Employment in Montana (home sales, appraisal, selling)

[jimj]

Originally Posted by Broz

wow AQHA, I am sure this is a joke and I can see you have researched it well so I will thank you for the time and thought you applied. We will not be picky when looking for jobs but at the same time I am proud to inform you, not one of the three of us would have any part of this kind of activity.

Thanks but No Thanks.


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Yes he was ribbing you, welcome to the forum!
We're being hit by the recession as hard as everywhere else and construction is particularly bad at this point. Imagine, contractors lining up to do minor remodel jobs where at this time last year they wouldn't even call you back unless it was a full build and then only maybe.
There was a remodel at a gas station of all places and quite a few of the "big names" in construction lined up to bid on it. I'm seeing electrician trucks up for sale at equipment yards and sell yourself lots, plumbing trucks as well. There is a hamburger place that's opening soon and I'll bet they got 300 applications last week if that gives you any idea.
We normally tell people who come here to bring your own job or enough money to live for a while and expect low wages but since the downturn I'd tell people not to come at all unless you are retired and self sustaining or are bringing your own job.
I'm seeing people who are skilled in a couple different fields now at the junior college retraining for heavy equipment,truck driving and all the other trades so we'll have a large supply of them entering the market soon.
I'd think long and hard before I moved anywhere right now, especially somewhere as rural as Montana.

[Broz]

Yes, I knew it was a joke. Sorry if I sounded offended or Rude, didn't want to.

Thanks Jim for the up front advice. It sounds like here and most everywhere right now I would guess. My wife possibly could bring her job along as she works on-line from home. Time will tell on that. We realize the need to be self sufficient for a while till work is found and we are planning for that. We are suvivers and we don't look for hand outs but feel we will get along like we always have by hard work and a little luck.

Thanks!

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[rangerider]

I'm a bit south of the Helena/Townsend area, but the story is much the same. I hear things are a bit better over towards Billings, more heavy industry and diversity in the business sector helps even out the economy a little.

Normally I'd say you and your family's skill sets would be a pretty good bet for work and to give it a try, but right now it's a tough call. Not since the late 70s/early 80s have I seen a paper with only a dozen or so general help wanted ads. There are some white collar and gov't positions available, but not much for a workin' guy.

Normally by this time every year I am so busy I never see home and it doesn't end until Christmas unless the weather flat gets ugly. But I haven't worked any meaningful hours since last Thanksgiving and I'm not expecting to see much for the next year or more. And I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the company I work for fold - and we're a fairly big outfit.

[Broz]

Rangerider, First and foremost I hope your work pics up and your job stays secure. Good Luck with it and Thanks for your reply.

What you all are describing is what we have been seeing for close to 1 1/2 years now in this area. It slowly started to decline and now it is tuff sledding.

This might sound crazy to some but I guess if we are going to struggle, we may as well be where we want to be. Ain't like our time on earth is getting longer. We have talked about moving to MT. since the early days of our life together. That is over 30 years. At first it was just a couple kids with a dream, but it is one we have held on to. The more we visited over the years the stronger the urge became. On one of the Iowa farms we had there was a beautiful area that was made up of some old mining hills that were covered with some of the prettiest jackpines I have seen. There was a grown over haul road that snaked up through it. We named that ole road "Montana Lane".

If we make it out there you can all trust we will do our best to be assets and not liabilities. Both to the area and our new neighbors.

God willing, maybe we will get a chance to prove this.

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[jimj]

Originally Posted by Broz

Rangerider, First and foremost I hope your work pics up and your job stays secure. Good Luck with it and Thanks for your reply.

What you all are describing is what we have been seeing for close to 1 1/2 years now in this area. It slowly started to decline and now it is tuff sledding.

This might sound crazy to some but I guess if we are going to struggle, we may as well be where we want to be. Ain't like our time on earth is getting longer. We have talked about moving to MT. since the early days of our life together. That is over 30 years. At first it was just a couple kids with a dream, but it is one we have held on to. The more we visited over the years the stronger the urge became. On one of the Iowa farms we had there was a beautiful area that was made up of some old mining hills that were covered with some of the prettiest jackpines I have seen. There was a grown over haul road that snaked up through it. We named that ole road "Montana Lane".

If we make it out there you can all trust we will do our best to be assets and not liabilities. Both to the area and our new neighbors.

God willing, maybe we will get a chance to prove this.

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One thing to add to what's been said is we run behind the rest of the nation. What happens where you are doesn't hit here for 6 months to a year and doesn't end when everyone else does either. We're right at the start of the downturn and have a ways to go.
If all things considered it still looks like you can do it then good luck and happy travels!

[AQHA]

With all the state jobs in Helena you may have some luck there. I've never tried for any of those jobs so I don't know how hard they are to get but it would be worth looking into. That type of job comes with benefits so thats a huge bonus.

[370z]

Originally Posted by Broz

Yes, I knew it was a joke. Sorry if I sounded offended or Rude, didn't want to.

Thanks Jim for the up front advice. It sounds like here and most everywhere right now I would guess. My wife possibly could bring her job along as she works on-line from home. Time will tell on that. We realize the need to be self sufficient for a while till work is found and we are planning for that. We are suvivers and we don't look for hand outs but feel we will get along like we always have by hard work and a little luck.

Thanks!

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Hi Broz, We also have wanted to move to MT, but concerned about work. I have been trying to find work online. Would you mind telling me what type of work your wife does from home & how she went about finding it. I'm unemployed at this time & any kind of income would help. Jobs are really bad here in CA. Thanks. Good luck to you.

[Broz]

Buford, She worked for the Company as a data analyst for several years before going remote. So she had a good relationship with the company prior to doing this. Her daily work basically consists of bill of material entry data. We have heard though that more companies are looking into this as it does save them money in most cases. So I would advise you keep looking into companies that employ people with your expertise.

Hope this helps.

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[Broz]

Jim, I have heard this too from a friend that lives in MT and from what I can tell , I agree.

AQHA, we are watching this and apply for things we feel we are well qualified for. They do post some interesting jobs that would definitely work for us.

Thanks guys. Even if we have heard things before it helps to hear it again to keep us up to date. We appreciate your time in posting.

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[Mt-7]

The only thing I can add to the mix is get yourself as debt free as possible. Not having a stone around your neck allows you some leeway. This is how dh and myself are making it, both doing some grad work online while working. I think the cost of living will be a big deciding factor for you so look around at the cost of renting around the state. Of course cheap means less jobs but when you are paying 300 a month for a house, well you can piece together a couple of part times to cover that. Just show people you are willing to show up, and shut up. You will be fine. Hang in there. The construction loans are drying up in Montana as they started in Oregon two years ago as we left. One door closes and another one opens. Sounds like you have alot of flexibility, good luck to both posters.