Recent College Graduate Moving to Washington from CA (Tacoma, Bellevue: apartment, to rent)

[swpga88]

I just graduated college and I am looking for my first real job in Washington state. I graduated with a degree in marketing and will be staying with my girlfriend in Tacoma, WA until I find a job. Once I find a job I am looking to get a very small apartment (around $500) and live off my salary of around $35k (estimated).. how doable is this?

I have been out to Tacoma a few times from California but it will be my first time living there.. any advice about finding jobs or locations and how i could live on 35k would be greatly appreciated.

[pilgrim7578]

As someone with a Marketing degree I can tell you that companies want EXPERIENCE more than a Business Marketing Degree these days.. Good Luck though I wish you all the best though.. its a tough job market out there..

[nfdsouza2001]

Good Luck with your Job Search. I recommend you joining like a Toastmasters or Lions Club to network. It is doable as long as you are frugal. There are lots of ethnic markets that are affordable to shop.

[swpga88]

thank you both very much for the kind words..sending positive vibes back to you both.

i have noticed that a lot of jobs im applying for are located in Bellevue and I was wondering what a good point in between Bellevue and Tacoma would be to live.. i will be renting (the cheaper the better) and want something in between. i dont mind seedy areas too much (not too bad though..but im used to it because ive lived in san francisco,ca) but something convenient and an easy commute to both would be great..

also.. how is the commute from tacoma to bellevue?

any comments appreciated

[la_fuerza]

Originally Posted by swpga88

also.. how is the commute from tacoma to bellevue?

There are areas of heavy traffic on that commute. It would suck to do that drive every day. A good halfway point to live would be Tukwila or Renton which are more affordable and commuting distance to Bellevue.

[swpga88]

Originally Posted by la_fuerza

There are areas of heavy traffic on that commute. It would suck to do that drive every day. A good halfway point to live would be Tukwila or Renton which are more affordable and commuting distance to Bellevue.

thank you for the reply I will look into both places..

how far do you think the commute is at peak times to Bellevue?

[Inkpoe]

Depending on where you're coming from in Tacoma and going to in Bellevue, during rush hour you can expect the very minimum of an hour-- if you're lucky. It's a hard commute given the Tacoma S-curves, plus 405 traffic-- just awful. Public transport between the two isn't going to be that much better (at least 2 hours).

From Tukwila to Bellevue, it'll be around 45 mins during Rush hour-- at least you can take the back roads which will cut down on the time (traffic free is generally 20 mins). Renton is just a tad closer to Bellevue.

[Polymorphist]

I follow what others have said - commuting from Tacoma is going to be brutal. When I first moved here, I lived near Tacoma and eventually moved to Renton, then finally to the south Bellevue area of Factoria. I kept moving further north because the commute was killing my day. The good news is that because Bellevue has experienced so much commercial growth in the past few years, better and more direct commuter bus routes are improving, and Sound Transit is going to be building a light rail line to Bellevue starting in a few years (doesn't help you now, though).

It doesn't surprise me that most of the jobs you are finding are in Bellevue. Companies such as Microsoft and Expedia have huge marketing teams (especially Microsoft), and I do know that they like to hire right out of college. Have you considered contracting for a while? Microsoft, for example, has a very large number of contract positions for Marketing Specialist and Marketing Manager and the experience can be quite valuable. Most of these jobs pay much more than $35,000/year. Try contacting Volt or Kelly Services.