Single mom thinking of relocating to Dallas from Southern Californi (Post: to rent, mobile home)

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by LeavingCaliIthink

I see this as the REAL problem, I have never had to have a degree before now and now I have to find a way financially to go back to school for 4+ years, and work and take care of my daughter because mid game the rules changed? Why dont the overqualified people live on their savings and unemployment for a while, and let the rest of us do what we do for a living. Just because the degreed jobs are gone, why should the ones that couldnt afford to get degrees lose everything including our jobs?? A word to hiring managers, you are going to be in a bad place when the economy turns around and all the degreed, underemployed people take other jobs. And this is not just business, this is peoples lives and homes and families, and just because you CAN get a former manager or director in your admin roles for $30k a year doesnt mean you should! This economy is never going to turn around with all the greed and selfishness going on. This country is now 2 classes, the rich and the poor, and unless you are now the poor you look the other way!!

1. Don't ASSume that everyone with a Harvard degree is rich. The school is completely free for kids coming from households with under $60k income. A good chunk of their student body is minority and/or lower income.

2. Why in the hell do you expect someone with a college degree to sit on their butt and live off "savings" (oh, yeah, everyone with a college degree MUST be loaded!!) while those who never got an education get jobs?! That's the most backward line of thinking I have ever read on this forum. Get real.

3. You live in the USA- the land of opportunity and freedom. Unlike the former Soviet republics whose governments decide who is & isn't college material for you, here you can become anything you want at any age. I have a friend whose mother became a cancer nurse after beating cancer in her early 40's. So why don't you stop complaining and get yourself an education so you can get a good job? The world HAS changed and it isn't going to change back to a place where a GED is going to earn a living wage. Either change or get run over. You don't really have a choice.

4. Before you complain about the cost of college- you can start a Associate's degree for around $4-5k per year. Take out loans if you have to- developing job skills and earning a degree is the best investment you can make in yourself.

5. We live here. We're not pessimistic. We're realists. Many of us have friend's or former coworkers who have been unemployed for 6 months to 2 or 3 years in this recession. People with degrees and with connections in the Dallas area- two things you don't have. The facts are that the unemployment rate in Dallas for someone with a degree is 4%. For someone without one, it's 14-16%. it's not easy for someone without a degree to get a job in any city right now. We're just telling you straight up.

[TurtleCreek80]

FWIW, I read the responses you got on the NC forums and they seem perfectly reasonable and level-headed. People telling you:
-job market is "iffy"
-exec asst jobs have dried up
-the big company you were looking at applying to is on a hiring freeze
-hard to get a job from across the country
-fierce competition from more qualified people
-emphasizing how important a support system is
-wondering about your daughter would handle a move
-suggesting you move with 2 years expenses saved up

These are not brutal comments. As one poster said in NC "watching people move here with no jobs is like watching people jump off a cliff".

I find it interesting that people on two separate forums are giving you the same advice and yet you are on the defensive, saying we're wrong and overly pessimistic. Hmmm.

[catnip8056]

I'm an exec assistant / office manager with over 10 years experience and an Associates. Back in the day, that's all you needed, if that. I'm very fortunate to have the job I do. I'm working on the Bachelors I should have earned in the first place. I was shocked the first time I found out so many of these positions today require a bachelor's degree. I have heard about people with advanced degrees working at the movie theater or applying for seasonal help at Macy's just to have....something in this economy. It's incredibly sad.

I have interviewed and hired a few admins for my office. I personally don't get hiring someone just out of school with a bachelors / masters degree over someone with several years of experience. Experience won out at my office (sorry, I'm not in TX). Also, I would think someone with a masters or higher would be out the door the minute the economy wasn't holding them back. I've heard this on forums coming from those with advanced degrees as well- that employers pass them up because they're overqualified. Some have actually dumbed down their resumes because of this!

[elan]

LeavingCaliIthink, If I were in your shoes, I would consider a less trendy city. You know, a place that everyone is NOT flocking to. I know several people that had to get really creative and opt for a different location than they normally would have. I would send my resume to places like Abilene, Midland, Amarillo and so on. Heck, even Oklahoma for that matter. Chin up and best of luck to you.

[expatChicagoan]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

1

4. Before you complain about the cost of college- you can start a Associate's degree for around $4-5k per year. Take out loans if you have to- developing job skills and earning a degree is the best investment you can make in yourself.

You can actually do it much more cheaply than that, if, rather than going to class (either on campus or in person), you CLEP out of all your core subjects, and even some upper level classes (depending on your major). It's $74 to take a CLEP exam. It means studying on your own time, and scheduling an exam at your on pace, but if you take one of those a month, that's 36 credit hours at the end of the year for under $900.

Once you're done as many CLEP courses as you can, you can transfer them to a 4 year college, and take the more traditional route.

CLEP: Who Takes CLEP?

[hamiltonpl]

Originally Posted by LeavingCaliIthink

I see this as the REAL problem, I have never had to have a degree before now and now I have to find a way financially to go back to school for 4+ years, and work and take care of my daughter because mid game the rules changed? Why dont the overqualified people live on their savings and unemployment for a while, and let the rest of us do what we do for a living. Just because the degreed jobs are gone, why should the ones that couldnt afford to get degrees lose everything including our jobs?? A word to hiring managers, you are going to be in a bad place when the economy turns around and all the degreed, underemployed people take other jobs. And this is not just business, this is peoples lives and homes and families, and just because you CAN get a former manager or director in your admin roles for $30k a year doesnt mean you should! This economy is never going to turn around with all the greed and selfishness going on. This country is now 2 classes, the rich and the poor, and unless you are now the poor you look the other way!!

I'm very sorry for your situation. And I agree that experience will often trump education. But the reality is that many people respect the "degree." Since you are good at what you do, perhaps you could get a recommendation from people in your industry who know people in Dallas to get your foot in the door by a recommendation. If you don't have the resume, often you'll need the connection.

[skids929]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

1. Don't ASSume that everyone with a Harvard degree is rich. The school is completely free for kids coming from households with under $60k income. A good chunk of their student body is minority and/or lower income.

2. Why in the hell do you expect someone with a college degree to sit on their butt and live off "savings" (oh, yeah, everyone with a college degree MUST be loaded!!) while those who never got an education get jobs?! That's the most backward line of thinking I have ever read on this forum. Get real.

3. You live in the USA- the land of opportunity and freedom. Unlike the former Soviet republics whose governments decide who is & isn't college material for you, here you can become anything you want at any age. I have a friend whose mother became a cancer nurse after beating cancer in her early 40's. So why don't you stop complaining and get yourself an education so you can get a good job? The world HAS changed and it isn't going to change back to a place where a GED is going to earn a living wage. Either change or get run over. You don't really have a choice.

4. Before you complain about the cost of college- you can start a Associate's degree for around $4-5k per year. Take out loans if you have to- developing job skills and earning a degree is the best investment you can make in yourself.

5. We live here. We're not pessimistic. We're realists. Many of us have friend's or former coworkers who have been unemployed for 6 months to 2 or 3 years in this recession. People with degrees and with connections in the Dallas area- two things you don't have. The facts are that the unemployment rate in Dallas for someone with a degree is 4%. For someone without one, it's 14-16%. it's not easy for someone without a degree to get a job in any city right now. We're just telling you straight up.

@ the OP-this is very good advice you should really listen to it..Take it from a person who doesn't live in the area, but has vetted it thoroughly. It's not all strawberries and kittens in DFW like others would have you believe. You need to balance your decision with real-life opinions as well.

[Howru]

I agree. You are going to have to work at it. I think I will take on average at least a year, maybe two.

[cmacemm]

Originally Posted by SmartGXL

Chicago has a good system like this and also there are many social services here that can help you not only find a job but also food pantries etc.

I'm trying to move to Chicago. Any ideas on places that can help me with a job?

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by elan

LeavingCaliIthink, If I were in your shoes, I would consider a less trendy city. You know, a place that everyone is NOT flocking to. I know several people that had to get really creative and opt for a different location than they normally would have. I would send my resume to places like Abilene, Midland, Amarillo and so on. Heck, even Oklahoma for that matter. Chin up and best of luck to you.

I believe this is an excellent idea and worth exploration.

As a bunch of, "secondary" - sorry - cities like, Midland/Odessa, Fargo, Sioux Falls, Lincoln, and dozens of others have tighter labor markets than larger cities the OP should get on that right now. Great thinking.