Moving back to the mainland (Alaska)

[Alaskana]

Well, the wife and I just bought our tickets and are getting out of here. To the folks who just moved (besides us) good luck.

We've made a lot of good friends, but there is just nothing here for our skill sets and interests. I was open to different career fields, but there aren't many opportunities for that either. *shrug* tis life.

So, for now Hawaii is a vacation spot for us.

Thanks for all the interesting times guys.

Alaskana

[Chuysmom]

I'm so sorry to hear that Hawai'i didn't work for you. It can be challenging for many people it seems. You have to do what is best for you and yours...how long were you here?

[Alaskana]

A whole whopping 7 months. Just no jobs to be had.

[clona]

Don't feel to bad about it Alaskana, we moved to puna area from Alaska nine years ago, bought a home, opened a small business, and now have moved to Washington state this month (May) after going through a business failure, bankruptcy and foreclosure happening as we left. We tried and lost everything, be glad you left before spending every dime you had trying to make it work. Here we go once again starting over, only now we are in middle age. Good luck to all of us.

[Kapohocat]

Best of luck to both of you (Alaskana and Clona) in your new adventures.

[macuu222]

Other than the medical profession....finding any job here is a challenge to say the least! Good Luck!

[pslamont]

I think it is fair to say that things are tight all over. Our country is in a massive recession that will likely be renamed a depression in the history books. Everyone is having a hard time. Moving is particularly tough. We have been here 7 years now and love our life but our skill sets fit. Hubby is a school teacher who was recruited from the mainland in advance. Although retired, I am a critical care nurse and could work if I wanted to. We love our land, have worked at making it productive and are having moderate success. On the happiness meter, we can't even measure it. We belong here.



I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says

"Oh Crap, She's up!"

[JerryCarr]

Even in stronger economic times, the job market here is tough for newcomers. Do a Punaweb search on the topic, and you'll see lots of testimonials to that fact. I wish those well who have reached their limit and are leaving, and I also encourage people whose dream it is to live here not to give up. It is possible find a niche in the local economy. Generally, it takes a hefty amount of financial resources to get through what is often a long transition/adaptation period, and sometimes one has to create one's own job or business.

Like Pam and her Hubby, my spouse Bear and I are amazingly happy here. But he and I are retired and came with our own resources. No jobs needed. Even some retirees end up returning to the mainland, though. Some find that living here is not what they thought it would be, some miss children and grandchildren too much, and some can't handle the high cost of living. So it's not just the lack of employment opportunities that cause people to want to move back.

[KeaauRich]

And just to state the obvious, no place is perfect for everyone, but if if you have a bee in your bonnet (who knows how that expression ended up in my verbal resource pile...) about moving to Hawaii, it makes sense to try it. But if you get here and things don't work out for whatever reason, it makes no sense to stay and make yourself (and your circle of friends and family) miserable and/or broke. Bravo for being realistic, taking chances, and for taking corrective action when things didn't play out as you expected. Treasure the experiences you had here, revel in the good stuff and try to put the bad stuff behind you, and then move on to your next life adventure. You'll always have friends here rooting for you and anxious to hear about the next chapter in your life. A hui hou!