Is the job market really that bad??? (Miami, Tampa: mortgage, lawyer)

[NY62]

Originally Posted by TANaples

for 20 years until last June. I lived in Queens and Manhattan for 38 years. I know all about LI and NYC.

We are actually making a little more here in Florida than on LI (not Manhattan salaries!), but you have so many added costs here (like Homeowners Association Dues) that I still say it is a wash as far as Naples and Smithtown. MAYBE it is a LITTLE less but not by very much when you literally sit down and add and compare notes.

Me, no. I never wanted to live in the Hamptons. Actually, in all 20 years I lived on LI, I hardly ever went to the beach, so why would I want to live there? It goes without saying it is the same in Florida.

Honestly, don't want to be a snowbird, OR live here year round either.

Just the way I feel. I guess not moving here for the weather/beaches makes a world of difference.

Praying for retirement when we can leave.

45 years in NY . thats how long for me . I love the water, I grew up on the bay. I clammed and fished that is how I bought my first house. So for me the beaches and ocean are a must . But that is me and not you. that is why our country is great . Think about it if you love the ocean we have that, if its the mountains we have that to, just about anything you love you can have if you want it. So I do not understand , why move to Florida if the only things it has you really dont like ? You dont move there for the oranges and grape fruits, Bugs,gators etc. LOL

[121804]

Originally Posted by runswithscissors

They worked there whole life to retire on the cheap.

Uh, no....we worked our whole lives and budgeted, worked overtime, went to night school, paid for your kids whether or not we had any, and we MOVED TO LOCATIONS THAT HAD JOBS if we couldn't find one we found acceptable.

Nope, I would hardly mention retirees as a source of your woes, look within. And hope that retirees never decide to turn away from FL or your state is in deeper crap then.....Just yesterday at Pier One the college student clerk (native Floridian) making 8.00 per hour was so excited she was going to buy a brand new freaking Honda Element. No talking her out of it.....She drives two hours per day. .....look around at the choices being made by everyone OTHER THAN retirees.........

"And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're going through"
-David Bowie

It's so easy to sit in judgement & judge & assume & judge some more. That's a sad way to go through life.

Who says your way of living is any better than the person you are so harshly speaking of?

And the "entitlement" mindset of so many of the retirees & snowbirds in SWFL is mindboggling.

Do young people also have this entitlement way of living? Sure do.

But I get so sick & tired of hearing "I walked in bare feet to school & then came home to do 10 hours of chores to then hand wash the clothes & I've worked & worked & worked, so damn you who don't bow at my feet for I have worked so hard & you have no clue but I'll keep reminding you with my nasty glares & repetitive drama stories".

There is NO ONE group to blame. This country & its issues are a mixture of every issue & demographic imaginable.

Be careful throwing rocks at glass houses.

[121804]

Originally Posted by NYLATINQT

Oh crap, and Starbucks just announced they will close down 600 stores, which translates to about 12,000 workers. Most of those will be in CA and FL. Of course, because the housing bubble has popped in those areas and who in their right mind will pay $5 for a cup of coffee when their house is about to go into foreclosure?! It's pretty ugly out there. I left FL to Atlanta hoping to find a better job market. It was slightly better but we are not swimming in jobs here either. I would love to quit my job right now but I know that I can't. It would be financial suicide. Gosh, I can't wait to see this economy pick back up but i'm afraid it's a long ways down the road.

Majority of those Starbucks are low producing ones that are in close proximity to one or more Starbucks.

Starbucks has always been expensive. I worked there part time for 4 years. It's actually a decent company to get into part time b/c they provide benefits to their part-timers.

Paying $5 for a mocha is sorta silly but people will do it & continue to do it, just not in the same high numbers.

[121804]

Originally Posted by NY62

45 years in NY . thats how long for me . I love the water, I grew up on the bay. I clammed and fished that is how I bought my first house. So for me the beaches and ocean are a must . But that is me and not you. that is why our country is great . Think about it if you love the ocean we have that, if its the mountains we have that to, just about anything you love you can have if you want it. So I do not understand , why move to Florida if the only things it has you really dont like ? You dont move there for the oranges and grape fruits, Bugs,gators etc. LOL

If my family lived in San Diego, I'd be there in a heartbeat...moutains, ocean, decent weather. We have family out there & the COL blows my mind. But, love the area & the way of living.

I'd take a home in the Hamptons but I'd need to have the income to survive there. I LOVE the homes there...the architecture, landscaping, you name it....love it. Not so sure about the personalities that live in the Hamptons but I do like their homes!

The big homes in SWFL are darn right cheesy. I never saw them as desirable but as mass built to make some sort of statement that doesn't impress me. My dh told me there is a really beautiful development in Bonita Springs that is breathtaking but it's gated of course

NY62, some people have to move to FL or AK or NY or PA or wherever. Sometimes circumstances dictate decisions that require tough compromises. We were in a unique situation & the other option was not an option ( redeployment to Iraq) so my dh took the position in SWFL in order not to have to reup. We did our best to try to like it there but sometimes when you are trying TOO hard there is a reason it's not working. Thank goodness our luck changed & we were able to high tail it out of SWFL.

Can't say anything about the rest of the state but SWFL sure is "unique".

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by NY62

45 years in NY . thats how long for me . I love the water, I grew up on the bay. I clammed and fished that is how I bought my first house. So for me the beaches and ocean are a must . But that is me and not you. that is why our country is great . Think about it if you love the ocean we have that, if its the mountains we have that to, just about anything you love you can have if you want it. So I do not understand , why move to Florida if the only things it has you really dont like ? You dont move there for the oranges and grape fruits, Bugs,gators etc. LOL

This is where he got a job after being out of work. I lived here before and he didn't, so knew fully well what it was like.

I am a Fall person. I love the leaves, the apple and pumpkin picking, the cool temps. Someday...........

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by 121804

Majority of those Starbucks are low producing ones that are in close proximity to one or more Starbucks.

Starbucks has always been expensive. I worked there part time for 4 years. It's actually a decent company to get into part time b/c they provide benefits to their part-timers.

Paying $5 for a mocha is sorta silly but people will do it & continue to do it, just not in the same high numbers.

You really have to go to North Naples to see a lot of Starbucks. The one that is closest to me is actually under renovation, so I doubt they are closing. Always a lot of people there sitting outside (retirees?).

Anyway, you are right about the high prices. I go to COSTCO. They make a very, very good frozen chocolate mocha for only $1.50! Cannot beat that!

[TNRyan23]

I lived in Ft. Myers ( LaBelle actually ) in 2002 and tried to find work in the Ft. Myers area. I was able to find lots of work the year I lived there..

My first job in Ft. Myers was working at the Old Tyme Pottery making $6.25/hr... I later moved on to K-Mart making $ $7.00/hr... then the only job I could find was working for a telemarketing company called Talk America I believe on McGregor Blvd for $10/hr plus commission. After quitting that one QUICK I went to work for Perkins across from Walmart in LeHigh Acres for $8/hr. After that I chose to move home.

There is likley plenty of work if you're willing to work for $8/hr or less...

[nbres]

Originally Posted by FutureTexan

I lived in Ft. Myers ( LaBelle actually ) in 2002 and tried to find work in the Ft. Myers area. I was able to find lots of work the year I lived there..

My first job in Ft. Myers was working at the Old Tyme Pottery making $6.25/hr... I later moved on to K-Mart making $ $7.00/hr... then the only job I could find was working for a telemarketing company called Talk America I believe on McGregor Blvd for $10/hr plus commission. After quitting that one QUICK I went to work for Perkins across from Walmart in LeHigh Acres for $8/hr. After that I chose to move home.

There is likley plenty of work if you're willing to work for $8/hr or less...

That is because SWFL's economy is based on serving retirees, snowbirds and tourists. Ft. Myers has no real economic base. No corporations, industries or high-tech businesses. Essentially there are very few good paying jobs. If I had to make a guess I'd say there are lots of jobs for:

1. Construction laborers: non-unionized and low skill, roofers, etc...(skilled workers probably do OK)
2. waiters and waitresses/ kitchen help / fastfood workers
3. Hotels-Motel cleaning people/ front desk
4. landscape workers/ pool cleaners / security guards
5. cashiers/ stock persons/ store clerks/ sales persons

None of these jobs really pay well and as the previous poster pointed out, most jobs pay less than $10/hour which is around $20,000 to $25,000/year if you work full-time and then some over-time.

The moral of the story is is that if you want to make it in SWFL you have to:

1. retire there with a nice pension, social security, savings
2. be a professional: Doctor, Lawyer, Dentist
3. be a highly skilled worker: master electrician, etc...
4. own a business
5. Civil Service: work for the county or state

[RayJ_011]

So I don't really get what's missing here. Why would Cape Coral be ranked #1 in the USA for job growth last year, but everyone seems to say it's tough here? Just looking for opinions of people that actually live in Cape Coral. Thx

[ChrisA70]

I live in Cape Coral, and there are not many here at all, most people who live here drive to Fort Myers to work, myself, my parents, etc..... Take a ride from here to Fort Myers at 7AM and you will see the influx of people going TO Fort Myers, and the few cars to Cape Coral... Where did you see Cape Coral being #1? Someone has no clue... The city is even cutting jobs, and places are closing left and right... People are moving out of the Cape like there was a plague.

I see it every day.

Originally Posted by RayJ_011

So I don't really get what's missing here. Why would Cape Coral be ranked #1 in the USA for job growth last year, but everyone seems to say it's tough here? Just looking for opinions of people that actually live in Cape Coral. Thx