Lots of Q's: Grad School, Libraries, Scooters, Areas (Portland, Beaverton: fit in, transplants)

[WhiplashSmile]

This winter my wife will be applying for Graduate school at the Oregon College of Art and Craft/Pacific Northwest College of Art. Honestly it probably is a step down for her academics wise (she has a really high GPA at Ohio State) but the college there just looks like more of a fit based on her style. She has no delusions of being a famous artist, she just wants to do what she likes and she wants to teach college after getting her MFA. My question is, what reputation do these schools have? I have seen their sales pitch but was unsure of their general reputation given they do not rank art schools on U.S. News.

If we end up moving there I was looking into possible jobs I might be able to find. It looks like Portland has a similar unemployment rate to Columbus 10-11% so I know things are hard to come by. Here is what I have to work with; currently I am a digital curator at a museum/library. At work I wear many hats: digital curator(metadata, media management system, scanning,etc.) reference librarian, object handler/photographer, and I run the rights and reproductions dept. dealing w/ publishers and authors and image researchers for use of our archived images. I have an MFA but I'm worried with only two years of experience things might be hard to find. I could work in virtually any setting given my experience and education, universities, public libraries, museums, etc. What's the library field like up there? If all else fails I have 10 years experience in the grocery business as basically an assistant manager.

So I was thinking a good area to live in might be West of I-5. Beaverton, Tigard, King City. How are these areas? I don't mind public transportation, but my wife does. We were thinking of keeping a car and buying a scooter that gets 90 mpg. How many months can you ride a scooter in Portland? As far as our income is concerned I couldn't make any less than I do now with the degree that I have. But given we do not have a cable bill or car payments and AC/Heating costs would be lower in Portland I think we could at least afford what we are paying now which is around $900 a month for our mortgage payment. Is that doable west of I-5?

As far as weather is concerned it looks like you guys get 10% of the sun like we do in the winter. I just hate the snow and I know you get a lot less of it than we do, and technically speaking we get the same amount of rain as you do, but we get downpours in the summer when it seems you just get a steady rain for 4-5 months. We get a steady snow for 4-5 months. It snowed 30 inches last February, it was terrible. I'm the kind of person that doesn't carry an umbrella because I figure it is a waste of time and I just hop from one building to the next anyway so I don't care if I get wet. I'm sure that mindset will come in handy.

[pathrunner]

Living in Beaverton is very inconvenient for getting to the Art College. Tigard and King City are even further out esp. if she's going to commute. Scooters are doable for short trips, but not that long commute (over the hill, through a downhill tunnel, downtown street maze).

Why are you guys interested in cookie-cutter suburban areas, may I ask? Seems like you guys are more "Portland city proper" types. Just my two cents. Is it apartment price? public transportation? Beaverton's probably doable, but not with a scooter. The MAX train and walking/hopping on a bus is probably the way to go for her commute.

[WhiplashSmile]

Not really into cookie cutter (although I can deal with it) it just looked like the school was close to Beaverton, et al. and I wasn't sure we could find a place for $900 a month in Portland proper. We have two small dogs and I wasn't sure we would be able to find anything in that price range for apartments that accepted pets. I would prefer to find a house or condo but an apartment will do if they accept pets.

To answer your question we probably are more city types but we live in the burbs right now. My wife is heavily tattooed so she gets the stink eye in the burbs, but blends in well in the art district here. I'm kind of the opposite, not hip enough for the hipsters but not suburban enough to fit in here. We spend most of our time going to book stores and record stores so Portland proper makes sense but it seems the Pearl and the Northwest neighborhoods are super expensive. I'm pretty sure if I got a similar job there my income would increase but that is a big if. Any suggestions in Portland proper?

[pathrunner]

What about North Portland close in? Right over the 405 bridge and the Broadway bridge. You wouldn't get the stink eye there. It's more artsy, cultural, mixed race/diverse, gentrifying (Mississippi Ave). If you have 2 dogs you'll need to find a place with a yard no way you'll find that in NW for 900.

The areas are called Boise, Eliot and Albina. It's still going to be expensive... you might find a 1-bd cottage with a small yard for that price in those areas. I haven't checked in the past couple years. I don't think you guys would be as happy in Borington but YMMV. I lived there when I first moved here, got out six months later. I'd stick to the east side close in.

[Minervah]

If we end up moving there I was looking into possible jobs I might be able to find. It looks like Portland has a similar unemployment rate to Columbus 10-11% so I know things are hard to come by. Here is what I have to work with; currently I am a digital curator at a museum/library. At work I wear many hats: digital curator(metadata, media management system, scanning,etc.) reference librarian, object handler/photographer, and I run the rights and reproductions dept. dealing w/ publishers and authors and image researchers for use of our archived images. I have an MFA but I'm worried with only two years of experience things might be hard to find. I could work in virtually any setting given my experience and education, universities, public libraries, museums, etc. What's the library field like up there? If all else fails I have 10 years experience in the grocery business as basically an assistant manager.

I will just mention what I tell others who try to compare Oregon's unemployment rate to other states. Apples and oranges. You are living in a state where more people are moving out than in. Oregon is just the opposite. People are moving here all the time creating a tremendous competition for the few jobs that are available. That makes a real difference in trying to find a job here.

You have a lot going for you with your experience. I think the best bet would be the grocery business.

[Nell Plotts]

There are a lot of Portland area residents with degrees in Art: Sculpture, Graphic Arts, Architecture, Industrial Design, and clothing design. You really need to be a stand-out to find a position. On the other hand NIKE (and presumably ADIAS and other apparel & footwear houses) include Art majors as a significant part of their workforce. IMHO try to find an internship at a design house in Portland Metro, then earn your chops out of town and come back with a great resume.

The Oregon Historical Society is on the verge of bankruptsy, K-12 schools are talking about laying off librarians to save money. Not a great enviornment for the fields you mention but I assume that across the country it is similar.

Few are heros at home unless someone from the outside is ready to pin on a medal.

[WhiplashSmile]

It is true more people are moving out of Ohio, but people keep moving into Columbus. We added 10k last year for a total of 769,000. I see why people would want to move here but my wife really can't go to grad school in the same city she is getting her MFA from because there are only so many schools here. Regardless of where we move things are not really stable in this economy, maybe less so in Portland.

As far as library work is concerned it looks like it has improved since last year, but it still isn't great. Everyone is waiting for the baby boomers to retire like in every other field. Hopefully within the next year things keep improving. I did read that my particular job is going to triple in numbers within the next ten years so that bodes well for me. I will just have to apply several months in advance of moving.

[Minervah]

Everyone is waiting for the baby boomers to retire like in every other field.

I hope everyone is not waiting for this to take place; they will be in for a rude awakening.
I am a "baby boomer" and I will never be able to retire. So are most of my friends. The economy being what it is, many of us have lost our pensions, seen our 401ks cut drastically and simply cannot afford not to work.

From what you describe as your skills I think you may have more luck than other transplants due to your grocery store experience. I often see jobs posted in my neighborhood Safeway. They always seem to need help.

[WhiplashSmile]

That is very true, I know several older librarians that I work with that have stayed on at the library I work at because their pensions have dried up. It isn't really pretty right now, but I think things will improve for most people. The thing is, digital curators are not exactly people of the boomer age. They are typically Gen X or Gen Y people so my career path isn't really dependent on retirements. It is kind of an emerging field where library schools are just starting to teach and offer degrees for it. I have a fall back plan though and I have realistic (bleak) expectations for myself in case I can't find desirable work. Would it be wise to live in between two cities to improve the job prospects?

[rainierman]

N, NE, SE Portland all the way.