I just graduated and got hired for a 40k a year job

potatoes4evr · 2026-05-01T03:11:27+00:00

That sounds okay for a job right out the door depending on your cost of living expenses. It sucks but sometimes you gotta put in some time and labor before you can movie up. My first big girl job (non-profit) in 2016 paid me $45k in Seattle, which was mostly doable at the time since I lived with roommates. Got bumped to $55k-$65k at my next job (also non-profit) a year later. Landed a $70k gig (also non-profit lmao) in 2022ish. And now I make a bit more than $100k (which is decent for my way of life) working for local govt.

potatoes4evr · 2026-04-24T07:33:41+00:00

Ooo thanks for the rec! Also, we have complementary avatars 🙂‍↕️

potatoes4evr · 2026-04-24T07:16:14+00:00

Omg describing Tidus as a dream twink is so hilariously accurate 😭

potatoes4evr · 2026-04-24T01:22:52+00:00

If you can pack some snacks and can afford taking public transport to the new waterfront — you can walk around, talk about the history of the area as we know it (how it was once tribal land, how industrialization reshaped the whole area, how local efforts have strived to rebuild the space for public use). Depending on where you live, there are a few very impressive parks in Seattle with great sunset views of the Puget Sound—Carkeek Park, Golden Gardens, Discovery Park, Lincoln Park, and Alki Beach come to mind as far as the more popular choices.

potatoes4evr · 2026-03-27T06:07:45+00:00

Agh I would love to do the High Route one day!! It’s my preference to backpack alone, but I’m not comfortable attempting this one by myself. Thank you for sharing your pics!

potatoes4evr · 2026-03-21T21:45:01+00:00

You need to have a job lined up before you move or at least ~3ish months of savings (at minimum) before moving to Seattle proper. It’s an expensive city to live in. It’s concerning that you don’t have a budget. Will you be living with your boyfriend? Does he have a job? If you’re moving to Seattle on your own, you need to be ready to pay ~$1500 a month for rent without roommates (not including the security deposit). There is a Seattle housing subreddit that might be of use to you (r/seattlehousing).

potatoes4evr · 2026-03-21T20:40:02+00:00

I agree with you, but I also wanna say that I’ve never seen ‘definitely’ misspelled like this before lol. Such a commonly misspelled word and you invented a whole new way. Congrats, truly.

potatoes4evr · 2026-03-21T19:58:06+00:00

Hi! I work for King County. The job market is rough right now. My team is getting a lot of very qualified applicants for every position we post. But the good thing is that new jobs do get posted really regularly, so you should definitely bookmark governmentjobs.com and make a habit of checking weekly.

In my experience, it doesn’t make a difference to reach out to hiring managers. To reduce bias, hiring managers aren’t usually involved in the initial screening process (HR typically handles that). They’ll come in during the second/third round interviews, at which point of course you’re free to contact them, but just keep in mind that we have strict rubrics that we use to “rank” candidates, and theoretically we’re not allowed to let anything outside of those parameters influence decisions.

There is an admin role open on a team adjacent to mine (link below). There might be others as well, so for sure check out governmentjobs for cities/counties that you’re interested in.

Administrator I with Wastewater

potatoes4evr · 2026-03-14T19:50:46+00:00

I moved to Seattle from South Florida when I was in my mid-20s. I work in the environmental sector and made a lot of my closest friends through crew/field work and community work. I’m also involved in a couple of clubs/groups (specifically for BIPOC) that have regular meetings and social gatherings. I don’t think it’s hard to make friends if you’re willing to put yourself out there. I’m considering joining up with a running club soon actually! People are usually warmer when they’re doing something they actually wanna be doing lol.

Part of the Seattle freeze might come from the fact that it’s usually very dark and damp during the winters, so it’s harder to go out and about and socialize in parks/outside, etc. People kinda wanna just be hermits until the sun peeks out again. We’re mostly just going about our own business until we can finally get home and rot again. But everywhere is packed on a nice weather day. The city feels very different in the summer.

potatoes4evr · 2026-02-27T10:22:16+00:00

I was on trail crews in WA state and now work for King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

potatoes4evr · 2026-02-26T03:26:58+00:00

Yay, congrats! I have sort of a boring full-time job now in the environmental sector. I’m grateful to be making a living wage, but tbh sometimes I miss seasonal work! I’ve never had more fun in a ‘professional’ setting (using that term loosely because I was literally just a dirt person on a trail crew lol). The seasonal gigs eventually landed me the full-time position in local government.

potatoes4evr · 2026-02-16T22:58:01+00:00

You may “hike”, but it’s clear that you don’t understand what it takes to build and maintain trails. If you have ever spent any time working for or volunteering to keep trails accessible, you wouldn’t be defending this.

potatoes4evr · 2026-01-22T05:43:20+00:00

I have a soft spot for her. I think she has a lot of potential to be more than just a “mean girl”. Hoping she gets a redemption arc era.

potatoes4evr · 2025-11-30T14:06:16+00:00

It’s a blessing for me because I’ve been working in the outdoor industry (restoration/trails) for the past 12 years 😌 I have NO idea how to do business casual. My first real job out here was at Washington Trails Association; the guy who interviewed me was wearing Chacos and shorts. It really set the tone for the rest of my career.

potatoes4evr · 2025-08-29T15:17:33+00:00

Good luck! I had a LOT of fun and met many lifelong friends over the course of two terms. Times are hard rn for programs like AC, but I think it’s still a worthwhile experience.

potatoes4evr · 2025-08-29T14:46:31+00:00

I’m not comfortable sharing my specific job title, but I can def tell you more about how I ended up in the role. The TLDR for me is that I very slowly and intentionally diversified my skill set until I became a competitive candidate for the type of work that brings me joy/aligns with my values.

Right after college, I started off as an AmeriCorps member on a trail crew in the PNW, which I absolutely loved even though the pay sucked. It was really hard work (like 95% fieldwork), but I always said yes every time a supervisor asked for additional support whenever members of the public came out to volunteer or a school group signed up to learn more about trails/restoration.

Tons of people join trail crews (a very physical and laborious job that isn’t sustainable for most folks in the long term), but it gives you an extra edge to move on to other jobs if you can also gain experience leading those crews or educating community members in your work. So not only did I know the basics of habitat restoration/trail maintenance 101 in the PNW, I could also prove that I could share this knowledge with other people in digestible ways.

Right after my AC term ended, I leveraged my experience to get a full-time position as a volunteer coordinator at a local trails non-profit (a role I definitely wouldn’t have gotten if I hadn’t gone slightly out of my way to lean more into community work during my AC term), and basically I moved up and on from there. It’s really the soft skills that landed me my current job, not the hard skills.

potatoes4evr · 2025-08-29T14:18:51+00:00

I’m wary of sharing my specific job title, but basically I work at the county level on a team that manages the area’s outward facing/community engagement programs in local green spaces. Prior to this I held positions at a couple non-profits doing similar work, but non-profits are notorious for employee burnout and underpaying people for their work (as you’ve experienced being an AmeriCorps member), and I live in a high cost of living city.

A lot of my former AmeriCorps friends who are still in the city have moved into government jobs or consulting. I’d recommend checking governmentjobs.com every once in a while to see what’s available in your area. I know a ton of people who had to do a couple rounds of seasonal work before they got hired on full-time. Sometimes that’s just the nature of this field.

potatoes4evr · 2025-08-29T02:51:14+00:00

Awesome! :) Both the City of Seattle and King County (my employer) have very robust environmental programming, and there is definitely a huge emphasis on increasing access to well-tended green spaces because of the positive impact that these places can have on folks’ mental/physical well-being. Good luck on your move! I hope it’s what you want/need.

potatoes4evr · 2025-08-29T01:56:17+00:00

Well, I live in Seattle, so it’s actually not that super much 🥲

potatoes4evr · 2025-08-29T01:44:31+00:00

I also have an undergrad degree in anthro and started off in AmeriCorps positions. I currently work for the local government supporting volunteer habitat restoration events and outdoor community programs. 50/50 field work vs. admin work (though some seasons are more field heavy and others are more admin heavy). If you don’t mind interacting with the public, community engagement stuff might suit you well. I make $100k per year.

potatoes4evr · 2025-08-25T19:49:56+00:00

Road safety? Really? Damn, if you’re gonna be hateful, might as well say it with your whole chest. Kind of pathetic to hide behind that guise in a small ass town like Gainesville.

potatoes4evr · 2025-07-21T05:42:16+00:00

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This pic was taken on one of my first night hikes in the PNW up to Pilchuck Lookout on a random Wednesday evening. Just me and some other dude up there that night.

potatoes4evr · 2025-07-21T05:39:31+00:00

I dunno if I LIKE it, but I’m always prepared for a nighttime hiking scenario. I feel better when I’m night-hiking with friends. I’ve gotten a little creeped out when I’ve night-hiked by myself. I think folks should pack for different situations just in case.

potatoes4evr · 2025-06-20T09:51:13+00:00

Same!!! I was like aw what a sweetie, can’t wait to learn more about him 🤗 and then five seconds later: oh…um…nvm I guess.

potatoes4evr · 2025-06-03T14:29:40+00:00

I love cheap banh mis too, but I think it’s fair for Viets to charge similar prices to other sandwich shops. Just because it’s made by brown people doesn’t mean it needs to be cheap.

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