we moved here without jobs ))) (Charlotte, Asheboro: rent, homes, teaching jobs)

[Nati_NC]

I wrote here about 6 mo ago. I was talking about how crazy it is to move without having a job.... but since we were staying in Alabama, we decided that nothing can be worse (job wise) and we moved to Charlotte )).

It's been 5 months since. .... I got a job 2 months ago, but it was not a job i was looking for (I wanted to work as a teacher assistant for a year ..until i get my teaching license). I work as a cashier, oh well, you have to get money somewhere to pay rent and bills. I keep applying for jobs at CMS.....

My husband hasn't found a job yet....he is trying to get an assistant manager position or manager's trainee or at least something that would allow that management trainee program in the nearest future....He got out of the military last year. He's almost done with his bachelor's degree in Business Management, so he needs to get experience in that field. He began by looking for government jobs, then other jobs.... then he was checking out best buy, walmart, target, office max, hobby lobby, home depot, arby's, harris teeter, walgreens, first aid, macdonalds, etc.

He was offered only stocker's positions at several big stores (and they were only part-time, seasonal, minimum wage, 15 miles away)...i do not think there can be any kind of promotion or trainee program when you work as a stocker.

we were thinking of moving back to Alabama (his parents live there)... but the thing is that there are no jobs at all and the heat is killing me.... we had many reasons to move to NC... i want to get a teaching job eventually (I have a Master's degree in teaching.. but I just want a teacher assistant position for now... I want to get rid of my accent first). so we keep looking and keep applying for jobs)))

The good thing about moving to NC is that we have a shorter distance to Washington DC (compared to one from Alabama or California)... ....we looked at the convenient location... we moved here because:
1. close close to mountains and close to the ocean - we realize it's close, but not that close
2. hopefully a little bit cooler summer, not too cold in winter (too cold for me is -20) - maybe 5 to 10 degrees cooler in summer...still too hot for me
3. a good stop for a few years before our move up North - well, this one we got correct
4. International aeroport - it is there, but unless they add some more flights, I'd still have to go to JFK or ATL first... alabama was loser to ATL
5. Pretty big city - but after living in a beautiful San Diego, CA; Rome, Italy; one of the biggest cities in Russia, etc.....we realized it's not that big
6. close to the zoo and parks (we love outdoors) - Asheborro zoo turned out to be pretty good...and parks are pretty good too )) but only one big zoo? pretty good hiking
7. almost affordable housing (for buying), we wanted a home with 0.75-1 acre - that was a reason to leave CA in the first place... it is almost affordable here ))
8. rent - almost affordable, we got this one right
9. more teaching jobs - definitely more than in AL... i keep applying
10. people would understand me - I have a slight accent... people often did not understand me in AL, they always understood me in CA, here they are pretty tolerant ))) it's kinda funny when my customers think that I am French, British, Canadian, Italian... or even South Carolinian )) lol )))..
11. people speaking normal American English, at least less of that deep Southern accent - we got this one right )))
12. closer to the Nothern states - we have time to check out PA, NY, MA before we move there ))) - well, it's an ok drive to Washington DC... but still too far to drive to Buffalo, NY or Boston, MA... we planned to stay in NC for a year or two... or forever if we liked it.
13. museums, sites of interest - it does have some...but not enough for us.... we did find wonderful ones in Washington, thanks to living closer to it )).
14. library - we love Charlotte's public library system!!! good !!
15. a good place to raise a family - looks pretty good. but our kids will be homeschooled anyway. i am pretty sure that charlotte has some dancing, arts & crafts, archeological clubs (I assume 'cause it's a city after all).
16. friendly people - I think South Californian people were much friendler, but it's just my opinion. I had many friends there, none here. People are more conservative here, but not as conservative as in Alabama ))).
17. good for volunteering - i registered as a CMS volunteer... but they called only once . We wanted to volunteer at a dog's shelter, but it's on the other side of Charlotte...
18. has some Spanish population, i want to be fluent in Spanish )) - all of our neighbours are mexican, i am happy about that )))

I guess Charlotte did not work out for us...in short, Charlotte is great in many things..it is great for people who love sports... we do not care about that... we like dancing and hiking.. well, it's just too hot for me (I cannot stand the HEAT), somewhat boring, plus we cannot find jobs...... but it gives us a whole year to plan our move up North (unless we find normal jobs here).....

why am i writing this? hmmm, just to give an example of move without a job ))). and when i wrote my question 6 months ago, smb said he was curious to know about such a move.

to those who are looking for jobs, Good Luck!!!! I am still optimistic about finding one....one day ))))

oh, and another thing here... it matters who you know, not what you know.... since we do not know anybody here, it will take some time to find one.

P.S.: I apologise if some things sound confusing... English is my foreign language.

I would love to hear of any other good reasons to live in Charlotte (we want to enjoy our year here)!!!

I know that people from other states read this forum.... here's another question in case you happen to know..
we are looking for a new city to relocate to next year..... do you know of any pretty big cities that would be in the 80s in summer, not colder than -10s or -20s in winter? we are considering only the Northeast.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by Nati_NC

I wrote here about 6 mo ago. I was talking about how crazy it is to move without having a job.... but since we were staying in Alabama, we decided that nothing can be worse (job wise) and we moved to Charlotte )).

It's been 5 months since. .... I got a job 2 months ago, but it was not a job i was looking for (I wanted to work as a teacher assistant for a year ..until i get my teaching license). I work as a cashier, well, you have to get money somewhere to pay rent and bills . I keep applying for jobs at CMS.....

My husband hasn't found a job yet....he is trying to get an assistant manager position or manager's trainee or at least something that would allow that management trainee program in the nearest future....He got out of the military last year. He's almost done with his bachelor's degree in Business Management, so he needs to get experience in that field. He began by looking for government jobs, then other jobs.... then he was checking out best buy, walmart, target, office max, hobby lobby, home depot, arby's, harris teeter, walgreens, first aid, macdonalds, etc.

He was offered only stocker's positions at several big stores (and they were only part-time, seasonal, minimum wage, 15 miles away)...i do not think there can be any kind of promotion or trainee program when you work as a stocker.

we were thinking of moving back to Alabama (his parents live there)... but the thing is that there are no jobs at all and the heat is killing me.... we had many reasons to move to NC... i want to get a teaching job eventually (I have a Master's degree in teaching.. but I just want a teacher assistant position for now... I want to get rid of my accent first). so we keep looking and keep applying for jobs)))

The good thing about moving to NC is that we have a shorter distance to Washington DC (compared to one from Alabama or California)... ....we looked at the convenient location (close to mountains and close to the ocean, hopefully a little bit cooler summer, International aeroport, pretty big city, closer to Northern states, almost affordable housing, more teaching jobs, people more tolerant to my accent... we spent 2006 researching NC). Other than that, Charlotte did not work out for us...but it gives us a whole year to plan our move up North (unless we find normal jobs here).....

why am i writing this? hmmm, just to give an example of move without a job ))). and when i wrote my question 6 months ago, smb said he was curious to know about such a move.

to those who are looking for jobs, Good Luck!!!! I am still optimistic about finding one....one day ))))

oh, and another thing here... it matter who you know, not what you know.... since we do not know anybody here, it will take some time to find one.

P.S.: i apologise if some things sound confusing... English is my second language, but i am working on it ))

First off, I also have a college degree & will be doing pretty much what you did. I will take whatever to get an income ASAP. The type of work that I do is not the type that can be gotten ahead of time from a distance. If I take a cashier job or factory work on 2nd shift, I will be available for interviews for something more appropriate.

Tell your husband to take a part-time job. It's better than nothing & will help him get what he wants. If a company wants him & is a good company to work for, they will schedule an interview around his part-time job.

Your Englih is fine. What is your 1st language?

[Nati_NC]

I have this cashier job, I feel more and more stupid every day.......I especially enjoy when my customers ask me "Are you ever going to go to college??"
I do not want my husband to feel the same way. Moreover, it's a dead-end job. We can make ends meets for now.

We decided that he can take a part-time job, but it needs to be close to home....we'll check out our local McDonald's again.... last two weeks they said they were out of applications.... and yes, he was looking for a part-time job as well.... the only $9 an hour offer he got was 40 miles away.... others were $7.... he also applied to all temping agencies... and after looking for 5 months, he plans on going to an unemployment office. he is a veteran, so he can get some assistance with looking for a job.

I have a med condition so i cannot drive..... he has to take me to work, and my schedule is awfully flexible. Unless I get a job that is worth taking a bus to, he has to drive me there.

my first language is Russian.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by Nati_NC

I have this cashier job, I feel more and more stupid every day.......I especially enjoy when my customers ask me "Are you ever going to go to college??"
I do not want my husband to feel the same way. Moreover, it's a dead-end job. We can make ends meets for now.

We decided that he can take a part-time job, but it needs to be close to home....we'll check out our local McDonald's again.... last two weeks they said they were out of applications.... and yes, he was looking for a part-time job as well.... the only $9 an hour offer he got was 40 miles away.... others were $7.... he also applied to all temping agencies... and after looking for 5 months, he plans on going to an unemployment office. he is a veteran, so he can get some assistance with looking for a job.

I have a med condition so i cannot drive..... he has to take me to work, and my schedule is awfully flexible. Unless I get a job that is worth taking a bus to, he has to drive me there.

my first language is Russian.

People can be very ignorant. When they make the comments, smile & say, I have a Masters. I know English. I'm working here to improve my spoken English.

You'll be fine. It will all come together for you.

[SunnyKayak]

Im glad you are some what living the american dream At all costs you and your husband are starting a new beginning.
For your husband it all about networking. Joining social groups , groups of similar interest in his desire job, networking at church and community functions and sooner or later he might run into someone who is in hiring position of his ideal job or know someone who is hiring. Nothing looks better on application than when you can put a reference down especially if they work there.

Good luck and I do appreciate you sharing.
Btw benefit of being in Charlotte you can alternate between zoo in Columbia SC and the one in Asheboro very similar in amount of drive time. One of the perks about Asheboro zoo is that it is open Thanksgiving and Christmas Day when there is more animal activity since it not that cold in that season or hot.
Again thank you for sharing.

[Nati_NC]

Thank you so much, SunnyKayak!!!! We will check out Columbia zoo asap ))). I know about networking, this is something we are trying to do... not that successful at it, though. I am trying to make the best of any situation. I mean, we had a wonderful trip to Washington DC and cost us only $80 ))). My husband tends to get depressed because of not finding a job, that's why we travel a lot and go to different parks ))).

Our American dream is to move to Russia or Europe.. in the future))).

[Nati_NC]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

People can be very ignorant. When they make the comments, smile & say, I have a Masters. I know English. I'm working here to improve my spoken English.

You'll be fine. It will all come together for you.

Yeah, that's exactly what I say!!! )))))

[MrConfigT]

If he's looking for a part time job close to home that pays more than $7/hr, check out working at Harris Teeter or Lowes foods. I know plenty of people out in and out of high school making $8-12/hr part time.

Best of luck in your adventures!

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by Nati_NC

Yeah, that's exactly what I say!!! )))))

See! Now don't let them make you feel stupid again!

Here's a thought. When you can, make a move that would get you closer to the University & advertise to tutor students in Russian. Check the phonebook for companies that employ translators.

You have a good future in Charlotte & thngs will work for your husband as well.

[Nati_NC]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

See! Now don't let them make you feel stupid again!
Here's a thought. When you can, make a move that would get you closer to the University & advertise to tutor students in Russian. Check the phonebook for companies that employ translators.
You have a good future in Charlotte & thngs will work for your husband as well.

I like the look on there face ))). They ask me "Are you going to college?". I say No. "You should think about college. You need to get more education". I say "I already have Master's. If I ever go back to school, that would be to get my PhD".....

we live in the university area, 4 miles from the Uni ))) we moved here also because I got a job offer to work there.... it's still pending.. it may stay that way for another year....

thanks for advice! I appreciate it!