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Old 06-09-2011, 04:24 AM
 
5 posts, read 21,516 times
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Long time City-Data reader/lurker. This is my first thread so please bear with me, I'm 23 living in Jersey, haole, just graduated college with a Criminal Justice degree. I've been researching Honolulu and Hawaii in general for nearly 9 months now, trying to absorb as much information as possible especially from this site but there's so much to get through!

Planning a possible move around Christmas.

Anyway I flew to Honolulu a few months ago to take the Honolulu Police Exam (haven't gotten the results yet) and while I feel I did well I'm obviously not banking my future on a long shot. I have around 10 grand in cash saved up, plan to live in a studio preferably in the Waikiki area I guess my questions would be :

- Is the job market in Honolulu as grim as is made out to be? I'd be looking for jobs in police, armed or unarmed security, forensics, pretty much anything law enforcement related.

- Are apartments in Honolulu generally safe in terms of property crime?
I have a $2000 iMac, Ray bans, some high end clothing it would really suck if they were stolen. Is there piece of mind in terms of property safety or do I need to invest in some sort of extra measures like a securty system or something?

- Have you heard of any openings for security guard positions possibly at Hickham AFB or UH?

- I currently have a Bank of America account and they have 0 branches in Hawaii, what are the best banks for people who live in Hawaii?

- As a last resort to remain in Hawaii as well as giving myself an opportunity with HPD down the line I have been considering joining the US Coast Guard Reserve if I'm not able to find employment to live on after a few months. Does anyone know of military personnel being able to find employment in Hawaii after tour of duty?

- Is meeting young people 18-30 and new friends difficult if one lives in the Waikiki area? Does the over crowdedness of tourists prevent social interaction and finding friendships with locales?

- Is the racism against whites exaggerated? I respect Asian culture and have always been in a multi-cultural environment (Brooklyn, Newark) but have never been a minority.

Like I said I've only been to Hawaii once and that was to take the police exam, I was there a grand total of 2 days.

BTW I am not dead set on Honolulu if it's possible to find police work on Big Island or Maui. I just figured that given the enormous population share Ohau has the most available work.


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

- Cyrus
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Old 06-10-2011, 01:45 AM
 
Location: Virginia
1,014 posts, read 2,091,835 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cyrus2500 View Post
Is the job market in Honolulu as grim as is made out to be? I'd be looking for jobs in police, armed or unarmed security, forensics, pretty much anything law enforcement related.
Best advice I can give is to use Craigslist. Look at it every day for the things you are seeking. Apartment / job, etc. Once you watch it for a few weeks you really get a feel for what is out there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cyrus2500 View Post
- Are apartments in Honolulu generally safe in terms of property crime?
Alot of places have security features. For example, the studio I rented when I first moved here was a walk-up (no elevators). To get in the building, you had to open the door to the stairs with a key. In the place I am in now, I have to use a key fob to open the lobby door, then I use it to activate the elevator up button, then I use it to activate my floor. On top of that the apartment has a deadbolt and a regular lock. Odds are pretty low of getting stuff ripped off. Overall, you just have to scope out where you will be.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was to up my budget on rent to get into a nicer place. Well worth it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cyrus2500 View Post
- I currently have a Bank of America account and they have 0 branches in Hawaii, what are the best banks for people who live in Hawaii?
There are many banks here. It's just a matter of finding one that works for you. I went with one that is close to my work.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cyrus2500 View Post
- Is meeting young people 18-30 and new friends difficult if one lives in the Waikiki area? Does the over crowdedness of tourists prevent social interaction and finding friendships with locales?
I live in Waikiki. There are tons of tourists. It takes a while before you start seeing people more than once. Overall people are friendly, but they do seem to mind their own. I have met several people, but I only see a small handful of locals on a regular basis.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cyrus2500 View Post
- Is the racism against whites exaggerated? I respect Asian culture and have always been in a multi-cultural environment (Brooklyn, Newark) but have never been a minority.
Meh, not really. It just depends on what kind of person you are. If you are chill and normal, no problems. If you are loud and an a-hole...problems.

Moving here is a big challenge, lots of stuff to consider and expenses you can't always plan on. Like shocks on the car needing to be replaced because you always drove on the freeway and not on pothole laden roads. Figure out what you will need to move and add 1/3. Have a back-out plan if you can.

Best of luck!
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Old 06-12-2011, 02:59 PM
 
Location: Sun City, AZ
501 posts, read 1,188,348 times
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I would suggest going to your nearest Barnes & Noble (or online...Amazon) and purchase "So You Think You Want To Live In Hawaii" by Toni Polancy. Even if you can get your hands on the 1st edition it's better than nothing. This book will give you ALL SORTS of valuable info, trust me.

We ran across it there in Honolulu while we were on vacation, and picked it up, hoping to someday move there. Would you believe that our "someday" came just 2 months later? Best money we ever spent. It has lots of references, maps, tips on Hawaiian language, etc. It is not geared for the tourists. Definitely worth a look.

Good luck!
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Old 06-12-2011, 04:29 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,298 posts, read 80,577,144 times
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I have looked at civil service job announcements there before and many of them required that you be living there before you can apply.
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Old 06-13-2011, 03:07 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
1,082 posts, read 2,396,719 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by from nv View Post
I would suggest going to your nearest Barnes & Noble (or online...Amazon) and purchase "So You Think You Want To Live In Hawaii" by Toni Polancy. Even if you can get your hands on the 1st edition it's better than nothing. This book will give you ALL SORTS of valuable info, trust me.

We ran across it there in Honolulu while we were on vacation, and picked it up, hoping to someday move there. Would you believe that our "someday" came just 2 months later? Best money we ever spent. It has lots of references, maps, tips on Hawaiian language, etc. It is not geared for the tourists. Definitely worth a look.

Good luck!
If you still want to move to Hawaii after reading that book, then you'll probably do well there, because it doesn't whitewash the negatives. I read it several years ago. Another great book is Skip Thomsen's Affordable Living in Hawaii, which is geared toward the east side of the Big Island.
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Old 06-14-2011, 01:05 PM
 
5 posts, read 21,516 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HonuMan View Post
If you still want to move to Hawaii after reading that book, then you'll probably do well there, because it doesn't whitewash the negatives. I read it several years ago. Another great book is Skip Thomsen's Affordable Living in Hawaii, which is geared toward the east side of the Big Island.
Thank You NV and Honuman, I ordered them both. I'll absorb it all before making the move.
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Old 06-14-2011, 05:09 PM
 
820 posts, read 3,028,678 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cyrus2500 View Post
Aloha,
We live on Maui, so I can't answer for Oahu in detail, but thought I'd chime in on some of the more general questions.

- Are apartments in Honolulu generally safe in terms of property crime?
I have a $2000 iMac, Ray bans, some high end clothing it would really suck if they were stolen. Is there piece of mind in terms of property safety or do I need to invest in some sort of extra measures like a securty system or something?
I can't really answer for Honolulu, but really you always have to look at the specific area & building & neighbors to make a decision like this. In any new situation, take good precautions about what you have visible and what you mention to others. I wouldn't start off telling folks about your iMac. Expensive sunglasses are fairly common. Be careful about who you bring home, and don't go into detail about your schedule. All of these are just good precautions for any new area, until you get a feel for the people around you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cyrus2500 View Post
I currently have a Bank of America account and they have 0 branches in Hawaii, what are the best banks for people who live in Hawaii?
We LOVE First Hawaiian Bank. Great service for us individually and for our business too. When our favorite banking agent moved to manage a new branch, we transferred our accounts to her there, because she gives such great service.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cyrus2500 View Post
Is the racism against whites exaggerated? I respect Asian culture and have always been in a multi-cultural environment (Brooklyn, Newark) but have never been a minority.
Chances are, if you have never been a minority, you will notice being one here. Not that it's because the racism is rampant, but because it will be different than what you are used to experiencing...you can't help but notice anything that is newly directed at you, however "small" or "normal" it would have been if NOT directed at you.

You might become hyper-sensitive, and start attributing some actions/reactions to racism that might be explained otherwise. For example, if someone in your current location gave you a dirty look, you might attribute that to any number of things, but if you are thinking racism you might 'decide' that's the reason.
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Old 06-14-2011, 05:44 PM
 
Location: Hawaii-Puna District
3,752 posts, read 11,479,601 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cyrus2500 View Post
- Is the job market in Honolulu as grim as is made out to be? I'd be looking for jobs in police, armed or unarmed security, forensics, pretty much anything law enforcement related.

BTW I am not dead set on Honolulu if it's possible to find police work on Big Island or Maui. I just figured that given the enormous population share Ohau has the most available work.
The job market in Honolulu isn't grim. It is what is holding the unemployment percent down in the state. The outer islands just plain suck for jobs right now.

That being said... the Big island (Hawaii County) has a police recruit/training school that seems to have a new class every 6 months or so. Since you will have a degree - you are already years ahead of the typical Big island police officer who tends to only be a high school graduate. (Really. That's the main requirement for recruitment)

Big Island police make mid-$40's plus the first year with all the overtime, which can include holding a sign for a construction company doing road construction. They also get almost $600 monthly to provide their own police vehicle and 10 gallons of fuel for every 100 miles they drive while on duty.
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Old 06-15-2011, 10:45 AM
 
5 posts, read 21,516 times
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Thanks so much Calico and md, I really appreciate the advice, I'm definitely not going to go around parading my computer or anything. And the news about the Big Island Police recruitment is excellent, it's actually one of the reasons I chose to live on Oahu, exams for all island police are given there. I figured being centrally stationed would be best until I can find work.
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Old 06-15-2011, 12:22 PM
 
820 posts, read 3,028,678 times
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Hi Cyrus,

Sorry, didn't mean to imply you'd boast about your equipment (that sounds funny, but you know what I mean).

I just meant that it's easy sometimes to drop a reference to what you have/use in casual conversation. Which is totally fine when you know the people, but sometimes best to just to withhold that until you have a better read on anyone.

This is true for any information, and not just because people will be crooks. Hawaii has a very talk-story, small town kind of feel sometimes... at least Maui does, and I think even for many on Oahu. So what you say to one person might quickly become public knowledge!

For example, I have a friend who said when she moved here by herself, she found that the neighbors were constantly mentioning that she lived alone. This was to people who came to the street, such as tree trimmers or someone the neighbor might know, but the gal didn't. Another item that seemed to get passed around is when she would leave the island. The neighbors would actually bring that up, as in "Hey, you meet my neighbor? She's all by herself over there, always leaving the island, going again next week, yah?"

Jeepers, there's a chance for a problem.

We've noticed that neighbors will mention we have a lot of computer equipment - again, no harm meant by the neighbor, but not always something we want brought up to someone we don't know ourselves.

So just watch what you say at first.
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