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Say you've decided to move. You hate your current job, you're sick of being stuck in your hometown, you've targeted a region (in my case I'm living in Michigan right now, looking to move to Pacific Northwest). You have enough money to significantly soften the transition, and find a job (again, in my case I have a year's worth of money saved up) BUT: I can't supply a proof of employment or job offer to apartments, and can't even look at the apartments I'm applying to. Knowing that the moving process takes some time to actually get started (I assume giving your two weeks plus a few more weeks to pack, plus actually driving out there) When do you tell your current job that you quit?
I guess I'm just nervous about "pulling the trigger" but seriously, if everything has to happen at once, and most things I can't/don't want to do without being there, how do you plan?
A couple of weeks before the new job begins?
Seriously, I would never recommend moving without a job waiting at your destination. I have always gone where the job is, instead of just moving to some dream location with no job set up in advance.
Please don't go out West without a job in hand. I just sent some $ to help get a friend's adult son back here because he can't find enough work to support himself in Portland (OR), and he has a 2-year degree and 4 years of experience in his field. It's all temporary and part-time stuff, it seems to me.
I don't blame you for hating MI, but take a two week vacation, set up interviews before you go, and get out there. Hit the pavement hard. You can stay at an extended stay hotel or a boarding house to start with if you do have a job lined up but run out of time to apartment hunt or have to wait awhile before you can get into the apt. that you want.
I'd normally agree*, but I have two unusual circumstances that might play to my favor. 1) I have a connection that will be able to help me out, but only once I've arrived. And 2) I'd be using Portland as a 6-12mo waypoint for a more solid connection/opportunity in Vancouver, BC (in my dream field of filmmaking). But I have to wait a while for my dual citizenship to come through. I just loath the idea of staying in Saginaw another 5 months.
*I've tried the visit option, ended up setting a few meetings (in Seattle, too), but nothing came of it. My field (right now anyway) is in engineering, which sounds great until you realize that most entry-level engineering grads are worthy of any entry-level engineering job, so employers prefer "easier" local candidates. The market is laughably over-saturated as it is.
*I've tried the visit option, ended up setting a few meetings (in Seattle, too), but nothing came of it.
Think of this process as an engineering problem. Has anything changed since you were last in Seattle? If not, why would you expect things to be different? How well does your skill set match what they want?
Larger picture: how well does your skill set match what any employer wants?
Where are those employers located?
It might be that you need to go to a different area. I know you want to go into film making, but you might get further with that if you start a career that brings in enough money to finance it.
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