Packing up and moving to C.S. in a month..."regular" job availability (not professional)? (Denver: fit in)

[edesign]

Hello, I have been reading the forums here on City-Data a lot over the past two weeks since I was unexpectedly laid off. I have been considering a move to Colorado for a few years now and was in the process of trying to save up enough money to make a smooth transition when I was given the bad news.

After discussing it with my gf we have decided that now is the time to pack up and give it a shot. I have enough money to move and pay my bills for the first month as well as give an $800 deposit on housing as well as two month's rent. Not the worst situation but not the best either...the severence pay, unused vacation pay, and tax refunds are going to go a long way in addition to what I have saved.

My gf has quite a few years of experience as a purchasing agent/office administrator and I have a B.S. in Electrical Engineering (Telecommunications focus but I haven't used that aspect of it since I graduated in 2003) and was working as a project engineer/manager for our industrial and marine divisions integrating industrial engine electronics with customer monitoring systems and whatnot. I am aware that the job market for technical jobs in this state is quite competitive and am not going to be surprised if it takes a while to get one. However, I am curious how the job market is for "regular" jobs like Home Depot, grocery stores, or whatever to allow us to pay our bills and rent. Will we have trouble getting jobs to make ends meet assuming we don't try to live rich, we're good at budgeting?

Also, while I'm thinking about it, will we be able to get a lease for an apartment or townhome without employment? I'm hoping that being able to pay two months worth of rent up front will help convince them I'm not a deadbeat *nervous laugh*

We're both looking forward to the move as it is simply too hot and humid (or like last weekend too cold and humid, <50F and 95% humidity) here most of the year to do anything outside...three or four weeks total is comfortable. She loves to ride her bike (she's from west TX but moved here from Dallas) and go hiking and I really miss the skiing and snowmobiling as well as spontaneous hikes. We both spent last summer here complaining about how this area is so unfriendly when it comes to outdoor activities that don't involve fishing, hunting, or drinking lol. The city's idea to solve the problem of no bike lanes or sidewalks down one of our major streets was to narrow the road, paint an extra white stripe down the shoulder, and call the three foot area in between a "bike path" (with cars whizzing by your handlebar at 50MPH).

Thanks in advance!

[PokerMunkee]

Good luck on the move with no job, definitely not for everyone! But I think it will be an adventure and sounds like you are up to the task.

I would check out http://www.usajobs.gov and http://cosprings.craigslist.org to get an idea what kind of jobs are available. There are a lot of government (federal) related jobs in this area with the heavy military pressence, so be sure to check that route. You would want something that doesn't require a clearance, which might be tough.

[edesign]

Thanks...I don't have a job here either any more so that's not really a factor I'm mostly curious if we'll have a hard time getting non-field related jobs to make ends meet or if we're just throwing our money away. If the job market here in this relatively strong economy (south Louisiana...lots of oil money going around) is finally starting to feel the effects then my lay-off may only be the beginning. Since then I've heard of lay-offs at multiple other companies in the area and the company I worked for laid off 20%, 200 people, of its total state-wide work force. However, there are still jobs around that don't require many special skills and I'm wondering if it is that way in the Colorado Springs area.

I would prefer C.S. to Denver as I'm not much for living in large cities but if the market in C.S. is completely toast then I may be better off to the north. From what I understand the Springs are still growing which is a good sign, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[reginhild]

There are more job opportunities in Denver. You can also commute in to work and live in a smaller outlying town.

Overall, I always recommend finding a job BEFORE moving. Moving costs additional money and without having a job lined up you just may end up moving again.

If you still want to move before finding a job, the best thing to do is think temporary - put most of belongings in storage and stay in a short term apartment or weekly stay hotel (there is one off of Powers just South of I-24 for about $190/week).

[edesign]

Originally Posted by reginhild

There are more job opportunities in Denver. You can also commute in to work and live in a smaller outlying town.

I will have to check again but it appeared that the professional jobs that were offered in the Denver area were a lot of IT jobs and not electrical engineering as opposed to the C.S. area which seemed to offer more EE geared jobs.

Overall, I always recommend finding a job BEFORE moving. Moving costs additional money and without having a job lined up you just may end up moving again.

Thanks, but as I mentioned I already do not have a job and nothing that ties me down to this area. I am not overly keen on the idea of moving without a job lined up either first which is why I am asking about non-professional job availability. I also have read that most employers in the area prefer to hire local candidates and I don't blame them. Also another reason I feel that moving now while I have extra money is not the worst idea. I have enough money that we can get through two months without any income after we've found a place. But the sooner we can find any income the longer the money I have now will last and probably not even be needed. I may have to go back to working 50-60 hour weeks but it's not the end of the world.

If you still want to move before finding a job, the best thing to do is think temporary - put most of belongings in storage and stay in a short term apartment or weekly stay hotel (there is one off of Powers just South of I-24 for about $190/week).

Thanks, I am trying to move only what we can fit in the two vehicles and maybe a small trailer (she has a few tall plants and vases she can't part with). The rest I am planning on boxing up and leaving with a friend to ship to us Parcel Post once we get a place to live. I don't own all that much stuff anyway since I decided it would be dumb to buy too much if I was planning on moving in a year or two regardless. Largest item I am bringing is my 50" plasma; pets are going to be the biggest issue though (2 cats, 1 dog) but I think it can be done.

[edesign]

Originally Posted by edesign

I will have to check again but it appeared that the professional jobs that were offered in the Denver area were a lot of IT jobs and not electrical engineering as opposed to the C.S. area which seemed to offer more EE geared jobs.

Interesting, I don't know what I was looking at before but Denver's definitely got more job opps...then again, it's how much larger? Makes sense Still would probably prefer C.S. as it is a smaller city...decisions, decisions

[reginhild]

The suburbs of North Colorado Springs and South Denver are only about 35-40 minutes apart. There are several towns between that would allow you to commute to either area: Castle Rock - just outside Denver, Larkspur - halfway, Monument - 10 min North of Briargate.

For jobs, your gf should be able to find something very quickly. You might have to go with an interim position before you find a true EE job. www.techforless.com is located in Colorado Springs if you have some IT telephone troubleshooting and sales experience. Lots of contractors that work for the military also in Colorado Springs - usually will need to qualify for a security clearance for these positions.