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Old 07-10-2015, 04:04 AM
 
3 posts, read 3,481 times
Reputation: 13

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Hello I've been keeping up on Oregon more than other states over the years in regards to how they treat those with a criminal past/background and employment. I'm all up to date on the newest laws barring employers from even putting back round questions on applications, and how police have to provide the back round searches ect. It seems like a genuinely well intentioned act, all of them, but is it really helping?

I'll spare everyone my life's story.. but as an 18 year old and 16 year old I did some stupid things and ended up with quite the arrest record. Felonies, weapon charges, ect. However I was never convicted of anything other than driving with a suspended license. From what I believe to have learned is that the state of Oregon has made it illegal to take into consideration any arrest or crime that did not result in a guilty verdict?

I'm only 25 with a degree living in FL but I can't find work because of my stupid mistakes. I would move all the way across the country just to FEEL like I have a second chance at being a normal person with a normal job. Any insight would be very helpful. Thanks

ALSO: For $10 I purchased an Oregan background check through their .gov website which revealed that they have NO records of me period in their systems. Not sure if this is that big of a deal?
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Old 07-10-2015, 09:11 AM
 
Location: North Idaho
32,559 posts, read 47,729,085 times
Reputation: 78076
Don't expect life to be any different in Oregon.

Jobs are really hard to come by and the pay is low, unless you are qualified to do something special that is in high demand. Rents and real estate are high, so it is difficult to qualify to rent on a basic low salary.
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Old 07-10-2015, 11:07 AM
 
4,059 posts, read 5,601,995 times
Reputation: 2892
Your record as a minor should be closed regardless if there was no conviction, no? Though that won't prevent an employer from googling and seeing it in a newspaper, perhaps.

You're having trouble finding a job in FL maybe because of your past, but also likely because FL's job market is service oriented and not really that great on the whole. Most of the places that do have jobs are more expensive and will be tough to 'make it' on an entry-level job.

OR's economy, outside of IT/Health, is also largely service oriented and really not all that great on the whole. Most of the places that do have jobs are more expensive and will be tough to 'make it' on an entry-level job.

I've known a few ex-cons who've pulled it together here, but most of them had at least some family support to get them through the rough years of getting re-established, getting a foot in the door, etc.

Personally I think you'd be better off picking a place where the economy is stronger and the balance of wage/COL is better. Oregon really isn't that place on the whole.
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Old 07-10-2015, 11:14 AM
 
1,054 posts, read 1,421,704 times
Reputation: 2442
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt329 View Post
Hello I've been keeping up on Oregon more than other states over the years in regards to how they treat those with a criminal past/background and employment. I'm all up to date on the newest laws barring employers from even putting back round questions on applications, and how police have to provide the back round searches ect. It seems like a genuinely well intentioned act, all of them, but is it really helping?

I'll spare everyone my life's story.. but as an 18 year old and 16 year old I did some stupid things and ended up with quite the arrest record. Felonies, weapon charges, ect. However I was never convicted of anything other than driving with a suspended license. From what I believe to have learned is that the state of Oregon has made it illegal to take into consideration any arrest or crime that did not result in a guilty verdict?

I'm only 25 with a degree living in FL but I can't find work because of my stupid mistakes. I would move all the way across the country just to FEEL like I have a second chance at being a normal person with a normal job. Any insight would be very helpful. Thanks

ALSO: For $10 I purchased an Oregan background check through their .gov website which revealed that they have NO records of me period in their systems. Not sure if this is that big of a deal?
What type of job skills do you have? Oregon has a high cost of living, higher than most of the rest of the US. Unless you have job skills that are in demand and pay well in Oregon, you would be better off moving to a lower cost state in the South or Mid-west. There's a number of cities in the South with growing economies that would most likely give you the same or better job opportunities as OR with half the cost in rent.

As the above poster said, Oregon isn't going to be some magical fresh start for you unless you can bring some in-demand job skills to the table. If anything, your life will be harder in OR than it already is now because the cost of living is so much higher than FL.

I doubt your conviction for driving with a suspended license is really your biggest problem in finding work (unless your chosen career is commercial driving); it probably more has to do with a lack of job skills and there being few jobs available where you live.

Last edited by patches403; 07-10-2015 at 11:24 AM..
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Old 07-10-2015, 11:27 AM
 
3,750 posts, read 4,947,930 times
Reputation: 3666
Oregon and Florida are pretty similar economically. Employers call all the shots, the wages are very low, and the cost of living is high.

If you wait tables or tend bars you might do OK in Oregon since the minimum wage applies to them and Oregonians tip well (apparently 57 percent of Oregonians tip their servers, one of the highest rates in the US). It's HARD work though.
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Old 07-10-2015, 11:43 AM
 
Location: Myrtle Creek, Oregon
15,293 posts, read 17,624,485 times
Reputation: 25231
Any job that requires a full background check (send your fingerprints to the FBI) will turn up your arrest record. Most places only ask for convictions. A DWS is a Class A misdemeanor, but hardly something to ruin your life. People get arrested for a lot of reasons, but the only thing that counts are the convictions. This should be true wherever you live in the USA.
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