Thinking of moving to Seattle... (Tacoma, Federal Way: sales, apartments, for rent)

[Tack McCoy]

I'm from Tucson, and to be honest I'm sick of it and anyone whose lived in Tucson knows what I'm talking about. So I love Seattle, and while this is a vague question, is it possible to go there and find a starting job (like at a restaurant or hopefully even better, a bookstore), find a decent economy apartment and relocate there?

Also I'm a writer, are there any good place to start submitting my works like magazines, or publishers?

Like I said, it's a vague question, but maybe of someone replies I can keep asking more question and expand it.

I hope someone thinks my question is worth replying to.

[Hemlock140]

I know 3 people here that have written books, all of them self-published. You can do that anywhere. Bookstores have been going out of business, very few are left and they are struggling. People here that like to read are using Ipads or Kindles. Even the libraries have digital books now and some have devices that you can check out to use. Restaurant hiring is in the peak now, as tourist/cruise season starts, but they generally have some layoffs in October.
Many of those jobs have been already taken by the many college students who will be off for the summer in a few weeks.

For apartments, decent and economy are opposites, unless you get 20-30 miles outside of Seattle. I don't know what rents are like in Tucson, but a decent, small studio in Seattle will be about $1,000.

[DevanXL]

Originally Posted by Tack McCoy

I'm from Tucson, and to be honest I'm sick of it and anyone whose lived in Tucson knows what I'm talking about. So I love Seattle, and while this is a vague question, is it possible to go there and find a starting job (like at a restaurant or hopefully even better, a bookstore), find a decent economy apartment and relocate there?

Also I'm a writer, are there any good place to start submitting my works like magazines, or publishers?

Like I said, it's a vague question, but maybe of someone replies I can keep asking more question and expand it.

I hope someone thinks my question is worth replying to.

Federal Way is 25 mins outside of downtown Seattle. Though not glamorous, it definitely would be a cheap and decent place to start out! It's a growing area with lots of retail and restaurants. City's population is about 90,000 and city core is minutes from the beach and water. Apartments are cheap but not the nicest. How much are you planning on spending? Federal Way is 15 minutes from Downtown Tacoma aswell and nestled right next to the freeway so getting around the metro area shouldn't be difficult. I know the local newspaper is always hiring if you looking for a part time gig.

[flyingsaucermom]

I would make sure you've got a little cash and a plan of action. I personally don't think it's too hard to get a starter job as long as you've got experience in the particular industry, but like I said, you need to be prepared. Make sure you orient yourself with the cost of living up here and see if you can pull it off. I was looking at moving down to Phoenix last September and it was kinda cool to discover I could buy myself a 5 bedroom house with a pool for what I paid for my 1800 sq ft condo. Of course, I would have to live in Phoenix . Hope you get it worked out!

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by DevanXL

Federal Way is 25 mins outside of downtown Seattle. Though not glamorous, it definitely would be a cheap and decent place to start out! It's a growing area with lots of retail and restaurants. City's population is about 90,000 and city core is minutes from the beach and water. Apartments are cheap but not the nicest. How much are you planning on spending? Federal Way is 15 minutes from Downtown Tacoma aswell and nestled right next to the freeway so getting around the metro area shouldn't be difficult. I know the local newspaper is always hiring if you looking for a part time gig.

Sure, for people working swing shift or going up in the middle of the night it's 25 minutes. Who does that?

[DevanXL]

Originally Posted by mkarch

Sure, for people working swing shift or going up in the middle of the night it's 25 minutes. Who does that?

I live in Federal Way and often commutes Downtown. Never has it taken more then 30 on a bad day (20 minutes on a good one) and I was saying there is job opportunities in federal way for him to start out so very small commute.

[tobester]

Originally Posted by DevanXL

I live in Federal Way and often commutes Downtown. Never has it taken more then 30 on a bad day (20 minutes on a good one) and I was saying there is job opportunities in federal way for him to start out so very small commute.

You obviously never travel south to Federal Way on a Friday afternoon.

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by Tack McCoy

I'm from Tucson, and to be honest I'm sick of it and anyone whose lived in Tucson knows what I'm talking about. So I love Seattle, and while this is a vague question, is it possible to go there and find a starting job (like at a restaurant or hopefully even better, a bookstore), find a decent economy apartment and relocate there?

Also I'm a writer, are there any good place to start submitting my works like magazines, or publishers?

World peace and giant donuts are "Possible," as is arriving to a new city and finding a job by pounding the pavement. Many try, some fail. Totally depends on your skills, ability to market and sell, experience, fit, and 101 other things.

Since "book stores" (retail brick and mortar) are going the way of buggy whips, wouldn't personally bet the store on finding work in that over the mid-to-long term. It's all increasingly commoditized, anyway, much to the chagrin of true bibliophiles who hate to see mom-n-pop bookstores disappear. Might want to examine sales and marketing trends for that industry, libraries, and publishing in-general as it gradually shifts to online, on-demand publishing. And adjust accordingly.

Being a curious person, I found a number of analyses online (for free) in a couple minutes online searching. Might be wiser to be on the front-end of tech trends, not riding Polaroid cameras, Kodak film, VCRs, and other similar into the dustbin of obsolescence.

I'm a writer, too: as they said in "Unforgiven" (Clint Eastwood directed/starred, c.1992): "what, you mean like letters and such?" Thought that was a field in a rapid and radical shift these days, too, due yet again to technological changes since c. 1994 (rise of Internet access). Even more so since the Kindle and massive ascendance of tablets.

Since you can submit content from anywhere, might want to look at that from where you are currently (AZ, I guess) and decide how that translates to marketable skills in Seattle. I personally buy a fair number of books these days from self-publishers at Amazon, via Kindle. To me it is an interesting and awe-inspiring boon for the consumer. Yes the editing isn't as good, nor are the plot lines quite as interesting, but anyone can write, publish, and then sell a book on Amazon Kindle for maybe $2.99 - $4.99 retail to consumers. God Bless America, as my father used to say.

[Adrian71]

I'm an editor, and I still have my daily job feed set up from indeed.com from before I moved here. There are certainly writing jobs here in Seattle -- it just depends on what kind of writing you want to do:

-- Copywriting for Amazon
-- Technical writing for Microsoft
-- Ad-writing for Nordstrom
-- Grant/proposal writing for the University of Washington
-- Reporter/columnist for The Seattle Times, The Stranger, Seattle Weekly, Seattle Metropolitan, Puget Sound Business Journal, Daily Journal of Commerce, Seattle's Child, Yes! Magazine, and smaller community papers

I'd just send your resume to some of the papers and magazines and see where it gets you. To get your foot in the door at Amazon or Microsoft, you'll probably need to work through an agency. I'd suggest trying the Creative Group. They have an office here in Seattle, and they sent me on several interviews with both companies.

As for jobs and rent, there are as many jobs in the service industry here as anywhere else. You could always try your luck with Elliott Bay Books or any number of local Barnes & Noble branches. And as for rent, a studio in Seattle will probably run you $1K or close to it, but the farther out you get into the suburbs, the more square footage you can get for your money.

Good luck. Hope you can get things to work out.

[Tack McCoy]

Thanks to everyone for replying. I will definitely look into what everyone suggests. Yes, because I find ALL of your suggestions welcoming.

I didn't say anything wrong there did I?