Making a Risky Move (Seattle, Tacoma: rental, house, find a job)

[devonkay]

Hello,

I've wanted to move to Seattle for a long time, but I've hesitated for years because I felt I needed to wait until it would be easier. Basically, I wanted to have adequate funds. But I currently live in Mississippi where there are very little opportunities and virtually no jobs. In fact, I was unemployed for 8 or 9 months until this past March. I currently work at a small agency, but my salary is relatively low. I have a Master of Public Administration from Penn State, so it's extremely frustrating to be in this current position. I often feel trapped in this state. With so few opportunities and such low wages, it's impossible to get ahead. If I don't leave now, I may never leave.

I'm 26, and I don't have any children. I'll be moving with my husband. We're both very liberal, and we both love Seattle. Right now, I have about $10,000 saved, maybe less when I move. Because Seattle is so expensive, I'm entertaining the idea of moving to Tacoma first. Tacoma's also close enough that a commute wouldn't be impossible. Does anyone have suggestions for areas other than Tacoma?

I'll be looking for government jobs, and I'm wondering if anyone can offer some insight? I'll definitely take any employment I can find once I'm there, but my goal is to eventually find a job in the public sector. I'm also not opposed to private sector work. I just want to make sure there's potential for me to find decent employment in Seattle. I want to live somewhere that sees the value of my education and gives me a chance to prove myself. Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe I'll find that in Seattle.

[Seacove]

I don't know anything about government jobs but I would get out of Mississippi. I would be throwing my belongings in the back of the truck and never slow down. Tacoma is fine. So is Lynnwood. So is Everett. All inexpensive, non-glamorous, blue collar areas located in beautiful Western Washington. Get creative, buy a lot of Ramen noodles and work very hard. That said - $10,000 is not a lot of money and you will need to hit the ground running. The cost of living is much higher here, even in blue collar areas.

[Hemlock140]

Check this listing daily, jobs come and go quickly. It's a clearing house for public agencies in the Northwest and there is always a wide variety of jobs.

AWC JobNet - Search Jobs

[NewbiePoster]

MA in Public Admin? Try Olympia. That's where all the main gov't offices are. It has major liberal enclaves, and Evergreen State College, which is an alternative-school type of university.

[TRS_151]

Originally Posted by devonkay

Hello,

I've wanted to move to Seattle for a long time, but I've hesitated for years because I felt I needed to wait until it would be easier. Basically, I wanted to have adequate funds. But I currently live in Mississippi where there are very little opportunities and virtually no jobs. In fact, I was unemployed for 8 or 9 months until this past March. I currently work at a small agency, but my salary is relatively low. I have a Master of Public Administration from Penn State, so it's extremely frustrating to be in this current position. I often feel trapped in this state. With so few opportunities and such low wages, it's impossible to get ahead. If I don't leave now, I may never leave.

I'm 26, and I don't have any children. I'll be moving with my husband. We're both very liberal, and we both love Seattle. Right now, I have about $10,000 saved, maybe less when I move. Because Seattle is so expensive, I'm entertaining the idea of moving to Tacoma first. Tacoma's also close enough that a commute wouldn't be impossible. Does anyone have suggestions for areas other than Tacoma?

I'll be looking for government jobs, and I'm wondering if anyone can offer some insight? I'll definitely take any employment I can find once I'm there, but my goal is to eventually find a job in the public sector. I'm also not opposed to private sector work. I just want to make sure there's potential for me to find decent employment in Seattle. I want to live somewhere that sees the value of my education and gives me a chance to prove myself. Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe I'll find that in Seattle.

I am actually in the same boat as you, just going the other way. I have lived in Seattle for 7 years and I am now moving back to the Midwest.

I don't know about government jobs (by which I assume you mean county clerk's office or some such). But I can give some general advice.

1. I am sure you are aware of this, but Seattle is VERY different than Mississippi. You may think of yourself as liberal, but I think you will be surprised how conservative you are in comparison to some people here. It is also different to live here vs. visiting here. Make sure you REALLY like the area and aren't just moving to increase the odds of getting a job.

2. Your odds of getting a job here are fairly good. The economy is booming, and has been for the last few years. I see a lot of help wanted ads in a lot of store windows as well, which is always a good sign. Having an a college education is almost a requirement here, even for relatively low skill jobs.

3. Commuting from Tacoma to Seattle will be brutal. Google maps shows downtown Tacoma to downtown Seattle as being 33.8 miles, or 37 minutes. But I would count on 45-50 minutes of drive time, and that is without bad traffic. There are some areas of Seattle that are more affordable than others. Check out West Seattle, Shoreline, or Lynnwood.

I would reccomend searching job sites, or reaching out to a recruiter for some leads (and preferable a job offer) before packing up and moving on faith. The potential is certainly there.

[flyingsaucermom]

I think just about ANY town in WA is better than Mississippi. If it's just the two of you and you're bringing $10k and an advance degree you've got a heck of a better shot than many. You didn't mention what your husband is doing/would do.

[devonkay]

Originally Posted by acm122

I am sure you are aware of this, but Seattle is VERY different than Mississippi. You may think of yourself as liberal, but I think you will be surprised how conservative you are in comparison to some people here. It is also different to live here vs. visiting here. Make sure you REALLY like the area and aren't just moving to increase the odds of getting a job.

One of my favorite things about Seattle is how different it is from Mississippi! I have family living in Vancouver, so I traveled to Washington regularly in my youth, and I actually completed two years of college in WA following Hurricane Katrina. While in the state, I spent a fair amount of time in Seattle, and I absolutely loved it.

Originally Posted by acm122

Commuting from Tacoma to Seattle will be brutal. Google maps shows downtown Tacoma to downtown Seattle as being 33.8 miles, or 37 minutes. But I would count on 45-50 minutes of drive time, and that is without bad traffic.

I know the commute won't be pleasant, but I think I can handle it. Though I don't live in a rural area in Mississippi, things are much more spread out here. I'm accustomed to a 30-45 minute commute to work.

Thanks for all the info and advice!

[devonkay]

Originally Posted by flyingsaucermom

I think just about ANY town in WA is better than Mississippi. If it's just the two of you and you're bringing $10k and an advance degree you've got a heck of a better shot than many. You didn't mention what your husband is doing/would do.

I agree that anywhere in WA would be infinitely better than Mississippi. I also agree that my chances of succeeding in WA are fair considering I do have an advanced degree from a pretty good university. I know that the only reason I haven't had more success is my location. There just aren't opportunities here, and I really need to get out of this pit.

My husband works in retail as a store manager. He'll be pursuing a degree in accounting after we move to Seattle.

[Ira500]

Nothing against Tacoma, I like it. But you might be happier somewhere a little closer to Seattle. A couple of places that come to mind are Renton and Burien. Both have sort of charming downtown areas, and aren't strictly boring suburbs. Both are easy to get to Seattle from, bt with far lower rental costs.
As far as Mississippi goes, I'm not sure I could take the heat and humidity, but when driving through there a few years ago, I found the people of Ocean Springs and Hattiesburg to be especially friendly. We were having car trouble, and ended up staying days in Hattiesburg. I thought it was pretty, and the food was awesome( best BBQ ever.)

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by devonkay

I know the commute won't be pleasant, but I think I can handle it. Though I don't live in a rural area in Mississippi, things are much more spread out here. I'm accustomed to a 30-45 minute commute to work.

Thanks for all the info and advice!

Seattle to Tacoma is *often* a 1.5-2 hr commute, even if the optimal commute is 45 minutes. It really sucks since we have friends down there that the areas to the south are so inaccessible. I drove to SeaTac tonight around 7, and it was an hour just to get to the airport. Tacoma is another 30 minutes or more. I have friends that live in South Seattle and even on a Saturday it can take close to an hour to get there - and that's jut traveling within the city itself. Downtown Seattle is a huge bottle neck that regularly adds 30-40 minutes drive time even if you're on one of the highways.