Giving Up With the Move (Detroit, Grand Rapids: sales, 2013, lease)

[Retroit]

How much money do you have saved up? Enough so that if the job falls through you can get by for a few months until you find another job? Maybe if you offered to pay a few months rent up front, a landlord would be more willing to lease to you.

[jessxwrites89]

I only have $1500 saved up... a fund with a lot more is being refused to me. Well, I misread the tea place e-mail and she actually wanted me to come in and I confessed I haven't moved yet. I guess that's out.

Edit: she replied and asked me when I was going to move. I didn't reply yet because I'm not sure how to answer. You know, I might have to beg employment places around here in Pennsylvania and just save to move. I can't just afford to pick up and move without a job. At least maybe find something that could transfer me anywhere.

[aoletsgo]

Your father sounds like a wise man when he tells you not to move for a minimum wage job. My 2 cents is to stop dreaming about the grass being greener on the other side of the fence. Go out and get some real world skills - plumber, carpenter, machine tool, carpet cleaner whatever. You can always post on message boards and write your great American novel at night. Your $1500 would be gone in a blink of an eye if you moved somewhere for a minimum wage drive, use it to enroll at a community college or trade school.

[xfactor85]

You made a wise decision. Regardless of whether this is Detroit or not, it is generally a bad idea to move to a new area with a so-so/depressed economy without any connections and without a job.

[zthatzmanz28]

Originally Posted by jessxwrites89

I only have $1500 saved up... a fund with a lot more is being refused to me. Well, I misread the tea place e-mail and she actually wanted me to come in and I confessed I haven't moved yet. I guess that's out.

Edit: she replied and asked me when I was going to move. I didn't reply yet because I'm not sure how to answer. You know, I might have to beg employment places around here in Pennsylvania and just save to move. I can't just afford to pick up and move without a job. At least maybe find something that could transfer me anywhere.

Tell her the truth, that you will move within X weeks of having employment that pays a living wage.

[detwahDJ]

Originally Posted by aoletsgo

Your father sounds like a wise man when he tells you not to move for a minimum wage job. My 2 cents is to stop dreaming about the grass being greener on the other side of the fence. Go out and get some real world skills - plumber, carpenter, machine tool, carpet cleaner whatever. You can always post on message boards and write your great American novel at night. Your $1500 would be gone in a blink of an eye if you moved somewhere for a minimum wage drive, use it to enroll at a community college or trade school.

This is true, all such moves are an exciting adventure at first then routine sets in, however Detroit has lots to offer for those, especially single people, who want the urban lifestyle. Yes, a marketable skill is also needed for any real level of security. In that regard, I'm not quite sure what Jesse's desirable and marketable skill is.

[e130478]

What makes you think Detroit is such hip place to be? It really isn't. If you are not interested in working in the automotive industry, your career opportunities are extremely limited.

[MaryleeII]

Originally Posted by 4DM1N

Retail interviews are usually a little less strenuous than a professional interview. That's been my experience at least. I'm not sure how the leasing company would look at a temp job on your rental application. If anything, just list the temp agency as your employer and leave it at that. As long as you think you can manage the rent for whatever terms you agree to (I might do a short term lease; 3 or 6 months; month-to-month if you can find one), I wouldn't tell them anything that would make them have doubts about your ability to pay.

Let us know how it goes on Tuesday. Good luck!

Just put down the name of the company you work for, you don't have to go into detail about how you're a temp----and I would NOT list the temp agency as my employer, that's a dead giveaway

[MaryleeII]

OP--

I really know how you feel. I was in your shoes many years ago, except I lived in Detroit. The area I lived in had the highest crime rate in the country. I lived with my parents at the time. I had just graduated college, worked 3 years for a local company, then got laid off. Everything seemed to crash around us all at once. Getting OUT was the only thing on our minds! My parents simply ditched their home, there was no market for such, it was a complete loss. Their needs and priorities were different than mine. They were looking at retirement but wanted to live somewhere near family and life long friends. On the other hand, I didn't want to live with my parents forever and wanted a job, independence, and freedom!


Long story short, I had a friend in Texas who invited me to stay with her while looking for a job. I do agree, you first pick the location, then job hunt. You really need to be local to be considered seriously. I managed to move with little fanfare, it was just me, my car, and a few items, etc. When I got here, I shared a little house with 3 other ladies, so 4 in one house for $200/mo, came to $50/month, + utilities. One could live that way for awhile.

Using that address as a base, I went job hunting. It still took about a month to find something, but I did find a decent job. I continued to live at the same place for awhile. I didn't need to worry about references, job length, etc, because I had my little house, it worked out fine. As time went on, I got promoted, made more money, and got my own apt. By then, I had 1.5 years at the job, and always maintained excellent credit----that's your biggest asset! I found friends, including a guy I married

Meanwhile, life went on for my folks back in Michigan. My father retired, they bought a condo up North, we had gone our separate ways, although stayed in touch.

I guess what I'm saying is, if you want to move, do it! Don't sweat the details, things have a way of working out. Nothing will happen if you don't take that first step. Good luck

[detwahDJ]

Originally Posted by e130478

What makes you think Detroit is such hip place to be? It really isn't. If you are not interested in working in the automotive industry, your career opportunities are extremely limited.

What do you know about it? Do you live there, or have you been following these threads to know that the auto industry has always been mostly outside of Detroit, and other salient information re. arts, music, culture, etc? Please share your knowledge.