![\"Daniel](\"http:\/\/pdxpeople.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Daniel-Jones-1.jpg\")
<\/a>Portland brings \u2018em in from everywhere. Few parts of the country are spared from the pull of our precious Portlandia, and the same is true for the south, just ask Daniel Jones.<\/p>\n
A transplant from Austin, Texas (the other keep it weird city), Daniel got his MBA and bounced around for a few years before moving to Portland from the Lonestar State in 2013.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came up on a vacation to visit my uncle and saw what a cool city Portland was,\u201d he explains. \u201cSo, when I came back I decided to start sending out resumes and I got some really good responses.\u201d<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t long before Daniel did what most do when they take the plunge into Portland.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree months later I made a leap of faith and relocated to Portland unemployed,\u201d he says, though he adds that he quickly found a job within three weeks of moving to the City of Roses.<\/p>\n
Once he arrived, Daniel was taken aback by Portland\u2019s abundance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are fun things to do all over the city,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s not just one or two or three exclusive areas where people want to go out to eat or hang out or do things, it\u2019s all over town.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finding all the fun things to do around town are important for Daniel. Although he loves his job as a financial analyst at a major financial group subsidiary, he admits that he sometimes wonders if he is doing what he truly loves.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve worked as a financial analyst on reports and analyzing investment performance,\u201d he begins. \u201cI\u2019ve worked for two major banks, yet I don\u2019t see myself going very far. I\u2019m not advancing as much as I thought I would.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, what would Daniel like to do if he weren\u2019t doing what he is now?<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish I knew the answer to that question,\u201d he says after a long pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like a lot of different things and that\u2019s the problem,\u201d he continues. \u201cLately, I\u2019ve been grappling with where I go from here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The problem is compounded by Daniel\u2019s recent run-in with the Portland housing crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy landlord changed things abruptly and didn\u2019t let me know she wasn\u2019t going to sign a new lease with me,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Apparently, she had intentions to kick Daniel and his roommate out of the house and jack up the rent by orders of magnitude.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, out of nowhere, I suddenly had only thirty days to leave this place and no prior warning that it was going to happen,\u201d he says in exasperation.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, Daniel has made new arrangements, though in the move he will find himself pushed from NE 15th<\/sup> to SE 62nd<\/sup>, an all-too-common story<\/a>.<\/p>\n Still, despite setbacks and questions about his future, Daniel remains undeterred.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been through a lot,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve also overcome a lot. My family keeps me going and I\u2019ve gained a lot of really great friendships here, which I value so much,\u201d he finishes with a smile.<\/p>\n He speaks of great friendships with other PDX people <\/a>who likely value his friendship just as much. In a city bursting with opportunity, we all live our lives asking similar questions and going through similar things. If there was ever more a sign of how we are all the same, just people, it may be that. We\u2019re glad Daniel is here to share in our similarities together.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n William Bessette<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 PDX People Contributor<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Follow William on: <\/span><\/strong> Facebook<\/u><\/span><\/a>\u00a0, Twitter<\/span><\/u><\/a>\u00a0 Connect with William on:<\/span><\/strong> LinkedIn<\/span><\/u><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>William Bessette is a journalist and freelance writer who has been covering politics, entertainment, culture and travel for over thirteen years. When he\u2019s not profiling Portland-area restaurants and residents, you can find him reporting on national and international travel and eco-tourism through his travel brand, <\/span><\/em><\/strong>Floppy Hat Adventures<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
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