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Hi everyone i would greatly appreciate everyones advice on a move to Hawaii with my family.So i am currently in college for a Associates for Welding and Applied Science and ive talked with my fiancee about possibly moving when im done and my dream has always been to live in the tropics and she has always thought the ocean was beautiful even though she has never been there yet.I understand the cost of living is very high there which is one of the reason im trying to get the education that i am currently in school for,along with wanting to provide the best possible life for my family and basically fulfill a dream my fiancee has wanted.Another reason is because my godfather went there to spend the last of his days and before he took that flight he told me it was a beautiful and i should visit there sometime so i figure if i can and if welders can make a decent living out there i want to make it happen.So any advice or links i can visit about neighborhoods,cost of living i seen was around 1800+ at least and we'll be a family of 3 by the way,oh and which part of hawaii cause i guess some islands cost alot more then most,like a place for hiking,camping that sort of thing.
Thanks for any advice ya'll give me,ill be out of school in about another year and probably not gonna move right then but i do want to take her on a vacation there first and check things out.
Where to start. You have a child, that's off to a bad start. Yes, it is expensive here. The cheapest places here are Kau and Puna, on Big Island. Few jobs, far from cities. You can hike and camp, but you may get robbed, actually, probably will. You sound somewhat young for this experience. And welding? Really? There are already way too many unemployed welders/ mechanics here. You can go to Punatalk on Punaweb, but they won't be any more positive than me. Come if you want, but don't be too disappointed. Your chances on Oahu or Maui are even lower. Good luck.
Last edited by leilaniguy; 10-01-2017 at 12:58 AM..
Travis, good idea to vacation in Hawaii first, although a lot of people fall in love with the Hawaii they see through tourist eyes and don't see the realities. Stay in a vacation rental or AirBnB and try to live like a local instead of staying at a resort.
There are more affordable places to live on the mainland, and probably more places where you can find a welding job. Perhaps you could look around and see what kind of work is available here and what the starting pay is to give you some idea whether it is even practical.
Spend some time reading through the many threads here that discuss cost of living and schools. You've got a couple of years to do your research.
Travis, with regards to employment, and your skill set briefly described in your introduction, I would suggest initially looking at federal employment opportunities at a place like Pearl Harbor naval station shipyard. Based on your qualifications and that skill set, you might be able to determine your expected earning potential. From there, you can research online the general cost of housing rental, food, gasoline, insurance, etc. A lot of this stuff is easily searchable. If you get to the point, where this makes credible AND good financial sense, you might want to do as DofH suggested and come here for an on-the-ground survey prior to confirming any plans. Since you have a child, and as pointed out by a previous poster, I would recommend thoroughly researching the schools. The more research and in-depth study you do, the more likely your ultimate decision to either come to Hawaii or find a better future elsewhere for your family will be met with success. Keep studying and don't stop dreaming. Good Luck!
Having a dream is not a crime but failing to plan appropriately should be!
Others mention schools already so I won’t beat that drum. Don’t discount it however, your child’s education is your number one job as a parent
Regarding your job:
Do you have any experience in your chosen field? Or just schooling?
Would working on the mainland and gaining experience make it easier to get hired in the islands?
Should you join a union? (This can take years)
Do you have any debt?
Do you have any savings?
Long story short, you really need to plan this out. Moving to the islands and having a miserable and “barely making it” existence would quickly counteract blue skies, ocean water and palm trees.
Hi everyone i would greatly appreciate everyones advice on a move to Hawaii with my family.So i am currently in college for a Associates for Welding and Applied Science and ive talked with my fiancee about possibly moving when im done and my dream has always been to live in the tropics and she has always thought the ocean was beautiful even though she has never been there yet.I understand the cost of living is very high there which is one of the reason im trying to get the education that i am currently in school for,along with wanting to provide the best possible life for my family and basically fulfill a dream my fiancee has wanted.Another reason is because my godfather went there to spend the last of his days and before he took that flight he told me it was a beautiful and i should visit there sometime so i figure if i can and if welders can make a decent living out there i want to make it happen.So any advice or links i can visit about neighborhoods,cost of living i seen was around 1800+ at least and we'll be a family of 3 by the way,oh and which part of hawaii cause i guess some islands cost alot more then most,like a place for hiking,camping that sort of thing.
Thanks for any advice ya'll give me,ill be out of school in about another year and probably not gonna move right then but i do want to take her on a vacation there first and check things out.
Travis,
I totally understand your feelings. Dreams are awesome to have.
Here is my advice.
Go in the exact opposite direction of your dreams. Go to where you can work 60+ hours a week welding for big corporate clients.
Live somewhere mundane, not somewhere a la mode.
If there is no kid yet in the picture, make sure your fiancee works FULL TIME with some ambition or...drop her.
If there is a kid already in the picture, make sure your fiancee works full-time and then part-time after baby is born. And with ambition.
Drive a wimpy car like a Civic or Corolla. If you have the money, buy an old pick-up. I love my old Ford F-150 with the Inline 6.
DO NOT vacation in Hawaii, the Carribean or anything similar.
Follow the above for maybe 10 years without deviation.
In ten years time, you will be a pretty solid welder. You will a really nicely padded set of bank and investment accounts. You will be able to put your kid in a good school. You will be living in your own house in a nice neighborhood and zip code. You will be able to treat your wife to romantic outings. And she will love you for all of the above.
From there, indulge in a two week trip to Hawaii. Indulge.
Repeat every ten years though to Asia, Europe, etc.
By then, your kids will have gone off to study important things in university. You will likely have some choice toys that bring you all joy. You will have expanded beyond your wildest dreams.
--
Or you can start your life in debt righting for scraps in a very expensive market and if kids are in involved, it will break your heart.
DO NOT vacation in Hawaii, the Carribean or anything similar.
Now that's the first thing that I've read that makes sense in a long time. A junior welder with a kid should get priorities in order and Hawaii isn't exactly a priority
I'd like to thank everyone for their advice and i will take it all into consideration,i didnt want to bore everyone with the details in my life so i just cut straight to the point and gave a vague description on everything going on.Now im not sure if what i said made some think that im putting all my eggs in one basket like welding but it is a plan ive had for years and it just so happened im in a unique oppertunity to go through with my education and my schooling doesnt stop at just welding but also a few classes of engineering and metallurgy as well,I figure if im going to school for it why not learn about the differant fields along the way cause I've read about some succesfull people in welding didnt stop there but went on to a engineering degree just in case like a previous poster said about the unemployed welders,its not just a spur of the moment thing that popped in my head i just didnt know about how the life was there and im very aware of the higher job market here in the mainland its just my godfather retired there and explained how beautiful some of the places there were and ive had time to think about.I just figured that if i had the oppertunity to bring my family like say before were all in retirement why not.From what ive read it seems like i guess i sounded like i just got out of high school or something,guess i need to take a writing class,well how about this i do have more experience then just school its just what im taking and was curious on what i could make of just that in the islands, apparently not much lol,but it is a place i plan on retiring to so with that yes i am naive in the island life cause ive never lived nor vacationed there but im not exactly all that "young" either meaning the experience of working in the energy side of working,like oilrigs,pipeline,coal etc for over a decade along with construction,mechanics at fremont and ford cause i want to add extra skills when i moved to wyoming cause working in the oilfield for over 10yrs is nice but theres not much carry over so i basically broadened my skill set to not just one thing.Now i know its crowded, overly expensive and apparently hard to find housing and a job,how about things that ARE available i know there has to be some.Like i said before its not like its gonna happen yesterday it is a process so i have plenty of time to work it out,just thought id ask for some advice and btw no its not a priority my family is first i do very much realize the risk invovled which is why i came to this board.So once again thank everyone in advance and thank yall for your time
Travis, FWIW, I checked the Pearl Harbor shipyard job listings and it seems that welders with basic welding skills and meet the US government hiring quals are being paid $30/hr plus with benefits. I would presume if you are learning specialty skills such as welding exotics or underwater welding, the pay is likely substantially higher. Does your fiancée have a skill or specialty she can employ? All things to consider once you finish your studies and start looking at locations around the country you would like to live and work that best benefit you, your fiancée and child.
Thank you for the reply,its possible i might end up there.The general idea is to move some place a little warmer,like a previous poster said to do the exact opposite which i already have im just trying to move things forward and get as much information as i can and probably will end up staying in wyoming,i was born in the south near texas so even though i didnt move up to somewhere really extreme like alaska i got a pretty good idea how it will be.Once again thank you for the advice
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