Moving to Portland in September with $8,000, no car, no job. What should I do? (Gresham: sales, loan)

[rass33]

Can I ask how old are you? You sound like some old man that's past his prime giving out advice based on your own conservative view of the world. The only posters who have given me any advice that is halfway useful were Davemess and Larry. You do not know my situation. You judge my situation based on the experiences of others you know. I get very little support from family in Chicago, I'm going to school struggling to make something of my life. I'm a grown man and if I want to travel to the moon to get a college education you or nobody else will stop me. I asked for advice about housing and jobs and you give me some dumb parachute analogy. Really? I will make it in Portland. I made it in Chicago and I'm still alive. A former Portlander who moved to Chicago once told me that Portland is a big city with a small town mentality. Judging by some of the posters on this board I have to believe him. I'm not afraid to take chances if I feel I can better myself. Never have. Never will.

[1208]

Why would you move to Portland for PSU? There is nothing special about PSU you can't find anywhere and nothing in Portland you can't find more of in Chicago.

That said, on campus housing tends to be more expensive I would look elsewhere. Probably try to find a room in a house on the east side of the river, that is probably where you would be most likely to find a job anyways. Worst case scenario save $1000 and buy a van to live in to get back on your feet if you go broke.

[1208]

Originally Posted by rass33

Can I ask how old are you? You sound like some old man that's past his prime giving out advice based on your own conservative view of the world. The only posters who have given me any advice that is halfway useful were Davemess and Larry. You do not know my situation. You judge my situation based on the experiences of others you know. I get very little support from family in Chicago, I'm going to school struggling to make something of my life. I'm a grown man and if I want to travel to the moon to get a college education you or nobody else will stop me. I asked for advice about housing and jobs and you give me some dumb parachute analogy. Really? I will make it in Portland. I made it in Chicago and I'm still alive. A former Portlander who moved to Chicago once told me that Portland is a big city with a small town mentality. Judging by some of the posters on this board I have to believe him. I'm not afraid to take chances if I feel I can better myself. Never have. Never will.

It is the fact that he has lived on ramen, hot dogs, and mac and cheese for 35 years, fried his brain.

[5thgenSF]

Originally Posted by 1208

It is the fact that he has lived on ramen, hot dogs, and mac and cheese for 35 years, fried his brain.

no, i think he is talking about larry.

[rass33]

School is just one of the reasons why I wánt to live in Portland. i love the city, the enviornment, the outdoor activities, the coffee, the microbrew, the people (just not most of the people on this board). LOL

No Portland is a nice city. I'll be there in September.

Yeah, im shying away from on campus housing because of the expenses. I'm now considering Beaverton or finding roomates as my more realistic options.

[Random_Walk]

Originally Posted by rass33

I dont want any help from you, too negative.

As long as you promise to not hold a cup out asking me for change or a smoke in 8 months, just like the hordes of dreamers before you who didn't think ahead do right now? Sure.

Besides, the world is "too negative" sometimes.

[rass33]

Originally Posted by Random_Walk

As long as you promise to not hold a cup out asking me for change or a smoke in 8 months, just like the hordes of dreamers before you who didn't think ahead do right now? Sure.

Besides, the world is "too negative" sometimes.

I do this everyday in downtown Chicago. What's the differance if its in Portland? Infact I hear it's the best place in the world to be homeless If worse comes to worse, I can always find some single middle aged women to take me in and help me through school.

[davemess10]

Random, I think you're really reading something into this situation that isn't there. This guy has already been accepted to PSU for grad school. It's not like he's moving here with no plan or ambition.

He asked some pretty simple questions and got some pretty poor answers. Perhaps some of it is that we do get inundated on here with these kinds of posts about people moving to Portland on a whim, but this one appears to be different, and it looks like he's doing most things right.

What else would you suggest for someone going to grad school in a new location?
I assume it would be:
1. get accepted to school
2. Save up money or get financial aid/loans
3. look to get a part time job
4. figure out where to live
5. Move

Did I leave anything out? Sounds pretty reasonable and responsible to me.

PSU has a couple of programs that are very top notch. Their urban planning programs are just about the best in the country from what I've heard. I don't think it's hard to believe that someone would want to move here to go to school there. Also in case you guys haven't noticed, the economy is not great and grad schools are pretty tough to get into. These days you take what you can get.

[aajn1983]

Moderator cut: deleted quote

people on this board are ridiculous sometimes. 8,000 dollars is more than enough to get set up here, especially since you're just looking to rent an apartment and start school. if it takes you months and months to find work (as some of these people are saying it will), then you're probably being lazy or too picky. out of curiosity, what kinds of employment opportunities are you looking for? unemployment here is high, but so is the number of over-educated kids who refuse to look outside of their degree for work. you do have to make compromises.

also, east portland tends to be even cheaper than beaverton. so, maybe look over there. or even in gresham. how are you getting here if you don't have a car? do you have a place to stay for the first few days/weeks? i moved here in 2008 with much less than you have, and i'm doing fine. i'm in school, live alone close-in, and have had the same job for 2 years.

if you're willing to slug it out at a call center for a few months, there's always ACS or Stream. in fact, i just saw an ad on craigslist that Stream is hiring 200+ people this summer. they're located in beaverton about 2 blocks from a light rail station. there's a lead for you.

good luck!

[sayulita]

Originally Posted by rass33

I'm in Chicago right now, but I will be moving to Portland in september to attend Portland State University. The problem is, I have no car, no apartment, no job and only $8,000 to my name. Most of this money will come from my financial aid reimbursement check. I plan on looking for a job as soon as I arrive in September, but I wanted to know how far do you think I can stretch $8,000 until I find work. How should I spend the money? Do you think I should get a roomate, find my own apartment or stay on PSU campus? Please help me out!!!!

Try airbnb.com. Here's a private room I found that's fairly close-in and close to buses. Looks like you could stay a couple months until you find a job and a place of your own.

Private Room for Thrifty Travelers in Portland