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I could write for days, but not sure if I will get any response, so will save the novel for later...
I am 41 going on 25
My wife, an amazing 3rd grade teacher, and myself, a Landscape Architecture graduate working as a waiter at a local wine bar, are considering a move out of here as soon as we can. Vegas has run it's course and we are ready to pursue other endeavors.
We have 2 little ones, 2+ and 4mos. and a couple rangy cats.
She used to live in Lake Oswego, I have lived here most of my life (since 1977) but we had a ranch north of Klamath Falls on the lake for many years that I would spend my summers at. Learned to ski on Bachelor. I am familiar with south central Oregon.
We are avid outdoors people. In our garage are kayaks, mountain bikes, backpacking gear, fishing gear, 2 motorcycles, and a 1982 CJ-7, none of which get much use. I also love to hunt and consume vast quantities of locally brewed beer (not at the same time, hahaha!).
I am trained as a Landscape Architect, but we had our baby the week I graduated, and our son was born 2 years later....which means I have been taking care of them during the day, rather than looking for a real job, which has been awesome, no regrets. Have never worked in my field. I have waited tables for quite some time, have been at Grapestreet around 8yrs. Done with the service industry and ready to find other challenges.
We own our home, got it before things went crazy, but will probably not make anything when we sell it. Hoping to break even. Will rent at first wherever we go to scope the place out and figure out the patterns of our new life.
We are comfortable here, easily paying our bills and living a happy life, but are constantly thinking that it could be better than this. We want more for our kids, and ourselves. My wife is off 3 months a year and it is too hot to take the little ones out most of the time. Fall and Spring are great, but she is working and our time together is less. Not anti-Vegas, just need a change.
I love pine trees, and prefer rivers to oceans.
So....how is the employment outlook for teachers? She has her masters in administration, but would rather stay in the classroom for a little while longer.
I would be looking, of course, for work in my field, either with a private firm, or possibly (and this is a long shot) with the Forest Service as an LA. I am a former Marine, and I know there is some sort of veteran's preference, but not much. I think any Forest Service job in the Bend area would be quite hard to come by.
Also, I was considering starting a mobile barbecue business. It would be part time, and more of a hobby initially. I have been cooking a while and thoroughly enjoy it. Not sure if there is a market for good, wood fired barbecue up in the Bend area, but maybe I could get some feedback on that. I know it would be seasonal. I would specialize in on-site cooking, and have a large mobile pit with a kitchen attached. I know it would take off here, I have quite the network and a good reputation, however, I don't want to get stuck here. Now is the time to move.
Thanks for reading, just wanted to get my info out there and see where it goes. I guess we are just nervous about moving there and having to work like crazy for no money just to cover expenses...then we wouldn't be able to benefit from the move. Take care.
All news articles coming out are saying that further teacher layoffs are going to happen across the state.
As for you, you're going to have a hard time finding a job, even with the Forest Service. Even low wage jobs are getting hundreds of resumes. Your best is to apply remotely and hope for the best.
Since you have jobs there, you should stay there another year at least.
A real slow pit cooked BBQ could work in Portland though, we have a couple but can always use more good ones. Multnomah County has made it very easy to get everything setup for a food cart. I know it's not quite the area you want to be in, but perhaps it might be attractive.
The only other way I'd say you should come to Oregon at all, is if you have at least a years living expenses in savings. Your wife just isn't going to get a teaching job any time soon and may need to look at changing industries.
Another thing about the teaching job outlook in Oregon. Everything I have read indicates that if hiring ever does recur, it will be the teachers who were laid off who will be called first. Any others will have to get in line and the list is pretty long.
You could look at private schools. Maybe the picture there is different but I would imagine they are being inundated with applications from the public school teacher layoffs.
I think your best bet would be with the barbque idea. But if you decide to move, do as the previous poster suggested and come with enough money to live on for at least a year and make sure you have enough to move on if you do not succeed in finding something with which you can support yourself.
People do come here and beat the odds regarding the job situation. But you should know before hand what you will be up against.
I concur that it is highly unlikely that your wife would get a job in admin or teaching. Schools are cutting like crazy, and will do more so next year.
If you want to do a food cart, Portland is probably your best bet. I don't know the food cart scene in Bend. Salem has a bbq food cart and I'm not sure we could support another one. Anyone know if Corvallis could support one?
Unfortunately I have to agree with the other posters on this one. Bend's economy, especially in regards to teaching, is in the tank. My husband and I moved here 3 years ago from Colorado, where I taught 3rd and 4th grades. I've yet to find a teaching job here. He's a nurse and was able to land a job before we moved, otherwise we would have been in real trouble. I also have my bachelor's degree in Forestry, and I've applied to 4 jobs with the Forest Service here (I have reinstatement privilege as well, as I was career FS before making the switch to teaching) with only 1 actual interview. It's a really tough market.
Bend is starting to build a small food cart industry, but it would be really tough to make it on that alone, especially with 2 kids. I do believe we have 2 or 3 BBQ type carts as well. You can google Bend food carts and find numerous articles about them.
While Bend is a beautiful place to live, it's not easy to make a living here. Have you considered other places where the economy isn't in such dire circumstances? You might like Colorado (my home state).
Take a look at the replies to Raven1976's thread in this forum. The replies give pretty much the same information in regard to the lact of teaching jobs.
Thanks for the comments and advice. I have to say it was pretty much what I expected. We hadn't planned on moving any sooner than a year, so have some time to make some plans. This whole change is driven by emotion, and a desire to live life with no regrets, but sometimes reality can put up some roadblocks.
There are other options we have been looking at...I have family in the Boise area, and her family lives in Lyons Colorado, just north of Boulder. My school pals are in Denver, both working in the industry. I could probably get a job in the area, but not looking forward to the commute into downtown Denver from wherever we would be living. Employment, always the deciding factor, especially when there are kids involved, will ultimately drive our choices. Since she is the one with the established career, and I am the "free agent" so to speak, at the very least she will have to land a great teaching position with security and benefits before we move anywhere. We can't have both of us on shaky ground when it comes to work. Walking away from our safety net here is a big deal, but damn, living here is becoming quite the drag. So.....I guess we will look at where there are great teaching jobs available. She is National Board certified, so that may expedite the process. Her credentials are impeccable, but if there are no jobs, there are no jobs. Here in Clark County they are also firing new, and hiring back previously laid off employees. She has taught here over 11 years, so we are good.
Might contact the Forest Service office in Bend anyway, try to get in touch with any Landscape Architects on staff to get an outlook on the career in general, as far as the FS is concerned, regardless of location. Maybe they would take the time to chat with me via email. Wonder why the FS puts out LA recruitment brochures, when they have no positions available. Oh well. Not putting all my eggs in that basket, just want to educate myself on the possibilities/realities.
Just to clarify...I wouldn't be doing a "food cart" so to speak. Barbecue is too much of a time commitment, and financial burden (at least the way I would do it), to cook for hours and sit there hoping someone would stop by. It would be more of a corporate/wedding/special event on site affair with the occasional fair or festival probably. I think some that are in the area that are up and running are Cougar Canyon BBQ and Bad Boys BBQ. There might not be room for another, but, I haven't tried their food yet. The bottom line is that I love to barbecue, and I love to entertain and cook for people. But, this would be a pursuit that would supplement our income, at least initially. Doubt it could support us. But, that is why we need her to land a good position, so that I can test the waters in other areas.
Anyway, I hear some crying, so time to feed my son. Gotta scat! Talk to you soon.
It is far from over for growth and landscape architecture in central Oregon, in fact, it has only just begun since baby boomers show a strong preference for retiring in Exurban (semi-rural) markets like Bend, Ashland, Durango, Sedona, Santa Fe, etc.
Bend will see +/-40,000 new residents in the next +/-20 year after their next urban growth boundary extension is approved at the end of 2012. The main reason that Bend is stalled is that the state refused to approve the UGB several times, the last time was Nov. 2010. Demographic trends predict that demand for homes on large lots in Exurban markets will increase dramatically in central Oregon ... over the next 20 years as Baby Boomers retire ...
Destination resorts like Sunriver for some strange reason are unpopular in Oregon among the annoying NIMBY Crowd, although I am confident that several will be approved ... due to high demand, and the NIMBY good ol' boy folks finally realizing that they would be happier with a real job, instead of collecting welfare checks, while working with their allies at environmental groups such as COLW. There is a lot that can be created in Oregon if one learns to love people instead of complaining about trees getting cut down. Just don't cut them down. Just build the destination resort under the trees, and well, guess what - That's what they do anyway, they preserve the native trees in such resorts, it's absolutely gorgeous what they do! But the NIMBY tree huggers still go psychotic, along with the DLCD Officials, even with over 99% of the state not even paved over.
Check with the City of Bend Economic Development Dept. about Juniper Ridge, as this new and exciting development will feature mixed use and a new university, offices, small companies, entrepreneurs, along with parks and housing units. I think that Jerry Lidz (?) was or still is the Program manager at Juniper Ridge.
When Bend's urban growth boundary is expanded by the end of 2012 this will stimulate construction. The remand task force, for extending the boundary, fortunately, has pro-business City Councilors Jodie Barram and Tom Greene on the board - http://www.ci.bend.or.us/depts/community_development/ugb_expansion_information.html
You might also check with the Central Oregon Association of Realtors (COAR), and their govt. affairs director Bill Robie, about trends in local developments. http://www.centraloregonrealtors.com/index.php?action=about.about-staff#
Check out various developments such as North Rim at Bend and Northwest Crossing. They both have interactive web sites.
If you are into green landscaping check out the firm of Pique LLC in Bend.
See their Vimeo page Maison a Mormont on Vimeo
Pique Web site http://www.piquecollaborative.com/
I hope this helps but by no means does it constitute an endorsement of Bend since times are still difficult in Bend. However you do not see the pro-GREEN-growth side of the story here that much. Green growth is good growth.
Last edited by B97701; 09-30-2011 at 03:35 AM..
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Landscape Arch in Bend
