Moving for a job experiences

boxerboy1168

Hello all,

I come to you with more questions yay!!!!

So I am probably going to move in a few months to take an IT job in California and I honestly can't wait.

Have any of you moved across country for a job before?

Did you know anyone where you moved?

How did you go about finding a living situation or did you rent a hotel??

shochan

Just buy an RV & do remote tech support on the road, sleep/park in Walmart parking lots or state parks...lol

boxerboy1168

I would love to do remote tech support but I have no experience

McxRisley

I recently moved from the midwest to the east coast for a new job. I didn't know anybody there except 2 people that I had meet online and was going to be working with. I found a place to rent by using various realty sites. Long story short, I packed me and my family up, moved them half way across the country only to have depression slowly set in and hate life. We made it 6 months before I got my old job back and moved back home. While you may not have this same experience, I'm just sharing what happened to me.

boxerboy1168

you were able to acquire a location without actually physically being present?

McxRisley

I'm not sure what your question means lol Do you mean job? or do you mean find a house?

boxerboy1168

finding a place to live, did you have problems securing housing while not actually being present?

McxRisley

Nope, my company paid for a house hunting visit. You don't actually have to be present to rent a house though, you can do it all online if you desire.

beads

Many past and present road warriors will attest the most difficult part of the whole gig is finding someplace your comfortable to unwind, relax and hopefully - sleep well. If this is a contract then find an extended stay hotel like Candlewood, etc for the first month so your not investing much into housing that you may not live to regret later. There are cheaper no name places as well depending on budget and how much you have in tow. Personally, I used to travel pretty light so it was never a real problem. Depending on where your extended stay hotel is at and the general climate can range from normal business travelers and weekend getaway types to the constant party of grad students and visiting sports teams on the weekends. The later was my misery for a year at the University of Michigan. Sometimes one cannot escape the local... wildlife.

Once you have a feel for the work, the area and demands your time like commute, hopefully you can identify someone or people in the new organization who can give you a local's perspective as to where to look for a place to live. Yes, real estate agents and apartment finders are available but also work on commission. Seriously, find someone local you can trust then approach the sales folks armed with more information. Guessing your going to be changing time zones as well. Initially its not too bad but may creep up on you, depending on how sensitive your circadian rhythm tends to be. The real hassle will be calling people in the old time zone. Oppps! Its too late/early to call the girl/boyfriend, parents, etc. So be prepared to occasionally stop yourself there. Doesn't sound like much till you realize your phone call is connected to someone four time zones in the future/past.

Let us know when congratulations are in order.

- b/eads

EANx

As mentioned, see if you can work temporary housing into the offer. That gives you the chance to get a hotel or short-term corporate rental (usually by the week) while you hunt for permanent digs. How long depends on how good a negotiator you are and how desperate they are. For a starter guy, I'd ask for three weeks and expect to be backed down to two. But you should definitely start looking at rental apartments and houses from the time you get the offer. Don't wait until you cross the state line.