Should I move to Portland?? (houses, college, to live) - Oregon (OR) - Page 6 - City-Data Forum

hurricane1091 · 10-08-2013, 03:32 PM

I'm going to just make this short.

Basically, I don't care if a person wants to wear skinny jeans, drink starbucks, eat at Panera Bread, and work part time at Trader Joe's and just be a full on hipster. However, if you were to say the stereotype of Portland is true and 80% of the people there fit this above label, well then I'd probably lose interest in going to Portland just because that's an overwhelming number and I just wouldn't fit in well enough. Maybe fitting in is the wrong word, but I wouldn't go to a place where my interests weren't shared by many others obviously.

It's a stereotype Portland and Seattle have. Hipsters and depressed people because of the rain. People like to think NJ is all fist pumping guidos who just do gym, tan, and laundry. It's not true at all, but people have that impression unfortunately.

Rob Allen · 10-08-2013, 04:02 PM

That stereotype fits maybe 10% of some neighborhoods, less elsewhere.

hurricane1091 · 10-08-2013, 04:07 PM

I just want a hipster girl, that's my only demand. Set me up with a dark red haired girl with some hipster glasses and who briefly messed around with a vegetarian lifestyle, but still likes to sit in B&N and drink those coffee drinks with the weird and long names (but doesn't expect me to do this regularly). Do that, and I'll be well on my way over in a couple of months.

Minervah · 10-08-2013, 04:30 PM

I give up. Move to Portland or don't move to Portland. You have already seemed to have formed an opinion of this city based on the hearsay from who knows what sources. If you don't want to come and see for yourself, you can believe in all the stereotypes you want despite the fact that people who actually live here are trying to tell you they are just stereotypes and nothing much more.

hamellr · 10-08-2013, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hurricane1091

Also, that's good news about the IT field. To give you an idea of what I'm looking for in terms of a job, it's some sort of IT support/ Jr. Admin role. I had an interview for a nice entry job in the field that was to pay $20/Hour to be one of the few IT people at the Elevator Union Benefit office where about 85 people are employed. What would something similar pay in Portland? Ultimately I'll be working through the Cisco and Microsoft certification ranks to get a high end job (CCNP for Cisco} and then I doubt it'll be an issue finding a nice career since there's so few people with the CCNP and there is a need for it.

Depends on the company and if their HR department subscribes to the industry papers that tell them how much money to pay people based on job description.

Any where between $10-$25 depending on exact job duties. Basic IT support people are a dime a dozen, Database Skills, System Admin Skills can easily double or triple your pay.

hurricane1091 · 10-08-2013, 04:38 PM

Hey now, you just said 10% of the population fits the stereotype. And I just said I wanted a girl who fits that stereotype anyway, so I'm confused as to the frustration on your end. I fully intend to now come to Portland in 2014 for a vacation and then make an assessment from there.

I am from NJ, so I will bust the balls of a hipster if I end up talking to one. It's in my nature to do so, and I fully expect to have to defend myself from the "Jersey Shore" stereotype as well.

hurricane1091 · 10-08-2013, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamellr

Depends on the company and if their HR department subscribes to the industry papers that tell them how much money to pay people based on job description.

Any where between $10-$25 depending on exact job duties. Basic IT support people are a dime a dozen, Database Skills, System Admin Skills can easily double or triple your pay.

I have a Liberal Arts degree (sounds so Portland of me already haha) actually, and am going to have a Computer Systems Technology degree in December. I'm A+ certified, and will be Network+ certified by the end of the year as well. Ultimately, the goes is MSCE or the Cisco one I mentioned. I'm sure by the time I head out to Portland I'll be Security+ certified as well and perhaps the Microsoft equivalent to the compTIA Network+.

System Admin is the career goal.

Deezus · 10-08-2013, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hurricane1091

I'm going to just make this short.

Basically, I don't care if a person wants to wear skinny jeans, drink starbucks, eat at Panera Bread, and work part time at Trader Joe's and just be a full on hipster. However, if you were to say the stereotype of Portland is true and 80% of the people there fit this above label, well then I'd probably lose interest in going to Portland just because that's an overwhelming number and I just wouldn't fit in well enough. Maybe fitting in is the wrong word, but I wouldn't go to a place where my interests weren't shared by many others obviously.

I think most of the Panera Breads in the area are in suburban malls so you don't have to worry much about that part of the stereotype. I didn't even realize that was part of the cliched image of hipsters.

There's tons of people who are just average dudes in Portland who like to just relax and watch sports--one of our most popular bars in town is a giant sports bar(Spirit of 77)--and there's a lot of bars downtown and in NW Portland that aren't very hipsterish and sort of Irish pubs and so on, but at the same time I don't know...what's really attracting you to Portland?

Quote:

Originally Posted by hurricane1091

Hey now, you just said 10% of the population fits the stereotype. And I just said I wanted a girl who fits that stereotype anyway, so I'm confused as to the frustration on your end. I fully intend to now come to Portland in 2014 for a vacation and then make an assessment from there.

I am from NJ, so I will bust the balls of a hipster if I end up talking to one. It's in my nature to do so, and I fully expect to have to defend myself from the "Jersey Shore" stereotype as well.

Well, I mean do you look like you're on Jersey Shore? There's a ton of people from the East Coast here already, it's not like you're the first guy who moved from Jersey or that no one has ever met someone from Jersey(hell my college in Oregon had a bunch of people from Jersey). But I mean, you can bust the balls of anyone you want, but for a lot of people what gets defined as "hipster" is just a certain fashion look. Most of them are pretty harmless, just kids following a certain style.

hurricane1091 · 10-08-2013, 05:05 PM

No, you probably wouldn't realize where I was from I feel like. I have a couple of friends who I'd consider hipsters though, but I don't want to come off as some sort of person who just absolutely hates hipsters or something and it's starting to probably sound like I am.

When I went away to college, I'd say that was the first time I had friends of all different backgrounds. I had gay friends, friends into anime, and friends just wanting to watch the Jets play on Sunday. So I'm able to get a long with everyone for the most part. However, it did get old hanging out with people who just wanted to watch Two Broke Girls and play Final Fantasy, when those were things I never ever wanted to do. So I can't say I'd be able to do without meeting people with my interests (which you've all made me feel confident that this will not be an issue).

I don't know what to tell you when you want to know why I'm thinking Portland. It's just a crazy fantasy about the place that makes me want to go. I've heard it's a technology bubble so the job outlook should be good for me. They love their sports so that's good for me. It doesn't usually get crazy cold which I like. I like coffee and the idea of a relaxed atmosphere and being able just to walk around on a nice 60 degree day enjoying myself. I like the sound of the small bars with relaxing atmosphere over huge party areas.

Minervah · 10-08-2013, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deezus

I think most of the Panera Breads in the area are in suburban malls so you don't have to worry much about that part of the stereotype. I didn't even realize that was part of the cliched image of hipsters.

There's tons of people who are just average dudes in Portland who like to just relax and watch sports--one of our most popular bars in town is a giant sports bar(Spirit of 77)--and there's a lot of bars downtown and in NW Portland that aren't very hipsterish and sort of Irish pubs and so on, but at the same time I don't know...what's really attracting you to Portland?

Well, I mean do you look like you're on Jersey Shore? There's a ton of people from the East Coast here already, it's not like you're the first guy who moved from Jersey or that no one has ever met someone from Jersey(hell my college in Oregon had a bunch of people from Jersey). But I mean, you can bust the balls of anyone you want, but for a lot of people what gets defined as "hipster" is just a certain fashion look. Most of them are pretty harmless, just kids following a certain style.

He said he wants a red-headed hipster Portland girl. I guess the red-headed Jersey hipster girls aren't interested in him.

I think of hipsters as those people who like to wear clothing styles of the fifties. Honestly, when I walk down Hawthorne Blvd, I see my fashion past all around me. Even the ones that go to Claudia's Sports Bar.