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Old 11-10-2007, 10:37 PM
 
1 posts, read 2,691 times
Reputation: 10

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We live in California and to get right to the point - we hate it!
there are too many people, to many enviromental issues too. We moved here because of my husbands job, but they (the company) managed to sugar coat how great it is to work there, which is totally oppoisite of what it is. We are outdoor people, love seasons of the year, even the snow. We are simply people and not all into all the bling-bling stuff that Californians are use to. So, we want to move to Montana. We have visited many times and both my husband and i have family up there. We would love to be closer to them. Okay, the main problem is that my husband can't find a descent playing job. He has gone through all the newspapers and many other websites with job opportunities. He is a retired Tech Sarg. from 21 years in the Air Force. There has to be someone out there that would hire a man that has served our country for 21 years. Does anybody have any ideas that he can do? All his job hunting seems to end in a dead end. Maybe we are looking in the wrong place, or a wrong web-site. I would appreciate any suggestions in this manner and hopefully soon, we would like to me out of here by June. Please help desperate wife in California. Thanks!
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Old 11-11-2007, 05:23 AM
 
Location: Lala Land Montana
83 posts, read 316,086 times
Reputation: 48
Smile Jobs in Montana

Well unfortunely there are not a lot of high paying jobs in Montana. But if you check for mining jobs, government jobs, city,county and state jobs, you'll find that they pay a bit better than the 10.00$ average the rest of the jobs pay. You never said what kind of work he was qualified for so its hard to make any suggestions.
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Old 11-11-2007, 08:28 AM
 
Location: LEAVING CD
22,974 posts, read 26,941,096 times
Reputation: 15644
Try looking at LC staffing in Kalispell or Montana Employment Opportunties - mt.gov - Montana's Official State Website
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Old 11-12-2007, 08:13 AM
 
Location: In The Outland
6,023 posts, read 14,027,076 times
Reputation: 3535
I know that Semitool in Kalispell is always looking for good cnc machine operators but they pay less than operators make in other states. If you can do cnc machine set-ups and or programing you can make decent money. The labor pool here is generally of the low tech level so the few high tech industries have trouble finding good people. I live in an area (Sanders County), with basically no industry other than cattle ranches, hay farms and rock quarries. The rock pickers are folks with little or no employable assets other than having a strong back. They make $10.00 per hour and they work through the winter if it's not a snowy year. You may be better off by trying to start a business here if you can. It's easy to grow a business on a shoestring here if you got smarts ! We are doing it and we've had nothing but encouragement and co-operation from the authorities and the regulatory bureaucrats. We are engaging in a food packaging business and are very encouraged by customer response and the help we have received from our county. We came here from California with basically just enough money for food and rent for only a couple of months and had to work at some really crappy jobs for almost nothing until we realized that we could do better working for ourselves. If we tried to grow our business in Ca. we would have been buried in B.S. and silly regulations. At least here in Sanders County it seems that they actually want you to succeed !

Last edited by Rickers; 11-12-2007 at 08:22 AM..
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Old 11-12-2007, 11:19 AM
 
2 posts, read 4,870 times
Reputation: 12
I don't want to sound too discouraging, but a common pattern is for people to move to Montana because they simply love it (or hate where they are currently) and then face a hard economic reality over the next several years. Both the LA Times and NY Times have run stories periodically about folks who move to Montana and think there'll be jobs that don't pay quite as well or don't fit quite as well but at least they'll be happy in paradise. Ultimately, these folks face a hard reality and become more miserable than before they came, deplete their savings, and then move some place else. In the meantime, the financial stress takes it toll, leading to greater risk of alcoholism/substance abuse, marital problems etc.

Montana currently has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, but it also has the lowest wages in the country. Stated simply, there are precious few professional and/or decent paying jobs, and people are lined up deep to get them. Cost of living is also higher than what many might think.

I would strongly discourage folks who do not have a decent job in hand from moving to the state. It's just very hard to land on your feet in the state, and there's a long trail of people who've tried and failed (some successes, yes, but they are the exceptions). You'd have better luck near the bigger cities in states nearby: Salt Lake, Boise, Denver, etc. If big cities don't thrill you, consider the communities close to these cities. At least then you could commute to a decent job if you had to.

I hope things work out for you, but please don't make the same mistake so many others have made. Get the job first, then come. If you can't get a job that will pay enough, that should tell you something. You will have better luck biding your time for the right Montana job while holding a decent job out of state than you will if you come to the state and hope to find something while living in the state and making next to nothing.
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Old 11-28-2007, 02:14 PM
 
114 posts, read 571,781 times
Reputation: 75
Default Hi, Folks

We too have been looking and millions of people and families are. We've considered Redding California (they will have to pay the staggering costs of the illegal aliens) - we considered Boise - seems to have high prices and low wages and not very warm - we love the west and looked everywhere.

We found and settled on Norman Oklahoma after reading many, many people that are from California and really love the area. Housing is cheaper and pay is a little lower than some other states too, but there are a lot of jobs.

My wife is a casino supervisor and Norman has a new huge RiverWind Casino - possiby the biggest in the country and with 1800 employees. (always hiring - your husband could almost surely get on there)

There are 2 more casinos in Norman and a lot of other job opportunities in the area. I read the pay and benefits at the casinos is quite good.

When I say Norman - I mean just out (south) of the Oklahoma City Metro area. There are a lot of reasonably priced houses and apartments and smaller towns around Norman.

We've read about $500.00 two bedroom apartments or houses and a lower cost of living.

City data has an okc section. Moore, Norman, Newcastle, El Reno, Shawnee - all are out of the big city and that's what we need - although OKC isn't that bad - just like any other big city (none of which we like)

Go there and read all the people that love the area and state. OKC has a Veteran's Hospital too.

Best Wishes and please keep us posted.

I like Montana too but it's far too cold for me.

Oklahoma is quite warm in the winter and not that bad in the summer and the only shortcomings are no western mountains (which we love) and tornados, which are pretty much endemic across all the plains states now, as global warming takes it's toll.

Barring some big event (I just had open heart surgery to replace an aortic valve) we'll be selling our house in Missouri and moving there this spring.

We lived for 12 years in California and 12 years in Arizona and 1.5 years in Albuquerque. After being chased by gangs, while out jogging and birdwatching - we left and would never go back.

If that problem went away - Arizona and California are our favorite states.

MajorHart

Last edited by MajorHart; 11-28-2007 at 02:23 PM..
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Old 11-28-2007, 03:01 PM
 
13 posts, read 55,710 times
Reputation: 15
You might try looking for a civilian job at Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls. I've heard they tend to have a preference for retired military. Housing near there isn't horribly expensive either.
If you could provide some more info as far as job interests/training and location preferences, we might be able to give more advice. Are you looking for a job also, or is it just your husband?
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Old 11-28-2007, 07:26 PM
 
Location: South Orange County
264 posts, read 395,605 times
Reputation: 48
What exactly are the job skills your retired Tech Sgt. husband possesses?
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Old 11-28-2007, 08:47 PM
 
919 posts, read 1,905,559 times
Reputation: 507
Default Retired Airforce Jobs

I just wanted to say that hopefully you will be the best qualified, but you wont be the only retired person looking for work there. I have two brothers that are retired airforce. they checked it out and live else where.
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Old 11-29-2007, 02:24 AM
 
Location: Spots Wyoming
18,700 posts, read 41,965,616 times
Reputation: 2147483647
I can't blame you. Get the hell out of California. I spent 18 years there while in the service. It was a great day when I left and come home. I was no longer a prisoner of California.
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