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Moving to Alaska and shaking off the dust from home.
Uncle Long
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Alright, the saga continues.
So, in the last thread I ended with getting a job at a small Computer shop in town with the intent of getting experience and then relocating at some point in the near future. So far that has been just awesome. Yesterday I laid new line in an industrial complex, and today I'm building an Active Directory (seems small to some of you big shots, but it's a big deal to us liberal arts majors).
Well, for the last two months I've been negotiating a possible Reporter position in Alaska working for the Wrangell Sentinel. As of tonight I've clinched the job. Great. I've checked the town out as best I could through the interwebs and it really seems like a haven for me and my writing.
Problem is, and perhaps this is what you awesome H/Aers can help me with; I am not sure what to do about moving.
-They are paying for my plane ticket out there
-They are reimbursing me up to $1000 to move my crap out there (I really don't have all that much crap, I just graduated last May and am still at home, though next Wednesday was the day I was going to sign a lease for a new place).
-Job pays about $3 an hour better than what I'm making at the computer shop.
-Do I need my car?
-If I need my car should I just drive it out there and see if they'll reimburse me for the gas?
-What do I do about finding a place to set up house? I think I'm going to start calling around but there is no way I'm going to be able to sign a lease or whatever until I actually get there and see these places.
-What, in general should I bring? The weather doesn't seem too different from where I am now (Michigan) as it is in the southern little tail of Alaska, generally a bit colder, but not too bad.
I'm sure there are more questions I'd like your input on, but these'll have to do for now.
And, lastly, the biggest thing: I've only been at this computer shop for about a month and I feel like a real shit quitting on them all of a sudden (I need to be on my way to Alaska in less than two weeks) after they hired me and have spent the time to sort of help me along and now that I'm doing this directory for them I am worried that I might fuck something up that is going to show up later down the road and make a huge headache for them and I won't be there to help them fix it. Seriously, I've made awesome friends there and I feel like a jackass for leaving them; but, then again, the end goal has always been to write and to get the fuck out of here.
I don't know, you probably understand my situation from what I've got up there but:
tl;dr
Got a job in Alaska, need to quit current job, don't know how to break it to them, and be in Alaska the week of the 16th. Would also like some general advice about moving to Alaska and anything anyone might know about the city of Wrangell as far as lodging and vehicle accessibility.
So, in the last thread I ended with getting a job at a small Computer shop in town with the intent of getting experience and then relocating at some point in the near future. So far that has been just awesome. Yesterday I laid new line in an industrial complex, and today I'm building an Active Directory (seems small to some of you big shots, but it's a big deal to us liberal arts majors).
Well, for the last two months I've been negotiating a possible Reporter position in Alaska working for the Wrangell Sentinel. As of tonight I've clinched the job. Great. I've checked the town out as best I could through the interwebs and it really seems like a haven for me and my writing.
Problem is, and perhaps this is what you awesome H/Aers can help me with; I am not sure what to do about moving.
-They are paying for my plane ticket out there
-They are reimbursing me up to $1000 to move my crap out there (I really don't have all that much crap, I just graduated last May and am still at home, though next Wednesday was the day I was going to sign a lease for a new place).
-Job pays about $3 an hour better than what I'm making at the computer shop.
-Do I need my car?
-If I need my car should I just drive it out there and see if they'll reimburse me for the gas?
-What do I do about finding a place to set up house? I think I'm going to start calling around but there is no way I'm going to be able to sign a lease or whatever until I actually get there and see these places.
-What, in general should I bring? The weather doesn't seem too different from where I am now (Michigan) as it is in the southern little tail of Alaska, generally a bit colder, but not too bad.
I'm sure there are more questions I'd like your input on, but these'll have to do for now.
And, lastly, the biggest thing: I've only been at this computer shop for about a month and I feel like a real shit quitting on them all of a sudden (I need to be on my way to Alaska in less than two weeks) after they hired me and have spent the time to sort of help me along and now that I'm doing this directory for them I am worried that I might fuck something up that is going to show up later down the road and make a huge headache for them and I won't be there to help them fix it. Seriously, I've made awesome friends there and I feel like a jackass for leaving them; but, then again, the end goal has always been to write and to get the fuck out of here.
I don't know, you probably understand my situation from what I've got up there but:
tl;dr
Got a job in Alaska, need to quit current job, don't know how to break it to them, and be in Alaska the week of the 16th. Would also like some general advice about moving to Alaska and anything anyone might know about the city of Wrangell as far as lodging and vehicle accessibility.
Uncle Long on
0
Posts
Towns here tend to be really spread out, so even a small one can be pretty big area wise. Also public transportation isn't as good up here as it is a lot of places down in the states, so a car might be a good thing to have. Depending on the quality of your car you may just be better off selling it down there and buying a new one when you get up here.
For the housing situation you might see if someone at the paper can put you up for a little bit while you look for a place, or even just recommend a place to start looking.
I'm originally from Iowa and generally the weather up here isn't too different from the Midwest, just more mild in the summer, and more snow but a less wind in the winter. I haven't spent any time in southeast Alaska though (I live in Anchorage), so your mileage may vary.
Good luck, Alaska is awesome.
Ryan M Long Photography
Buy my Prints!
You gotta do what's right for you. The only way you'd be able to stay on for a decent minimum amount of time would be to hang around for a year, and that would a) trash this golden opportunity, and b) run directly counter to your long-term goals. Just tell them the truth. You've had a really good opportunity come up, it matches your two-fold goal to get out of Michigan and work on writing, and while you like the job and the people you've got to go with your dream. Anyone who faults you for that is being selfish, unless you signed something that said you agreed to a minimum term of employment.
I shipped my car from Vancouver to Montreal when I moved last year, because I just didn't have the time needed to make the drive. It was fairly expensive (~$1200 Canadian), and I was expressly forbidden from putting any personal possessions in the car, so I couldn't use that as a method of delivering some boxes as well. When I went to pick up my car, I actually found it unlocked, and the few glovebox items I'd left in the car were strewn around all over the floor. Clearly, junkies have learned that they can hop the fence at the rail yard, get into the cars, and make off with anything of value they find. The only reason they can't steal the cars is because the fence is probably locked up at night, and a moving car inside the fence after dark would probably alert security. I imagine the rail company stopped locking the cars because they've given up on trying to keep druggies out at night, and leaving them unlocked cuts down on insurance claims for damaged door locks and broken windows.
In short, I recommend the road trip over shipping your car. If you have snow tires, bring 'em. You'll be going through the Rockies, there will likely be snow at the higher elevations, and some of those mountain roads are pretty hairy.
This is what I was thinking and it really makes me feel like I'm doing the right thing if I'm not the only one thinking it. I think I am going to take that road trip. I will be taking a route that goes from MI->Chicago->Wisconsin->North Dakota->Canadian Provinces and then a short hop over on the Alaskan Marine Highway to the island. A journey, according to mapquest, of just under 3000 miles and around 60 hrs of drive time. I'm thinking I'd like to take no more than 4-5 days to get there which would mean about 12-16 hours of travel everyday which I think is feasible, if not a bit exhausting; but I really like road trips and they make awesome writing fodder.
Now, onto the logistics of moving across the country.
Is there anything I need to do vis a vis the secretary of state/DMV/Post-office before I leave?
Ryan M Long Photography
Buy my Prints!
http://www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/ADMIN/dmv/akol/index.htm
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/ltgov/elections/voting.php
As far as the post office goes, I'd show up in person to your local Michigan branch, and let 'em know you'll be moving. They'll likely have some kind of form for you to fill out.
Ryan M Long Photography
Buy my Prints!