[POhdNcrzy]

Well howdy forum riders,

NEBRASKA
NORTH DAKOTA

These are the only states you can honestly say have a low unemployment rate IMHO.

Would it be a good idea for a single male in their 30's, a high school grad with some college credits, and possessing really NO solid trade skills/experience or career credentials, to move to one of these states??

Here's the logic for the move:

- We are in a real bad recession.

- Cost of living relative to salaries/wages has absolutely SKYROCKETED in the last twenty years in the US.

- These states listed above have very low unemployment rates and most of 'em also have a low cost of living. (Note: My list of states with low unemployment has drastically shrunk in the last few months since I composed it, and I found out that Wyoming and New Hampshire definitely don't have a low cost of living....)

BOTTOM LINE: It shouldn't be too hard to "make it" in these states, right??


Now I would like some posters to play "devil's advocate" for me please. Tell me why this might actually be a bad idea, please.

I guess I would move to the Omaha-Lincoln area. I've been there a coupla times. Mainly to visit my foster brother's step-dad. He took us for a helluva tumultuous hair-raising ride in his jeep-truck-thingamajig and then we shot at bottles 'n stuff with a .22 pistol and a .306! That was real neat!! Then we went for a plate of the local Tex-Mex cuisine. Yum!

I'm really quite the antithesis of a redneck yeoman farmboy (more like a Sioux shaman, really). But everyone can adapt right?? I sure can.

My sister went to Univ of Nebraska, Lincoln for a few years. She says they got "good horse sense" in Nebraska and they know how to do things right!

To get to the meat of the matter, I wanna live somewhere where the sun actually shines a few times a week, not too freezing cold in winter, and when you ask around for a job they DON'T look at you like you are Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs or just give you a hideous, snobbish glare....

Oh yeah, and if the jobs pay $9/hr....fine...but not if a studio apartment rents for $1,100/mo.!!

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by POhdNcrzy

Well howdy forum riders,

NEBRASKA
NORTH DAKOTA

These are the only states you can honestly say have a low unemployment rate IMHO.

Would it be a good idea for a single male in their 30's, a high school grad with some college credits, and possessing really NO solid trade skills/experience or career credentials, to move to one of these states??

To get to the meat of the matter, I wanna live somewhere where the sun actually shines a few times a week, not too freezing cold in winter

Well, you are looking in the right areas. Omaha and Lincoln have much lower unemployment rates compared to the national average. The economy never really slides too far one direction in the Plains. This leads to greater stability and labor shortages in the smaller towns. Other cities in the Plains that have low unemployment rates include Sioux Falls, SD, Bismarck, ND, and Fargo, ND. I would highly suggest lining up a job before moving anywhere given the current economic state. It is just very risky right now to be moving long distances without already having the job lined up. I don't want to discourage you from moving at all as economic propsects in the Plains ARE better than average compared to many states right now.

I marked in BOLD the last part of your statement. The winters in any part of the northern and central Plains are going to be quite harsh. This is mainly due to the fierce winds combined with fairly cold temperatures. If you can't tolerate cold and windy conditions it might be a tough adjustment. However, the tradeoff is many days with sun during the winter.

I would also suggest make a trip out to the Plains and visit some of the other cities I have mentioned. Traveling is easy on the well maintained highways so the time goes by quickly.
Best of luck


GS

[vpandora]

You probably won't find a lot of people to play devils advocate here... most of us locals love living here and have no problem dealing with the small "bad" things for all the good.

But if you must know reasons why not to move here...
Don't move here if you expect Nebraska to be the solution to problems that you need to solve internally.
Don't move here if you like your weather to be "predictable".
Don't move here if you think you are better than people in this state based on where you have lived before or things you have experienced -- keep an open mind!

So now, here follows my advice for why Nebraska (specifically Omaha) would be a good place for you to move. I can't speak for job opportunities in other cities since I've lived here all my life.

Omaha would probably be your best bet for finding a variety of jobs to choose from, and you wouldn't be competing for jobs with college students in Lincoln.

I am 28 with college credits but no degree... I have done well simply by having transferable skills. If you come here, I highly recommend trying a temp agency like Noll. I've gotten two jobs out of them... one was temp to hire, and the other was temp in the HR department during a recruiter's maternity leave. It opened the door to my current position doing Document Control within that same company, which is ISO9001 registered; which quite frankly, I'm sure that many places could easily require a college degree for. I've found that temp agencies sometimes have opportunities that aren't posted publicly, and since the agency does the testing and screening and then recommends you as a candidate for the company, its an easy in if you have the right skills but not the experience they may want. Generally, if you have strong computer skills and a decent communicator, that will take you pretty far when you don't have a degree. It shouldn't be too hard to find something that is at least $10/hr, and some temp opportunities might get you in hired full time for $12-$14.

You should have no problem finding a studio or even 1 bedroom in the Omaha area for around $500/month.

I am sure you can make it if you are willing to try some jobs which may not be your dream, but are decent and help you work towards what you really like. Good luck!

[itsMeFred]

Truth be told, if you get down around Nebraska City, the winters will be a bit more mild than Omahanlincoln.
I lived on the ND/SD state line for a few years, straight so. of Bismarck, and they get honest to God winter! Lots of snow, lots of cold. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to move back, but then winter doesn't bother me.

Were I you, I'd start watching the Omaha World Herald's online classifieds for jobs.

BTW, I don't think the metro areas of Nebraska (or even North Dakota) are all that "redneck". But then, i live on a ranch in the western part of the state, so I probably have a different perspective than most.

[dsrich98]

Living in Nebraska is really quite enjoyable, no reason you shouldn't like living here. If you can work and and don;t mind insane heat, and insane cold, you'll be just fine.

[POhdNcrzy]

Originally Posted by vpandora

You probably won't find a lot of people to play devils advocate here... most of us locals love living here and have no problem dealing with the small "bad" things for all the good.

vpandora, what is "the good" of life in Nebraska?? What in your opinion are the good reasons to wanna live in Nebraska?

BTW, I appreciate the responses...

[vpandora]

Originally Posted by POhdNcrzy

vpandora, what is "the good" of life in Nebraska?? What in your opinion are the good reasons to wanna live in Nebraska?

BTW, I appreciate the responses...

Affordable housing
Good job diversity in Omaha and some of the bigger towns
We get all four seasons (I would miss fall and the spectacular thunderstorms we get)
Good air quality
You don't feel crowded or closed in

I guess the biggest one is that there is enough here to keep me content. I dream of travelling to new and exotic places, not moving to them!

[POhdNcrzy]

Originally Posted by vpandora

You don't feel crowded or closed in.

Boy, that one really works for me!

Is the area around Omaha pancake flat? Or are there some little hills and valleys and buttes and topographical features around there??

[itsMeFred]

There is actually very little of Nebraska that is flat. Right along the Interstate, and that's about it...
Around Omaha is nice, rolling hills with bluffs the closer you get to the river.
(ND, btw, has a lot of flat. Particularly in the eastern half)

[POhdNcrzy]

Well, a similar post I made about moving to Wyoming on account of low unemployment rates generated a far more lively discussion. I can't help but suspect that there are more interesting people residing in Wyoming than Nebraska. One of those times where you can get a lot of leverage from a rather minute and unassuming bit of evidence.

I'm guessing that quite a few Nebraska readers don't even believe I'm serious about moving there, and I guess that scares me!!

Guys, believe me, if there are genuine work opportunities there and a low cost of living, I don't care if you guys spend all your free time munching hay sandwiches, playing crash-car derby, and trying to endlessly recreate "Leave It To Beaver" family life on the high plains!