Relocating

05girl · #1 11-07-2006, 07:50 PM

Has anyone had success in relocating to a different state through a job search? Particularly folks that graduated college in the last 1-3 years?

I would love to find a job in another city first, then move. But it just seems impossible. I'm thinking I may just quit.. go back to living broke and depressed.. move and look for a job. But both options just don't seem doable.

jls · #2 11-07-2006, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 05girl

Has anyone had success in relocating to a different state through a job search? Particularly folks that graduated college in the last 1-3 years?

I would love to find a job in another city first, then move. But it just seems impossible. I'm thinking I may just quit.. go back to living broke and depressed.. move and look for a job. But both options just don't seem doable.

I did pick up and move a month or so after I graduated. I moved from the north east to the south west of the united states. It's not easy. I would say if you know anyone in a city that interests you- try it out. Most companies that see that you are relocating will do phone interviews and then you can fly out for the last interview and hopefully get the job. I wouldn't quit your job just yet. I have recently been looking into relocating also and it is hard to find a job and look for a new living situation. I wish you the best of luck- just make sure you do your research before you take the leap.

wordsmith · #3 11-07-2006, 09:21 PM

It can be very difficult to get job consideration ahead of instate applicants if you are out of state. Even if you emphasize to an employer that you fully intend to move if offered the position, they're often not keen on spending the time on you, especially if they have applicants where they don't have to worry about whether or not they'll actually move to the state and/or be likely to stay.

Musicvixen24 · #4 11-07-2006, 11:26 PM

I say it's ok. All you need is money saved and do it. You can easisly get any job to tide you over until you find a 9-5 or whatever you are looking for, But if you wait until you find a job you may never move.

SmilesSoSweet · #5 11-08-2006, 12:18 AM

I was really fortunate to have a job lined up (and paid for my relocation) when I move from CA to AZ. I also made a trip out there before hand to explore the city and find a place to live.

When my sister moved from CA to OR she didn't have a job yet and had to pay for her relocation. Before moving there, she met with a temp agency so that she could at least have a few temp jobs until she found something out there. I think it took her just over a year to find a permanent job.

If you have money saved up and you are well prepared then you should be okay when you move. I knew I wanted to move to another state, but I took about a year to do research and thoroughly think through what I needed to do to make such a big move.

Good luck!

cache · #6 11-08-2006, 11:24 AM

I've posted this several times before, but here goes again. I moved from Ohio to California 3 years out of college. Did a lot of planning and research for the move: I had sent out over 200 resumes, and I had a place to live. But I did not have a job when I moved, nor did I know anyone in the area.

However, I have always been confident in my own abilities when it comes to finding employment, so I wasn't worried. That is not the case for all. If you do your research into location, employment, living situation, etc., your move has a lot higher change of success.

Deadend · #7 11-12-2006, 01:22 AM

I just moved from southern ontario to alberta in august. It was a prudent career move considering my industry is booming out here. Still, wasn't easy and involved packing on the extreme light end and sleeping on a couch for about 3 weeks. Mind you it cost me well under a grand to do it.

SpaceMonkey · #8 11-12-2006, 12:41 PM

I successfully moved from upstate NY to Washington, DC, this past June without a job. I graduated from college back in 2005, and I felt the move was necessary for my professional development. It worked out ok--I got a job a couple of weeks later in my area of interest. IMO, though, to do this right, you really need to have about 3 months of expenses saved up to tide you over, plus a willingness to work even part-time at a Starbucks or retail or something until you find a full-time "professional" job. You also need to be realistic. Part of the reason the move worked out for me is because my area of interest, non-profit fundraising, is huge in DC. In another city, this might not have worked out so well.

I think part of the reason why the move worked for me was because it was motivating. I was out there, on my own, away from my normal support system, and it forced me to really work every hour of every day to make sure that I didn't let myself down and have to tuck-tail and run. I busted my hump to find a job like I had never done before, and it paid off.

Spinney · #9 11-12-2006, 01:15 PM

I did this when I moved from the Maritimes to Vancouver...I couldn't go any further than that and still be in Canada lol. I had sent out over 200 resumes to IT companies in Vancouver and never even had one nibble. All this time I was living with my dad in a 2 br apartment, close to downtown in a city I loved.

The job search got so depressing after a year went by that it got really hard to even get up in the morning. The worst part of it was being unable to support myself. I actually ended up addicted to an mmorpg heh, because I couldn't afford any other kind of entertainment. Plus I lived in an area full of festivals and stuff, so there was something to do most of the time. Luckily I had some extended family in Vancouver where the IT market was booming, so I sold everything I could and bought a plane ticket.

After paying for the flight I only had $1000 left over, which was enough for 3 month's rent at my aunt's place...assuming I didn't eat

. Looking back I was extremely lucky...I should have gone out with a lot more money than I did. I got a job almost right away as a cashier at a liquor store which was another huge stroke of luck (gov't union job heh). It was ridiculously easy to get retail or food service work there, but the liquor store paid twice as much and had half the hours so it gave me lots of time for the job search. Once I was actually local I started getting on average 3 responses to my resume every week.

Going out there instantly broke me out of that year long depression. Being in an entirely new city with lots of opportunities was the catalyst for my real independence. It was a pretty exciting time, and I would strongly recommend that people coming out of school and having a hard time finding a decent job consider it. Just try to make sure you have enough money to live on for a few months and still be able to buy a plane ticket home if it doesn't work out. My hours at the store started to wither away and I was 2 weeks from having to pack up and leave when I found my entry level IT Job.

05girl · #10 11-14-2006, 08:18 PM

Thanks so much for all of the responses! It's a little comforting to know that people have done it.

It's a really hard decision.. and I kind of feel, quite literally, that I haven't been able to make any life decisions since I graduated in May 2005 and decided to move to Dallas. Partly because I feel like moving out here was the worst mistake (so far) in my life. It's just been downhill from there.

So, it's not like I haven't moved on a dollar and a prayer before. But the outcome sucked. So who's to say that even if I move to a bigger and better place, it won't still suck?

In a few months I will have been at my current (first real job) for one year. I may just wait to quit then.

Honestly, I have no savings.. but like I said, I've moved on a dollar and prayer before, I've been broke before. I like being able to pay bills, but at the same time, I've been elbow high in payment due notices.. I kind of just don't care.

Anyways........clearly I have my own problems to work out!

GoogleGirl · #11 11-14-2006, 09:19 PM

I'm considering the same type of deal next year. Everyone says finding a teaching job anywhere is easy, but I have come to realize what a joke that statement is. It's not easy to find a teaching job, especially in English (which is what my degree will be in--secondary english). I'm almost tempted to just move and then find a job. the risks are high, but what's life without risks? Sorta my philosophy I suppose.

wordsmith · #12 11-14-2006, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoogleGirl

I'm considering the same type of deal next year. Everyone says finding a teaching job anywhere is easy, but I have come to realize what a joke that statement is. It's not easy to find a teaching job, especially in English (which is what my degree will be in--secondary english). I'm almost tempted to just move and then find a job. the risks are high, but what's life without risks? Sorta my philosophy I suppose.

Yeah, the "They need teachers everywhere" thing is not entirely true. Yes and no. There are shortages, but they're area-specific, content-specific. They're in math, science, special ed, predominantly. And when they're in other content areas, they're mainly in rural schools, urban schools, and other generally low-paying schools. My degree is in secondary English. There are jobs, but they're not nearly as abundant as you think.

Deadend · #13 11-15-2006, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spinney

I did this when I moved from the Maritimes to Vancouver...I couldn't go any further than that and still be in Canada lol. I had sent out over 200 resumes to IT companies in Vancouver and never even had one nibble. All this time I was living with my dad in a 2 br apartment, close to downtown in a city I loved.

The job search got so depressing after a year went by that it got really hard to even get up in the morning. The worst part of it was being unable to support myself. I actually ended up addicted to an mmorpg heh, because I couldn't afford any other kind of entertainment. Plus I lived in an area full of festivals and stuff, so there was something to do most of the time. Luckily I had some extended family in Vancouver where the IT market was booming, so I sold everything I could and bought a plane ticket.

After paying for the flight I only had $1000 left over, which was enough for 3 month's rent at my aunt's place...assuming I didn't eat

. Looking back I was extremely lucky...I should have gone out with a lot more money than I did. I got a job almost right away as a cashier at a liquor store which was another huge stroke of luck (gov't union job heh). It was ridiculously easy to get retail or food service work there, but the liquor store paid twice as much and had half the hours so it gave me lots of time for the job search. Once I was actually local I started getting on average 3 responses to my resume every week.

Going out there instantly broke me out of that year long depression. Being in an entirely new city with lots of opportunities was the catalyst for my real independence. It was a pretty exciting time, and I would strongly recommend that people coming out of school and having a hard time finding a decent job consider it. Just try to make sure you have enough money to live on for a few months and still be able to buy a plane ticket home if it doesn't work out. My hours at the store started to wither away and I was 2 weeks from having to pack up and leave when I found my entry level IT Job.

You and I should talk.... I was in kind of a similar situation. Wanting to go out west but not getting crapall applying from Ontario. However, my instant service industry job I took to support my search a) took up all my time b) was the lowest paying company in the city. So I've recently quit in order to get all my job-hunting time back rather then selling it off for less then it's worth to me. But 3 resume responses a week!!! Seriously man, I really REALLY want to see your resume. I went to a top school, and am in a city which I was told has much more work then the lower mainland BC and I am getting nowhere NEAR that.