[OrlandoRE_Miracle]

I agree, tercel95 has a lot more sense than some people twice his or her age

Originally Posted by dmccauley

I just wanted to give you a big thumbs up... I haven't come across that many people your age who are out there even trying. You aren't living off mom and dad and are experiencing the real world. Good for you and congrats on making it, you should be proud of yourself.

[psouth]

By the way, if you find Jacksonville too quiet or slow you can always move to S. Florida where there is much more action for young people like you. I believe the pay would be better also. There are lots of companies in Ft. Lauderdale and Boca areas as well as throughout S. Florida looking for software developers. At least you have options. Good job.

[tercel95]

Originally Posted by psouth

By the way, if you find Jacksonville too quiet or slow you can always move to S. Florida where there is much more action for young people like you. I believe the pay would be better also. There are lots of companies in Ft. Lauderdale and Boca areas as well as throughout S. Florida looking for software developers. At least you have options. Good job.

Yes I am fortunate to be good at something that is in demand. My best friend moved to West Palm Beach about 5 years ago and he loves it down there.I lived in the city in MD, and I also lived in southern MD (PAX River NAS). I like to have a nice balance of rural and urban. I will never ever live in the city again, I absolutely hated it...

Fleming Island seems to really work for me, I have so many places to eat and shop with very little crime... The traffic getting to Cecil Field is a bit rough but nothing compared to the DC/Metro area and I get to work from home two days a week so it all works out. Despite my age I am not really into clubbing or bar-hopping, I prefer going to see movies and going out to eat so Fleming Island seems to suit that well...

The only negatives I have run into down here are not having slurpees from 7-11 and the palmetto bugs. I don't know if I can ever adjust to a giant flying roach...

I would like to be closer to some of the Honda race shops that are in central and southern FL but Jax seems to be working for me right now...

BTW I moved here almost completely on information I received on this forum...

[pjslad]

We're coming down in June to look around at rentals - I do have a secure job lined up in the Pompano area - We're from MA and getting tired of the cold and shoveling snow plus I have family down there...We're going to start looking in Boca and hope we can rent out our house up here without to much trouble -

[OrlandoRE_Miracle]

They don't have 7-11 in Jacksonville?

Originally Posted by tercel95

Yes I am fortunate to be good at something that is in demand. My best friend moved to West Palm Beach about 5 years ago and he loves it down there.I lived in the city in MD, and I also lived in southern MD (PAX River NAS). I like to have a nice balance of rural and urban. I will never ever live in the city again, I absolutely hated it...

Fleming Island seems to really work for me, I have so many places to eat and shop with very little crime... The traffic getting to Cecil Field is a bit rough but nothing compared to the DC/Metro area and I get to work from home two days a week so it all works out. Despite my age I am not really into clubbing or bar-hopping, I prefer going to see movies and going out to eat so Fleming Island seems to suit that well...

The only negatives I have run into down here are not having slurpees from 7-11 and the palmetto bugs. I don't know if I can ever adjust to a giant flying roach...

I would like to be closer to some of the Honda race shops that are in central and southern FL but Jax seems to be working for me right now...

BTW I moved here almost completely on information I received on this forum...

[psouth]

Originally Posted by tercel95

Yes I am fortunate to be good at something that is in demand. My best friend moved to West Palm Beach about 5 years ago and he loves it down there.I lived in the city in MD, and I also lived in southern MD (PAX River NAS). I like to have a nice balance of rural and urban. I will never ever live in the city again, I absolutely hated it...

Fleming Island seems to really work for me, I have so many places to eat and shop with very little crime... The traffic getting to Cecil Field is a bit rough but nothing compared to the DC/Metro area and I get to work from home two days a week so it all works out. Despite my age I am not really into clubbing or bar-hopping, I prefer going to see movies and going out to eat so Fleming Island seems to suit that well...

The only negatives I have run into down here are not having slurpees from 7-11 and the palmetto bugs. I don't know if I can ever adjust to a giant flying roach...

I would like to be closer to some of the Honda race shops that are in central and southern FL but Jax seems to be working for me right now...

BTW I moved here almost completely on information I received on this forum...

The most important thing is the job first. The rest is pretty much meaningless without that. It sounds like you took the good information and did things right unlike so many disappointed dreamers. Again good for you and good luck.

[Sunny-Days90]

Originally Posted by tercel95

I am 21 and just moved to JAX from MD... I sent one resume out to one company and got a reply in 3 months. Another month later and here I am in FL...

I moved out when I was 18 and spent the next 3 years eating ramen noodle soup and driving a beat up car just to barely get by in my crappy 1 bedroom apartment and I felt like I had a pretty solid job working as a software developer for a defense contractor... My apartment was 600 Sq/ft and $1100/month...

I was able to double the size of my apt, add another bedroom and bathroom, move to a nicer complex, and pay hundreds less... I love the area I live in down here and it is infinitely better than where I lived in MD...

I didn't have some great dream about moving to FL like some that have been mentioned. I moved here without ever visiting and I have to say it has been better than anything I could have imagined... I didn't even know a place like this existed...

That is why I moved to FL...

You are one of many success stories of people moving to Florida and started from nothing and worked your way up from there.

Congrats on your success and keep up what you are doing. You should be proud of yourself because some of posters here feel it cannot and could not be done. I know many like you who have done it and just like you they continued to do better and better and felt they have improved their life by moving to Florida like you did.

You have proven them wrong once again. It can be done! You are walking proof.

Keep posting how you are doing, it is inspirational to others that you have accomplished so much in so little time.

Great job!

[tercel95]

Thank you all for the support, I wanted to post my story since there is a lot of negativity going around and also to thank the people on this forum for helping me get down here. It takes a lot of convincing to get someone to move somewhere without ever visiting...

I know there are a lot of people that are in the same situation as I was that don't even know that places like this exist. I knew MD was expensive but I never knew how expensive until I started checking out JAX. The average cost of living calculator puts the cost of housing 123% higher than here... How is a young person supposed to make it with 1 bedroom apartments costing $1100/month? I was probably on the higher end of pay for my age and could barely get by.

It seems like in todays world the parents are expected to support their kids until age 25 or something like that... My parents moved out when they were 18 and they expected me to do the same. I have great parents, it was nothing personal they just saw it fit to constantly push me...

I wish I would have known about JAX a few years ago. Where I was struggling in MD I could have lived comfortably down here. It seems like if you are motivated enough and willing to work you can get by down here. The same cannot be said for places like MD where the rich are rich enough where cost of living doesn't effect them and minimum wage gets you nothing...

Overall people seem nicer and less angry down here, it is so new to me. Thanks for all the support...

[OrlandoRE_Miracle]

I'm sure any determined single person or couple who isn't going to have children could make it here. If you really wanted to you could rent a cheap room in some town and work at Walgreens, do without a car for a couple of years, and probably manage to save a fair amount of money. Your life would be very limited but you could do it. It's more about what standard of living your willing to accept. For some people it's not worth it to make sacrifices. For others who want a corporate career, have children they want to put in the best schools and live in a McMansion with all the bells and whistles, it's not the greatest choice unless they come here with a lot of money already.

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days90

You are one of many success stories of people moving to Florida and started from nothing and worked your way up from there.

Congrats on your success and keep up what you are doing. You should be proud of yourself because some of posters here feel it cannot and could not be done. I know many like you who have done it and just like you they continued to do better and better and felt they have improved their life by moving to Florida like you did.

You have proven them wrong once again. It can be done! You are walking proof.

Keep posting how you are doing, it is inspirational to others that you have accomplished so much in so little time.

Great job!

[psouth]

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days90

You are one of many success stories of people moving to Florida and started from nothing and worked your way up from there.

Congrats on your success and keep up what you are doing. You should be proud of yourself because some of posters here feel it cannot and could not be done. I know many like you who have done it and just like you they continued to do better and better and felt they have improved their life by moving to Florida like you did.

You have proven them wrong once again. It can be done! You are walking proof.

Keep posting how you are doing, it is inspirational to others that you have accomplished so much in so little time.

Great job!

This person did not come to Florida on a wing and a prayer just hoping for a miracle. They did not work their way up from nothing in Florida. They came with SOMETHING. They had a success plan lined up first and executed it to make the transition. This is exactly what THOSE OF US WHO ACTUALLY LIVE IN FLORIDA are all advising people to do first. Those of us actually living in Florida know it is not a place to come with nothing and work your way up as you seem to believe anyone can magically do. The same poster also stated they would not move anywhere without a job which tells you something about their intellect and work ethic. The opposite of the typical Florida dreamers with no careers.

I am really getting tired of posters who DO NOT EVEN LIVE IN FLORIDA selling the state as a Utopia for the unemployed and down-and-out saying anyone can come to Florida and suddenly get rich and be happy overnight. It ain't gonna happen. They should at least live here first and try their luck before doling out misinformation. I do not know of any poster who ACTUALLY LIVES IN FLORIDA who is telling people to come here without a job or career and try to work their way up. Sure it is possible but not recommended in this day and age.

This successful poster hit the nail on the head with the whole issue. They already have a good career, are successful where they came from, found a great job before considering a move to Florida, found a decent place to live, has options if needed, and everything is going well so far. This is what I am talking about!!