Young couple considering move to Portland area--advice??

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by JLR29

Look I am ready to be eviscerated, that's what i get for posting a semi-inflammatory post. I can understand the situation quite clearly. The job situation is terrible in Portland, I get it. All I was saying is that Detroit, which is where I live, is by ALL accounts worse than Portland, and the mood is better here than what I see on this board. Just my opinion, take it for what it is worth (not much). This is not the worst situation in history in either place. Some stupid people will come out without a job, and struggle, it happens everywhere at all times. You have a nice town, it will rebound. Thank your lucky stars you aren't in Michigan, for which I am less optimistic.

This is a Portland forum; not a Detroit forum. No one said Portland was "worse" than Detroit because no one is interested in making unnecessary comparisons. No one is arguing which is worse; that has never been the point. The fact that Detroit may be worse doesn't make it better in Portland.

I would imagine that if anyone posted on the Detroit forum they wanted to move there they would be getting the same response as the people who say they want to move to Portland. They would be advised against it. Our town has been suffering from unemployment problems long before the recent turn-down. Back in the late 70's when I moved here (I was transferred) there were problems. I can remember in the 90's the company for which I worked put a small ad for employment in the Oregonian. The first day 90 people responded to the ad. The following days the applications continued to pour in. And these were supposedly good times.

Portland's unemployment problems differ from Detroit's but both are places that are having very difficult times now. Hopefully things will improve for both cities but it will take time and a great deal of political change. In the meantime, I think everyone everywhere, if they are lucky enough to have a job, would be wise to stay put until things turn around.

[subsound]

This is why I stopped trying to convince people not to move out to Portland, people either post here saying "It's not that bad, X city is worse" or people have already made up their minds and want to get reassurance from strangers because no one else is giving them any. You don't look at the worst city in the nation for unemployment and say the one of the other bottom 10% is better, it's slightly better by comparison but it doesn't mean it is good. Detroit is better then Elkhart (Indiana) and is a paradise compared to Haiti, the poorest and most destitute area in the western hemisphere (which hit rock bottom and started to dig).

I have certainly been in the situation where I was hired because I was a grad student, and my boss began starting to ask me to miss class to stay late for the job (usually something urgent he sat on). I can understand missing or being late on occasion because work needs to get done, but you can't do that too much. I did the same thing and quit ASAP when I found a new position. You abuse your workers and you get only the people who are looking for a new job, or those who simply are unable to find new positions...then your work suffers constantly retraining or having idiots on the payroll, and the company goes the way of the dinosaurs. It's a self defeating cycle.

[JLR29]

I give up. Everyone is right. Portland is the absolute worst city in America. There are no jobs, nor where there will be in the near or long-term future. No one with any sense should ever consider moving out there.

Jeez People, The general point of the post was not to say any place is worse than the other. It was not trying to say the situation out there in not horrible. I was simply trying to point out the horrid outlook and attitude on this board and compare it to my personal experience. The city it is compared to doesn't matter.

But what do I care. I personally do not need anyone's reassurance or approval. Wallow in your misery, you seem to enjoy it so much. If I decide to move out there I'll buy you a beer.

[subsound]

If it's misery to say that there are a good number of people out of work, and jumping in a car and moving with enthusiasm and prayer is not such a good idea at the moment (especially if some one has a job already)...consider me the most miserable idiot of all. This is pretty much why I don't give anyone advice anymore, if it doesn't match their world view I am *add insult*. I get the same insults when I used to give financial advice to friends and family who would ask, being a miserable idiot with an MBA and a job doing financial analysis, because it didn't match the answer they wanted. Oh well, you can never save people from themselves.

[davefr]

Originally Posted by JLR29

I give up. Everyone is right. Portland is the absolute worst city in America. There are no jobs, nor where there will be in the near or long-term future. No one with any sense should ever consider moving out there.

The forum is trying to point out that Portland is among the worst places for employment in an already miserable US economy. That's the current undisputed reality. The other factor is a very high cost of living.

Those that want to come here at least should know what they're up against. Maybe they can prepare by having a substantial living reserve built up to weather it out.

"Come one, come all" but understand what you're up against and prepare accordingly. Suggesting anything less would be "forum malpractice".

I see so many threads where someone wants A, B, C, and D but not one of them mentions income. If they're independently wealthy then great. If they depend on a paycheck that all bets are off.

[Wyvern398]

To answer on of the original poster's questions, I wanted to comment on the fact that you say you are going through alternate channels to become a teacher. I wanted to let you know that while Oregon has only an average to below average school system, it also has the highest qualifications necessary to become a teacher.

To get an Oregon teaching license you must hold a Master's Degree in Arts & Teaching or Education, as well as pass several tests for your area of teaching- I believe you will have to take the ORELA and the PRAXIS for what you say you wish to teach. Obviously not knowing exactly how you are getting your degree/license, you may already know this!

Even with a Master's degree from an accepted institution, you will be hard pressed to find a teaching job in the state- especially in Portland. There are at least 2 major programs in Education that I can think of in the area, all dumping 40-80 people into the job market every year on top of all the teachers who have been consistently looking for work, and those who have lost positions because of cutting of jobs.

Now I am not saying you definitely won't find a job, but I and many people I know have been looking to teach full time for the past 2 years with very little luck.

You can substitute in classrooms with only a bachelor's degree- if you also hold an Oregon teaching license. Sub jobs are also very very hard to come by as there are many of us snapping up jobs as fast as they are posted. I know many school districts in the area have even put a hiring freeze on new substitutes because they are overwhelmed with them at this time. Basically, I wouldn't count on paying your bills just by subbing alone.

Sorry to sound discouraging (I know many of the posts sound this way, but it is just the reality of Portland right now) and you may not even be considering moving here anymore but I wanted to make sure you had the info about teaching as I wouldn't want you to be surprised if you run into difficulties when applying for an Oregon teaching license.

[whatpapertiger]

I'd actually recommend Eugene, OR- its south of Portland, but everything is very central, there is a huge bike community, along with runners (thinking prefontaine...), arts, music etc, good public transportation. The largest majority of people there are fairly young, its a big university crowd. Also very family friendly, tons of great schools, there is a need for teachers, although not a large corporate area really unless you are in tech. The university employs many also. Great weather, tons of greenery, alternative culture etc. And deffinatley has a better employement rate than Portland, I might add.

[kander63]

If you are ambitious and want to work in medium to large companies, don't come here - it is a terrible place for that kind of career. I love Portland, but my career has suffered, and I'm going to be moving back to the Bay Area next year partly for that reason. Portland is great if:

1) You are an athletic footwear designer and can get a job at Nike or Adidas
2) You are a barista by day, indie rocker by night, and can live happily on next to no money
3) You can bring your job with you
4) You are independently wealthy
5) You don't mind looking for work in your field for months to years and eventually settling for a job 1 or 2 levels below what you are capable of and making 20-30% less than you'd make anywhere with a vibrant economy

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by kander63

If you are ambitious and want to work in medium to large companies, don't come here - it is a terrible place for that kind of career. I love Portland, but my career has suffered, and I'm going to be moving back to the Bay Area next year partly for that reason. Portland is great if:

1) You are an athletic footwear designer and can get a job at Nike or Adidas
2) You are a barista by day, indie rocker by night, and can live happily on next to no money
3) You can bring your job with you
4) You are independently wealthy
5) You don't mind looking for work in your field for months to years and eventually settling for a job 1 or 2 levels below what you are capable of and making 20-30% less than you'd make anywhere with a vibrant economy

Sadly true.

[seain dublin]

My wife and I lived in Oregon for two years after retiring. From 2002 to 2004 and the economy was bad back then. We returned to CA and now are on the east coast.

Oregon is beautiful and Portland is a nice city but I don't ever remember it be being a boom town. We had neighbors who worked for Nike which was a big deal in Portland, but it looks like they have done a lot of layoffs.

It was bad 5 years ago, so I am sure it has gotten much worse.