Questions about moving to Seattle, Washington?

1. Are there better job opportunities in Seattle than in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania? (We are moving close to the city)

2. Should we job hunt BEFORE we move or when we get there? (Some say that job hunting before might put off a lot of employers because we wouldn't be able to fill the position immediately but I still want opinions on it)

3. We plan to drive from Pittsburgh, PA to Seattle, WA (yes, very far...however, it's the only option we have at this point) my fiance has a 2-door 2002 Ford Focus ZX3....when he bought it (which it's still not fully paid off yet), there was 64,000 some odd miles were already on it. Right now, there is almost 100,000 miles on it. I haven't told this to him but....I don't feel safe traveling in that tiny car again...the first time was fine because it was my first time traveling and I was too excited to notice that the car sucks. We can't afford another one but how can I make my fears of us crashing disappear? I don't want to freak out during this road trip but I have severe anxiety disorder and panic attacks. Is there a way I can fix this without drugs?

4. Is it cheaper or more expensive to live in Seattle? In Pittsburgh (and I've lived in Pittsburgh nearly my whole life), it's fairly cheap if you don't live in the nicest areas but if it's going to be really expensive in Seattle, we may have to rethink going. How expensive is it? (i.e. smokes, gas, car repairs if needed, restaurants, etc.)

5. How do we break the news to our families? My mom crushes almost every dream I have of ever moving forward in life. Every idea I have to better my future, she says that its bullcrap and that I'll never be able to accomplish something like that. She calls me a failure to my face. My fiance and I, we aren't romantic lovers, we are just best friends. My fiance's mother can't accept the fact that he's gay and my mom crushes almost every dream that I have. My aunt wants us to live in an environment that supports our lifestyle and I want to go so badly. I want to start over but...I'm a daddy's girl. I love my father more than life itself. I feel like I could never leave him but going to Seattle (in my opinion) is the best option. It'll give us a chance to start over and from what I hear, there are more job opportunities and it's located in a community who accepts gays and lesbians for who they are. It's also an artsy type place with musicians and artists, singers, theater fanatics, etc. I want to be a musician/author and my fiance wants to become a dancer/actor. This place would be perfect for us. We just don't know how to break the news to our families without pi$$ing them off.



If anyone knows any answers to these questions, please PLEASE let me know.

Thank you!!!Questions about moving to Seattle, Washington?
Let me guess, you鈥檙e young, no more than 22 years old and not college educated.

I don鈥檛 want to be like your mom and crush your dreams, but sweetheart, that twinkle in your young eye and that hopeful smile on your lips are going to be smacked with the cold, hard hand of reality.

Seattle is painfully expensive, competitive and unforgiving to the na茂ve. I wouldn鈥檛 recommend traveling 30 miles away from home, let alone 3,000 if you don鈥檛 have a college education, good credit and at least $10,000 in the bank. The job market is extremely competitive. Housing is extremely expensive and it鈥檚 hard to get your foot in the door of either.

Sounds to me like you and your best friend / fianc茅e have bigger issues than where you live. Moving across the country isn鈥檛 going to empower you to stand up to your mother or develop a healthy respect for normal boundries and relationships. Seattle is artsy-musical-gay-friendly but it鈥檚 not going to welcome you with open arms. While I appreciate your youthful-optimism, Seattle isn鈥檛 right for you. You would be better served staying in an area you know with the emotional support of your father rather than throwing all of your resources away on a move you can鈥檛 afford.
I agree with what the other two people said above me. I would also like to add, i noticed you asked how much smokes were. I assume you mean cigarettes. In washington, there is a law that you may not smoke in a public building, or within 25 feet of the front door of a building. We are not a smoke friendly state. In fact, smoking is so uncommon here now, that cigarettes are really expensive I've heard with a smaller market for them and a lot of tax (i don't smoke, i only know 2 people out of all the people i know who do, and they don't live in seattle).



Also, the other's above are right. Jobs here are really hard to come by right now. It's a big city just like new york or la, and work is just as hard to find if not more for out-of-staters. It's mostly tech jobs, too. If you have at least a four year college degree, are already a famous artist, or can contribute to the banking, computer programming, and or large retail sales market, then you've come to the right place. Maybe, marine biology. Otherwise, good luck. Everything else already has a waiting list of excellant applicants a mile long (full of people already living in the city). Dancing/Art jobs are not very common especially.Questions about moving to Seattle, Washington?
I have to pile on.

First thing you have to understand: Seattle is not a bohemian paradise. It's very expensive in Seattle. It's a big city and no one really cares is you are sensitive and artistic. Seattle is much more "geek than freak" If you have technical skills such as computer programming, web design or graphic design, please pack your things and come to Seattle.

Otherwise, if you just have some vague romantic notion of what it really takes to live on your own and don't have any money; Don't come to Seattle. We have plenty of young idealistic artistic kids in Seattle; we call them "homeless".



You really need to save a minimum of $10,000 each to come here. 20K would be enough to survive for six months while you scour the want ads for jobs. Don't waste you time trying to get hired long distance. I worked as a hiring manager at a high tech firm. We would put the out of state applications in the circular file (trashcan).



Get a skill; get some experience, get a degree, then move to Seattle