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Me: 26, man, single, gay, no pets At my disposal: Florida and New Zealand driving licenses, $105k cash, car (would be shipped); No debt Degrees: BA; MA. Both in PoliSci (International Relations) The degrees' existence are more relevant than the specialty. Currently doing/Current income: Freelance Writing - travel/airlines/frequent flyer miles; netting $500-1000/mo depending on client needs/projects. Clients are long term and committed to my work; $200/mo in stock dividends. Looking to: Work my way up in tourism/travel/hospitality Where: Oahu. Location background: Grew up in New York. Lived abroad in Scotland (4 years), Australia (2 years), and New Zealand (1.5 years). Currently in DC.
Motivation to move: Disenchanted with East Coast/DC life. Hobbies are limited, more or less, to happy hours and going out to restaurants. I like Doing Things and being outdoors, not stuffing myself. I am three hours drive from a beach, which is a problem for long term satisfaction. The moving and travel means that I have a very down-sized, "not lots of stuff" lifestyle. I like swimming, running, weight lifting, reading, and I've gotten into surfing. DC has a not-great climate, the suburbs are horrifically planned subdivisions, and a social/leisure culture of conspicuous consumption. It's tedious. I miss the New Zealand lifestyle that was simpler, partially due to higher costs/lower wages (sound familiar?) and partially to culture. Yeah, gas was expensive, everything was imported, and high fashion wasn't available, but pristine beaches...everywhere. As a US citizen, the Hawaiian Islands are logistically easier to move to than Fiji, Tahiti, or NZ. I am fascinated by travel/tourism/hospitality, having been a prodigious consumer of it (and naturally curious) and now making a living off of it. Why not truly make a career out of it?
The plan - to be enacted within a month.
-Wind up DC stuff (basically done) and pack my possessions into car (yes, it all fits!)
-Apply for "reasonable shot" jobs (ie mainland companies with Hawaiian operations) - already underway and one interview already scheduled for Tuesday 9/27!
-Drive to San Diego and bon voyage with Close Friend there. (Next Step)
-Put car on boat; fly to HNL.
-Use my metric ton of Hilton points/Platinum status for a free week or more at a hotel while I arrange a short term rental (circa 1 month)
-After securing short term rental, change car's registration to Hawaii, pound pavement. For an introvert, I do surprisingly well simply being Out and About at coffee shops, bringing over a neighbor's misdirected mail, and so on.
-If the interview(s) with Big Mainland Firms don't pan out, find some work that will have customer interaction - graveyard shift at the front desk, barista, retail clerk, etc. Within a year or two, I will want to have acquired resume-worthy customer service experience and local references.
-With that background in hand, use those and my degrees to get into higher paying/higher responsibility roles with hotels, car rental firms, or air travel (for example).
-EDIT: I do harbor longer term entrepreneurial ambitions, but understanding local markets and needs takes time.
Thoughts? I am aware of the CoL and am not shocked by it after being an East Coaster and living in Australasia. I am used to a limited selection at stores. Racial tensions between caucasians and Islanders is also not new to me, but this isn't my first time being a Stranger in a Strange Place, so I know how to adapt rather than demand the world kow-tows to my Will. I am used to making new friends and establishing networks. If things don't work out, or I have a serious un-fixable problem, the planes go both ways. And I'll leave grateful for the opportunity, and the decent people that I'll invariably meet.
Id reset your expectations that "a year or two" working the front desk or as a barista will necessarily lead to a higher paying job (and the pay at the car rental companies suck).
Currently doing/Current income: Freelance Writing - travel/airlines/frequent flyer miles; netting $500-1000/mo depending on client needs/projects. Clients are long term and committed to my work; $200/mo in stock dividends. Looking to: Work my way up in tourism/travel/hospitality
This is another problem. Assuming you don't have education, mgmt. experience, etc, ideally in this industry you'll need to be working a job that you can earn decent tips. If not, you'll be working a $10/hour job or something without much advancement potential. That income including your freelance writing, assuming you keep that up is less than $30k a year.
Below is average salaries. If you're starting off, it'll likely be less. If you have more experience, it'll be a bit more.
Quote:
With tourism being the state’s No. 1 industry, it’s not surprising that service jobs employed thousands of people. The average wage, though, was relatively low in professions with an abundance of workers.
Among the lowest were the 11,740 people employed in the combined food preparation and serving workers category, where the average annual wage was $22,230 and the average hourly wage was $10.69. The category includes fast-food workers.
The 14,790 cashiers didn’t fare much better with an average annual wage of $23,520 and an average hourly wage of $11.31.
Food preparation workers, with 8,720 listed, received an average annual wage of $24,290 and an average hourly wage of $11.68.
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners, averaged an annual wage of $26,780 and an hourly wage of $12.87 for the 13,330 people in that profession.
The 24,770 retail salespersons listed fared slightly better at $26,860 for their average annual wage and $12.91 for their average hourly wage.
To make a reasonable living in Hawaii, where you're not living hand to mouth, you pretty much need a professional job, active military, or work trades. I would not attempt moving to Hawaii without skills to earn you a decent salary starting off.
I think you have the right experience and outlook to survive and maybe even thrive in Hawaii, but like others say, income will be an issue. One good thing is your current income is online, and thus you would hopefully be able to keep that in addition to any local job.
With your background in int'l studies and writing (and knowledge of DC), maybe you could work your way into some sort of grant writing position or just plain writing for an organization (non-profit, environmental, or government). An example I am thinking specifically is the East-West Center that I learned a lot about on my last trip to Oahu. Something like that might be more enjoyable than tourism and service industries for an introvert. Being one of the commercial, scientific, and political centers of the Pacific, Honolulu seems to have a few opportunities in that field.
I think you have the right experience and outlook to survive and maybe even thrive in Hawaii, but like others say, income will be an issue. One good thing is your current income is online, and thus you would hopefully be able to keep that in addition to any local job.
With your background in int'l studies and writing (and knowledge of DC), maybe you could work your way into some sort of grant writing position or just plain writing for an organization (non-profit, environmental, or government). An example I am thinking specifically is the East-West Center that I learned a lot about on my last trip to Oahu. Something like that might be more enjoyable than tourism and service industries for an introvert. Being one of the commercial, scientific, and political centers of the Pacific, Honolulu seems to have a few opportunities in that field.
Noted. The freelance writing does have a potential boon, which I forgot to put in the OP. I gross $32/hr from Client 1 for about $120-$160/wk. From client 2, I net a negotiated rate of $72/piece for 2-3 hours of work (would increase to $81 after 6 pieces). The catch? Client 2 is looking for a commitment from 10-30/hrs per week. That means a potential of up to $800/wk just from him, although I am still negotiating the details with Client 2.
I call myself an introvert, but I generally just keep to myself. Nonetheless, I somehow find people and/or they find me, and I find the dynamic enjoyable. Curiosity often gets the better of me, and I am out rather than shut in with video games/tv/etc.
Seems like it's worth a shot, IMHO. You're not paying a lot to shift a ton of stuff or pets and you've got enough that you're not gonna be homeless if you don't find a job immediately. Give it a year or two and if it doesn't work out, you'll be able to wander on to somewhere else and know that you at least gave it a try.
Me: 26, man, single, gay, no pets At my disposal: Florida and New Zealand driving licenses, $105k cash, car (would be shipped); No debt Degrees: BA; MA. Both in PoliSci (International Relations) The degrees' existence are more relevant than the specialty. Currently doing/Current income: Freelance Writing - travel/airlines/frequent flyer miles; netting $500-1000/mo depending on client needs/projects. Clients are long term and committed to my work; $200/mo in stock dividends. Looking to: Work my way up in tourism/travel/hospitality Where: Oahu. Location background: Grew up in New York. Lived abroad in Scotland (4 years), Australia (2 years), and New Zealand (1.5 years). Currently in DC.
Motivation to move: Disenchanted with East Coast/DC life. Hobbies are limited, more or less, to happy hours and going out to restaurants. I like Doing Things and being outdoors, not stuffing myself. I am three hours drive from a beach, which is a problem for long term satisfaction. The moving and travel means that I have a very down-sized, "not lots of stuff" lifestyle. I like swimming, running, weight lifting, reading, and I've gotten into surfing. DC has a not-great climate, the suburbs are horrifically planned subdivisions, and a social/leisure culture of conspicuous consumption. It's tedious. I miss the New Zealand lifestyle that was simpler, partially due to higher costs/lower wages (sound familiar?) and partially to culture. Yeah, gas was expensive, everything was imported, and high fashion wasn't available, but pristine beaches...everywhere. As a US citizen, the Hawaiian Islands are logistically easier to move to than Fiji, Tahiti, or NZ. I am fascinated by travel/tourism/hospitality, having been a prodigious consumer of it (and naturally curious) and now making a living off of it. Why not truly make a career out of it?
The plan - to be enacted within a month.
-Wind up DC stuff (basically done) and pack my possessions into car (yes, it all fits!)
-Apply for "reasonable shot" jobs (ie mainland companies with Hawaiian operations) - already underway and one interview already scheduled for Tuesday 9/27!
-Drive to San Diego and bon voyage with Close Friend there. (Next Step)
-Put car on boat; fly to HNL.
-Use my metric ton of Hilton points/Platinum status for a free week or more at a hotel while I arrange a short term rental (circa 1 month)
-After securing short term rental, change car's registration to Hawaii, pound pavement. For an introvert, I do surprisingly well simply being Out and About at coffee shops, bringing over a neighbor's misdirected mail, and so on.
-If the interview(s) with Big Mainland Firms don't pan out, find some work that will have customer interaction - graveyard shift at the front desk, barista, retail clerk, etc. Within a year or two, I will want to have acquired resume-worthy customer service experience and local references.
-With that background in hand, use those and my degrees to get into higher paying/higher responsibility roles with hotels, car rental firms, or air travel (for example).
-EDIT: I do harbor longer term entrepreneurial ambitions, but understanding local markets and needs takes time.
Thoughts? I am aware of the CoL and am not shocked by it after being an East Coaster and living in Australasia. I am used to a limited selection at stores. Racial tensions between caucasians and Islanders is also not new to me, but this isn't my first time being a Stranger in a Strange Place, so I know how to adapt rather than demand the world kow-tows to my Will. I am used to making new friends and establishing networks. If things don't work out, or I have a serious un-fixable problem, the planes go both ways. And I'll leave grateful for the opportunity, and the decent people that I'll invariably meet.
You have a larger life problem to deal with than moving to Hawaii. You have a BA and MA degree which have zero value, at least has a zero value to you. No debt is great, but you need job skills that translate to a good job, that translates to an income stream. I'm assuming that the $105K is inherited money, since there's no way you could save that much money living on poverty wages. You lived in Scotland 4 years, Australia 2 years, New Zealand 1.5 years, currently living in DC. How could you live all those places with a poverty level income? Why would a person with a BA and MA be earning poverty wages, $8.4K to $14.4K per year? Something is seriously wrong with this story.
It does not take much research at all to know you cannot ship a car packed with your possessions, that was pointed out to you. To ship the car, probably $1100. Probably several thousand dollars to ship everything else.
You might be able to survive a year, maybe longer on that $105K in Hawaii. You'll be shocked how fast the money goes away. What do you do when the money runs out? I recommend you seriously think about what type of work you can do that can provide yoursef a decent income stream. Then use the money to go back to school for something that will turn into a viable job and income in the future.
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