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I suppose that most people come here maybe to expect to get in there level of work.
But are you willing to work anything just to get by?
I was lucky to have my own online business that I have currently sold to my partner. But.. It doesn't mean I didn't want to not live "ok." when we got here two in a half months ago we knew it would be different. We have been very adaptable for a while not big complainers.
But if I learned one thing you have to work where you may have no level of experience to get by.
After two months I am now a store manager of a store off of Ali'i drive.
We also live in a studio on Ali'i drive have a ocean view not a shot of sun set but still see ocean.
We made it work because we knew we would have to be adaptable.
I reccommend anyway wanting to move here to really think about just getting up leavin and expecting a job in there profession.
We are now comfortably making 100+k. But everyone says we are very lucky. But I am a very determined 25 year old with no college experience.
Living here is a grand thing but remember you have to give up to recieve.
Congratulations to you for not only making it work, but also for doing quite well. I'm aware of and willing to give up the Mainland-specific things that are obvious (e.g., the ability to get in a car and drive 500 miles, and not just in a circle) and not so obvious (e.g., certain stores or ethnic foods), because Hawaii has so many things that aren't available here on the Mainland. I'm also willing to simplify my life somewhat. My wife and I already live in a small house and aren't conspicuous comsumers, but we do have more "stuff" than we really need, and we're engaged in a gradual process of scaling down, in preparation for the time when we (hopefully) can move to Hawaii. However, there is a certain standard of living that we're not willing to go below. At our (middle) age, we're not willing to take on two or three jobs each just to make ends meet, nor are we willing to live in a decrepit house or apartment that we wouldn't even consider on the Mainland. We have no illusions that what we'd consider miserable poverty in Oregon would be acceptable just because we were in Hawaii. As for doing a different kind of work than I do now, I'm not opposed to the idea, but I'm positioning myself to be able to telecommute in my current position.
Well, this is what I gave up in order to live on the Big Island:
Longest road 47 miles. Nearest town $300 away, and they have less road.
$100 a week many months for heating fuel to keep pipes from freezing.
Only "chain" restaurants McDonalds and Subway.
Virtually no health care options.
Higher cost of living.
Produce imported from south america instead of grown local.
Over a hundred dollar month water bill- even if you only flush your toilet once.
Paying for snow removal and ice melt salt.
hmmm, I guess when you look at it that way, I'm not giving up anything. Just kidding... I'm giving up real wildlife encounters, the ability to see the aurora on clear winter nights, and a lot of other things that don't fit onto a financial spreadsheet. I guess the point is, what you give up/gain in a relocation is irrelevant because you're not comparing apples to apples. (or pineapples to pineapples, as the case may be). I loved living in Alaska. Have NO regrets. But after 14 years of shoveling snow and dealing with some of the aforementioned issues, I was done. Granted, there is little employment in Hawaii and many employment opportunities in Alaska. Your mileage may vary.
My experience will be very similar to terracore's. We will have a better standard of living, at lower cost.
My spouse has been working there for 2-1/2 weeks so far and he LOVES IT, he loves how clean it is, how modern it is, and how friendly everyone is. He's seeing none of the negatives that are bandied about so frequently on this forum.
Perhaps coming from extremes like terracore and I do, we are the exception...but let's just say that I'm very positive about my move. Less than 3 months until the dogs' titers are 120 days old!
Why would anyone give up anything to live in Hawaii - I really struggle with why people would do that. It is a place. That's it.
I did an exit interview with an employee last week - I hear all the sob stories but she said something unique and I thought it made a lot of sense. She said "After a year and a half living here with my husband - all we feel is that we are getting old - the days are just passing us by. Our lives are consumed to just to try to survive. We don't have any sense of accomplishment and life is just passing us by - and the future doesn't look much brighter living in Hawaii.
My advice - if you really feel you have to alter your life to live in Hawaii - don't.
Yup, that would be correct, but the alterations we are personally making are positive. I wouldn't move there if we couldn't afford it...no point working 2-3 jobs just to live in a place you'll never enjoy.
I don't even get the working 2-3 jobs to making it work. I see a lot of implants from main land and I always ask them.. Why?? Why are you working 2 jobs?
They always say. My house payment 2,900. I am like why? Go down and get one job and live simpler!!
True that!!!! There's no reason to buy more house than you need. We can afford a lot more house than what we're getting, but we don't ever want to feel pinched. We like taking vacations too much.
Why would anyone give up anything to live in Hawaii - I really struggle with why people would do that. It is a place. That's it.
Because it offers something they want that they can't get wherever they are now. I'm talking about people who know what they're getting into, not starry-eyed dreamers with romantic notions that being poor will feel just fine, because of the beaches, palm trees, and great weather. It's similar with, say, New York City. I've heard more than one person say, "It takes commitment to live in New York City." If you want to live in Manhattan, you'll probably have to live in a tiny, no-frills apartment that costs a fortune. Most things you buy will be expensive. You'll probably never be able to own property, just rent. But for people who love what NYC has to offer, it's worth it. I have friends who wouldn't live anywhere else, but they acknowledge the sacrifices they have to make.
I've had to make trade-offs to live in Portland. Because of the Urban Growth Boundary that limits where houses can be built, I can afford only a small house on a small lot. Back in Atlanta, where I moved from, I could have afforded something bigger and nicer. But I love what the PNW has to offer, more than I love what Atlanta has to offer.
Finally, some people want to downsize and simplify their lifestyle, anyway, so they don't view it as a sacrifice. To be clear, I'm talking about altering one's lifestyle from "more than we need" to "what we consider enough," not from "what we consider enough" to "just barely scraping by." The latter gets old for most people pretty quickly.
And Hawaii is more than "just a place." It has a unique culture, vibe, and lifestyle. It doesn't resonate with everyone, ad that's fine. The same is true of every place. I love NYC, but I wouldn't live there unless I had a lot of money. My best friend is from there, and he moved back about a decade ago, because no other place he's lived feels like home to him.
What do people give up to live here? Humm .... being invisible to others? Because here in Hawaii, strangers can show their aloha. I don't know if a malahani would see it so quickly, but probably yes.
Today I made a routine trip to the market and bank. Entering the bank, the customer before me held the door open. Crossing the parking lot, I got a big smile from a stranger. At the store, I had a nice chat with a vendor (who I did not already know). Another smile in the parking lot from another stranger.
At the gas station, I needed to ask a driver to shut their car door that was blocking traffic. I got an agreeable smile, and the passenger gave a shaka. When they pulled out, I got a shaka from the driver.
That's one reason why people like living in Hawaii. It can be a very friendly place. (Yes, you need to weed out the goofiness sometimes, but day-to-day, many people can be very nice.)
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