Hello and welcome! Don't worry about sticking too close to Education City, there are other close-by areas with nice housing. The Villagio/Al Waab area is about ten minutes away as is Al Gharrafa (in the opposite direction.) Much of West Bay is about 15 minutes down al Luqta Road. Best thing is to take advantage of the temporary housing for a month and get oriented and explore from there. You'll find something, especially by networking with new coworkers.
Mandi