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Old 08-17-2009, 12:46 AM
 
6 posts, read 34,293 times
Reputation: 10

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I am a 25 year old computer programmer, specifically web application development, and my girl friend is a 21 year old science teacher. We are thinking about moving to Oregon. We live in Utah currently. I have always hated Utahs climate, I can deal with any type of cold you throw at me, but I absolutely hate the heat and love the rain. There are no real forests here unless you go into the mountains and I love tree's (they keep the damn sun away from me).

Whats a good place for finding tech jobs and teaching jobs. How are these job markets (yes - I understand your unemployment is horrid). How much do decent apartments go for? I know the economy blows right now, but we aren't planning to move anytime soon so we can wait for things to get better. Anything else I should know about Oregon? I hear you can't pump your own gas there? What the hell is that?
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Old 08-17-2009, 08:50 AM
 
Location: Oceanside and Chehalem Mtns.
716 posts, read 2,816,745 times
Reputation: 531
You'd be foolish to even think about moving from a state with decent employment (ie Utah) to one with the worst unemployment in the country (OR).

It remains to be seen if and when there'll be improvement and programming/teaching jobs are not in demand.

If I were you, I'd try to establish a "work from home" career in your web programming and then once you're established you could move anywhere.
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Old 08-17-2009, 09:14 AM
 
Location: Salem, OR
15,572 posts, read 40,413,812 times
Reputation: 17473
I don't see a 21 year old teacher getting a job here anytime soon. Many of our teacher's have master's degrees and she won't be able to compete against them with a bachelor's degree. Our school funding has been decimated for years here and I don't see that changing anytime soon. If she wants to have a shot at a job in Oregon she should get her Master's Degree. If she is bilingual or has some specialized teaching credentials then that changes things, but if she has nothing to make her stand apart, then she'd struggle to find work here.

IT/Web/graphic design...we have an abundance of people that are highly qualified out here for those jobs. You will have a lot of competition for jobs out here. I had a client that was in that field and it took him a year to find a job out here so he could relocate.
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Old 08-18-2009, 10:59 AM
 
11 posts, read 30,563 times
Reputation: 14
Interesting...
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Old 08-18-2009, 06:22 PM
 
Location: the Beaver State
6,464 posts, read 13,435,602 times
Reputation: 3581
Agreed, great place for IT jobs, but they're in high demand. Add in the rampant trend towards outsourcing to India/Mexico/Narnia and it's tough to get an IT job here unless you're wanting to work at one of the multiple call centers/help desks. It's been bad enough in the last couple of years that I know plenty of very good IT people who've called it quits and taken up another field, or moved out of the state totally.
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Old 08-20-2009, 03:24 AM
 
Location: where the moss is taking over the villages
2,184 posts, read 5,549,390 times
Reputation: 1270
Maybe you could just start out by vacationing in Oregon... Come visit our state & see for yourself where you want to live! The easiest first place would be Eugene, because our freeways aren't as daunting as Portland's... Not yet anyway.
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Old 08-21-2009, 03:41 PM
 
Location: White Pine, ID
24 posts, read 67,883 times
Reputation: 23
I have to agree with Silverfall. She's 21 and teaching? Geese, I graduated high school at 17, went directly to U of I and did not have my first teaching job till I was 23.

Your wife has a tough road ahead of her if she is looking towards Oregon. There are many of us with advanced degrees and doctorates that are looking for opportunities. I think that a valley location or more of a metro area may be less congested with applicants.

I have decided that if I was going to actively rejoin the teaching ranks, I am going to do it at a small school that still practices small town values and is proud of its local history. If she desires this, good luck. The pay will be meager and the hours long. A larger metro will give her some experience and OJT that she needs.
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Old 08-22-2009, 06:31 AM
 
Location: where the moss is taking over the villages
2,184 posts, read 5,549,390 times
Reputation: 1270
Only attendants pump the gas here. If you're lucky, they'll offer to wash a window or two. I always try to tip them at least a dollar. If they wash my window(s) they get more.

When you figure people tip a dollar for a THREE DOLLAR COFFEE, why not a dollar for not having to touch the stinky gas pump? I think the attendants deserve it, even if they don't have a pretty job. I think the attendants are unnecessarily exposed to alot of chemicals, esp. since the pumps don't have vapor cover thingies that the California pumps have.

Thankfully I don't get gas every week. I certainly don't get coffee out like I used to...

Apartments aren't cheap here. Eugene is moderate. Portland will be more like LA in prices and I've read that the community has culturally segregated areas.

The cheapest apartments I've seen, personally, were in KS & MO metro areas.

Last edited by sarahkate_m; 08-22-2009 at 06:32 AM.. Reason: more info
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