Job market in Chicago? (Oak Park, Elmhurst: fit in, sales, apartment)

[maverick_72]

Hi,

I am living in Ohio now and curious about the job market in Chicago. I left Chicago 30 years ago and moved to Arizona and Florida. Living in the south has not been easy due to lack of work and low paying jobs.

Illinois has always been my home and may move back in the future. I am a older single man--not sure how I would fit in there anymore. My job was in teaching but have gone on to pursue sales a few years ago. I had though about hotel sales or outside sales.
The cost of living has gone up a lot since the 80's due to inflation. I am not sure if I can afford to rent an apartment by myself and support myself there due to high cost of living. However, the jobs pay more there---if I can find one.

I was thinking of relocating to Rosemont, Elmhurst, Villa Park area to be closer to the "L train" and may get rid of my car to reduce expenses.
My rent cannot exceed $750 for a studio or one bedroom.

Any ideas? Good, safe places to live for an older guy and jobs in hotels or sales?

Thanks.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by maverick_72

Illinois has always been my home and may move back in the future. I am a older single man--not sure how I would fit in there anymore. My job was in teaching but have gone on to pursue sales a few years ago. I had though about hotel sales or outside sales.

The cost of living has gone up a lot since the 80's due to inflation. I am not sure if I can afford to rent an apartment by myself and support myself there due to high cost of living.However, the jobs pay more there---if I can find one.

Not only inflation, but the fact that the city has undergone a major boom since you left and also gentrified in areas that might not have been safe when you left. For example - Wicker Park, Bucktown, and Logan Square. Wicker Park was a once pretty hip place and still is to an extent but pretty fully gentrified. Rents are not cheap there. There are $1+ million homes there and Bucktown now. Logan Square is fairly hipster now in some areas. The city even just approved the new construction of 2 high rises there last week.

As far as wages go - yes, of course there are many (but not all) that pay more as the COL is now higher.

My rent cannot exceed $750 for a studio or one bedroom.

This is doable in some neighborhoods for sure. Even some in Lakeview not far from Wrigley Field go for that amount. Edgewater and Rogers Park you can get it too. Some along the blue line in areas like Avondale (which I guess is up and coming, I guess). I've actually seen some 2 bedroom places in Bridgeport go for $700-$800 though they aren't great by any standard. Probably can find stuff in Pilsen, maybe parts of Ukranian Village. Perhaps Irving Park. I'm pretty sure Hyde Park has them for that amount too. If you don't really care about the area and just need public transit, you could probably get away with being more on the SW side near the Orange Line or something too.

Any ideas? Good, safe places to live for an older guy and jobs in hotels or sales?

Thanks.

Chicago is currently opening up a fair amount of new hotels. Not sure if that helps you at all tho:
Hotel Boom Town : Curbed Chicago

More companies moving to town lately too.

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by maverick_72

Hi,

I am living in Ohio now and curious about the job market in Chicago. I left Chicago 30 years ago and moved to Arizona and Florida. Living in the south has not been easy due to lack of work and low paying jobs.

Illinois has always been my home and may move back in the future. I am a older single man--not sure how I would fit in there anymore. My job was in teaching but have gone on to pursue sales a few years ago. I had though about hotel sales or outside sales.
The cost of living has gone up a lot since the 80's due to inflation. I am not sure if I can afford to rent an apartment by myself and support myself there due to high cost of living. However, the jobs pay more there---if I can find one.

I was thinking of relocating to Rosemont, Elmhurst, Villa Park area to be closer to the "L train" and may get rid of my car to reduce expenses.
My rent cannot exceed $750 for a studio or one bedroom.

Any ideas? Good, safe places to live for an older guy and jobs in hotels or sales?

Thanks.

I think you could find a studio for that in some safe neighborhoods; don't think you could really live in Elmhurst at least without a car. It's not the L out there; it's the Metra.

Losing the car would likely be far easier in the city than the burbs.

Good luck!

[maverick_72]

Good points. The only issue is I am in my late 40's and single.
(I appear to look around 32.) I am very fit, energetic, youthful for my age, and get along with all age types easily.
But, I am not sure if a 40-something male would fit in with that post collegiate crowd. I am looking for diversity of all age groups that are single or dating.

Is lakeview, edgewater, Bridgeport, avondale, pilsen, ukranian village geared towards all age groups?

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by maverick_72

Good points. The only issue is I am in my late 40's and single.
(I appear to look around 32.) I am very fit, energetic, youthful for my age, and get along with all age types easily.
But, I am not sure if a 40-something male would fit in with that post collegiate crowd. I am looking for diversity of all age groups that are single or dating.

Is lakeview, edgewater, Bridgeport, avondale, pilsen, ukranian village geared towards all age groups?

Most of those areas have a mix. I mean surely there are big time areas of Lakeview, for example, that are pretty damn young, but at the same time there are areas where there's plenty of people living who aren't in their 20s (Lakeview East for example or closer to Southport corridor). I guess if you're looking for a neighborhood place to sit down and meet others - I'm not the person to ask for that since I'm not in my late 40s yet.

Wasn't Lakeview kind of "EH..." when you moved away? You'd probably have to ask where the best places for a 40 something to hang out would be. River North (which wasn't really a hot thing, but is now) when you were here has a lot of it I guess - kind of mixed all over the place from 20s on up. Neighborhood wise, I'm sure it's all over but I'm not the best person to ask

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by maverick_72

Good points. The only issue is I am in my late 40's and single.
(I appear to look around 32.) I am very fit, energetic, youthful for my age, and get along with all age types easily.
But, I am not sure if a 40-something male would fit in with that post collegiate crowd. I am looking for diversity of all age groups that are single or dating.

Is lakeview, edgewater, Bridgeport, avondale, pilsen, ukranian village geared towards all age groups?

Sure there are older people in those hoods, particularly a place like Bridgeport or Avondale. Those are kind of middle class family neighborhoods.

That being said, if I were in your shoes, I actually might prefer the burbs. It sounds like you are in a somewhat stressful situation and looking to establish stability rather than "experience the city." I think the burbs tend to be a little less stressful and to a degree a place like Elmhurst has more of a small town feel, and might be, frankly, a little less lonely than living in a Bridgeport studio.

So, depending on your outlook, maybe consider trying to keep the car and living in the burbs.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

I think you could find a studio for that in some safe neighborhoods; don't think you could really live in Elmhurst at least without a car. It's not the L out there; it's the Metra.

Losing the car would likely be far easier in the city than the burbs.

Good luck!

You could live in Oak Park pretty easily on that budget without a car.

[maverick_72]

Yes I think the burbs is more to my liking and values. I tend to lean conservative anyway and have family values.
I am in a stressful situation due to possibly parting ways with a significant other and having no "real career" since being laid off 4 years ago from teaching and re-evaluating my life. Not a mid-life crisis by any means---more like indecision on a new career and home. I am not trying to reclaim lost youth or any of that.

I got my CDL license to drive a truck because after I got laid off there were no teaching jobs avail. I needed a job. But it messed up my lungs with asthma. So not a good job fit for me.
I have a teaching and customer service background I have thought of sales. But everything is 100% commission which is risky. I just want a normal job with normal pay, and a normal life and to get back to my roots.

[emathias]

Why not go back to teaching? It's admittedly not the best time to be a teacher, but if you did land a teaching job it would offer you something more stable than sales.

At your price point, you'd almost certainly prefer living in the suburbs if you're not really a city person. By no means do you need to be "reliving your youth" or trying to "experience the city" to make your home in the city, but from what you've said you really don't sound like a city person.

[UrbanCheetah]

Don't forget the NWside which IMO is more like a suburb/city hybrid area. Places like Jefferson Park or Saugnaush, are suburban but urban. While you feel like you are not quite in the city but at the same time you won't be a slave to the car. You are also close to a lot. Even Norridge is cool, which it's a suburb but feels more urban.