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Those freelancers you mentioned are working nationally, so wont be competing.
As for Portland, avoid a few streets in downtown but the rest of the city is incredible. Very easy to live, no time to amazing nature, some of the best food out there, amazing parks…easily best place I’ve ever lived (lived in NYC, LA and London).
Do you like rain?
Who am I kidding? I love it too.
It’s a great city but taxes are even worse than NY.
I would recommend getting a job first. It’s an extremely challenging market. DM me if you want to chat — happy to share my experience interviewing at agencies here.
How would you not be competing with them? Besides W+K there are only a few small boutique-y agencies that will have their own list of freelancers they’ve worked with. R/GA closed their Portland office a few years ago, Nike making layoffs. It’s dead.
And when were you last living in Portland? I’m still here and it is not an incredible city by any stretch. Homeless people absolutely everywhere, businesses closing all the time, cars constantly broken into and the food isn’t any better than any major city. A few nice streets but that’s it. I’ve lived and worked in NYC, LA, London and SF, and Portland is by far the worst of the lot. Cannot wait to find my way out.
None of the ex-wk freelancers work for local companies. They work from Portland remote, not in smaller Portland agencies.
And they stay in Portland because it’s such an easy, affordable beautiful city to live in. I’m still here and get to live in a house I could never afford in those mentioned cities, with loads of space. I ski at weekends (1hr15 away), go to the coast (1hr30 away), see amazing gigs, eat great food, easily hang with friends (everything is close). The homelessness isn’t great granted, but it’s like Pleasantville compared to NYC, LA, SF…I’ve been to all 3 of those places in the past 3 years and couldn’t wait to get back to Portland and see that green airport carpet. I lived in London for 10 years - great city, but exhausting and crime is kinda bad there now.
Coach
Love the PNW but there aren’t a lot of jobs out here. I’d recommend getting a job first that will relocate you. Seattle will be less exciting/more in-house and tech work. Portland has WK of course but very few other agencies (and they don’t do exciting work). You could also move and turn to freelance if that’s an option for you.
It’s beautiful here. But yes, lock down a job first.
If you don’t have a job to come to in Portland, you will find it incredibly difficult getting in the door anywhere. Lots of people either laid off from or left W+K are freelancing, so you’ll have them to compete with too.
Beyond work, the PNW is great, Portland is not.