Should I move to Portland? (transplants, sublet, apartment)

[seekingbeta]

I am a 24 year old, single college graduate with a few years of work experience behind me. I've been out of work for almost a year due to a family issue but that's irrelevant...I'm thinking of moving to Portland because there is nothing keeping me here (I currently reside in New York) and I would love to take a risk and move my life to the west coast. I have enough savings to last me several months while I find a job (hopefully a career), I have a car, and I'm pretty independent so I really have no fear when it comes to moving across the country alone.

I would love to get some input on how I should go about the process of moving. Should I try to land a job before I move? Will people be hesitant to rent to someone who doesn't have a job at the current moment in Portland (even though I have sufficient savings for rent)? How do I find roommates (that are semi-normal, lol). Is it easy to find retail/service jobs in Portland (while I look for something more substantial)?

Thank you ahead of time to anyone who helps me out with advice!

[sayulita]

All your questions, and more, will be answered if you just take some time to read through the many threads in this forum. It is chock full of pretty much anything you want to know about Portland.

[Nell Plotts]

It is not easy to find a job in Portland. My advise to you is to find a job in your current community with an employer who has a presence in Portland. Work there for 6+ months and transfer. That can work at Starbucks, Trader Joe's, even perhaps Costco. Of those Costco pays the best, Starbucks has lots of locations, Trader Joe's employees are always upbeat. Take your pick.

[NWbyNW]

I would get a job first. Never more someplace until you have a job secured. Instead of moving to Portland, you could save a lot of money if you move to Vancouver, Washington. It has lower tax rates then Oregon. Washington State has a better economic stance then Oregon and has more opportunities. I would check with that states board here on CityData.

If you have questions I can answer, I will do my best! Best of luck to you.

[Nell Plotts]

If the OP can find a job in Vancouver, fine. But if s/he has a job in Oregon they will pay Oregon income tax, add that to a more expensive commute the adage of live close to where you work is a no-brainier, particularly for a low wage earner.

[Minervah]

Several months is not going to be long enough to live on while looking for work. That can be taken up by renting with first and last month and security deposits if you can find a landlord who will rent to you without a job. I agree with finding a job where you are now and asking for a transfer. Or finding a job where you are and saving at least a year's worth of funds before you move if you move without a job but doing that only as a last resort. If you can find work where you are at a big box store pr a chain restaraunt, and get a transfer, that would probably be the best way to go.

[Steve Pickering]

Don't even consider a move without a job you can live on.

[seekingbeta]

Ok thank you for everyone who responded. I definitely will consider all the advice. Probably going to end up searching relentlessly for a job, and if that yields no results then I'll just try to get a job here and see what else I can do.

[westboundrambler]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

Don't even consider a move without a job you can live on.

It's not nice to tell people what to do, perhaps if you felt like you needed to point this out you could have said "It's best to have a job lined up up before you move since the job market is very competitive" as people have told me, and I've thanked them for the advice. But there's a difference between kindly giving advice and telling someone to do something.

[Ankhharu]

OP, check the general moving forum. You'll get better advice and ideas on moves as many of us who moved cross country several times frequent that forum and can provide you with ideas and things you need to do to pull off this move.

Because unless you have a specific skillset or find a rare job that will let you transfer, you won't be able to get a job out of state. Hiring managers aren't going to take a chance on someone in another state when there are almost always a plethora of local candidates to choose from and they don't have to worry about this people not showing up or returning home due to homesickness 6 months later (which is a common problem).

So if you take the advice of not moving until you have a job, you'll probably never move. In fact, there would be very few transplants in most cities. I have made several interstate moves along with others I know with no job lined up. And in this crappy economy too. None of them with a job lined up. Save up enough money to live on for 6 months or longer and then go. Don't try to rent an apartment without a job. It would be better to rent a room or sublet until you find a job locally. It's cheaper and you're not cutting into your savings with deposits, etc.