Poor Engineering Electronics Technician moving on up (Seattle, Spokane: apartment, for rent)

[scatcatpdx]

For the long term I will be moving from Portland up near Redmond.
I got a few hits on Indeed and talked to a temp agency. It would not be hard to get a temp job to hold me over. As a blue collar worker the question where to live near inexpensively ($800 - $950 for a studio) and near public transportation to get to work. What area should I look for Electronics technician jobs?

[CrazyDonkey]

Why jump from the frying pan (Portland) into the fire (Seattle)?

[scatcatpdx]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Why jump from the frying pan (Portland) into the fire (Seattle)?

I would say its the opposite, the fire is in Portland, when it come to tech industry. As much you may have heard news about the silicon forest its more like the silicon illusion or clear cut. I been in tech for 24 years and had my last permanent job in 2005.
There only Intel and bunch of firms with 20 code monkeys in a single floor office building. This not like 1992-2005 when thousands of blue collar opportunities for electronics technicians, assemblers and support like stock room in places like Kentrox, Tektronix, Plantronix, Credence Systems, and even Intel. Now many the buildings are empty and not Intel layoff thousands and there not much except a few small firms.

It Like deadliest catch when the pot come up empty you don't shove them back in the same place you more somewhere else. Job opportunities Portland sucks, it time to move on.

[Hemlock140]

I think the pan/fire is more applicable to the rent. Our rent is growing just a bit faster than Portland, but we started much higher. You might find a studio for that in Tacoma, or the suburbs between Seattle and Tacoma. The only manufacturers of electronics that I know of here are in Seattle, F5 Networks and Cray. Spokane and other less expensive areas seem to have more of that. Everett is in your rent price range and has a few possible employers.



Seattle rents now growing faster than in any other U.S. city | The Seattle Times

[CrazyDonkey]

Well, if Portland is the fire, Seattle is the inferno. Seattle has an even higher cost-of-living.

Those jobs have mostly gone to Asia or Mexico. Boeing is laying off, so you're not going to find them in Seattle either. Amazon might still be looking for warehouse workers. Have you considered updating your skills?

[thatguy950]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Well, if Portland is the fire, Seattle is the inferno. Seattle has an even higher cost-of-living.

Those jobs have mostly gone to Asia or Mexico. Boeing is laying off, so you're not going to find them in Seattle either. Amazon might still be looking for warehouse workers. Have you considered updating your skills?

Exactly.

Not to mention competition for ALL jobs in the Seattle area is INSANE, massively-overqualified people in the Seattle area fighting for the same jobs, many at under market value these days. And as mentioned above, OP, Boeing slowing down certainly doesn't help matters.

I can't imagine where you could live in this area for $800-950 or so, let alone anywhere close Redmond where a transit ride wouldn't take 2+hrs each way daily.

[scatcatpdx]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Well, if Portland is the fire, Seattle is the inferno. Seattle has an even higher cost-of-living.

Those jobs have mostly gone to Asia or Mexico. Boeing is laying off, so you're not going to find them in Seattle either. Amazon might still be looking for warehouse workers. Have you considered updating your skills?

Strange I talked to a temp agency that can get me a temp contract for a engineering technician at Microsoft for $30.00. Then there is indeed.

I been a validation tech, validation of new designs for 10 years. What you do for a living? I bet you do not even know what is an Oscilloscope than know how to properly measure a 1Ghz clock with it. I bet jitter is to you is something happen when one drinks to much coffee and an eye diagram is something you see at the eye doctors.

jobs are in product development and sustaining engineering not manufacturing.
Why don't you find another thread to troll.

[homesinseattle]

Sounds like "micro units" are your ticket, I have some friends who live in them and like them. Here is a good article: Seattle

[Kayela]

If you're going to be on the Eastside, look near 148th Ave N and 520 (north of 520). Also check out the area near Crossroads shopping centre. Both would be convenient, and they're usually a bit more reasonable.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by scatcatpdx

Strange I talked to a temp agency that can get me a temp contract for a engineering technician at Microsoft for $30.00. Then there is indeed.

I been a validation tech, validation of new designs for 10 years. What you do for a living? I bet you do not even know what is an Oscilloscope than know how to properly measure a 1Ghz clock with it. I bet jitter is to you is something happen when one drinks to much coffee and an eye diagram is something you see at the eye doctors.

jobs are in product development and sustaining engineering not manufacturing.
Why don't you find another thread to troll.

All we can do is reply to what you've posted. If you have a $30/hr job offer, why didn't you say so earlier?

You've been very vague whether you're looking for "tech" or "blue collar" work, or what level of tech work you're looking for. Yes, Seattle has more jobs than Portland, but also MORE competition for jobs. Boeing is laying off. Microsoft has been up and down, but is now investing heavily in the Cloud.

Zillow shows exactly ONE tiny apartment (170sf) for rent anywhere near Redmond for $1,000 or less. There are 40 or so in the Seattle side of Lake Washington (most apodments/micro-apts), from Mountlake Terrace to Renton, but only 15 or so would be within about a 45-minute commute - as a temp, you wouldn't be eligible to ride Microsoft's Connector shuttle service.