Aussies working in Cali

[calisa]

hii,

just wondering what the job front is like in Cali??.. i applied for some hotel jobs thru this Aussie agency, but the lady said its hard there for placements as theres a lot of unions??.. so guess just want to know what industries are in need of employees etc, esp if from overseas??, can any employers help?? I really want to move there to work for a while as was there last year and loved it. I guess around the valley area?.. I dont have any special skills like nursing or teaching, just basic admin, 6 yrs insurance experience and a tourism degree.

thanks..

[winneythepooh7]

I'm not from Cali, but have visited several times and know several people from there. California from what I see is like Manhattan---very expensive COL and very competitive job market.

[Skyblade]

It really depends what area, but overall winney is right. Its a pretty expensive place to live but you can combat this by getting roommates, etc. Luckily it seems like the job market is picking up and more and more companies are hiring. What's your ideal job?

[cache]

Well, you may have heard this, but if California were its own country, it would have like the 8th largest economy in the world. It is a pretty self-sufficient state, you can find some of everything here. So, you can pretty much find any job in California that you would find in Australia, I'd imagine.

Really big industries in California are technology, farming, defense, and there abundant corporate headquarters throughout the state with plenty of jobs in every field, every level. And because California is always growing pretty rapidly, job growth is almost inherent.

Cost of living may be a factor, but if you are considering CA, you probably already know that. Big and small cities alike are really expensive. You mentioned the valley, which isn't a bad place - being around a populus area means that at least you will have job opportunities(getting those jobs is another story).

The work visa system in the US is pretty backed up and pretty messed up, so make sure that you have all of that worked out.

You mentioned tourism, which there is plenty in many parts of CA. The State of California Employment Development Department website might have more information for you in that area.

Good luck!

[weary]

by "valley' do you mean silicon valley/the high-tech area, or the valley as in LA? i grew up in cali and still have family there. it's as expensive as hell in most places, but as others have said, great economy and jobs are plentiful. can sometimes be difficult to get work on a visa though...

good luck and feel free to PM me if you want. i can try to help w/ more info from my friends/fam who are stil there.

[Kitty]

I live in Silicon Valley and grew up here. I think the job market around here is pretty awesome. I've never had a problem getting job interviews or job offers (this seems to be true for almost everyone I know here).

The COL is high, but you typically make a lot more here so it offsets that.

Around here, if you have any technical skills or knowledge you're pretty much set.

[sondra_finchley]

Cache is right regarding the work permit situation- You should go ahead and try for the Diversity Lottery- it closes in the next day or two ( not very hard to apply, and free) and I think its open to Australians. Its listed on the state.gov website. You may have better luck getting a working permit via that than to try and get a job that will bring you over.

[calisa]

thanks for all ur tips everyone.. yehh i cant do the green card lottery as I was born in england so they wont allow me LOL, just got a permanant job here in sydney, so guess have to stay for a while, so can save up some money!!.. oh valley, not sure, my cousins live there, i stayed with them in studio city last year??.. love it!