Another relocation thread - let the eye-rolling commence! (Boise: layoffs, tax)

[yourshadow]

Listen to those that tell you the job market sucks unless you do not mind working a service sector job. Myself a college graduate, 5+ years experience as a market research analyst, was laid off last in June from a large company that let go 100+ people. I have applied to so many jobs I cannot count and NOTHING! Nothing but sales jobs that pay crap!

So guess what, in about two weeks I will be, unless something happens in Boise, pulling trigger and leaving. This SUCKS! Boise is a great city and although I am not from here, I do consider it home. If you do not mind making $10/hour than by all means move to Boise.

[blondesnotbombs]

well...i am looking at Spokane/Coeur D'Alene as well. thing is...i'm not 100% set on ANY place at this point. i know 2 things:

1. it's time for me to move and find a place that is all Brianna; a place i can call home.
2. it will be in the West.

i've never been too thrilled with Utah...finding a job in Montana would be most likely futile...i've already lived in Colorado (though would be willing to give it another shot)...and i think looking for employment in Wyoming would be pretty difficult as well.

but this is why i appreciate all of your responses so much. they really give me insight into the area and what i would expect. i don't want to move unless i either have a job, or the prospect of obtaining one is relatively promising.

i still have plenty of time to make a decision...and the longer i wait the more money i'll have in my pocket...so i'm not in a rush.

again, gracias.

[stingraynm]

If you aren't heart set on Boise, take a look into the Portland area. As a Boisean, Portland is one of few places that wowed me with a superior demographic balance, courteous people, and friendly service. The Portland area is beautiful, too, and very close to a wonderful coastal region. It's also smack dab in the middle of several of the most majestic National and State parks/monuments you can find in the Northwest. The Portland infrastructure takes some time to get used to, however. It also has some interesting (and occasionally annoying) "progressive" laws. Progressive is all good with me, but Oregon definitely has a unique take on it.

Everyone I know in the Portland area is in love with it, though, just as Boiseans are in love with the Treasure Valley area.

As for Washington, I was never too partial to Spokane. It's not bad, but it definitely gives off the whole vibe of a place that grew too quickly. I've got a few friends there from college, and every time I've visited them the whole Spokane motif seems rather dismal and run down, shall I say. I do know Spokane has some nice neighborhoods, though.

I'm sure you know to avoid Tacoma like the plague, too. If not, consider this your warning. To me, Tacoma is to Seattle what Jersey is to NYC. (I know Jersey's a state, so analogy buffs, spare me).

[stingraynm]

Originally Posted by yourshadow

Listen to those that tell you the job market sucks unless you do not mind working a service sector job. Myself a college graduate, 5+ years experience as a market research analyst, was laid off last in June from a large company that let go 100+ people. I have applied to so many jobs I cannot count and NOTHING! Nothing but sales jobs that pay crap!

So guess what, in about two weeks I will be, unless something happens in Boise, pulling trigger and leaving. This SUCKS! Boise is a great city and although I am not from here, I do consider it home. If you do not mind making $10/hour than by all means move to Boise.

I'm sorry. Believe me... I FEEL you, all the way. My decision to leave Boise was one of the most painful decisions I've ever had to make outside a hospital or vet clinic. A piece of me truly died that day as I hugged friends goodbye and rolled off down I-84 East in a U-Haul.

New Mexico has its good points, but it has never filled that void that leaving Boise carved into my soul.

[blondesnotbombs]

Originally Posted by stingraynm

If you aren't heart set on Boise, take a look into the Portland area. As a Boisean, Portland is one of few places that wowed me with a superior demographic balance, courteous people, and friendly service. The Portland area is beautiful, too, and very close to a wonderful coastal region. It's also smack dab in the middle of several of the most majestic National and State parks/monuments you can find in the Northwest. The Portland infrastructure takes some time to get used to, however. It also has some interesting (and occasionally annoying) "progressive" laws. Progressive is all good with me, but Oregon definitely has a unique take on it.

Everyone I know in the Portland area is in love with it, though, just as Boiseans are in love with the Treasure Valley area.

As for Washington, I was never too partial to Spokane. It's not bad, but it definitely gives off the whole vibe of a place that grew too quickly. I've got a few friends there from college, and every time I've visited them the whole Spokane motif seems rather dismal and run down, shall I say. I do know Spokane has some nice neighborhoods, though.

I'm sure you know to avoid Tacoma like the plague, too. If not, consider this your warning. To me, Tacoma is to Seattle what Jersey is to NYC. (I know Jersey's a state, so analogy buffs, spare me).

see, my whole reasoning for moving west is mountains. the day i drove away from CO and saw those Rockies slowly diminishing in my rear view mirror, i cried like a baby for a good hour. they never got old to me. i'm sure many people were used to them or didn't give them a second thought, but every morning i'd wake up and instantly be happy because i had them to look at.

so when thinking of Portland, i think of Seattle...i think of rain and dreariness. though, i've never been there. i have also been thinking of Bend, OR...but it's even smaller and i'd imagine that jobs are hard to come by. a friend of mine actually moved back from Portland because "the cost of living was too high." so i'm not sure. i'd like a city with hometown charm but still big enough to provide more than one movie theatre, a few nice restaurants, a museum or two, and access to social events (concerts, live theatre, festivals, etc.)

i'm just tired of the grime and mad rush.

[stingraynm]

Good point. Portland is expensive in all the better areas, though the jobs are more available and should match the cost of living in pay. As in Idaho, though, you'll want to aim higher than service sector or even lower level admin. if you like to live in a decent area without roommates.

Also, Portland is indeed VERY rainy. It's actually surrounded by a rain forest ecosystem, which is not as pronounced as the SW portion of Olympic National Park (i.e., the Hoh), but is still a rain forest. To top it off, Portland doesn't have any pronounced mountains that majestically jut far above the treeline like the CO Rockies or the aforementioned National Park.

Bogus Basin in Boise is certainly nothing compared to the Denver/Ft. Collins montane skyline or that awesome set of ranges throughout SW CO (went there last Fall with a pro photographer friend to catch the aspen colors... unending love at first sight); but Bogus is pretty in its own right, especially during early Spring "greening" or when covered in snow. Even when it's brown, I always thought it looked lumpy in a comfortable sort of way, like chocolate chip cookie cake. I've even seen it pull off some nice purple sunsets during T-storm season in mid-to-late Summer or inversions in Summer and Winter.

If you're a Colorado person looking for something a bit more on the quaint end, then Idaho probably is more "you". Once again, best of luck on the job front, 'cause you'll need it from my experience, my dad's experience, and many others. Since you don't mind admin. work, however, you may actually be better off than those of us, like myself and yourshadow, who are trying to use our degrees/experience to apply for specific fields. If your career path allows a lot of different applications, then you may have just the flexibility many small businesses in Boise are searching for.

[blondesnotbombs]

stingraynm, you seem like the type of person that it would be the bee's knee's to have coffee with.

never have been one to enjoy rain or anything near a "rainforest ecosystem". actually, one of the main reasons i love the West is for the arid conditions. i want no moisture, unless it's from a surreal thunderstorm or snow. i'm terrible in humid environments. (and quite the whiner)

i guess another option would be to send my resume out to a few staffing companies ahead of time. at least get a few interviews rolling in. *shrugs*

i think i might just need to save up more than i had originally anticipated and beat the streets once i get there...

[stingraynm]

Thanks. I appreciate that. I really hope to maintain an interesting/receptive conversational persona despite spending 40+ hours/week being a geek.

Truly... I'd like to one day use my psych. degree to go on for a Master's in counseling. The IT thing is mostly just my shot at something utilitarian and mobile that can bring in some savings/investment income; and also a portion of my counseling resume, since a "real" job (as some would say, including most of my family and friends ) can help me relate to future clients.

Counseling and writing are my true passions, but at this juncture I really am too young, inexperienced, and unfocused to offer anything profound to either of those fields. Probably not a tough guess what I use as an outlet in the meantime.

Anyway, a formidable savings would definitely be a good idea, as with any move, but especially for a move to a place like Boise. Even once you do get a job, the unfortunate odds are that it may be short-lived, especially if you go with a larger business that can't focus its decisions and resources solely on the Boise area.

Staffing companies are a good idea, too. If you're willing to wade through a bunch of service industry job offerings, there's also the Idaho Job Service of the Dept. of Labor. When I lived there, they had an office in the Old Boise portion of downtown, a few blocks South of the courthouse. If you go independently, you'd have to wade through a lot of service industry jobs, but I think they also function like the staffing companies in that you can give someone your credentials and they'll pull up a specific listing tailored to you. They'd require you to do more of the application process on your own, but they also wouldn't try to skim off the top for their services. I've never tried a staffing co., though, so I really don't know how those operate and am just figuring they have to make money somewhere.

Lastly, as for arid conditions, you definitely will find low humidity everywhere you're contemplating. I am put off by humidity, too, and one of the things I love about Northern NM is that it seems from my experience that mildew is an endangered species.

[blondesnotbombs]

well i definitely think you are succeeding in your efforts.

formidable savings. gah. means i need to keep my butt here in WI longer. thing is...i have a feeling i may very well be on a particular time table with Miller. not sure if you are aware, but Miller and Coors have undergone a "joint venture". in my opinion, it's just a gussied up way to say merger. no matter how "positive" they try and make this meeting of the minds seem, there has been nothing but job loss left and right. our entire finance division (roughly 75-100 people) have been told their jobs are being outsourced at the end of the year. then you have Fleet. i'm the lone ranger in this deparment. apparently Coors doesn't have a Fleet and only gives their employees vehicle allowances. directors are still 50/50 as to whether they will keep the Fleet or go allowance. i have been notified that as of Jan 1st, there will no longer be executive vehicles. so...it might just be a matter of time before they decide to go that route with the rest. thus, after Jan 1st, my position very well might be dust in the wind. we shall see.

anyway, to get back to the topic of my time table...i really only have until that time to save...in the event that i am a goner. i can probably conservatively say that i will have about $3k just from automatic payroll deductions going into a savings account that i pretty much can't touch unless it's an emergency. but that doesn't include unused portions in my checking account. not sure if that's going to be a big enough cushion come January or what...but i'd like to hope so. so ultimately i'd like to say that i'll have about $4k to be able to put towards a relocation.

i think i wrote that all out more for my benefit than for giving you an idea as to what i'm working with.

i've worked with staffing companies before, and even though they DO scrape off the top, they have access to employers that don't normally post job ads in papers. plus, seeing as how i'd be looking for pretty much anything right away, i'd be willing to take the temp projects just to have money coming in. the convenience in it is they don't get paid unless you're working...so they network for you.

but, everyone has different experiences. i guess i've just seen the more positive side of staffing companies than the negative.

[Hesster]

I moved to Boise from Seattle in mid-July. I've got a situation similar to yours. Just myself and my cat. I did have the advantage of having a job ready and waiting for me, since my employer has an office here and offered to transfer me at the same rate of pay, which is just slightly north of $15 per hour. Unfortunately my financial picture isn't quite as rosy as yours, as I'm saddled with a lot of credit card debt and a car payment. I am in the process of getting my balances paid off and hope to be done with the credit card at least within two years.

Rent on my 1 bedroom apartment near Boise Towne Square is $615 per month. I could have gotten a better rate if I wanted to live further away, but my main objective was to live at a nice place that was close to work and had a lot of amenities close by. I didn't want to live in one of the cheaper apartments that attracted a lot of partying college kids. My work is less than a mile away, and once it cools down a bit I'll be walking instead of driving. My insurance rate dropped by half, and I gassed up two weeks ago and am only down 1/4th of a tank. My monthly bill for gas so far is $20, which is a welcome change from the $160 a month I used to spend driving 30 miles one way to work.

My suggestion to you would be if you want to come to Boise, look for a place that's central if you can. You can't go wrong living as close to the center of town as you can. Once you get here, don't be too choosy about what kind of employment you take. Employers generally don't care how long you've lived in the area, as long as you actually live there. Just get a paycheck coming in as soon as possible, then once you're settled in and have steady income, then you'll have the luxury of a more focused job search.

There are a lot of call centers around Boise. If you don't mind taking call center work, I hear that T-Mobile is hiring customer care agents starting at $14 an hour.