Pizza jobs? (Portland: home, unemployed, high school)

[Korynnn]

I'm actually moving from the city with one of the top 3 worst job markets in the country.
But thanks for the eye rolls, some of you. -_-

As for people who've actually been helpful, I've got money saved up for about 4-5 months rent/utilities/fun money etc..
January's just the best time for us as we're students and semester's ending. (And the CC we were going to is ridiculously overcrowded. So we really didn't have much luck with getting classes. So we were looking to just take the semester off and figure things out.)
It might've been helpful to put that into my first post though. Sorry.

Also, Phil. That's not too bad of an idea. But I don't think I'm quite business savvy enough for that, just yet. Or, even if I am. I don't think I want to devote my life to slinging/managing pizza. :P It's just a quick fix sort've job.

[puerco]

Korynnn-You're obviously very young and since you're not planning on going back to school next term & have a few months' money saved up, I say follow your dreams. If Portland turns out to be a disappointment you can always move on. I know one thing you'll have that you don't in the San Bernadino area is clean air. I moved around a lot in my 20's and still managed to finish my education and find employment. And the 70's weren't exactly boom years, either.
Good luck & have fun. (But if you decide to use a bike for transportation be sure not to act superior to people driving cars!)

[Metlakatla]

I keep hearing that the type of job that you're looking for is actually the most difficult kind to find in Portland just now. The students that I know pretty much back that up....but I agree with Puerco. You've got some $ saved up and no real obligations...why not give it a shot.

A few of the college students I know in Portland work in Alaska during the summers. There is seasonal work available and most of the resorts etc. have some sort of employee housing. This site can give you an idea of what's available: CoolWorks.com - Summer Jobs and Seasonal Jobs in Great Places

If you get the right job you'd be able to save enough so that you might not need a part time job once you returned to school in the fall.

For the type of job you're looking for, the best way to get one is to get it before it's even advertised. You have some "fun money", so spend some of it becoming a "regular" at a few different places...once you get to know the people who work there and let them know you're experienced and looking for something. It seems like once the jobs hit Craigslist or other advertising venues they get overwhelmed with applicants.

[Minervah]

As for people who've actually been helpful, I've got money saved up for about 4-5 months rent/utilities/fun money etc..

That's the way to do it. But if you think that people who gave you more negative comments were not being helpful, you are wrong. Moving to a new place is a big undertaking. You should be aware of all the factors good and bad.

[DoctorRain]

Originally Posted by hamellr

You're right, the Official unemployment numbers in Portland are wrong. They're undercounting by anywhere from 2-8% depending on who you talk to and which segment of the population you're looking at. They also do not count those who's unemployment benefits have expired, but are still unemployed. That apparently accounts for another entire 5%.

At least this is my understanding by talking with employees at WorkSource (Oregon Unemployment Office)

Its tough to number crutch so effectively, so there has to be errors in a lot of places. Austin though wow I was surprised at how misleading their stats were though. Portland I'm hearing is better for jobs than places than some FL cities are.
So they count those receiving no money at all, but they don't count them in when they are receiving benefits?

[DoctorRain]

Originally Posted by LeftCoastee

Benefits have nothing to do with unemployment numbers. The official unemployment numbers, U-3, come from monthly household surveys. In other words, if someone's benefits ran out, they still get counted.

What the U-3 numbers do not count are those who have simply given up looking for work or those marginally or underemployed. Thats where the larger U-6 numbers come in to play.

That confused me a lil so thanks for clearing it up.

Originally Posted by Korynnn

I'm actually moving from the city with one of the top 3 worst job markets in the country.
But thanks for the eye rolls, some of you. -_-

As for people who've actually been helpful, I've got money saved up for about 4-5 months rent/utilities/fun money etc..
January's just the best time for us as we're students and semester's ending. (And the CC we were going to is ridiculously overcrowded. So we really didn't have much luck with getting classes. So we were looking to just take the semester off and figure things out.)
It might've been helpful to put that into my first post though. Sorry.

Also, Phil. That's not too bad of an idea. But I don't think I'm quite business savvy enough for that, just yet. Or, even if I am. I don't think I want to devote my life to slinging/managing pizza. :P It's just a quick fix sort've job.

Yea I am kinda like you or on the fence. I am not the type to run a business or be extremely savvy or even if I had some skills, I wouldn't want it to run my life. I might start a business at 40 or something, not soon though.

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I keep hearing that the type of job that you're looking for is actually the most difficult kind to find in Portland just now. The students that I know pretty much back that up....but I agree with Puerco. You've got some $ saved up and no real obligations...why not give it a shot.

A few of the college students I know in Portland work in Alaska during the summers. There is seasonal work available and most of the resorts etc. have some sort of employee housing. This site can give you an idea of what's available: CoolWorks.com - Summer Jobs and Seasonal Jobs in Great Places

If you get the right job you'd be able to save enough so that you might not need a part time job once you returned to school in the fall.

For the type of job you're looking for, the best way to get one is to get it before it's even advertised. You have some "fun money", so spend some of it becoming a "regular" at a few different places...once you get to know the people who work there and let them know you're experienced and looking for something. It seems like once the jobs hit Craigslist or other advertising venues they get overwhelmed with applicants.

That actually seems easier to do with some of the divey bars in Portland. I tried becoming a regular at a place in FL that sold 500 beers. It was the WRONG place to become a regular, It was pricey and could only afford it because I had leftover community college money and gained nothing out of it. Not a gf, no friends even. The owner was cool, but didn't seem to matter to other people. I wasn't let in anywhere really.

I would even do this in Portland though where the beers are cheaper or maybe do the occasional few beers at breweries or something.

[Korynnn]

Originally Posted by Minervah

That's the way to do it. But if you think that people who gave you more negative comments were not being helpful, you are wrong. Moving to a new place is a big undertaking. You should be aware of all the factors good and bad.

Nah. I didn't mean it that way. One particular comment rubbed me the wrong way at the time. But after re-reading, it wasn't as bad as I remembered. :P


Anyway. I honestly have this gut feeling that after job hunting in Riverside/San Bernardino/Rialto, that Portland may not be quite as bad.
Everyone said I couldn't do it here, but I did.
I've noticed a problem though, with my mother being out of work.

If you don't come in with the right attitude and have exactly the right skills (and sometimes, honestly, age and looks) they want, you're SOL. (ie: Mom lost her job the same time I moved back to California (from Houston) she and I had applied at the same places, she's got better job skills than I do, but I tend to get more callbacks. Odd. I got a job ages ago, and she's out of work.)

So I'm just afraid that it'll be like that in PDX and I won't find anything that clicks in the 4-5 months I have money for.
I'm already making contacts though. (Joys of having internet!)

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by Minervah

That's the way to do it. But if you think that people who gave you more negative comments were not being helpful, you are wrong. Moving to a new place is a big undertaking. You should be aware of all the factors good and bad.

OP sounds very young. As the saying goes "you can't tell people what they don't want to hear".

He should be thankful people were being honest.

How do you even pay rent on a part time minimum wage job?

He would be better off at least trying to a get a server job in a restaurant.

[Korynnn]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

OP sounds very young. As the saying goes "you can't tell people what they don't want to hear".

He should be thankful people were being honest.

How do you even pay rent on a part time minimum wage job?

He would be better off at least trying to a get a server job in a restaurant.

I've been number crunching and researching for about 7 months now.
It's completely possible, the way we intend to do it. Anywho, it would be a temporary situation. We just need to get our feet in the ground somewhere, y'know.

but way to pull a "oh the young will never learn".. =/

I understand that it will be difficult.
But it still seems to be less difficult than moving out where I live. (Portland has a MUCH better job market than the Inland Empire.)

[Metlakatla]

You know, all the young people I know who actually live in Portland tell me the exact same thing: there are no jobs. They're all just like you, looking for something in a restaurant or wherever part time to help with school expenses. And again, they tell me that there are no jobs.

Just prepare for the worst. You'll probably get by and probably even find something in time. But there seem to be a lot of unemployed people in Portland right now who had the same thoughts as you do at some time in the past.

The type of job that you're looking for is the type that actually the most difficult to find, but the numbers don't tell you that.