Northern Virginia Jobs and Careers

	Virginia's Career Connect - Network designed to assist workers, students, individuals seeking employment, and employers with educational, employment, and career-related information.
	Virginia Employment Commission - State agency providing access to information about job opportunities and the labor.
	Didlake, Inc - Organization dedicated to providing employment services to persons with disabilities. Locations throughout Virginia, plus Washington DC.
	Ardelle Associates - Providers of staffing solutions for DC, Maryland and Virginia. Services include: information technology contracts, permanent placement, temporary placement, subcontract services, temp-to-hire, and outsourcing.
	Job Seeker Services - job listing and job search assistance services

Economy

In recent years, Northern Virginia has become so filled with technology companies, especially in the Dulles Technology Corridor, that it is often referred to as the "Silicon Valley of the East." The best-known of these technology companies is AOL. This economic boom has attracted many people from outside the region, from all over the country and throughout the world. The region has recovered relatively quickly from the effects of the dot-com bubble. Other large corporate employers include ExxonMobil near Falls Church, IBM in Manassas, and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in Reston.

It also is a desirable spot for government and defense contractors due to proximity to the Pentagon and the national capital.

The Federal government is a major employer in Northern Virginia, which is home to numerous government agencies; for example, Central Intelligence Agency headquarters and the Pentagon (headquarters of the Department of Defense) are located there, as are Fort Myer, Fort Belvoir, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Patent and Trademark Office, and the United States Geological Survey. All of this tends to shield Northern Virginia from the effects of recession.

After the large shopping malls such as Potomac Mills and Tysons Corner, the sites which attract the greatest numbers of visitors are Washington, D.C., and Civil War battlefields. Old Town Alexandria is popular with its noted historic townhouses, restaurants, gift and art shops. The waterfront and outdoor recreational amenities such as biking and running trails (the Washington and Old Dominion Rail Trail is the longest paved path in the U.S.; the Mount Vernon Trail, and trails along various stream beds are also popular), whitewater and sea kayaking, and rock climbing areas are focused along the Potomac River, but are also found at other locations in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. Scenic Great Falls Park and historic Mount Vernon (which opened a new visitor center in 2006) are especially noteworthy. Woodbridge is home to two minor-league sports franchises, the Northern Virginia Royals soccer team and the Potomac Nationals baseball team.