Young guy planning on moving to Wa from Ca (Seattle: apartments, how much)

[tigka]

Hi everyone. I just stumbled across this forum while researching Washington and found it very helpful. I'm sure I will be able to find the help I'm looking for here.

To introduce myself I'm a 21 year old male looking to move to Washington to pursue a career in firefighting. I have spent the last year taking fire science classes and preparing myself to be a firefighter here in southern California but always kept an open mind to other states. I recently took a motorcycle trip to Seattle to visit an old friend and i fell in love with your state. And after talking with some firefighters from Lynwood I decided that i want to move up to take residency and become a pursue my career as a firefighter. I'm almost guaranteed a job (EMT for Tri Med Ambulance company) and will make approximately $2240 a month. I will probably also have time for a second job if i need to. Since I will be living by myself a studio or studio priced 1 bedroom with do. And from what i can see It is around 500-700, depending where. Im also considering living expenses and bill/payments that will also have to be taken care of on a monthly basis. I was talking to my dad and he made a good point of tax. I don't think there is any income tax in WA but I'm sure there is some other kind of tax that will lighten my paycheck. And since I plan to become a resident eventually should there be any other taxes i should worry about. Since moving out on my own is all new to me any advice will help greatly.

During my visit i was able to see some cities including edmonds, lynwood, everett, shorline, bothell, seattle, and near UW. But I didnt really look into apartments while i was up there. Im actually open to live anywhere near or in seattle as long as its not too expensive. Cheaper the better, but i also have to consider the quality of the city. Someone mentioned Mukelteo to be a nice place. Another mentioned Bainbridge. Can somebody comment?

I also dont plan on moving up anytime soon. One, because I want to be financially ready for any hardships or problems. And two, I dont want to rush into something important such as relocating.

Can anyone give me any advice or info that might help me figure out how i should prepare myself for the move. If someone can give me an estimate on how much i would need a month to live here that would be great. If I left anything out or was unclear about something please let me know. Thanks.

[chris]

A few things off the top of my head:

Save as much as you can before arriving so you aren't pressured into taking the first job or a job you don't really want.

You'd probably want to live near your job.

Your pay should be enough for a single guy to get by in most areas. Living with roommates could save you a lot.

Mukelteo/Bainbridge for a single guy? Look closer to town. Most jobs are in town anyway.

If you're looking to become a firefighter, you may need to be patient. You have to be trained in a state academy for 6 or 8 weeks or something so you'll need that time off, and you may need to be sponsored by a fire department which means you'll have to volunteer part time for a few years to even be considered. (Brother in law is a firefighter, and it took him ~5 years to get a paid position, and it his position is not near where he lives). My impression is that they will always give the advantage to locals with established family, and openings are extremely rare.


Outside of that, you really can't prepare yourself for anything. Just dive in and see what happens...