Seattle for an entry level job (Mercer Island, South Bend: sublease, 2013, apartment)

[Farky]

Hi,
I am a senior at HCC, Indiana (South Bend/Notre Dame). I am graduating with Business and Communication Majors and Marketing Minor. Always wanted to live in big cities like Seattle. I been in Seattle once and absolutely loved the city. I would love to move there, but is it possible for a someone who just graduating in May ? I mean, how hard it would be to find an entry level job ? What are some suggestions ?

Thanks for your time and have a good day !

[JBVirtuoso]

It's possible, and of all the stages in your life, now is probably the easiest time to make this move.

That said, it still won't be a walk in the park. You can try applying for jobs just like you would anywhere else. Some local companies (like Amazon) actively recruit nationwide, so they'll fly you here for interviews and sometimes even provide relocation assistance. But these kinds of companies are few and far between. Many companies will consider you anyway, but they'll be less generous and will expect you to come here to interview at your own expense. If you can't get a job that way, another good option is to move here and sublease an apartment while you look for jobs. A good way to get a job fast is to start with a temp agency, which will give you an income stream while you look for something more permanent.

What's most important right now for you is to pick an industry. Your majors don't imply any specific job field, and the only way you're going to be successful is if you can focus on one field that you enjoy and in which you can see yourself having a successful career. This is especially important when it comes to job interviews - one of the #1 purposes of a job interview is to determine if you're interested and excited about the job, and you can only do this effectively if you have a professional passion.

[Farky]

Originally Posted by JBVirtuoso

It's possible, and of all the stages in your life, now is probably the easiest time to make this move.

That said, it still won't be a walk in the park. You can try applying for jobs just like you would anywhere else. Some local companies (like Amazon) actively recruit nationwide, so they'll fly you here for interviews and sometimes even provide relocation assistance. But these kinds of companies are few and far between. Many companies will consider you anyway, but they'll be less generous and will expect you to come here to interview at your own expense. If you can't get a job that way, another good option is to move here and sublease an apartment while you look for jobs. A good way to get a job fast is to start with a temp agency, which will give you an income stream while you look for something more permanent.

What's most important right now for you is to pick an industry. Your majors don't imply any specific job field, and the only way you're going to be successful is if you can focus on one field that you enjoy and in which you can see yourself having a successful career. This is especially important when it comes to job interviews - one of the #1 purposes of a job interview is to determine if you're interested and excited about the job, and you can only do this effectively if you have a professional passion.

Thanks for such a quick answer.
My host parents are form Mercer Island, so I am not completely stranger to Seattle, I know its gonna be hard to move from Midwest to Seattle. But that is my dream kind a thing Since I am varsity soccer athlete I would love to work in sport marketing, but I know how competitive it is, so I am not going to be that picky in starting of my career, so even something not sport related will be great. Also not picky about my salary, if its pays my rent, food and other expenses I am more than fine with that.

[Polymorphist]

I came here from the Midwest, didn't have a job when I moved and still found my way. I was in my 20's and a college graduate. Do what you do, you'll be happier in the end. I've known people back where i'm from (pretty small town) who've always wanted to move but never did and they are not as happy. Here's the thing - you can always go back. If you don't make it, you aren't committed. However, the odds are good that you'll make it, so then why not try it?

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by Polymorphist

I came here from the Midwest, didn't have a job when I moved and still found my way. I was in my 20's and a college graduate. Do what you do, you'll be happier in the end. I've known people back where i'm from (pretty small town) who've always wanted to move but never did and they are not as happy. Here's the thing - you can always go back. If you don't make it, you aren't committed. However, the odds are good that you'll make it, so then why not try it?

Yeah, I did that too, in 1990. Sadly...and I mean that sincerely...I "think" it is harder for young people with fresh sheepskins from Big U in the Midwest to just get in a car and turn up in a new city, and really pull it together in a reasonable timeframe. People just say it's that much harder for those with little experience to get a half decent entry-level job.

I did, but my field was red-hot at the time and the (equivalent of, in 2013 dollars) $45K to start seemed pretty darn good. Dunno if they can get that kind of money today, I really don't.

"Difficult" does not equal "impossible," though. And I'll agree again that the "you can always go back" was an option for me, too. My old man even told me as much, on the sly, about a half-hour before I hit the road for good. I didn't have to come back, but it was nice to know the option existed. Wild horses could not have stopped me from at least trying.

Some young people are just like that, young men especially, looking for adventure back when the idea of a hot old time is a couple pitchers, whisky shots, and hitting on the waitresses at Chilis on a Saturday night. Why the hell not: I borrowed part of a Kurt Vonnegut commencement speech quote, as a philosophy, and "....live in California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Live in NY once, but leave before it makes you hard!"

OP, you've got a lot of work ahead of you. Start researching, see if you can make employment inroads or at least figure out how to effectively self-market to employers. I had networking contacts out of college, all of which I leveraged and one helped me land a role. That's important for you.

[Farky]

Originally Posted by Blondebaerde

Yeah, I did that too, in 1990. Sadly...and I mean that sincerely...I "think" it is harder for young people with fresh sheepskins from Big U in the Midwest to just get in a car and turn up in a new city, and really pull it together in a reasonable timeframe. People just say it's that much harder for those with little experience to get a half decent entry-level job.

I did, but my field was red-hot at the time and the (equivalent of, in 2013 dollars) $45K to start seemed pretty darn good. Dunno if they can get that kind of money today, I really don't.

"Difficult" does not equal "impossible," though. And I'll agree again that the "you can always go back" was an option for me, too. My old man even told me as much, on the sly, about a half-hour before I hit the road for good. I didn't have to come back, but it was nice to know the option existed. Wild horses could not have stopped me from at least trying.

Some young people are just like that, young men especially, looking for adventure back when the idea of a hot old time is a couple pitchers, whisky shots, and hitting on the waitresses at Chilis on a Saturday night. Why the hell not: I borrowed part of a Kurt Vonnegut commencement speech quote, as a philosophy, and "....live in California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Live in NY once, but leave before it makes you hard!"

OP, you've got a lot of work ahead of you. Start researching, see if you can make employment inroads or at least figure out how to effectively self-market to employers. I had networking contacts out of college, all of which I leveraged and one helped me land a role. That's important for you.

I asked the same question in New York Forum, and you can feel the difference between NY people and Seattle. First what I got was "Don't say 'Have a great day' its not a Midwest".

But yeah, I really do want to try, but I don't want to go to a big city without a job. I am not that gamble. Everyone says to start in a small city for couple years and then move to big city. The problem is A LOT of people stuck in a small cities and don't want to move after couple years. I don't want to be one of them.

[Hemlock140]

It's hard to compete for entry level jobs here with so many experienced people moving to the area looking for work. I'm seeing people with 3-5 years experience getting those jobs. In addition, there does seem to be some local preference for University of Washington graduates around here, and they are cranking out thousands of graduates every year. It's worth a try, especially if you have family/friends here, but it's not going to easy to find a job unless you are very lucky. It seems like everyone wants to live on the west coast, and with California getting so expensive Seattle is still more affordable, and becoming a popular alternative. With the increasing demand for housing it's definitely not cheap and will probably continue to become more expensive though never catch up with the San Francisco Bay Area.

[Farky]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

It's hard to compete for entry level jobs here with so many experienced people moving to the area looking for work. I'm seeing people with 3-5 years experience getting those jobs. In addition, there does seem to be some local preference for University of Washington graduates around here, and they are cranking out thousands of graduates every year. It's worth a try, especially if you have family/friends here, but it's not going to easy to find a job unless you are very lucky. It seems like everyone wants to live on the west coast, and with California getting so expensive Seattle is still more affordable, and becoming a popular alternative. With the increasing demand for housing it's definitely not cheap and will probably continue to become more expensive though never catch up with the San Francisco Bay Area.

I understand, I guess same with every big cities, like big apple or Chicago. But, there still hundreds of people finding jobs in this area, and not all of them are local and I am pretty sure there some cases like mine. I just really don't want to stock in small city like South Bend where I am living now. Seattle sounds like a major city but with small cities society (I mean a bit better than other major cities, people are kind).

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by Farky

I understand, I guess same with every big cities, like big apple or Chicago. But, there still hundreds of people finding jobs in this area, and not all of them are local and I am pretty sure there some cases like mine. I just really don't want to stock in small city like South Bend where I am living now. Seattle sounds like a major city but with small cities society (I mean a bit better than other major cities, people are kind).

Yes, people like you do make it and I wish you the best luck if you make the move. My latest hire came from another state and had only been here 6 weeks, but he had an MBA and 3 years experience for our "entry level" position, paying about $25/hour. We offered an interview to someone in a neighboring state about 5 hours drive away, and she scheduled but didn't show up. You will definitely have better chances if you move here before applying or at least be ready to hop onto a plane and make sure they know you are.

[Polymorphist]

When I moved here I worked in retail for about a year before moving on. Sometimes you just have to get settled in, however if you view it as an adventure/getting out of your comfort zone then it won't be that bad. Ultimately you'll make it.