★ MOVING TO MINNEAPOLIS, opinions? ★ (St. Louis Park, Dakota: best neighborhood, credit, promotional)

[breestadlman]

Alriiiiiiiiiight,
A little about myself.
I'm an 18 year old white girl who likes big population and a lot going on.
I am a BIG CITY girl and LOVE art and music.
I like A LOT of DIVERSITY and I'm very outgoing.
I will be attending MCTC in the Fall for Web Design..

1. Is it going to be hard to find a job (with no degree/training) making at least $11

2. How can I stand out from everyone else when applying? I've found that finding a job in a bigger place is a lot more difficult than South Dakota.

3. Best Neighborhood to live? (Remember, I like BIG )

4. Opinions on MCTC?

Thaaaaaaaaaanks.
xo

[Cleverbeetle98]

You'll get plenty of suggestions to live in either downtown or uptown...

I haven't looked for a job w/o a degree in many years, but I would guess that expecting to make more than minimum wage with a highschool degree will be tough.

[asitshouldbe]

There are jobs over $11 without a degree.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by breestadlman

Alriiiiiiiiiight,
A little about myself.
I'm an 18 year old white girl who likes big population and a lot going on.
I am a BIG CITY girl and LOVE art and music.
I like A LOT of DIVERSITY and I'm very outgoing.
I will be attending MCTC in the Fall for Web Design..

1. Is it going to be hard to find a job (with no degree/training) making at least $11

2. How can I stand out from everyone else when applying? I've found that finding a job in a bigger place is a lot more difficult than South Dakota.

3. Best Neighborhood to live? (Remember, I like BIG )

4. Opinions on MCTC?

Thaaaaaaaaaanks.
xo

1. Without college experience, your chances of a job that pays that well are slim to none. I just graduated and got an internship that pays $10/hour and that's one of the best I've seen outside the business internships. Normal jobs? Expect just above minimum wage.

2. For your level of jobs, I'm guessing there isn't too much to do to stand out besides maybe keeping in touch with whoever is hiring you so they remember you.

3. Define "big". Downtown has big buildings. Uptown has some of the densest neighborhoods in the city. Those are the places you'll get the most recommendations. Try Loring Park...it's where MCTC is located and it's pretty large. Plus, it will finally have a full grocery store in a few days (albeit a bit pricey).

4. I can't speak on this one besides that I know a couple people I know work there and seem to like it.

[Kebinminn]

Costco is known for paying their employees a living wage, it's hard to get into but that's probably one of your best bets.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by Kebinminn

Costco is known for paying their employees a living wage, it's hard to get into but that's probably one of your best bets.

This does assume that the OP can travel, though. The closest one is in St. Louis Park according to the Google map search I did. You'd need a car to get out there most likely. But it's definitely an option. On the same token, Trader Joe's is said to pay a fair wage and there's one in SLP as well.

I'm curious how this $11 figure came about in the first place. Is there a specific reason? It seems arbitrary and out of line for most jobs a high school graduate working part time in school would likely expect.

[rzzz]

If you can do computer stuff you can find a job that pays more than $11. I did unix systems administration back when I was 18. Bookkeeping is another. Otherwise, try security work. I think it starts at around $14/hr. If you have the right look you could do promotional modeling. You have to think of jobs slightly 'outside the box' if you want to make more money at your age. The typical barista, retail clerk type jobs all pay about the same.

[GBCommenter]

I'd agree Loring Park (where MCTC is located) and nearby will be some good options for a neighborhood that offers the "big-city" feel and diversity you are looking for.

I also am curious why $11/hour and not $12 or $10? That said, including some of the suggestions made by others, keep in mind serving/waiting tables. Though I'm not absolutely certain of the law, I've served as a second job and the places I have served paid their servers the full $7.25/hour minimum wage (as opposed to some states that pay a "tipped employee minimum" of around $2.13/hour). Given they all paid $7.25/hour, my guess is MN law says they must, but could be simply restaurants cannot get servers who will work for a "server minimum wage" of $2.13. Though obviously not guaranteed (and this might be your gamble), you can probably average at least the other $4/hour to hit your $11/hour.

Gamble is: 1) do you have the personality and mindset to serve (in spite of the common belief, not everyone is cut out to do serving)?, 2) will you make the tips to make the difference you want?, and 3) can you get enough hours to make that $11/hour meaningful (doesn't matter if you make "$11/hour" if you only get 10-12 hours a week at work)? Keep in mind, serving is often a very "shift-oriented" business. You may have to work a number of short shifts to cover when the restaurant is busy - it's not like you'll start out working full 8-hour shifts. You might start with a lunch shift of 2-3 hours and then a dinner shift of 2-3 hours. There is an advantage of having a lot of flexibility to work and go to school at the same time, but also where you are scheduled a lunch and dinner, but free time between where you don't have enough time to do something else somewhere else between shifts, and you're not making money because you're not on the clock either.

MCTC, in general, is an acceptable and accredited school, though not particularly notable or "sexy". I attended and found it to be a fairly diverse place, especially in respect of serving the "non-traditional" student (such as myself, going back to school). Credits should generally transfer well to a full 4 year school to complete your Bachelors, so that isn't much of an issue. That said, there wasn't all that much of a community or sense of camaraderie. If you're looking for a place with lots of extra activities or where you hang out with students for the experience, MCTC is probably not it. Students, in my experience, went to get their credits and then went to live their lives somewhere else.

[uptown_urbanist]

Another vote for Loring Park. Feels "big," diverse, and you can walk to school. Or head south a bit to Whittier, which is very diverse, is pretty "artsy" these days.

As far as jobs, do you have any prior job experience? If not, that might be tough -- no degree is one thing, no work experience is another. It sounds like you have computer experience, so perhaps try temping. Not sure what the market/wages are for that these days, but I know several people who have landed good FT jobs through their temp work.

[golfgal]

Waitressing is probably your most lucrative job for a college student, night and weekend hours and if you work at a semi-expensive place, you can make over $11/hour with tips quite easily.