Moved out of state and can't find a decent paying job (Minneapolis: lease, hotel)

[ckrlmt]

I am a massage therapist and I moved from Phoenix to Minneapolis to live closer to my family. I'm originally from Minnesota and have always felt a loyalty to it. I've only been here a month and I'm in complete freak out mode. I've always worked in the hotel/resort industry while in Phoenix, where the money is great and you're quite busy. Before I moved here , I secured a job in a local day spa. The pay is less than what I made in Phoenix, but I thought I could swing it if I was busy enough. Well I'm a month into this job and the pay is NOT what I had expected, it's not busy at all. I've been keeping an eye out for other job opportunities, even went on a couple interviews. Their pay was even less than what I make now. So needless to say my job prospects for making a comfortable living seem to be non existent here. I know part of my anxiety is the move, being homesick for the comfortable life I had in Phoenix, and the uncertainty of where my life is headed now. I'm so tempted to break my lease and go back to Phoenix. The anxiety is affecting my sleep and appetite.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

I would go back, but then again, Phoenix and LA are the only two cities in the country I would live in. I am very picky when it comes to climate/weather

[sandy6879]

It's normal and it's anxiety. Think back to why you moved in the first place. It takes a few months to get your rhythm in a new place, even if it's one you've lived in before.

What do you have control over? You don't have any control on if people come into the place you're working. So, that means you may have to do some legwork and find clientele while you're looking for somewhere else to work out of. Do they have networking meetings there? Meetup groups for business owners? Vendor events?

Think out of the box - just because you worked in the hotel industry here doesn't mean that's the way that it gets done there. How about chiropractor offices? Many employ massage therapists. Same with gyms, etc.

[Bummer]

Unfortunately, Ckrlmt . . . sounds like your move was driven more by the emotions of your heart vs the practicality of your brain.

Is it too late to "undo" the move or have you "burned all your bridges" down here?

Also, wait until Winter sets in and you'll really begin to miss Arizona.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by ckrlmt

I am a massage therapist and I moved from Phoenix to Minneapolis to live closer to my family. I'm originally from Minnesota and have always felt a loyalty to it. I've only been here a month and I'm in complete freak out mode. I've always worked in the hotel/resort industry while in Phoenix, where the money is great and you're quite busy. Before I moved here , I secured a job in a local day spa. The pay is less than what I made in Phoenix, but I thought I could swing it if I was busy enough. Well I'm a month into this job and the pay is NOT what I had expected, it's not busy at all. I've been keeping an eye out for other job opportunities, even went on a couple interviews. Their pay was even less than what I make now. So needless to say my job prospects for making a comfortable living seem to be non existent here. I know part of my anxiety is the move, being homesick for the comfortable life I had in Phoenix, and the uncertainty of where my life is headed now. I'm so tempted to break my lease and go back to Phoenix. The anxiety is affecting my sleep and appetite.

The road back to Phoenix is 2-ways for a reason. I've had so many friends leave and comeback.

[jamies]

You can never go home.

[gearedtowardssalad]

I'm in the exact situation as you. From MN, had a great job in Phoenix, moved back due to family reasons and now I can't find a decent paying job worth keeping anywhere. It's unbelievable how easy it is to get a decent job in Phoenix. I do have my gripes with the place, and like a lot about it - just like MN, but idk.

[Ursicinus]

I was in a *somewhat* analogous situation to you until quite recently, in that I was in Minneapolis and was finding it impossible to find full-time, decent-paying work in what I went to school for, despite constantly hearing about how great the economy was here, how low the unemployment is, how "easy" it is to find a job, and so on.

So, I am by no means an expert on how to find a job quickly, but I will say if I were in that position again, I would do one of these two things immediately: 1) find work through a temp agency, and failing that, 2) go on Craigslist. The only reason I never tried #1 is the line of work I trained for, you can't really "temp" into it; it would only work for me if I were in crisis mode and just needed a job of any sort, above "burger flipper". As for #2, Craigslist always seemed a bit shady to me (must be all the spelling errors), but the thing I realized eventually was that if an employer posts an opening on there, they are actually trying to fill the job, whereas if you're just going website to website for specific employers' job openings, for all you know, they've already filled the position internally, and only posted the opening because they were legally required to.... and thereby wasting hours of your valuable time in applying. My wife actually found her job on Craigslist and I know a few other people who have, as well, so as long as you're careful that it's not some Nigerian prince phishing scam, you could find some decent jobs on there along the lines of what you're looking for.

Anyway, bottom line is, moving across the country and "starting again" is expensive (as you well know), so you don't want to do this too many times for knee-jerk reasons. It's natural to feel afraid when you've moved to a new place for any number of different reasons, but try not to make that be the determining factor on what you do moving forward. There are thousands of younger people in the Cities who are doing decently that *aren't* lawyers or executives or whatever, so just be aware that there are tons of other folks in broadly similar economic conditions to you who absolutely love the Twin Cities. Just take a deep breath before you decide anything

[ckrlmt]

All great advice, thank you everyone! I'll keep looking for a better job and ride this storm out for awhile before I make that final decision to go back to AZ.

[ckrlmt]

No bridges burned. I've already reached out to my old employer and she's open to having me come back if a position opens later this year. In the mean time I'll keep plugging along and see what happens.