Jobs - Can I Bend? (Portland: real estate market, insurance, homes)

[BloomINgton]

Hi folks,

A little bit about myself, I am a 25 year old single guy looking to move out west in a year and a half. I grew up in New Jersey, went to school in Chicago and then worked in insurance (claims adjuster) for two years. Right now i am Indiana getting my masters degree in music (so that I can do freelancing on a part time basis). I love all things outdoors. Bend was recommended to me, as an option that had a good mix of nice weather, outdoor activities, and young people. Its proximity to Portland, Seattle and SFO are really great for the type of freelancing I would do, but numero uno would be trying to pin down a "real" full time job that would eventually evolve in to family-supporting income.

After looking at some job websites and reading around, it looks like the white collar job situation, unless you are in a specialized field, is DOA. In Chicago I could come into a multitude of companies with a liberal arts degree and start an entry level position at 45k. So my question is this, what does the long term big picture job situation look like? I have no problem living in a cardboard box and working at Starbucks for a year or two, but ultimately, is this a place where I can find a family-sustainable job (i.e. 60-80k in 5-7 years), or start a successful small business?

Of course, with today's jobless numbers that just increased again, who knows what the market will be like. I am thinking about a road trip to check out some options this summer (Fort Collins, Salt Lake City, Boise, and Seattle are also on the list), and I would love to keep Bend in the mix. Perhaps I have been staring at the giant "Come to Bend" poster in my room too long. (only kidding)

Thanks!

CM

[Steve Miller]

Bend... Not now (or even in a year). You're right, DOA. Bring a job with you or...

[John Shaft]

In Bend you're pretty much a wealthy retiree or the person who serves their food/drink/coffee. That's definitely an overgeneralization, but the area in between is pretty small. And the Bend economy is really hurting. If you are serious about finding long-term work, you will most likely need to hunt in larger cities with a diverse industry base. Note that Portland is only 2.5-3 hours from Bend and thus has access to most of the same natural amenities (but not as cold nor as sunny - Bend gets a lot of sunshine but winter is 5-6 months/year).

[upatthecape]

Is Bend a good place to run your own small home improvement company? Or even a larger construction company?

[delta07]

Originally Posted by upatthecape

Is Bend a good place to run your own small home improvement company? Or even a larger construction company?

I think Bend is saturated with construction workers/home improvement guys that are all struggling for work right now. The construction industry as a whole is really hurting here. Several large builders have gone bankrupt, and most building projects are currently on hold. While I think this real estate market is going to have more people considering remodeling projects, I don't know that I would want to start up a new business in a town that already has so many unemployeed construction workers. I also think many people here don't have much money for remodel projects, as many of the homes that were bought since 2005 are actually worth less now than when they bought them.