Gotta go somewhere before I croak... (Cheyenne, Casper: rentals, hotel, houses)

[oldgreymare]

Old as dirt, and no reason to stay here anymore. Crazy enough to be wondering about just packing up and heading out....somewhere. Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana. No jobs here for an old woman with no degree. Lost my job, and there's nothing here unless you have a degree. All I've known is manual labor, and getting too old for that. I figure I can clean rooms or flip burgers anywhere, may as well be somewhere I've always wanted to go. Shoveling horse manure would be better than dying here. Any suggestions would be welcomed. Can an outsider pull into town and land a job, with only being honest and dependable as skills?

[Happy in Wyoming]

Originally Posted by oldgreymare

Can an outsider pull into town and land a job, with only being honest and dependable as skills?

Yes.

Nobody seems to want to do any cleaning. Every summer Cody hotel owners bring temporary workers from Europe and even from Africa. Finding someone to clean a home is a nightmare. People are almost always slipshod or they just won't do it. But if you are reliable and hardworking and willing to clean houses you can make $15 per hour cash. You can probably work about as many hours as you want. A small classified ad will bring responses.

I'm posting a link to the local paper where you can get some idea of what the place is like. Newcomers are welcome. Most of the people here are from someplace else. Cody is a good place to live. Wyoming is a good place to live. I'd say it's the best place to live.

Front page news in Cody is rarely this grim. Please be sure to read the last sentence in the article on the police shooting.

http://www.codyenterprise.com/

[oldgreymare]

Thanks so much for the info! Can't get over the fact that people are brought in from other COUNTRIES do to the work! I've cleaned many hotel rooms, as my son was growing up. It was the only thing I could find with days & hours that worked for me. It is hard work, but I simply can't stand repetitive work like factories. Same thing over & over for 8 hours--makes me want to scream! I've worked in the oil field years ago, for one of the big oil companies, and loved that job--outdoors, independence, something different every day. I've been applying to the oil companies out there, but no response except "Sorry, not at this time"! LOL!
How expensive is the housing in Wyoming? I've read about the way things are in N. Dakota. Unreal!
If I can only find a minimun wage job, will I be able to survive in Cody?

[Ltdumbear]

Jackson Hole would be a good place to also throw your resume at; lots of motels and 'high-end' lodging facilities there...although there was a growing Hispanic population while I was there in 09', I'm willing to bet that with the encroaching winter-conditions, a few will head south for the winter.

Guest lodges are a decent place to hang your hat for the winter and summer, but there tends to be a 2-3 mo 'down-time' between those seasons, where they're inclined to cut a few employees loose, but if you could get a foot in the door and make a name for yourself, it's not 'unheard' of that a career-lodge-worker could'nt go back and forth between two rival-facilities, once they both know they can have you back on a given-date and time.

Yellowstone Park; every time I go to Cody for a cup of coffee, I'm hearing that the park has shown a bit of 'favortism' towards Russian/Czech exchange-students...I could'nt tell you why; I worked at Jackson Lake Lodge in 07' and 09', and even though they were'nt hanging around the horse-corrals (where I worked) they good people...mostly assigned to gift-shops and customer-service...

...I guess the Euro-Accent/Mannerisms adds to the 'aura' and therefore 'appeals' to the higher-end clientele who visit Yellowstone Wyo/MT/ID guest-lodges during the 'crazy-season'.

Togwotee, Brooks Lake Lodge, Jackson Lake Lodge, Old Faithful Lodge, Pahaska Teepee are all very nice, quiet places to contact, but if you're there for the winter, I'd have a 4x4...all-wheel drive or at least a set of chains (for front-wheel drive) is standard-fare for working/living anywhere in (or around) the park during the winter.

In my search for the type of work I do (ranching) I'm also making calls to the lodges to see if I can even find a job washing dishes; at least the housing comes as part of the wages, and I would'nt have to cook for myself...sometimes an employee gets lucky when the line-cook messes-up with a dish, and rather than throw it away (as long as it's not burned) if somebody is hungry enuf...ain't nuthin wrong with an 'overly' cooked steak...a little extra carbon never killed anyone ! lol

...and then there's (occasional) time-off...which ya can't argue with...when so many people come from all around the world to visit Jackson and spend so much money to walk the board-walk; if you're working there that's an extra 'perk', no matter how ya look at it.

Good luck in your search; given your background if I was a lodge manager I'd hire you in a second over any of the 'fresh-faced', politically-correct, athiest/non-denominational alternative-lifestyle leaning, new-money yuppie-trash who seem to be POURING into the state on an hourly basis.

This is Wyoming, and it's nice (for either visitor or native) to be able to visit with someone who is tuff, independant and who won't take any crap or put up with the 'superficial run-way model drama' that runs rampant in todays society...

[oldgreymare]

Actually, I have applied online with a few of the tourist spots--S.O.S.-- never heard anything. I'm wondering if I'd have a better chance for a job if I was already living there. The way the world is today, the young people-hell, the ones my age, too- are so into money & status. Just give me a cabin in the woods so I can watch the critters in the peace & quiet. I should have been a Pioneer! When I was young, you could get a job and they would train you. Nowdays, you need a degree and years of experience, to even have a chance. I've worked with alot of the "young" people and they have no work ethic it seems. Honest & dependable count for nothing. I'm 53, but I can still learn a new trick or two! LOL! Get the politicians out of our business, and let the "suits" work some blisters on their hands for minimum wage. Who would you want to be stuck with in a disaster--a corporate type or someone that can hammer a nail?? LOL!

[sunsprit]

OGM ... "minimum wage" jobs here will not support you unless you are living in employee provided housing or some sort of charitable/shared living situation. Even in Cheyenne's old motels catering to the lower wage earners, it's typically $40/night for a room. The people I know who make that work for them get together for at least two ... sometimes more ... to split the cost, and then head over to COMEA house for awhile.

You must also figure in your costs of reliable transportation for the inclement weather months if working at various locations around the area, such as cleaning houses. A good FWD car will suffice for local travel in many towns and the two bigger cities ... or course, the bigger locales have franchise house cleaning services for possibly an employer with transportation if you can find work with them.

Right now, there's a lot of folk already in Wyoming that are flocking to these jobs in many places because they need the income, too. The towns where I see a serious shortage of basic labor type help ... even restaurant back side of the house help ... is because the wages they can afford to pay don't keep up with the cost of living locally. This is especially true with in much of the state where tourism is seasonal and places either close for the winter season or cut back their staffing to a minimum just to keep the doors open.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by oldgreymare

Old as dirt, and no reason to stay here anymore. Crazy enough to be wondering about just packing up and heading out....somewhere. Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana. No jobs here for an old woman with no degree. Lost my job, and there's nothing here unless you have a degree. All I've known is manual labor, and getting too old for that. I figure I can clean rooms or flip burgers anywhere, may as well be somewhere I've always wanted to go. Shoveling horse manure would be better than dying here. Any suggestions would be welcomed. Can an outsider pull into town and land a job, with only being honest and dependable as skills?

If you're willing to clean you can pretty much go anywhere you want in this state. Welcome to Wyoming!

[NW Crow]

Pull into town and land a job might work if you got enough savings to last awhile during the search and are traveling light. You could head across Interstate 90 (Rapid City, Sturgis, Spearfish, Sundance, Gillette, Sheridan, Billings, etc.) and / or I-25 (Casper, Douglas, Wheatland, Cheyenne) and read the papers and walk into places and apply & be ready to go. Of course you could get off the interstate too, if you wanted to be an particular spot. The smaller towns might get less competition and might be more willing to hire on an in-person judgment. The bigger resort towns of course will have more jobs and probably more turnover of them. Would be easier traveling this month or next spring than in-between, due to the weather.

Some places advertised here come with some form of lower cost or included housing.
http://www.coolworks.com/
Bear Lodge Resort has a listing on the front page. It is outside Sheridan and they have multiple openings with housing included.

[Ltdumbear]

Bear Lodge up by Burgess Junction ? damn I'd love to be up there...

[Happy in Wyoming]

Originally Posted by oldgreymare

How expensive is the housing in Wyoming? If I can only find a minimun wage job, will I be able to survive in Cody?

Wyoming housing costs vary from area to area. Right now, Evanston is cheap but unemployment is relatively high for Wyoming. Don't even consider Jackson. Young people accept low paying jobs as long as they get a lift pass. They don't want a 53 year old. Yellowstone is strictly for the summer.

Can you survive on a minimum wage job in Cody? It would be tough. That's why I suggested your own business in an area that has a definite need. A minimum wage job would work until you get rolling. Check rentals in the Cody paper. The only problem I've observed is finding a place that takes pets. It's not impossible; but it does sometimes take time.

Snow isn't much of a problem here. It's normally gone in a few hours. We may get a week stretch of icy or snowy roads around Christmas but that's about it. I can see about a two mile stretch of the highway from Yellowstone to Cody from my house. People are zipping along most of the winter.

There are a few people who try to discourage everyone from moving to Wyoming. I don't know what their problem is but they're always people who moved here from someplace else themselves. They probably voted for Obama.