# Comin' to Chicago with no place to live and no job!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [April 16, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005 "2003-04-16T02:45:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/1 "2003-04-16T02:45:15Z")
Good day.
I have finally screwed my courage to the sticking place (sorry, Shakes) and am quitting my job to move to Chicago.
I have no job. I have no place to live. I am quitting on June 1.
Might I bother you for words of wisdom and advice (except that I’m a freakin’ loon for doing this without a j-o-b and a place)?
I’ll be in Chicago for a week in May to scope apartments and drop off resumes.
Per chance, can anyone recommend a cheap cheap cheap neighborhood for a single gal to call home?
Can anyone suggest good companies to work for? I’m currently an Exec. Asst. to a SVP. Been with my co. for three and a half years. Can do that if I have to. Don’t really want to. I’m a smart cookie who’s also been in middle management and worked as a legal assistant for a non-profit. Can do almost anything. Am trained in not much. But I just taught the Vice Chair at my company how to run a shredder just yesterday. That’s gotta count for something.
I must say that in my short time here on the boards I have had the pleasure of “meeting” a bunch of intelligent, fascinating people. I am not above sucking up for tips.
May the Diety of Your Choice Smile Upon Your House,
Niblet\_head
---
### Author:  [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/2 "2003-04-16T03:00:48Z")
Cheap=Dangerous in a lot of cities. Why not try a roommate locator service first? You’ve got some time to play with and who knows, you might luck up and click with your roomie the way I did when I got my divorce 15 years ago, and was essentially. penniless. You didn’t mention if you have furniture, but I’m assuming you don’t. All the more reason for finding a roomie.
I’ll let the other Dopers chime in with their job and living quarters advice, and wish you the best of luck!
Quasi
---
### Author:  [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2003, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/3 "2003-04-16T03:13:42Z")
Gracias.
Yeah, I’m not really counting on someplace cheap where I feel safe. :sigh: But why not throw that out to the Universal Waitress and see what sticks…
Actually, I do have furniture, although not much. Right now I’m in a 335 sq. ft I bedroom (yeah, it’s small, but I’m short, so it works).
---
### Author:  [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/4 "2003-04-16T03:35:30Z")
Niblet, what kind of job & money are you looking for? When you get here, are you planning to temp for a while?
---
### Author:  [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/5 "2003-04-16T17:33:43Z")
Gundy:
I can definitely temp when I get there.
Here’s my whiney-ass deal: I can be an exec. asst some more. I just don’t want to. I’m moving to Chicago to pursue a career in voice over. But I need something that will pay my bills and allow me to afford my training and classes. In a perfect world, I’d make 38-45 with a family-friendly employer (the tend to not expect face time or ridiculously long hours). I’d love to do something creative or work for creative types. I have a lot of skills in taking the admin realities of creative types and making them reality. (Lots of computer knowlege and good common sense.)
I know this isn’t very specific. I am a smart cookie, though. I am capable of doing lots of things, but just don’t have direct experience I can put on a resume.
Case in point - out of college I volunteered for a non-profit. After 6 mos. volunteering, I spent 2 mos. in Mexico at a language school. I came back and was hired as their full-time legal assistant (with no legal background), with a caseload of hundreds of clients, almost all of whom spoke no English.
Sorry if this isn’t helpful. As you can see, I have a bit of a conundrum. I don’t want to do what I’m currently doing anymore, but if I have to do what I’m currently doing in order to do what I want to do, I guess that’s what I have to do, but I don’t want to if I don’t have to.
---
### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/6 "2003-04-16T18:21:14Z")
Temping is the best way to go. I’ve been gainfully employed in the temp world for five years now in Chicago (suburbs). It definitely pays the bills.
---
### Author:  [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/7 "2003-04-16T19:52:15Z")
Kalhoun, that’s exactly what I need to hear.
Tell me about the agencies up there. Any recommendations of good agencies? Any agencies you would NOT work for? What kind of assignments have you gotten?
---
### Author:  [@Jane\_D\_oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_D_oh)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/8 "2003-04-16T20:34:50Z")
If you want to e-mail me a resume, I have about six employment agencies that I have been feeding resumes to over the last three or four weeks. I got about 3 cold calls in one day from agencies and all the also rans for the last position I filled got forwarded to all of them.
---
### Author:  [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/9 "2003-04-16T20:52:09Z")
I hear American, United and Motorola are hiring.
---
### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/10 "2003-04-16T20:52:56Z")
I’ve temped for Adecco and currently at Snelling. Geez, there was another one that was very good. Why can’t I remember? I had that job for 18 months. I would NOT work for Manpower. Even though they’re big, they don’t pay well and they’re just weird. I hated my interview and they never have good jobs for office folk.
I’ve been an Executive Assistant mostly, but I’m currently a Data Specialist (which doesn’t actually require techhy background). There’s tons of secretarial-type stuff. You just need strong Word, Excel, and Powerpoint and you’re pretty much in like Flynn.
---
### Author:  [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/11 "2003-04-16T22:00:00Z")
I’m assuming you’ve already done this, but in case you haven’t:
- Make sure your resume is in tip-top shape _before_ you get to Chicago.
- Might want to check on your references before you head off, just to make sure you have three good ones you can pass out if need be.
Good luck 🙂
---
### Author:  [@austen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/austen)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/12 "2003-04-16T22:11:55Z")
Your experience in Mexico is definitely a value add - make sure you emphasize that. Chicago has an extremely large Latin American/Hispanic/fill in the PC term population, and being bilingual will be a big plus for you.
Check out the Chicago Reader online for a good idea of neighborhoods and price ranges for apartments. [http://65.201.198.41/cgi-bin/spacefind.cgi](http://65.201.198.41/cgi-bin/spacefind.cgi)
Accountemps is a good temp firm - they have a lot of clerical positions and such. We’ve used them a lot in the past, and most of the resources we used as temps were hired on full-time. [http://www.accountemps.com/](http://www.accountemps.com/)
Unfortunately, my company is not hiring now, or I would pass on you resume. ☹
Good luck!
---
### Author:  [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/13 "2003-04-16T22:44:42Z")
My firm uses Seville for temps. They’ve mostly sent us good people. (They also tend to send us a lot of semi-working actor types, so your situation certainly isn’t new to them.) Good luck!
---
### Author:  [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/14 "2003-04-17T00:30:08Z")
Thanks to you all.
I appreciate you guys taking a moment for a gal you’ve never even met!
So… get home today and there’s a summons for jury duty the week I’m going to Chicago. DAMN ME AND DEDICATION TO DEMOCRACY.
crap crap crap
---
### Author:  [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/15 "2003-04-17T02:07:45Z")
Write a letter or otherwise explain that you’re moving out the county/city and will no longer be a resident. Don’t let that summons quash your dreams!
---
### Author:  [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/16 "2003-04-17T02:24:23Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by niblet\_head \*
> \*\*Kalhoun, that’s exactly what I need to hear.
>
> Tell me about the agencies up there. Any recommendations of good agencies? Any agencies you would NOT work for? What kind of assignments have you gotten? \*\*
I just accepted a permanent job through an agency at a company I temped with for about four months, and I highly recommend them – [Mack & Associates](http://www.mackltd.com). They have a nice little program called Jump Start or something like that, where they’ll put you on call for the first couple of hours of a day, and if you don’t get an assignment, you’ll still get $20 for being on call.
---
### Author:  [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/17 "2003-04-17T02:25:50Z")
Should have mentioned – the temp job I have is as a sales assistant, and the permanent position is marketing coordinator. They run a pretty wide administrative gamut.
Do I recall correctly that you’re coming to ChiDope, niblet?
---
### Author:  [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2003, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/18 "2003-04-17T14:05:56Z")
Yep, I’ll be at ChiDope.
---
### Author:  [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/19 "2003-04-17T16:21:04Z")
Kalhoun - Olsten? That’s who I always temped for - they got me in where I’m at now - and have been here six years (well they hired me - I’m not still temping) 🙂
You NW Burbs by any chance? We could do lunch!! 😃
---
### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005/20 "2003-04-17T18:38:51Z")
Missy2U, It wasn’t Olsten, but my mom temped for them for a while. I’ll think of it a 3:00 in the morning most likely.
I am in the NW burbs, but i don’t have transportation. Where are you? I’m in Hoffman Estates.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comin-to-chicago-with-no-place-to-live-and-no-job/169005.md?page=2)