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So I was born in LA, California but my parents are originally from Hawaii. I decided to go to UH Manoa for undergrad back in '07 and let me tell you....it was the best experience of my life! I absolutely fell in love with the island life and being able to see most of my family was a big plus. I graduated last Spring and decided to go to SF State for grad school (accounting) and altough I am well aware that SF provides much more career opportunities than HNL does, I am simply not as happy or excited about living in SF in the 6 months I have been here. As such, I have applied to transfer to the graduate accounting program at UH and am strongly considering going back, possibly permanently.
Also, I am perfectly content with working 25 hours week at a part time job and living in a place that costs $400 a month (yes they do exist - check craigslist) while I work toward my degree - it's what I'm doing now in SF and I strongly perfer this lifestyle to living with my parents all the time.
I was wondering, are the career opportunities really as horrendous as everyone here says they are? If that is the case, then why do most local people stay in Hawaii and seem to live happy and content lives? From the Shilder College of Business at UH, most of the hard-working students I know went on to get good jobs in the Honolulu Business community. Living in Hawaii for 3 years, it was never my impression that Hawaii was a very diffcult place to make a living, at least enough to live a happy life. However, I still get people telling me how much I will have to struggle to make a living if I move back. Certainly, there is more money to be made on the mainland - that there is no denying. But it is my belief that through making good connections, working hard and and persevering, I can get a good job in Honolulu and be my happiest. Any thoughts about this?
Last edited by uhwarrior10; 01-06-2011 at 02:17 AM..
I think Hawaii is just like the rest of the country when it comes to the job market right now. I am not on the island, but I will be in June armed with a business degree.
I'm making the leap because the job market is 10x better than my current city in Wisconsin. I also lived on Oahu a number of years ago and it changed my entire outlook on life. So its time to just make the move back to the place I love and do what I want to do in life and not be afraid of the what ifs. I don't want to be retired and think to myself "what if I would've done this?".
The worst thing you can do is have the "try" attitude, have a "do attitude and you will always be OK. Move, give it a shot. The worst that can happen is you'll be out some cash but gain some life lessons.
Well, it doesn't sound like a decision which has to be made today. Since you will be going back to go to school in Hawaii again, while you are there look for employment in your chosen field. Ask your teachers for recommendations and ask if they will be a reference for your proposed employer to call. You will have quite awhile to find a good job and once you do, then you'll have every reason to stay. It is also a lot easier to relocate to Hawaii as a single student than as a family with dependents.
I think Hawaii is just like the rest of the country when it comes to the job market right now. I am not on the island, but I will be in June armed with a business degree.
I'm making the leap because the job market is 10x better than my current city in Wisconsin. I also lived on Oahu a number of years ago and it changed my entire outlook on life. So its time to just make the move back to the place I love and do what I want to do in life and not be afraid of the what ifs. I don't want to be retired and think to myself "what if I would've done this?".
The worst thing you can do is have the "try" attitude, have a "do attitude and you will always be OK. Move, give it a shot. The worst that can happen is you'll be out some cash but gain some life lessons.
Good posts guys. I really do think the cost of living and finding a job (at least part time) problems in Hawaii are overblown by many people. Sure, there are many items that cost more in Hawaii than they would on the mainland. But if you shop correctly and buy what is on sale, you can buy food at a cost that isn't that much different as to what you would be paying on the mainland (at least in CA). As for housing, I was able to have my own room in a house in MANOA for only $550 a month on craiglist. And I didn't just get lucky. Rooms like that pop up on craigslist all the time. You just have to be willing to live with other people.
As for finding an entry job, everyone complains how hard it is to find one in Honolulu, but guess what? It's like that EVERYWHERE in the US right now. In fact, I actually found it a bit harder to find a part time job in SF and LA, probably just due to the fact that there are much more people in those areas, creating more competition. I've realized that if you work hard at finding a job (sending out 7-10 apps a day) and be flexible with your options, you WILL be able to find a job in a decent amount of time. I hope your move goes well.
PT jobs on Hawaii are easier to get than FT because of the regs. Companies would rather have 2 PT's and avoid medical insurance than hire 1 FT. If all you need is PT, there are more opprtunities than trying for that FT which so many more must have.
Nothing wrong with chasing the dream just so long as you plan properly and know what problems you can run into. So long as you know what roadblocks may happen or what pitfalls may come up, you'll be prepared to avoid or go around them. Much better than ignoring it and running face first into a wall and have no idea why and where it came from, or how to get around it.
The thing is I'm not going back to Hawaii just to "get away from it all" and live a different, super-laid back life sytle. I still want to have a decent job (after I'm done with school), be able to buy a house and send my kids to college. What many people have been saying is that its very hard to do that in Hawaii. I would have to disagree - if you do the right things, it is very possible. For example, my uncle had a career as an enlisted full-time member of the National Guard, his wife was the principal of an elementary school - not excataly the highest paying jobs. Yet they were still able to afford a decent house, send all three of their kids to college on the mainland, and even send one of them to Punahou.
What many are saying is what happened 5 to 20 years ago is not what is happening now. maybe in a year or so things will change but Hawaii, like the ret of the country has some of those same problems. 10 years ago, when my company moved me to Hawaii, there were several jobs i could have taken, some paying more, but now, there's only one or two every year and those are not full time. If your time line is to get a decent job this month, your in for stiff competition.
Read how many people are looking at moving to Hawaii to escape from where they are. That drives up competition for jobs. 10 years ago, those same people had opprtunity where they were many wouldn't consider Hawaii. Those that came to hawaii had a much better chance of finding full time decent jobs.
When employment is lacking, that laid back life isn;t so laid back as you fight to survive. If you know that you are going to be competing against local residents, mainland transplants, and people who will apply for anything, you can plan for that extra hassel of job looking. You may make sure you have a few extra months of money as a cusion. You may decide not to spent as much on housing. You probably will spend extar time looking for jobs when you arrive and not so much at first being the tourist. You can reasearch companies way in advance and have the punch list of employees ready. You will be planning for a tough hard road. If the road opens up and you land a good job at the start, you are so ahead of the game and things will fall into place. If you come thinking none of that will happen and don;t plan, what will you do if it does happen? That's all anyone is saying, assume it will not be a walk in the park but a hike up the hill.
The important thing to remember at this time is what happened years ago is not what is going on today. If you plan for today and tommorrow, not on yesterday, you will probably make it.
One more thing, Hawaii isleading the nation on lost permenet employment. As companies cut back to save money, they are finding outside (usually mainland) operations that can take over their back office work. It may have been intended as a temportry thing until economy got better but as they see the savings, they are starting to wonder if they really need the added expense of hacving it on Hawaii. Many financial companies have moved backoffice work to centers they already had on the mainland and I don;t see all those jobs retruning when things improve. They start to see that it don;t matter where the person is so long as the phone gets answered. One of the resorts when you pick up your room phone and call for housekeeping, its answered in a Nevada call center. Those 8 employees who use to handle the calls at the resort are gone in 2010 and handled by employees at a call center on the mainland that answrs for 10 resorts.
Its not that you won;t ever find work, its knowing the best way based on current hawaii economy to be the one that lands that job.
I have long planned to move to the Big Island from the San Francisco Bay Area. Recent heart issues have forced an early retirement, and the time is now. I have given up my dream of building (I will sell--when possible--the land I have owned for ~ 10 years) and will simply buy--easier, quicker, safer with my dicey ticker. I have always loved the Waimea area and will probably buy there, but my finances are not quite what they were a couple of years ago (so, what's new?). I have seen some homes in Hawi that have spectacular views and seem slightly better deals that Waimea. I know that the extra isolation must be part of the difference, but I have also heard that the area might be extremely conservative? Is that true? I am looking for a good community--kind, loving, hopefully not rife with Tea Party ignorance and superstition. I have worked at NASA for the last 16 years and was a teacher for 23 years prior to that. I actually like astronomers and am thinking that volunteering at a local school or community center might be good (lifetime credential in teaching ESL might come in handy?). In my wildest fantasy, I would find a community of writers, like myself. Suggestions?
I have long planned to move to the Big Island from the San Francisco Bay Area. Recent heart issues have forced an early retirement, and the time is now. I have given up my dream of building (I will sell--when possible--the land I have owned for ~ 10 years) and will simply buy--easier, quicker, safer with my dicey ticker. I have always loved the Waimea area and will probably buy there, but my finances are not quite what they were a couple of years ago (so, what's new?). I have seen some homes in Hawi that have spectacular views and seem slightly better deals that Waimea. I know that the extra isolation must be part of the difference, but I have also heard that the area might be extremely conservative? Is that true? I am looking for a good community--kind, loving, hopefully not rife with Tea Party ignorance and superstition. I have worked at NASA for the last 16 years and was a teacher for 23 years prior to that. I actually like astronomers and am thinking that volunteering at a local school or community center might be good (lifetime credential in teaching ESL might come in handy?). In my wildest fantasy, I would find a community of writers, like myself. Suggestions?
Personally, the closest thing I found to that is in Volcano, which is why I moved here. It's an arts conclave, with writers, painters, sculptors, potters, artists of all kinds. Comfortably liberal and with an average education of "some grad school" according to the US Census. My next door neighbors on one side are both professors at U of H, on the other side is a yoga teacher. There's a wonderful Arts Center, several fabulous galleries, all kinds of active creative groups, and a warm-hearted friendly community.
It's not Waimea, but it is quite magical.
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Waimea? Hawi?
