[Esther Olivia]

I am trying to move from Los Angeles to Las Vegas but do not have a job lined up.

I've heard that MGM's CityCenter is hiring, so I just called in and applied there today. I have no experience with such a company, but according to the clerk, they hire people internationally. So for now, I'm just going to try it out. Are there any other places that like to hire people from out of state? I was shopping around Google but they basically just said hotels and private offices are where it's at, and I was wondering if there was anything else. CityCenter said the administrative work (receptionist/clerk/customer service) is best for my background, since I have minimal school and volunteer experience.

I have saved up some money but I am not sure if that is enough. I'm at the point where I'm sitting here wondering, how much exactly is enough needed for moving? Thankfully, I've heard most places are cheaper than California, but I still don't know how much exactly you'd need. My friends that live there moved in middle school ages with their parents, so yeah. They got lucky and basically had an easier time finding jobs due to their addresses and the timing (before the bad econ hit).

I was thinking of leaving in April 2012, which happens to be my birthday month. Currently, I have only $800 and it's clearly not gonna be enough, but how much should I really have?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

[von949]

city center hiring process
Cosmopolitan Hotel - Hiring Process
MGM Hiring Process
CityCenter Department Interview - what to expect
is it easy right now to find a job in a hotel?
Are there really NO jobs in Vegas?!
Moving to Vegas without a job

[Esther Olivia]

Originally Posted by von949

city center hiring process
Cosmopolitan Hotel - Hiring Process
MGM Hiring Process
CityCenter Department Interview - what to expect
is it easy right now to find a job in a hotel?
Are there really NO jobs in Vegas?!
Moving to Vegas without a job

I've actually seen both the first and last link via a quick Google search in the past couple of nights, but thank you for the help. That's a lot of good information to have.

[swagger]

Allow me to offer you some advice...

STAY IN CALIFORNIA.

You only have $800 and you want to move to the city with the highest unemployment rate in the country, and you have no hospitality experience and no job lined up? Don't take this the wrong way, but are you frikkin' nuts?!!??!

If you're determined to move to LV, save enough money to support yourself for a year. Then find a cheap place to live, move all your stuff, register your car here (btw, your car insurance is going to skyrocket), get your NV driver license, get a local cell phone number and THEN start looking for work.

The prevailing wisdom is that employers tend to shy away from transients. If you can't show them that you're serious about sticking around for a while, they're not going to want to waste a lot of time and money on training you.

Take my advice and stay in CA. At least until the economy recovers, which will probably be several years.

[Esther Olivia]

Originally Posted by swagger

Allow me to offer you some advice...

STAY IN CALIFORNIA.

You only have $800 and you want to move to the city with the highest unemployment rate in the country, and you have no hospitality experience and no job lined up? Don't take this the wrong way, but are you frikkin' nuts?!!??!

If you're determined to move to LV, save enough money to support yourself for a year. Then find a cheap place to live, move all your stuff, register your car here (btw, your car insurance is going to skyrocket), get your NV driver license, get a local cell phone number and THEN start looking for work.

The prevailing wisdom is that employers tend to shy away from transients. If you can't show them that you're serious about sticking around for a while, they're not going to want to waste a lot of time and money on training you.

Take my advice and stay in CA. At least until the economy recovers, which will probably be several years.

...you didn't read my post properly. I said I do have experience, but probably not a big long list like most people would think of. I'd have three jobs MAX; they're all involving doing school or receptionist stuff. I'm not sure how well they would take that.

I don't drive, though I've heard the insurance bit.

I'm not sure where you've come from, but I don't believe that staying is even going to do any good. If you read my post to the NJ dude (who is also moving from NJ to NV), kids here are basically dead. Even people with master's degrees are worthless now. I always thought that was because the city was enormous and it is rather common for people to go to college, but I guess another reason is that a portion of the jobs moved to China and India starting 10-15 years ago. A lot of people I went to high school with have now ended up staffing minimum wage or even attempting to move to China and Japan just to get work (and they aren't being paid well).

I am from a younger generation, like the NJ dude, and I graduated HS in the past five years. Things aren't what they used to be. I've also heard that LV used to be easier to find work but the unemployment rate is even higher than LA now.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by Esther Olivia

...you didn't read my post properly. I said I do have experience, but probably not a big long list like most people would think of. I'd have three jobs MAX; they're all involving doing school or receptionist stuff. I'm not sure how well they would take that.

I don't drive, though I've heard the insurance bit.

I'm not sure where you've come from, but I don't believe that staying is even going to do any good. If you read my post to the NJ dude (who is also moving from NJ to NV), kids here are basically dead. Even people with master's degrees are worthless now. I always thought that was because the city was enormous and it is rather common for people to go to college, but I guess another reason is that a portion of the jobs moved to China and India starting 10-15 years ago. A lot of people I went to high school with have now ended up staffing minimum wage or even attempting to move to China and Japan just to get work (and they aren't being paid well).

I am from a younger generation, like the NJ dude, and I graduated HS in the past five years. Things aren't what they used to be. I've also heard that LV used to be easier to find work but the unemployment rate is even higher than LA now.

You have a lot of strikes against you with this move. The big ones are:

1. No LOCAL work history. Las Vegas employers don't care much about out of state experience. They want to know what you've been doing in Southern Nevada. They're looking for people who have been here awhile, and have verifiable local employment history.
2. No marketable skills. There isn't much demand for receptionists here. Yes, there are plenty of receptionists. But by and large, they've been living here for a long time. Every employer you apply with is going to think you're going to cut and run.
3. No car, don't drive. This is a hard town for relying on the bus. Imagine standing at a corner bus stop for forty minutes in 115f heat. It's really rough on people who don't drive.
4. No money. You can't come here with a few hundred dollars and expect anything positive to happen. You can't come here with a few thousand dollars and expect much, either.

I agree with Swagger. Stay in California. You can blame the diaspora of jobs overseas. But most of that was for call centers and manufacturing. There are still plenty of jobs, but you need the skills employers seek.


My advice? Take advantage of California's excellent community college system and learn something useful. The medical field is particularly in demand. One of my co-workers recently quit a $20/hour cook position to make nearly double that as a medical imaging technician.

[Esther Olivia]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

You have a lot of strikes against you with this move. The big ones are:

1. No LOCAL work history. Las Vegas employers don't care much about out of state experience. They want to know what you've been doing in Southern Nevada. They're looking for people who have been here awhile, and have verifiable local employment history.
2. No marketable skills. There isn't much demand for receptionists here. Yes, there are plenty of receptionists. But by and large, they've been living here for a long time. Every employer you apply with is going to think you're going to cut and run.
3. No car, don't drive. This is a hard town for relying on the bus. Imagine standing at a corner bus stop for forty minutes in 115f heat. It's really rough on people who don't drive.
4. No money. You can't come here with a few hundred dollars and expect anything positive to happen. You can't come here with a few thousand dollars and expect much, either.

I agree with Swagger. Stay in California. You can blame the diaspora of jobs overseas. But most of that was for call centers and manufacturing. There are still plenty of jobs, but you need the skills employers seek.


My advice? Take advantage of California's excellent community college system and learn something useful. The medical field is particularly in demand. One of my co-workers recently quit a $20/hour cook position to make nearly double that as a medical imaging technician.

You have some good points, but I clearly wasn't going to just dash off with the money I have now. I was asking for suggestions on how much I'd need. I don't expect I would last a week with the money I have right now. It just wouldn't work out unless an employer already had a job lined up for me, or I borrowed, or some other way to get the cash.

Actually, I don't know what "plenty of jobs" would be? I know people who have done various majors, like accounting, business, English, psychology, nature-related stuff, and even medicine. Out of all of those, only one nurse got really lucky and found a job. We also have one guy who found work in the LA City Hall, but he's few and far between in recent years.

My family also urged me to do the community college thing, but I couldn't decide what to do. You've given me some ideas.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by Esther Olivia

My family also urged me to do the community college thing, but I couldn't decide what to do. You've given me some ideas.

College, besides giving you a more rounded and yet more focused education, also shows prospective employers that you're the kind of person who can stick with a goal until the goal is achieved. In many ways, that's the most important part about a college education. It shows that you're one of the people who can set a long-term goal and make it happen.

[LVPoker1]

I don't drive, though I've heard the insurance bit.

I just cannot say this enough. There is probably no worse place to live without a car. The city is not walkable at all. Then you are waiting for the bus which will be a miserable experience in the summer. It could take you a very long time to land a job, and when you do, it will likely not be a high paying one. If there is a city where you have to know someone to get a job, it is here.

Be careful about just up and moving here. Times are tough. It can be done, but you better be bankrolled for it.

[TheGreatCurve]

Originally Posted by Esther Olivia

You have some good points, but I clearly wasn't going to just dash off with the money I have now. I was asking for suggestions on how much I'd need. I don't expect I would last a week with the money I have right now. It just wouldn't work out unless an employer already had a job lined up for me, or I borrowed, or some other way to get the cash.

Actually, I don't know what "plenty of jobs" would be? I know people who have done various majors, like accounting, business, English, psychology, nature-related stuff, and even medicine. Out of all of those, only one nurse got really lucky and found a job. We also have one guy who found work in the LA City Hall, but he's few and far between in recent years.

My family also urged me to do the community college thing, but I couldn't decide what to do. You've given me some ideas.

I'd say either:

1.) Save up at least $50,000 before even thinking of moving to Vegas or

2.) Get a college degree in electrical engineering or computer science or both from a good university and then move to Silicon Valley where companies will pay you six figures.