Dream=Move to Oregon After College (Portland: job outlook, school district, university)

[Steve Pickering]

Taking a trip to Portland will not tell you what the state is like. Moving without a job first is just plain foolish. Teachers are being laid off, not hired. PERS is killing the system. Having said that my niece graduated and got a sixth grade teaching job right away about 5 years ago. She was a multigenerational local and well known in the small community though, so she had an advantage. Several teachers had quit to move to places like Wisconsin because the wages were so low here. Keep the dreams where they belong and take a good look at reality first. I am not saying don't follow your dreams, but do it right, or they will become nightmares. Job First, Move Second.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by BicycleBritt

Thanks for all the input everyone!

I forgot to mention that I am planning a trip to Portland in March 2013 with a few friends (we're taking the train), so I'm going to see what it's like there before I would decide to move. We are visiting a friend of a friend who goes to college there. I guess I said "now or never" because settling in Wisconsin after I graduate would only push me years back from reaching my dream of experiencing somewhere new. I don't think living this dream in the next few years is unrealistic at all. Sure it will be hard reaching my goal in a financial sense, but I'm a pretty frugal and determined individual. For now, I am just going to wait until Dec. when I graduate to make any decisions and see where life leads me. I just can't get Oregon out of my head!

It is more accurate to say you can't get the image someone gave you of Oregon out of your head since you have never been here.

I think what is creating the negative responses you are getting is your constant use of the word "dream." Oregon is not a dream. It is a place. It is a very beautiful place with a lot to offer but is not easy to live in due the scarcity of jobs, limited rental housing, low wages and a high cost of living in comparison to those wages for the average person.

If you can surmount these things, there may be a place in Oregon for you. But you have to work at your "dream" of living here.

[backdrifter]

But Minervah, the Oregon tourism board says that "We love dreamers."®

But they're the last ones wanting to mention the economy to you...

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by backdrifter

But Minervah, the Oregon tourism board says that "We love dreamers."®

But they're the last ones wanting to mention the economy to you...

LOL! So true.

[Nell Plotts]

There are a lot of HR staff with teaching degrees, the skill set for both career paths are similar. I would encourage someone just graduating with a teaching degree to look broadly. It may even take working as an Admin Assistant for a while. Admin Assistants are very frequently college graduages (of both sexes), it is a great position to learn about an organization then map a career path.

All of the Admin Assistants in the firm my daughter works for (not in the NW) are college graduates.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

There are a lot of HR staff with teaching degrees, the skill set for both career paths are similar. I would encourage someone just graduating with a teaching degree to look broadly. It may even take working as an Admin Assistant for a while. Admin Assistants are very frequently college graduages (of both sexes), it is a great position to learn about an organization then map a career path.

All of the Admin Assistants in the firm my daughter works for (not in the NW) are college graduates.

I recently retired from a large insurance company in Portland. All the Admin Assistants had college degrees. If the OP has the skills, she may be able to find something in that field.

She absolutely needs to broaden her scope if she wishes to find work in a field where she can support herself.

[BicycleBritt]

Originally Posted by Minervah

It is more accurate to say you can't get the image someone gave you of Oregon out of your head since you have never been here.

I think what is creating the negative responses you are getting is your constant use of the word "dream." Oregon is not a dream. It is a place. It is a very beautiful place with a lot to offer but is not easy to live in due the scarcity of jobs, limited rental housing, low wages and a high cost of living in comparison to those wages for the average person.

If you can surmount these things, there may be a place in Oregon for you. But you have to work at your "dream" of living here.

I know that finding a job and moving out of state will not be easy. It will take time and money to turn my dreams into plans, but that does not scare me. Currently I am working three jobs and I live a simplistic lifestyle so I am already saving money. Wisconsin also has few jobs available and low wages (minimum wage is still only $7.25 here). I am well aware of the reality about living in Oregon due to the economy, just like many other places in the country right now. Experiencing some place new is my dream. I don't know where I will be living or working after college, but I can still dream because that is what keeps me going.

[GeorgiaTransplant]

Originally Posted by BicycleBritt

Any help from people who currently live in Oregon, have made the move there before, or are currently thinking about moving there as well would be greatly appreciated!

I don't currently live there, but I grew up there and did my undergraduate work there, and most of my family still live there.

You could not, frankly, convince me to go there with the current economy. You can't eat pretty views.

[Nell Plotts]

The position of Admin Assistant is a great springboard in many middle-large businesses.

My daughter's Admin Assistant was a Stanford graduate who hadn't figured out what she wanted to do with her life. Daughter's employer is an investment partnership... think about the learning potential for that Admin.. A graduate education in business without having to pay tuition.

[SyraBrian]

If was a recent college grad moving to Portland, I would run the gamut of the many political canvassing organizations. They're always hiring, mainly because most folks don't relish the idea of pestering strangers about political issues.