice of professional life in the Queen City. Have a cool boss that would allow a shadow? Drop me a line and you could be profiled in an upcoming Young Money blog.

(Header photo Flickr / Patrick Feller.)