Looking for a little insight here. I live in southeast Louisiana and work for a company that consults and sells industrial filtration products to the oil and gas industry (petrochem, refining, E&P). I've been with the company for over 7 years now and have learned a lot along the way, not just in filtration, but all aspects of the oil and gas industry. I started as the warehouse manager while I was still in college and now I oversee the branch operations and manage accounts (outside sales). I'm 28 now and make a little over 80k/year.

Long story short, my girlfriend who is currently at LSU getting her masters will be finished in less than a year and she has a commitment to the Air Force for 3 years after that! She is assigned to Eglin AFB. Her parents live in Ft. Walton and we just spent several days down there. Very nice area, but I quickly learned that you either work for the military in some way, tourism, real estate, or you are an attorney. And BTW, from Pensacola to Destin, every 2 out of 3 billboards were for injury lawyers...WTF?

Now my sales territory is from Lafayette, LA to everything east of that. My industry seems to stop in Mobile. I've been looking on Indeed for industrial and sales-based jobs around Ft. Walton and there seems to be jack-shit. I really want to try to make this work with the lady and she feels the same, but unfortunately she made this commitment to the AF before we met.

You couldn't keep your current job and work from Destin/Niceville, since your territory is everything east of Lafayette, LA?

I'm an engineer, to answer your question.  Lots of stuff gets built in the Panhandle.

Good luck with the relationship and I mean that. It is difficult with long distance relationships. Whatever you do, don't throw away a good paying job with the hopes of being with anybody. I have seen many guys/gals give up their jobs for a woman/man,(again not that there is anything wrong with that/ more so if your married), but things can change and you not only lose the girl/guy but your income as well. Good luck with  the job search.

It is a possibility to keep my current job and just travel. My company wants to expand in the Mobile area and I didn't realize that Fort Walton was not that far from Mobile. I may pursue that and I think my owners will approve as long as i check in once a month in Louisiana.

You say lots of stuff gets built in the Panhandle? Like what? The only industry I have found is aerospace contractors or some consultants for .gov

You could consider living in Pensacola..   it would be about 45 -50 minutes to Eglin and 45 minutes to Mobile.  If you two are dedicated to eachother, you could make it work.

FWIW I live in Crestview right outside Eglin and work inland Marine.

Live in P-Cola.  The drive to Eglin from there is almost all I-10 and takes 45 minutes.  You then drive West to your sale location....  Profit.

You could find similar work in Mobile.  Lots of industry up and down Hwy 43, but its 30 min from Mobile.  Not much work in the FL panhandle.  I'm a Recruiting Manager and it amazes me what companies pay their employees in this area.  Sad thing is they always find someone willing to work for what they pay...

Prisons are big business in the Panhandle the State runs usually 2 or more in each county each employing over 100 people.