Wanting to move to Portland, Oregon (Jacksonville: apartment, school, college)

[AshvonB]

I live in Jacksonville, Florida and I like it but I dont love it. I just turned 22 and Im in Hair school. I've been researching some places to relocate and my two options were seattle and portland. I chose portland because its a bit like seattle but not so big. My sister and I are actually going to visit this spring to portland since ive never been just so i can get the feel of the place. From what ive read about it i think id absolutley love it, from the atmosphere it seems to have, the people, the good urban and hipster vibes people talk about, the foods & beers, outdoors activities and more. Im a horse fanatic its my passion along with being a skier, snowboarder, hiker, camper, pretty much a outdoor nature guru (I dont mind the rain all the time either, ive lived in NY & MI so i dont think weather can get any worse than that). All these elements of portland seem to appease me so much. I do feel i have one problem though. Im going to school for hair, skin care, the works and this is what i want to revolve my career around. Is it hard for cosmetologists out there to get by? I want to advance my career not just work at a sportsclips or smart style (no offense to anyone) just not my path. Since portland seems to have a very artsy, trendy base to it, is it a bit easier out there for that career path? I dont plan on leaving until im done with school and thats not until the end of next year and id love to just save save save until then because im so dead set on wanting to do this if I love it! Portland truley sounds like a place that id want to be, it screams me. I know id just be starting out on a one bedroom apartment for my dog and I once i get things settled here so i dont think itd be to pricey but id love everyones thoughts please and thank you very much!

[urbanlife78]

Funny, I actually know a couple girls that moved to Portland from Jacksonville and have sense moved back, but it sounds like the things you like make Portland and Oregon a good fit for you.

I am not sure with your profession but know a couple people in that industry, but don't know much to give you any real advice that you couldn't find on the internet.

I will say be prepared to struggle that first year and if you can save up $30K and can line up any job before you get here, you will definitely have a good head start.

[AshvonB]

Any bit helps out! I appreciate any feedback i can get I do plan to save quite a bit before i make such a drastic move though.

[Steve Pickering]

Have the job first before you move, and have someone spell check your application for syntax, and sentence structure. I don't want to attack you, and I am trying to offer good advice. With lack of punctuation, proper capitalization, and the grammatical errors in your post, your resume would go right to the round file and never be considered.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by AshvonB

Any bit helps out! I appreciate any feedback i can get I do plan to save quite a bit before i make such a drastic move though.

Happy to help, but I definitely can't stress enough, make sure you have a year's worth of income and bills covered before moving because you will probably blow through that amount in 6 months and you want to make sure you give yourself enough of a income window to make the move successful.

[hamellr]

You should go to Los Angeles or Miami first to get your career off the ground. Portland is inundated with hair stylists/cosmetologists. We call them strippers.

Your biggest problem is that there is not enough money in Portland to support a large number of people in your profession. Nor do a lot of women engage in such activities, except for very special occasions, due to the weather. Then you need to factor in the fact that a lot of women here are not vain enough to always be made up.

I have a good amount of contacts in the local talent market, only one is a cosmetologist. She is very good and has been flown out to NYC for a couple of magazine shoots in the past. But she is always struggling and she's been so desperate for money that I've hired her for as low as $40/hour just so she had something to make ends meet. My cousin works in the industry as a hair stylist, has made the rounds in Hollywood and worked with at least half of the current crop of Super Models. He tried to move up here but couldn't find work so ended up going East Coast.

If you want to make a go of it anyways, do as everyone else has said. Make sure you have enough saved up to cover yourself for a year or so. Realize that you'll likely need to take jobs outside of your industry, or you'll need to make contacts outside of the Portland area and travel quite a bit.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by hamellr

You should go to Los Angeles or Miami first to get your career off the ground. Portland is inundated with hair stylists/cosmetologists. We call them strippers.

Your biggest problem is that there is not enough money in Portland to support a large number of people in your profession. Nor do a lot of women engage in such activities, except for very special occasions, due to the weather. Then you need to factor in the fact that a lot of women here are not vain enough to always be made up.

I have a good amount of contacts in the local talent market, only one is a cosmetologist. She is very good and has been flown out to NYC for a couple of magazine shoots in the past. But she is always struggling and she's been so desperate for money that I've hired her for as low as $40/hour just so she had something to make ends meet. My cousin works in the industry as a hair stylist, has made the rounds in Hollywood and worked with at least half of the current crop of Super Models. He tried to move up here but couldn't find work so ended up going East Coast.

If you want to make a go of it anyways, do as everyone else has said. Make sure you have enough saved up to cover yourself for a year or so. Realize that you'll likely need to take jobs outside of your industry, or you'll need to make contacts outside of the Portland area and travel quite a bit.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

It is true, I have known a number of girls that were strippers that worked as hair stylists during the day.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

It is true, I have known a number of girls that were strippers that worked as hair stylists during the day.

You would think that was BS, but I also know two who are strippers by night and Beauty College Dropouts by day.

[drunkwithwords]

Originally Posted by hamellr

You should go to Los Angeles or Miami first to get your career off the ground. Portland is inundated with hair stylists/cosmetologists. We call them strippers.

Your biggest problem is that there is not enough money in Portland to support a large number of people in your profession. Nor do a lot of women engage in such activities, except for very special occasions, due to the weather. Then you need to factor in the fact that a lot of women here are not vain enough to always be made up.

I have a good amount of contacts in the local talent market, only one is a cosmetologist. She is very good and has been flown out to NYC for a couple of magazine shoots in the past. But she is always struggling and she's been so desperate for money that I've hired her for as low as $40/hour just so she had something to make ends meet. My cousin works in the industry as a hair stylist, has made the rounds in Hollywood and worked with at least half of the current crop of Super Models. He tried to move up here but couldn't find work so ended up going East Coast.

If you want to make a go of it anyways, do as everyone else has said. Make sure you have enough saved up to cover yourself for a year or so. Realize that you'll likely need to take jobs outside of your industry, or you'll need to make contacts outside of the Portland area and travel quite a bit.

I didn't realize that until you posted it. Most of the women I work/hang out with either cycle to work or don't care enough about their hair to pay for someone to cut/style it. Then again, this is my own experience.

Another thing OP. I came here with a job, and I still blew through my savings in a matter of three or four months. Plan some extra savings for fun and adventures (I don't know why I didn't think of that before I moved... duh).