Mainland Relocation

You guys probably hear this frequently from mainlanders such as myself that fall in love with the islands on their visits, but I was genuinely curious if anyone here has any tips or recommendations for relocating to the islands. My soon-to-be-wife and I would love to move to either Maui or the Big Island. We've visited several times and are coming back again for 2 weeks in July/August. The thing is, I have no idea what I'd do for work out there. I'm an engineer in the medical device industry with a bachelors degree. I don't even know where to begin looking for work, as it seems hardly any of my experience is applicable to work on the islands. I'm open to switching fields (including law enforcement). My girlfriend should have no issue finding work. She's a credentialed teacher with a masters degree. Maybe not the highest paying job, but she shouldn't have an issue finding work. Anyhow, might be a long shot, but I just figured I'd post to see if anyone had any suggestions. Thanks in advance!

 

Big Island will be tough if you plan on staying in your field. are you a software engineer? your best bet is gonna be to land a job in the states, and work remotely. I've met a few guys who do/did that. I've been lucky to score my job on Oahu, and work remotely in Kona. what area of the Big Island have you considered? relative to the whole island, Kona is gonna be more expensive and full of tourist. Hilo is cheaper and more mellow. stay away from Pahoa/Puna areas if you like to have nice things. lol

 

I'm a Quality Engineer in the med device industry, not a Software Engineer unfortunately. I've heard of some people switching over to quality engineering in other fields such as aerospace or defense, but that might be a tough sell to some companies. I'm pretty open on where to live on the islands as long as there's work.

 

@cubiclesurfer....

Did BI annex?? Biexit???

 

Yea... I have a friend who works in the biomed industry here on Oahu.. (they making corneas or something like that)... that type of work here is definitely not a popular choice...

Seeing as you have a degree, you could always "emergency hire" as a teacher, then get a teaching degree as well if you like the profession...

 

lol, we running sovereign over here. ea!

 

Haha, interesting, I currently work in eye care / neuromodulation as well at the moment.

If I was going to go to the public sector, I think I would prefer law enforcement, but I'm open to teaching as well. It just doesn't pay very much on the islands....

 

Yea, I hear you... You could also take the substitute teacher class, and sub teach here and there... At least until you find a recruit class or something.. Visitor industry is always another option while you search..

Or just be a beach bum, fish, and camp, and post pictures like @cubiclesurfer does to make us all jealous... lol..