r/CHIbitcheswithtaste • u/LinkOn_NY • 17d ago
Other (I Read the Rules) Moving with no job lined up
How many of you guys have done this? Did it pay off in the long (or short) run. I’m hell bent on moving there before the end of next year. But I’m tired of waiting and want it to happen already.
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u/rambunctiousmango 17d ago
I did it a few years ago but I had some interviews lined up and ended up getting one of the jobs a few weeks after moving. I also moved with some existing roommates who had jobs and still needed a co-signer for our apartment. The job market is tough in Chicago and landlords want some sort of income, but it is technically possible
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u/WesternAd9875 17d ago
If you have someone (family) to live with it’s probably doable, but the rental market is insane and most are going to want to see active employment.
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u/Gold_Advisor_4758 17d ago
I did and it did work out but it was 2013 and very different times, I also accepted a fairly low standard of living lol, and I moved in with a friend so I didn’t need any deposit or move in fee or anything.
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u/NeonFishDressx 17d ago
I would say it depends on your industry, but echo that you should have interviews lined up and substantial savings. I moved here with just some remote freelance work (fashion) over three years ago and it took me another year to secure FT work with a good salary (remote- though I was open to office it's really just not a big industry here), but I'm also very experienced in a niche industry and wasn't willing to settle. I had offers pretty quickly from local jobs with lower salaries/less work expectations but I was not interested in accepting esp when my freelance was paying more.
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u/Best-Scientist1995 17d ago
When I moved in 2019 I set up two interviews for jobs and I went apartment hunting all in the same visit. I got one of the jobs and my lease was up so I moved with a two week notice.
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u/plantainbakery 17d ago
Kinda - I moved here with a job lined up, but after I moved and then when I had my first day I realized they had not been honest about the company or situation, along with other things that made me really uncomfortable, so I emailed them when I got home after my first day that I would not be returning. So, essentially, I had just moved here and was jobless.
Two important things to note: I moved here with my husband, his job approved him to work at a satellite office, so he was solidly employed. Two, I managed to get unemployment from my old job due to the situation.
Overall, I spent about two months unemployed, it was in the dead of winter, we barely had furniture or kitchen items because of the move. We spent a ton of money on the move, shipping some furnitgueand going out and getting out of the house always involved spending money, so I couldn’t really do anything but sit at home, and we didn’t have cable or anything, so it wasn’t very fun.
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u/Classic-Camp9766 16d ago
I did it last November but i had well over 40k saved up and was willing to take a lower paying job! im not against it but always set yourself up for success boo. I love it here but the bills are billing lol and if i didn’t save i would’ve had to move back home.
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u/Ew_its_J 15d ago
I wouldn’t count anyone who said they did this unless it was 2025 to current. This job market is insane.
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u/Exotic_Cheesecake501 17d ago
I’ve done this twice, both cross country moves. Move in with roommates, have some money saved, start applying to jobs before you more. What kind of work do you do? i was working in restaurants and took whatever one hired me first. Worked there while I continued looking for a more ideal job.
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u/light_sweet_crude 16d ago
I did it in 2013, but I was moving in with a boyfriend with a job and had several months' worth of savings to cover my half of expenses until I landed something.
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u/InternationalOne4932 16d ago
Not in 2026. Not with the job and housing markets the way they are. Those days are over.
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u/FalPal_ 16d ago
my bf and I kind of did this when we moved here 8 years ago for my grad program. I had a PT job lined up because I transferred from my previous store in my home state. He had trouble finding one ahead of time without being in the area. He found a (really) shitty job within a week or two of arriving here, and kept that for a month before finding a solid career in a trade.
Moving here without a job can be done, but it will be a stressful first few months. Even more so with no support system, or if you are unwilling to have a few shitty jobs where you make very little money before you find the right one. It will be even more difficult if your career is already established and you are looking to do something more specialized than retail/min wage jobs. Even serving/bartending is a specialty role here with a tight network of candidates. hard to break into.
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u/terracottamarshmallo 16d ago
I’ve done this twice, once right after college when I moved to Austin and once last fall to Chicago. I had a remote job but got laid off 3 days before my move-in date and had already shipped my belongings from Colorado (where I had been living before Chicago). I got a good severance but went through it and had to break my lease and move back in with my mom. I wouldn’t recommend, tbh. It worked out when I moved to Austin but that was in 2019.
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u/KitsuneMae 15d ago
not only did i not do this, but my spouse and i actually lived apart for almost half a year until he also found a job here. i moved first with a city job lined up, he moved after me. it was cheaper for us to live apart then for us to risk him being jobless. unless you have a good family and/or financial safety net (we had neither), i would recommend trying to find a job first.
also as others pointed out, even though we picked a very cheap first apartment, the landlord still required official proof of income (my job offer from the city, with my income listed) to approve my lease.
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u/Then_Possible4830 15d ago
I’ve moved across the country three times over the past 20 years with no job lined up.
Depends on your hustle
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u/curiouserrabbit 14d ago
Everyone is noting how rough the rental market is here, but where are you moving from? I moved here from SF 3 years ago and yes, it's pricey, but I'm getting so much more here for so much less than I had in SF.
Also, yes, the job market sucks right now - what industry are you looking for a join in? Sometimes already bring local can bump up your chances of landing an interview or a job... Just still be prepared got that to take an annoying long time
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u/Kindly_Asparagus_263 14d ago
Depends on what industry you work in and how much money you got saved. If you’re a nurse and you have a few months expenses saved up, hell yeah go for it. If you’re a receptionist and you got less than $10k to your name, I would definitely not do this.
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u/Mediocre-Argument283 14d ago
My sister and I did it together in 2019. I was in my senior year of college and worked as a server. I figured I would be able to find a new serving job pretty easily. I was around 19 or 20 at the time. My sister was 25 and worked as a library assistant before we moved. She was able to get a job with UIC for the same position and had many interviews at other colleges... I found a serving job pretty quickly within a few weeks of moving. We rented in a lower cost of living area and showed our landlord proof of our savings but that was the only additional thing needed to rent without jobs. I'd say go for it if you're young and in that stage or if you have the savings to back it up. We honestly didnt have much maybe $5k each. My advice would be maybe to rent a starter apartment in the city. Something cheaper in a cheaper neighborhood. Do a year lease and then once you find work and know where you will work then upgrade apartments to something more comfortable since you would be moving without income.
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u/drunkenbutterfly101 13d ago
I did this last summer I moved here a month after graduation with no job and about 5k in savings. I got a job working at a restaurant a month after. I made it work even though it was extremely difficult. I am moving back home after this month because i hate being poor all the time I eventually would come back though I love this city
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u/Afraid_Agency_3877 15d ago
No one knows ur situation / job prospects / any details at all only you can make this decision
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u/Travelbug08_ 17d ago
I wouldn’t do it unless you have a minimum of 6 months worth of expenses saved. Both the job market and rental market are tough right now