From Cocoa Beach, FL to Huntington Beach (Orange: rentals, employment)

[smalltownhero]

im a single 23 yr old dude who has a pretty crap job in cocoa beach, fl. I make about 11/hour here working for fedex. the pay rates in florida are horribly low. apparently, my same position out in socal is almost double the pay rate. I understand the cost of living is alot more out there as well. i can honestly say there is only one reason i wanna move; to surf more.



Even if i cant transfer, i plan to quit my job and get out to HB and try to find employment asap. how hard is that for someone who has little trade to offer? (i do have restaruant exp though)

what would you do if you were in my postion?

just looking for advice,opinions, inputs etc etc.
speak now or forever hold your piece!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by smalltownhero

how hard is that for someone who has little trade to offer?

It depends on what you mean by hard.

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[EscapeCalifornia]

I REALLY doubt the same exact job pays almost double out here. Wages just don't vary THAT much across the country unless you're talking about some specialized field that only pays well in certain locations. And Charles is right. Someone coming here with no real job skills other than a strong back is going to be competing with illegals for jobs. You can wash cars, bus tables, push a lawn mower or if you're lucky, work retail or fast food for minimum wage. But then there's the recession and no one's really hiring right now anyway.

[smalltownhero]

yeah, well i should mention i have served tables before, and have a pretty good backround in retail. always worked a few surf shops too even though that does not weigh much.


the title "surf city" is what attracts me, there has to be a few other ferrel cats out there too ..



i dont mind being poor, so long as i can get by

[EscapeCalifornia]

Restaurants are closing down. Good luck with that right now.

[Mach50]

If you like surfing so much why not work at a surf shop? You won't be able to get into a locals only type shop, but you could possibly work for Jacks or a mainstreamer.

You could also get a job teaching surfing, that is if you are really good.

Cocoa beach/Sebastian Inlet surfers generally do very well out here in CA because they are used to working much harder to catch FL breaks.

[missionhome]

Are you certain that you will make $22 per hour working your same job for FedEx out here in Orange County or is that just a rumor you heard?

Just curious.

[Arkadin]

Originally Posted by smalltownhero

im a single 23 yr old dude who has a pretty crap job in cocoa beach, fl. I make about 11/hour here working for fedex. the pay rates in florida are horribly low. apparently, my same position out in socal is almost double the pay rate. I understand the cost of living is alot more out there as well. i can honestly say there is only one reason i wanna move; to surf more.



Even if i cant transfer, i plan to quit my job and get out to HB and try to find employment asap. how hard is that for someone who has little trade to offer? (i do have restaruant exp though)

what would you do if you were in my postion?

just looking for advice,opinions, inputs etc etc.
speak now or forever hold your piece!

What do you do for fedex? If fedex pays more in CA, it's probably because they are unionized, ca is a closed shop state Fl is a "right to work state".

UPS might be a place to look, but they usually start people out part time loading trucks working your rump off. If you are there long enough you could work into a driver job they make excellent money, probably $25-30 an hour

[smalltownhero]

thanks for the input.

to be exact, my postion with fedex starts at 9.50 in FL.

In southern california, that same postion starts at 16.50


not exactly double, but pretty close. things are looking good for a transfer anyhow.

i would love to get back into the surf industry, i have tought at a surf schools here in cb and loved it, the pay and tips were good as well.

thats for answering my indirect questions everyone.

[OC_Marauder]

If you are looking for consistent surf you will love Huntington, also by Florida standards there are some pretty big days in HB especially when the Santa Anna winds are blowing. One thing you have to remember about this website is that it seems to cater to the more “professional” crowd, there are people on here who honestly think you need to make $80-100k to live in Orange County. Obviously those people have different priorities than you do. I did know people in HB who worked as waiters, substitute teachers, etc it’s certainly possible, I would check craigslist to see how the room rentals are looking right now.

However a word of warning my friend is currently looking for a waiter/part time position and having a tough time right now apparently due to the economy but if you can transfer it could be worth your while.