Clive? (Des Moines, West Des Moines, Grimes: housing, rental, travel)

[movingfwd]

Hi I need your help team this is my story:

I once worked at CompUSA for 8 years and this past year I was laid off since they closed my store. Ever since then I have been working part-time jobs and I feel like I should quit the one I have now and go to a state that still has a CompUSA and try to get a job there. I want to move some place save and free of the stress of big city life and big city crime, I live in Atlanta now. So I am looking in Iowa. Here is what I want to know:

The CompUSA is in Clive.

1) What is the cost of living there and keep in mind I will be working in retail so I will not be making much money. If it is a lot like over $550 is there some place near by that is less. I do not mind the country that is where my parents live and I love it.

2) Any apartments offer full utilities with rent. I can afford more then $550 if it has full utilities.

3) Which is a good place with a low crime rate. I was attacked and shot at my old apartment here and moved soon after that so I want some place save.

4) What is the cost of living in Iowa?

I am single with no kids and I am 29 so I am I want some place that I meet women and settle down someday.

5) Has anybody been to the CompUSA and if so what is it like? Do you recommend it?

I am from Canada originally and so I am use to cold weathers people do not worry about me I actually love snow and winter.

Any help you can give me to make this move possible will be great I will be moving in March of 2008. I will be making a trip up there before then to talk to the store manager.

[El Rhino]

1. Clive is the most pricey of all the Des Moines suburbs as far as housing goes. Still, the cost of living is relatively low compared to most places in the US.

2. $550 with full utilities. Hmmm... I don't know, that might be pushing it. There are low cost apartments in the Western suburbs and you MIGHT be able to scrape by with an efficiency or one bedroom for that price. I don't know abut utilities though. Other than heat, I don't think that thing is normally on the landlord around here.

3. The Western suburbs are about as safe as it gets.

4. See Response numero uno.

5. I was in there once or twice. It's ok, I guess.

The area where CompUSA is at in Clive is full of all kinds of retail places. If you think you might be out of your league financially, I'd suggest shopping around for the best wage and/or seeing if you can get on at another store part time.

[movingfwd]

Thanks now when you say move West is safe do you mean West Des Moines? And when I said 550 that is with no utilities I can go higher if utilities are included.

[WoodwardGirl]

I'm not going to disagree with anything El Rhino said, but would add this -- commuting is SO much easier in Iowa than in Atlanta! You could easily live in the country west of Des Moines (and, no, he doesn't necessarily mean West Des Moines, just the west side of the metropolitan area). Or, instead of the country, in a smaller town like Adel or Grimes or some of the areas that are built up between them and Des Moines. Heck, you could live in downtown Des Moines and still have a super easy commute! So I do think you could find someplace within your budget. You do have a car, right? You will really need a car in Iowa, even if you live next door to where you work.

Moving this long a distance for retail is another story, though. Do you have plans beyond that? What if the CompUSA here were to close? Do you think you could switch to Best Buy, for example? Any thoughts on taking community college classes to get, I don't know, Microsoft certification or something that will make you more broadly marketable?

There will be some cultural differences if you haven't been up here before. The foods are different. The weather is REALLy different. People here are friendly but more reserved than in Atlanta, in my experience (which was limited to one business trip, admittedly; I almost always travel alone and dine with a good book -- and I love it. Atlanta is the only place I've ever been where people were so horrified at the idea that I was eating ALONE and had to READ A BOOK that I must have had a dozen invitations to join other diners. It was very sweet, but, really, I just wanted to finish my mystery and find out whodunnit!) So you'll need to be careful not to interpret a respect for privacy for standoffishness (if that's a word). All that being said, I know my little brother always said Clive was the place to meet people, especially at the summertime "Clive after Five" outdoor music and beer celebrations.

Not to downplay Clive, but it's just a suburb, really more a neighborhood than a town in its own right, and not nearly as big as a suburb in Atlanta. Just because the store is in Clive, don't feel limited to that zip code. But if you're up for a move and looking for safer surroundings, this could be a great place for you!

[El Rhino]

^ What she said ^



If you lived on the West side of Des Moines, fairly close to the freeway (which there's plenty of cheap housing around there), you could be at the Clive CompUSA in about 15 minutes.

There are plenty of decent entry level jobs in the Des Moines area through some of the financial and insurance companies (Wells Fargo, Principal, Allied, etc). Hell, you could even try to get on at the Firestone plant which pays really well. If you do choose to move here, I would keep something like that in mind. Use CompUSA to get yourself on your feet here, but take advantage of what the Des Moines area has to offer as far as jobs go. I'd bet that your quality of life would be much higher than it is now in Atlanta.

As far as WoodwardGirl's recommendation of the community college goes, DMACC in Des Moines is pretty good with several campuses scattered throughout the area. Many employers will reimburse you for tuition. I know mine does and it's a pretty good deal.

[Luke9686]

I agree with all the previous comments. Clive is just another suburb, like I'm sure Atlanta has millions of. Not too exciting. Honestly you could live just about anywhere in the whole Des Moines metro, and still not have a long commute. I used to live in Pleasant Hill, which is the far eastern suburb. My job was at the Wells Fargo campus in West Des Moines and my commute was no longer than 30 minutes. I live in California now and it takes me no less than 30 minutes to go 8 miles.

Even most of Des Moines is safe, with the exception of a few neighborhoods. Check desmoinesregister.com and Craigslist.com to check out rentals. If you want neighborhoods where there is stuff going on, and a younger crowd, I recommend downtown, the Ingersoll area and parts of the Drake area (south of University Ave).

Des Moines is cheap, no traffic and generally a good quality of life.

[movingfwd]

Thank you everybody for your input. Maybe you can help me out further. First off I do have a degree in Computer Information Systems and I worked at CompUSA to pay for college and never left until I was laid off. I have 13 years Customer Service experience with 3 of those being in management. The only reason I said CompUSA is because most people at least down here since all my experience is in retail environment and not the corporate one and not hire me.

Atlanta employers are ticking me off since I sent off my resume and no response and I call and they said someone will call you back and never do. When I do get a interview they say you will be perfect but retail is not "real world", and I have to laugh to myself since I can do the job but they know it but I do not know do they feel threating I will it do it better then someone with out retail since I deal with hundreds of customers daily and I can deal with them in a quicker matter then they can or what and make sure they customer is satisfied and a returnable customer.

I know it is like I said I have retail experience. I have been in Atlanta for 16 years and I need a change. From what I saw in pictures I would love Iowa since I am from Canada originally, and I cannot stand Atlanta any more. Could you name some companies you think I might have a chance of getting a job with. I would like to get out of retail if I can. I have customers tell me daily and when I was working at CompUSA thank for dealing with me and making sure I get what I want when I tried calling your corporate office I get the run around.

Like I said I have tons of experience and the education. I will check out the companies you listed if you can think of anymore I would thank you. Like I said I would prefer to get out retail and being living in a place that is safe and I do not have to live through what happened to me a couple years ago. Help someone get out of Atlanta gang. Thank you all again. I hope to hear from you soon.

[Luke9686]

I would go on careerbuilder.com and search in Des Moines. DSM is one of the largest insurance cities in the country. Tons of insurance companies. I'm sure you could find something at least to get you on your feet.

I would strongly suggest you put your degree to use. Get a job at an insurance company, retail, whatever just to get into the area. Then you will probably want to go to the local college to catch up on the IT industry. You said you worked retail while paying for college and never left, and you have 13 years experience. I am going to assume you went to school around 13 years ago or so. You IT quals may be a bit out of date so you may need to update them. No bigee, anything is possible with effort. Trust me.

Luke

[movingfwd]

I got my degree in 2004, I have worked in Customer Service since I was 16 roughly 13 years is what I meant. But I will do what you suggested Luke, thanks.

[DSMGuy]

Here's a good article about WDM and Aviva Insurance. Also companies like Principal and Nationwide are hiring big time.

DesMoinesRegister.com