How to move across the country with no job lined up?

You may end up with a crappy job at first, and you may need roommates, but $15,000 is more than enough cushion to get you from the Midwest to Oregon. Many people have made successful moves with much less. Also, consider: your worst-case scenario is that Oregon falls through and you have to move back in with your parents. If you want to discuss this further (I'm a native Oregonian who's moved a lot), memail me.

I moved to Los Angeles with no job and no experience and $2000. You will be absolutely fine.

I took a one-way flight to New York City with $4000, two suitcases, and no work experience. Yes, I ate up my savings, yes I lived on ramen and hot dogs for several months, and yes I was frequently lonely, scared, broke, isolated and freezing cold from the times my boiler randomly cut out in the winter in my first, terrible apartment. (And don't even get me started on the eight people who were living in a two-bedroom apartment by the time I moved out.) I have never, ever, ever for a single moment regretted this move. Check out Craigslist and see if a cheap, furnished sublet would be an option. You could move your stuff and rent a permanent apartment once you have a job, and this would significantly cut your upfront expenses.

On the one hand, that's plenty to move on. It depends on where you want to move *in* Oregon, but that'll be enough. Portland is a really desirable spot to live, but really terrible for finding jobs currently. Eugene is like Portland, except less-so in both aspects. ((I live here myself and love it, but polls and ratings seem to say what I described)) From there, I'm not *as* familiar with the job market in Salem, Bend, or Corvallis; but I do know that it's in the same general direction. I'd say to stay away from the coast, as though it is gorgeous and you would likely absolutely love to live there, cost of living would be even higher proportionally and jobs would be even scarcer. As far as any of the more rural places not mentioned, again the idea of 'nice to live, but rough to find jobs in' holds. The emphasis in all of this is that jobs are tough to find. Really tough. Personally I'm rather attached to Eugene; if you're headed this way MeMail me and I can help out and give area suggestions (or even work towards a 'welcome here' meetup). So... I'd say do it overall, since you sound like you really want/need to get out and this is a great place to live. And really, jobs are tough everywhere. Here just moreso than many other spots.

... though I know the economy is not great and my degree and background are not exactly in demand. This is pretty much your problem and moving here is not necessarily the key to getting a job. Unless you have tech skills, you'll probably spend MONTHS looking for work and only then score something minimum wage. Adding to your difficulty is the fact that with the large number of unemployed we already have, no-one is going to hire a low-skilled employee from another state. And make no doubt, being from another state is not in your favor. Eugene in particular has a rabid provincialism, suspicious of strangers and confused by accents. The job market is very much driven by who you know and what you can do, not "We need a person" which is how many people get a break. Portland is better, but the real market is technical jobs. Really, really, the market here is as bad as anywhere else. The only people I know getting regular work are technical types or nurses. I guess I could say something about following your dreams and all that but Oregon is not what people seem to think it is. It's not "Portlandia". It's like Appalachia brutally mashed together with Vermont. Adding to the provincialism, Oregon is sort of scarily non-racially diverse. Unless you're white or Hispanic, you can find that many people's reactions are a little... 1960s. Even coming from the Midwest, you might find it a little confusing. I moved to Los Angeles with no job and no experience and $2000. You will be absolutely fine. Yeah, Oregon has a about the same population as Los Angeles and roughly 200 times the area, so this is not an equal comparison.

I think you'll be fine, especially if you have $15K saved up. However, if you are worried, you should figure out what your expectations are before you move... and maybe make a budget based on those expectations. * How much would it cost to move? Do you have a piano you have to move? I moved the opposite direction (Portland to the Midwest) and the move cost $2,000 - with a piano. * Do you want to live on your own, or do you mind living with others? If you are okay living with others, then your rent will be a lot less, and Portland has exceptionally http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/roo/ opportunities to live with others cheaply - from $350 to $500 per month. * How are you going to get around? Cars are going to be expensive everywhere you go. In PDX they have a good transportation system, and they have a huge bike scene - but consider buying a bike before you move to Portland, since they can be expensive once you get there... also, hills, which some places in the Midwest don't have. * Food - do you know how to cook? If not, invest a little time in learning how to cook and shop, and some money in getting the tools for cooking. This will save you money in the long run. Etc. Etc. Make a plan, but don't make it too specific... just get an idea of how much you might cost to move, how much you might end up spending a month, and that should give you a rough estimate of how long you'll be able to survive without a job wherever you decide to move. Honestly, I'm a little envious. You have a big cushion to use to explore a new city. Have fun!

http://careers.registerguard.com/ for Eugene. There will be many many applicants for each job. It's brutal, moreso because it is considered a desirable place to live, even with the horrible weather 6 months out of the year and the inimpressive crime rate and seriously declining schools. But people DO get hired.

There are a lot of reasons not to do this, but I still think you should. The older and more established and more attached you become, the fewer opportunities you'll have to take such big, bold plunges. The unemployment rate is high and the job market is shitty, so it could take a number of months to find a job, and then you'll probably have to work an entry-level gig for a while and volunteer/freelance/whatever until you work your way up to something better. But we do have call centers, restaurants, retail outlets, etc., and they do hire people who can present themselves well, pass drug tests and background tests, show up on time, and do what they're told. I know several non-college grads who've consistently been able to find work in Portland despite relatively spotty career histories. It's a great place to live and full of great people, but times are tight. For what it's worth, I got here back in 2001, when rents were a lot lower, with $2,000, and it's worked out quite well for me so far.

Find a job, any job and move. As long as you stay with that job for the next 13 out of 15 months, you can write it off on taxes. Won't help you now, but it will come april of next year.