Actual Employment Info on Maine (school, closing, income)

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Hey Forest, I'm going to my 50th HS class reunion this year. You can buy us a keg if you want. ;-)

Ever take one of those equivalent age tests? I come in at about 42 years old. I gave blood last week.My BP was 102 over 68. That's what coffee does top you. Sometimes it's 95 over 65.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Hey Forest, I'm going to my 50th HS class reunion this year. You can buy us a keg if you want. ;-)

Ever take one of those equivalent age tests? I come in at about 42 years old. I gave blood last week.My BP was 102 over 68. That's what coffee does top you. Sometimes it's 95 over 65.

I drink coffee and I'm on high blood pressure meds .....go figure.

[Danmac]

Originally Posted by Acadianlion

I keep wondering why Danmac refuses to accept information that he requested to be based on reality when that information comes from people who are HERE, NOW, and familiar with circumstances about which Danmac knows nothing. I am beginning to believe that Danmac is working undercover for the Maine governor's office of economic development because many times the information pouring out from Augusta isn't really related to the lives of Mainers living in "the real Maine".

One problem is that Danmac wants to use statistics to "prove" his theory about employment in Maine. As has been pointed out previously, the statistics are skewed by Cumberland and York Counties that are more like Massachusetts than Maine in most ways, including population density and general business development. Indeed, this is where the city of Portland is, with its largest in Maine city population, and the benefit of more than 150,000 or so year round residents living within thirty miles. Danmac really needs to compare Maine's largest economic and population center with Asheville, North Carolina: the greater Asheville area includes a four county area with half a million people. There aren't half a million people in the greater Portland area, and only 1.3 million people in all of Maine (although in this recession, I think that number has shrunk some).

Let me give an example of how life really is for a Maine family. There is a young fellow trying to establish himself as a carpenter/builder that I employ from time to time to do certain types of projects. My wife and I have been trying to help him along a litt because coming from a tough upbringing, he made some terrible choices and has paid for them. But Mark is a good worker, and now with wife and two children has straightened himself out a lot.

Mark and his family live in a little town east of Ellsworth. His work is sporadic, although he has made a couple of contacts with established builders who use him from time to time. Naturally, being self employed, he has no health insurance or other benefits. His wife is a CNA who works at a nursing home in Ellsworth.

Here's the rub: when his wife works, if she works in the day time, Mark must look after the two little kids. The children are both under five. If his wife works in the evening, then Mark must be home to take care of the children in the latter part of the afternoon and into the evening. They need two incomes to make it at all. She works for minimum wage. Hiring a baby sitter takes nearly everything that she makes, and just driving sixty miles round trip to work eats up her wages pretty fast also. Mark gets $20 per hour when he works.

The family cannot afford to pay $1500 or so for health insurance, so whenever a child gets sick, the bill is paid out of pocket.

One might be tempted to ask why Mark doesn't go and get a job working for a larger building company that will pay benefits. The reason is that there are NO such jobs available, there are ten applicants for all such jobs that might be available, and year round jobs in the construction industry in this part of Maine are pretty scarce in a strong economy, and none existent in this one.

I know the names of several dozen people who are in the same circumstances and not all of them are young. Many work hard to eeek out a living under tought circumstances, and although many could go elsewhere to work and live, they chose to stay here in this very small economy because this is where they like to be. Many Mainers have had the "North Carolina experience" and have ended up coming back here, even though basic living was harder than there.

My choice in coming to Maine was based on several factors, none of which are relevant here. But I came to Maine and when I tried to find work, I found nothing for which my education had prepared me for, except for my seventh grade shop skills. This was thirty one years ago, and I worked then for four bucks an hour doing a lot of things that weren't very pleasant, but kept me alive.

After a while I started my own insurance agency and then with some amazingly creative financing, bought an established agency and moved to a different part of Maine. Eventually, by driving about 50,000 miles a year and more, I managed to build the business into something that could support my wife, myself and my children. I bought another agency. Toward the end of my career, I was driving more than a thousand miles a week, and flying my own Cessna 172 about twenty hours per month on business. The agency developed enough volume to sell, and it was sold. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

Well, let me give you a comparison. I belonged to a study group run by one of the insurance companies that I represented. We met in New York or some other city about once a quarter. At one of these meetings I met a young insurance agent who was just about my mirror image. He was from a city on Long Island...I forget which...and his agency was almost exactly like mine: we both did business primarily with small to medium sized buisinesses, and we both developed about the same premium and commission dollars every year. We each had the same number of employees (two).

The difference was that he could walk to call on almost all of his clients who were all within about a mile of his office. I had to travel fifty thousand miles per year in a car to call on mine.

Now I am one of those retired people and soon my wife and I will retire even more deeply into rural Maine.

Do I think that young, enthusiastic people should move to Maine? Absoluitely! Maine needs young enthusiastic people because Maine's population is aging must faster than the rest of the country.

Do I think that young, enthusiastic people can "make it" in Maine? Absolutely! But "making it" in Maine might well be much, much different than it might be elsewhere. Danmac isn't looking for a $20 an hour factory job. That's a good thing, because those jobs are very, very scarce in Maine, except for some small pockets.

The plain truth is that life in Maine offers a relatively meagre existence compared to more populous areas of the country. That isn't feral negativism, but merely a statement of fact. It is also true that there is a quality to living in this state that is hard to find elsewhere, despite the small economy and large distances that must be covered by many people to find work.

By all means, Danmac should come and experience Maine. I recommend coming to visit Maine and spending a month or two just traveling around this large state, talking with people and seeing what life is like here. In fact, if Danmac is sincere, he will do as many who have come here to settle have already done, and that is to come up once in the summer and once in the deepest part of winter. Travel the entire state...no fair staying in Portland and thinking that you "know" Maine.

Seeing the activity that is swirling around in summer is encouraging. But you will know whether or not this is for you by seeing that same place devoid of swirling activity in the middle of February.

Acadianlion for some reason dear sir you feel I asked about the state of Maines economy which I never did, I have no idea why your following my threads as you obviously have little to nothing good to say on the state of Maine.

I pose this question to you if things are so darn awful bad economically in Maine why are you still there?

The only reason in my other thread I mentioned my financial situation was to get you off of harping on Maines, you really weren't giving me any good advice, only how I would fail, and end up running back to Florida (which I don't know where Florida came from as I don't live there).

Next the only reason I posted this thread was the fact to temper all the neg posts that state how horrible Maines economy is. When yet I speak to people every day that have no issues w/ paying their bills, working etc.

That's why I said no one persons financial situation is the same as the next so aside from the FYI post of "hey be prepared things are tough up here job wise" some tend to go out of their way to make it sound as if Maine is the worst place on the earth.

And sir you can continue to say the #'s are skewed or that your elected officals are corrupt, then I say to you why then are they still in office? Why have those in Maine not stood up and done something of it.

Please I'm here to get balanced real information on one of or both of my professions, not an economics lesson. I got your point in your inital response on the other thread "Things are Bad in Maine" I get it nuff said move on.

[Danmac]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I agree





True.





I have seen that too!

I still say that you should come to Maine and see for yourself. You never know what kind of niche you could walk into.

Thaks for your input, I do plan on traveling to Maine end of Sept first of Oct, matter of fact what areas would one look to get an idea on rental property's and what neighborhoods are like. Also where are some places that the locals party/hang out etc, so I can meet some face to face and see what everyone is like.

Also I'd like to stay somewhat off the tourist type path cause my experience has shown me that doing all the touristy type things doesn't really give you a flavor for an area.

Thanks again for your lovely input!

DANIEL

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Danmac

Thaks for your input, I do plan on traveling to Maine end of Sept first of Oct, matter of fact what areas would one look to get an idea on rental property's and what neighborhoods are like. Also where are some places that the locals party/hang out etc, so I can meet some face to face and see what everyone is like.

Also I'd like to stay somewhat off the tourist type path cause my experience has shown me that doing all the touristy type things doesn't really give you a flavor for an area.

Thanks again for your lovely input!

DANIEL

Try Ogunquit! It is very nice. It is on Route One north of Kittery and on your way to Portland. It tends to be less tourist oriented than other coastal towns. The people are friendly, optomistic, and very accepting of outsiders. There is a nice beach, great restaurants, and a nationally reknowned playhouse The Ogunquit Playhouse.

[Danmac]

Originally Posted by American girl

Three of us girls grew up within a stone's throw from each other, none of us went to college. I'm GM of the local paper, one is circ manager - same paper, the other sales manager at the Holiday Inn. Others in our class: Ellsworth fire chief, Director of Export and Industrial Sales at Jasper Wyman & Sons, Executive Director Schoodic Arts for All, chiropractor practicing in Calais, several successful realtors, a couple of CPAs, a sheriff's deputy, property manager HH Brown shoes (Corinna), a number of small business owners i.e. convenience stores, welding shop, auto repair for example, a few nurses both in Ellsworth and Bangor, couple of paper mill workers, used car manager of a large Ellsworth dealership, a health care manager in southern Maine to name just a few that come readily to mind.

I don't think any of us envisioned these "jobs" as young people. Many of them became good jobs because we made them so. We started out as clerks, salespeople, secretaries and grew up and grew the jobs from the ground up.

IMO we do a disservice to our Maine young people when we say there are no good jobs here. You may not be able to graduate from college with a business degree and run Maine Shellfish as your first job but you can start out as a route salesman and run the sales department by the time you are in your 40s. You can start as a secretary in your 20s and run the company in your 50s. You can be low car salesman on the totem pole at 24 and manage the dealership in your 50s. You can tend bar out of high school and be food and beverage director.

Those of us that did it this way are happy as hogs in a turnip patch. We're working in our hometown, or close to it, making a good living and having a good time.

This is the type of balance I'd not gotten to date, I can understand how some struggle and find the economy unberable, but I found some to be using the board as a sounding board for their displeasure of how things are and how where they are going.

If I was getting a mixed bag then I would see some of those posts for constructive, but some came across as bitter, or as if they had an agenda that they didn't want any "OUTSIDERS" moving to Maine, which I can understand living in a place like NC Mtns where they openly tell those who've relocated here they're not wanted, due in part to the rise in taxes, property rates being thru the roof etc.

Again I apprec the balance!

[Danmac]

Originally Posted by Acadianlion

Really? Take a deep breath and think about it again. The real victims of this recession are the people who are in their fifties and thinking of retirement, or people who actually are retired. Their retirement plans, whether self-directed or defined benefit, 401K or otherwise have been gutted by the horrendous decline in the value of equities. For many what was once the prospect of relatively comfortable senior years after a lifetime of work and saving has been evaporated. They now look at the prospect of a meagre old age with the bare bones of social security. Even the normal "safe haven" of their home is gone due to the decline in real estate values.

Those who are young have the strength to work two jobs if needed to make ends meet. They also have something else that is without price: they have time left in their lives to build their professions, save, and create wealth. Those who are more senior have little time and far less strength available to rebuild was was lost in this last crash.

So what can you tell me good about Maine? You've mentioned how your in business and I would assume doing well or atleast well enough.

What are some of the positive things you can tell me about Maine? I mean it can't all be negative for the lifestyle, economy, environment etc give me the other side of the coin I'm looking for cause to date, all I've read from you is this type of thing.

Now I'm not knocking you and believe what your last post said, but who can really say whose impacted the worst? Give me something to sink my teeth into, what can I look forward to seeing, doing, and smelling, tasting when I come for a visit in a couple mths.

[JC3]

Originally Posted by Danmac

So what can you tell me good about Maine? You've mentioned how your in business and I would assume doing well or atleast well enough.

What are some of the positive things you can tell me about Maine? I mean it can't all be negative for the lifestyle, economy, environment etc give me the other side of the coin I'm looking for cause to date, all I've read from you is this type of thing.

Now I'm not knocking you and believe what your last post said, but who can really say whose impacted the worst? Give me something to sink my teeth into, what can I look forward to seeing, doing, and smelling, tasting when I come for a visit in a couple mths.

Maine is a beautiful state. It has lakes, it has seacoast, it has mountains, it has skiing, it has foliage, it has lobster, it has fried clams, it has very nice state parks, it has great fishing, it has a people who have an opinion, it has tourism. Hopefully those few things will help you smell, see, do and taste while you are here. I prefer the Muddy Rudder in Freeport when it comes to sinking my teeth into a filet mignon.

Those are a few of the nice things about Maine. Now it will be up to you to sort out what is important to you and what isn't. While you are here you can find out what some of these people are talking about first hand and make your own judgement. I find that what works for me an my income may not be doable or possible for others. What isn't a concern for me is indeed a big deal for many. So don't be too hard on those who voice a displeasure about things and don't find a rose in every bush. I think you are getting what you asked for, open opinions about Maine from a variety of people who reside in Maine and have much more experience living there to draw on than someone like myself. No one wants to hear negative things about what they may perceive as their ideal place to come to but it is a reality, not eveyone is going to sing kumbaya together.

[Danmac]

Originally Posted by JC3

Maine is a beautiful state. It has lakes, it has seacoast, it has mountains, it has skiing, it has foliage, it has lobster, it has fried clams, it has very nice state parks, it has great fishing, it has a people who have an opinion, it has tourism. Hopefully those few things will help you smell, see, do and taste while you are here. I prefer the Muddy Rudder in Freeport when it comes to sinking my teeth into a filet mignon.

Those are a few of the nice things about Maine. Now it will be up to you to sort out what is important to you and what isn't. While you are here you can find out what some of these people are talking about first hand and make your own judgement. I find that what works for me an my income may not be doable or possible for others. What isn't a concern for me is indeed a big deal for many. So don't be too hard on those who voice a displeasure about things and don't find a rose in every bush. I think you are getting what you asked for, open opinions about Maine from a variety of people who reside in Maine and have much more experience living there to draw on than someone like myself. No one wants to hear negative things about what they may perceive as their ideal place to come to but it is a reality, not eveyone is going to sing kumbaya together.

I started this thread cause the usual suspects all are doom and gloom when responding to those who query regarding relocating to Maine. It's all about how bad the economy is and there are no jobs etc.

You made an interesting comment there at the end of your email

"That I think you are getting what you asked for, open opinions about Maine from a variety of people who reside in Maine and have much more experience living there to draw on than someone like myself."

The key point is and this is not an attack on you but if you read some of the usual suspects responses to my thread they state exactly what you stated, that I'm only getting what I asked for opinion and advice, well no I didn't ask about opinion and advice on Maines economy and how people are struggling to find work etc. This all began from my 1st post here which is now closed titled
"How do Mainers view Massage Therapy" I explained further do they use Massage as part of their every day medical needs, is it something Mainers think is hogwash, how is it viewed. From that the usual suspects derived that I needed a history lesson in Maine economics, which I never asked.

When they strayed off topic and I was getting oh you will fail up here, or you'll end up broke and going back home, etc. I realized it was going down a road that had little to nothing to do w/ what I asked. So in a hope to get on point I stated the financial aspects of things are fine w/ me I don't have to worry about money lets move on, I then was called "Trust Fund Baby" "Silver Spoon" etc.

So now when you read some of their responses to this new thread you see where they say I'm getting what I asked for, and I must not like it cause it's ruining my dream of Maine, or that I just don't want to hear the truth what have you; well again I never asked for the state of Maines economy, cause I always try to avoid topics involving money or even broach the subject, especially online as people quickly get turned off or they make assumptions, as they did this time.

While I do appreciate some of the unsolicited insight I got much of it could've been obtained in my trip or via private more professional and accurate means. You see this is why I never ask financial questions about a place cause a person on the other end of the email could be poor, rich, or middle of the road, and their views and way they deal in life all are diff from the way I will, not to mention things that impact their lives won't impact my own, or have the same effect good or bad.

Case N Point: In my mail box thru this site I have received many emails opposite from what some here have stated, while they all expressed similar concerns over Maines overall economy and agreed whole heartedly w/ the usual suspects that things are getting worse not better in Maine, but trick is they actually read my thread and what I was asking. Now many of these posts are from people either in the career fields I'm in or someone close to them is, each of them stated I'd have no problems finding and keeping work in Maine.

And those who are transplants stated they as well visited this site when they were looking to make the move to Maine, each stating they experienced similar issues, but when they visited they found some of the statements made were over blown or plain wrong, and in most cases didn't apply to them their lifestyles and family situation, and the relocated persons & locals alike say they visit this site periodically to hopefully reach out to those such as myself to give us the other side that way we wouldn't have a misconception of Mainers or what not. They also stated they have friends/family or acquintances that visit websites such as these to discourage people from moving to Maine, for good but selfish reasons though.

Also common amongst my ANGELS, as I call them is they each say the visits will be the biggest part of my decision as it was for them, which I always planned on doing just that.

Thanks very much for your nice input, stay well!
DANIEL

[bbb3601]

Wow!! I have been following this thread and have been afraid to post, but I figured what the heck. Most know I am a nurse in Ohio. My wife is also in the medical field. On paper should we easily find work in Maine....yes. We have visited many times just for employement feelers. This is my opinion, and this is from someone who will move to Maine. While this could hold true in most states I find it to hold a ring of truth...more so in Maine. Maine people like to hire people with 'roots' in Maine. I have been offered nursing jobs day one. Part-time or PRN even when a full time spot is open. My take is Maine employers expect people from away to earn their stripes so to speak. Work ethic, and competency to me seem to be valued higher in Maine than Ohio is this true I don't know. My take is with smaller budgets etc they don't have the time, or money to waste it on a 'newbie' who may be looking for something better (while interviewing, but we already had that thread!!lol) while passing over a true Mainer. I like that, and I am ok with paying my dues. If you want to live a quiet, reserved life Maine is for you. If you want to re-invent the wheel or hell even nursing, force friendships, change views (yes maine nurses are old school...I was allowed to shadow for a few hours because I work for a sister facility here in Ohio, and she was one of the toughest hard nosed bit*** I have ever met...and yep I learned some new tricks. I have made several conatcts in my trips and know with out a doubt I can make a life for my family in Maine) the people here are correct in telling you to stay where you are. I am not moving to Maine to make friends....or money. I am choosing Maine because it just fits what my family is looking for. If I make some friends along the way great I could use some.... but I sure wouldn't want to make enemies! Maine is like one big small town, and everyone talks if you know what I mean.