Relocation Conundrum (Honolulu, Hilo, Kailua: how much, job market, school)
OahuIncludes Honolulu
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My spouse and I are considering moving to Hawaii, but are unsure how difficult it will be to land a job. We are both in fields related to urban/city planning and are looking for a city that has a balance between our needs. She is Japanese/Taiwanese with all family in Asia. I'm American with all of my family in San Diego. We both speak Chinese and Japanese. Her interests pertain to hazard mitigation and resiliency, while mine are more generalized transportation, planning and economic development consulting.
It has been difficult to narrow down potential cities to relocate to as the planning discipline heavily favors geographic experience. The only geographic experience we have in common is NYC, where we have no family or friends. We are both finishing up our masters degree and are not planning to stick around this area (NY state).
We have recently considered Hawaii because much of our professional experience and upbringing is similar to the issues and lifestyle of the islands. From my perspective, San Diego & Hawaii have a lot of the same opportunities/issues like housing affordability, tourism, automobile dependence, military, etc., which align with my experience. Similarly, my spouse's disaster mitigation/management focus in Japan is very similar to Hawaii's hazards. In my head this sounds like it makes sense, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
So, my main question (and this can apply to multiple industries): How much preference is given to Hawaii-based applicants? Are many professionals coming from the mainland/abroad? Are job opportunities for non-locals limited in geography based fields?
I realize that the easy answer is "yes", but given that there is only 1 (small) planning school in the entire state is landing a job in this field possible?
Thank you in advance for your time and help. Apologies for the "California Dreaming"-like thread. They drive me crazy too. Although I personally prefer San Diego over Honolulu, I'm trying to open up my search to other job markets for my spouse.
If I were you, at your level(s) of expertise, I'd apply in all the locations you would remotely consider. Then give it to God. Right now I have applications in Italy, Gitmo, Hawaii, Japan and many of the lower 48. You are young and need to be established in a field. You are (both) valuable. Please consider taking a "foot-in-the-door" job that has opportunities to climb.
I'd recommend USAJobs normally and it might be a good way to get a start but I think you'd find better pay elsewhere considering your fields. Emergency management comes to mind. You can probably find state and city jobs but private sector is probably where the money is. I think the world is your oyster.
ETA: Don't move anywhere until you have a firm job offer but, by all means, look to Hawaii! We spent a fun year there! It will be harder to save money there.
First of all, there's only one "city" in Hawaii, and that's Honolulu. There are no other incorporated cities or towns. The government for each idea is at the county level and on the Big Island it is located in Hilo. There is your first lesson in geographic experience in Hawaii.
First of all, there's only one "city" in Hawaii, and that's Honolulu. There are no other incorporated cities or towns. The government for each idea is at the county level and on the Big Island it is located in Hilo. There is your first lesson in geographic experience in Hawaii.
Thank you for your input! We are finishing our masters degrees and have prior work experience in Asia and the US (NYC). Haha, yes I am aware that Honolulu is the only city. My dad grew up in Kailua before the family was relocated to San Diego. They liked SD and never left. The problem with San Diego and Hawaii is the depressed wages or "sunshine tax" and high cost of living. It's also very competitive to land a job in SD and I'm assuming the same in HI..?
I have been to 5 of the Hawaiian islands and greatly enjoyed the visit. Although I prefer the mainland, we are trying to find city/state that can balance our professional and personal needs. Personally, I'm completely fine with staying in San Diego. However, her experience in Japan disasters and desire to be closer to family makes Hawaii seem like a good balance.
ETA: Don't move anywhere until you have a firm job offer but, by all means, look to Hawaii! We spent a fun year there! It will be harder to save money there.
Don't worry, that is definitely my plan. Jobs secured first!
Hawaii sounds nice, but I'm really just doing this for the spouse. San Diego offers more or less the same lifestyle.
So, my main question (and this can apply to multiple industries): How much preference is given to Hawaii-based applicants? Are many professionals coming from the mainland/abroad? Are job opportunities for non-locals limited in geography based fields?
I realize that the easy answer is "yes", but given that there is only 1 (small) planning school in the entire state is landing a job in this field possible?
The ability for you and your spouse to find decent paying jobs in Honolulu is practically non-existent unless you get extremely lucky or wait it out several months once you already live here.
To answer your specific questions - most companies won't even consider a applicant who hasn't lived in Hawaii for quite some time. Try applying to altres.com which recruits for positions in Hawaii - you'll get an automatic rejection letter that they don't consider out of state applicants - and try again when you actually live here. If you have some type of specialized skill like a programmer or something not readily available in Hawaii you have a better chance. Your language skills won't really help unless you are applying for things like a bank teller, tour operator, etc.
Not that many professionals move to Hawaii, it is a difficult and expensive move - Hawaii is one of the few states with net migrations, more people move away from Hawaii than move to Hawaii.
The ability for you and your spouse to find decent paying jobs in Honolulu is practically non-existent unless you get extremely lucky or wait it out several months once you already live here.
To answer your specific questions - most companies won't even consider a applicant who hasn't lived in Hawaii for quite some time. Try applying to altres.com which recruits for positions in Hawaii - you'll get an automatic rejection letter that they don't consider out of state applicants - and try again when you actually live here. If you have some type of specialized skill like a programmer or something not readily available in Hawaii you have a better chance. Your language skills won't really help unless you are applying for things like a bank teller, tour operator, etc.
Not that many professionals move to Hawaii, it is a difficult and expensive move - Hawaii is one of the few states with net migrations, more people move away from Hawaii than move to Hawaii.
Great, thank you for your honesty and for actually addressing my question! I do have contacts on the island so I'll probably apply to a few jobs anyways. I'll reserve from having high expectations.
I already calculated the distances between SD-Tokyo and Honolulu-Tokyo, and realized they aren't too different. As a mentioned in the original post, the type of planning work we are each interested & experienced in seems relevant to Hawaii. Her research relates to natural disasters in Japan, which are pretty different compared to San Diego (other than earthquakes, though minimal). I also think it makes her more comfortable being Taiwanese/Japanese in Hawaii. My place in San Diego is near the border and Spanish is a must.
My spouse and I are considering moving to Hawaii, but are unsure how difficult it will be to land a job. We are both in fields related to urban/city planning and are looking for a city that has a balance between our needs. She is Japanese/Taiwanese with all family in Asia. I'm American with all of my family in San Diego. We both speak Chinese and Japanese. Her interests pertain to hazard mitigation and resiliency, while mine are more generalized transportation, planning and economic development consulting.
As you Probably already know the Rail project is going in. So that might be a start. But you are going to have be living here to get a shot at any work on the Rail project. Here is some job links to check out.
Be sure to save up money. At least six months worth of wages, more would be better. A good idea to have a emergency savings fund. To help you get a start back on the mainland somewhere if every thing does not work out on Oahu.
Best of luck in your search.
As you Probably already know the Rail project is going in. So that might be a start. But you are going to have be living here to get a shot at any work on the Rail project. Here is some job links to check out.
Be sure to save up money. At least six months worth of wages, more would be better. A good idea to have a emergency savings fund. To help you get a start back on the mainland somewhere if every thing does not work out on Oahu.
Best of luck in your search.
Thank you for the listings, I appreciate you going out of your way to do this. I'm actually applying for an opening at HART and have a contact at the agency. Chances are pretty low, but it doesn't hurt to send in a resume.
Thank you again to everyone for being helpful and candid.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Right now I have applications in Italy, Gitmo, Hawaii, Japan and many of the lower 48. You are young and need to be established in a field. You are (both) valuable. Please consider taking a "foot-in-the-door" job that has opportunities to climb. 
