New Mexico: Come for the Job, Stay for the Lifestyle

Craig Fritz

New Mexico is a hub for career opportunities in STEM fields. That’s one of the reasons working in New Mexico is so inviting.

With over 300 days of sunshine each year, the state offers unmatched potential for solar energy and ideal conditions for aerospace testing and flight. Spaceport America anchors the thriving aerospace sector and serves as a launchpad for commercial space flights and rocket launches. 

In 2023, there were approximately 35,213 bioscience jobs in New Mexico. The state has several research universities that provide a strong talent pipeline and tech transfer initiatives. On top of all that, the Santa Fe Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base are located here. 

But it’s not all work. Those who relocate or move back to New Mexico can enjoy a diverse culture, a phenomenal culinary scene and top-notch recreation that includes skiing, hiking, mountain biking and climbing in the Land of Enchantment. 

Courtesy of James Byrd

A Great Place to Play

Susan Daffron and her husband are both STEM workers who, in 2021, relocated from northern Idaho to Las Vegas, New Mexico, a town of 13,000 east of Santa Fe. Both work remotely; Daffron is a senior content writer for a cybersecurity company based in California, and her husband is a technical writer for an Amazon subsidiary. 

They were drawn to New Mexico for the more affordable real estate, small-town lifestyle and great weather. They prefer to live in rural areas, so connectivity was important, too. 

One of the biggest advantages of a New Mexico lifestyle, Daffron says, is the access to outdoor activities. 

“We like to hike with our dogs, and the opportunities to get out in nature are endless,” she says. “Because we have 30 acres of land, we also can take our dogs for a long walk every day at lunch time.” 

In the winter, she says New Mexico gets fluffy snow, and she and her husband can cross-country ski down their driveway or around their pasture. 

“There are many parks, national monuments, historical sites and just plain gorgeous areas to explore,” says Saffron, who hikes at spots like Pecos National Historical Park and Fort Union National Monument. 

Working in New Mexico Means Plenty of Opportunities

Garick Lue-Chung is a systems director of space innovation at The Aerospace Corp., where he prototypes and assesses the newest ground systems and conducts space operations in support of the U.S. Air Force. 

Originally from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, he grew up mostly in Central Florida and traveled all over while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, and then lived in the Los Angeles area for eight years. He moved to Albuquerque three years ago and is married with a 2-year-old son. 

“For the defense space domain, I noticed the Albuquerque-based defense agencies are more focused on pushing the envelope,” Lue-Chung says. 

There are a lot of opportunities for entry-level to senior-grade engineers in New Mexico, and the pay is competitive and on par with locations that have a much higher cost of living, he says. 

He jokes that his main hobby is “collecting new hobbies,” and he enjoys hunting, furniture woodworking and is building an airplane from a kit in his garage. 

Sergio Salvador

Explore State’s Unique Cultural Identity 

Amber Ortiz grew up in Corrales, a small community outside of Albuquerque and moved back to the region in 2017 after finishing graduate work at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz campus. She’s a senior imaging scientist at Indica Labs, a company headquartered in Albuquerque that’s transforming tissue-based research and diagnostics with computational pathology and artificial intelligence. 

One of her dogs, a 5-year-old Barbet, loves to go to work with her. 

Her home state is rich with cultural diversity, shaped by centuries-old Native American, Hispanic and Latino cultures, and influenced by the Wild West. Albuquerque, home to 70 different ethnicities, is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country. 

“There are lots of opportunities to celebrate the different cultures of New Mexico,” she says. 

The unique cultural identity is reflected in art galleries, museums and cultural landmarks, and through culinary traditions, like the smell of roasting chiles in the late summer, and New Mexican menu staples like posole, blue corn and green chile. 

“New Mexican food is not the same as Mexican food – both are yummy, but quite different,” says Ortiz, who, along with her partner, loves hiking, kayaking and trying out new restaurants on the weekends.