2 New College students -- Off To Portland from Olympia Area (rentals, house)

[bexjett]

My current room mate and I are headed down south to find jobs and a new place to live. Currently, we are looking into moving in June 1st, for around 1,200 per month on a house preferably. Any suggestions? Areas? Job ideas? All is appreciated.

[subsound]

So I take it you don't watch the news much? I hope your degrees are in an in demand area or else you'll be competing with the other 10% of the areas unemployed for positions, many with a good number of years of experience.

[rosecitywanderer]

Portland is not the place to be right now, folks. I hate to break it to you but that's the way it is. We're showing 10% unemployment (as subsound mentioned) and it's not going to get any better any time soon. I would recommend looking elsewhere.

[Minervah]

The smartest thing to do it secure jobs before you come here. The unemployment rate is at 10%. Please don't think you can take just any old barista, fast food service employee or janitor job. These are taken with waiting lists behind them. Unless you have a definite plan and lots of money to live on, this is not the time to relocate.

[Lilly12103]

LOL, you guys kind of walked right into that one... To the other posters, I'm not sure "stay out" is the kind of constructive information they are looking for- who says that Olympia has any opportunities for them?

For the job search you are on your own, just apply to every single thing that you think you are qualified for, accept every interviews, and even if you wouldn't accept the job it is good practice. Try to make connections and meet people to get informational interviews, so maybe down the road they will think of you if anything opens up. It isn't impossible to get a job, just maybe not as easy as it used to be.

For housing, to get a 2 bedroom place right downtown will be crazy expensive, I'd look on the east side of the river close-in. Check Craigslist for rentals, I'm sure you'll be able to find something easily in that price range. Stay in Portland proper, way more fun than the 'burbs. PM me if you want more targeted areas or feedback on a place you are considering.

Also, an out of state address on a resume is a killer. You'll get way more bites when job searching with a PDX address.

Good luck!

[subsound]

Who knows what Olympia may have, though Washington is doing a good deal better then Oregon so far (from the news reports). Even if Olympia is not doing great, it doesn't mean Portland is the right place. Maybe if the shoice was between here and Detriot I would certainly say Portland is the better of the two choices...but the US is much larger then two cities. There's a good number where getting a position is not as hideously painful.

[Jillaceae]

When I moved back to Portland from Seattle, the biggest mistake I made was finding housing before I found a job. We ended up living on the west side, but all of a sudden all the jobs were on the east side. I thought I wouldn't mind a little longer commute, but after a few months I felt like I was wasting my life on my car or on MAX.

Of course, as everyone else has pointed out, you'll want jobs before you move to Portland anyway.

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Where are you attending college? That will best determine housing.

If you are both college students, I doubt you'll have a hard time finding work if you're just looking for whatever you can find. There are always jobs in the $8-10 range. Retail jobs are often available as an example.

[Lilly12103]

Wait, I think I read that wrong... are you graduating college and moving to the "real world" or are you going to college in PDX? That kind of makes a big difference...

[subsound]

Originally Posted by Lilly12103

Wait, I think I read that wrong... are you graduating college and moving to the "real world" or are you going to college in PDX? That kind of makes a big difference...

Very true, if you are college students you can work at the uni and be sheltered from the massive layoffs.