Jobs/Pay in Orlando (Lake Mary: environment, health insurance, apartment)

[AaronS]

The sad situation is that it is very hard to make a decent living in the Orlando area if you don't have a college degree. But for those that do have a degree, there are plenty of jobs.

You have to understand that for the most part, Florida citizens only have high school diplomas, which results in a very competitive job for unskilled labor. Factor in the large amount of illegals in the area, and you have a very depressed economy.

But, if you have a four year degree or better, and know how to market yourself, you shouldn't have a hard time finding a job with a decent income.

[traysea]

Just a quick post -- I couldn't resist.
I've been on both sides of this arguement.
Moved to FL in 01, decent job and pay. Got laid off at dotcom bust and couldn't find a decent job for 6 months that would pay what I was used to.
My family and I decided to move back to Cincinnati OH which does have a decent pay wage.
Missed Florida.
I got a great job with Fortune 10 company 2 years ago and waited for a job to open up in Florida. Got it, kept my awesome pay and bennies. Moved and My hubby who gained more experience after his first layoff in Florida 01 and found as job quick in IT paying about what he would of expected in Cincinnati. So we think there is a need for jobs but you must network.
It's kind of south that way.. you need to network here more so then even in places in Midwest. (my opinion).
It's a melting pot of interesting cultures, work ethics etc etc etc. If you can stand out a little and find a great company.. grab it and keep clawing your way to the top.

good luck to all. I worried - always about having to do the job search... b/c the recession could hurt a sales exec like me.

T

[VaNative]

Originally Posted by kingtodd

Hey you do have a pretty cool name. What about a 'Business Analyst' and you're really a salesman being asked to push vacuum sales to your friends/family on commission only. I should know - been there b4.

Right...the employers around here seem to eliminate 98% of the applicants by requiring experience no one has.

I HATE the companies that want a salary history with the resume and references. I have no problem with the resume and references but I read that companies who ask for salary histories are often "feeling out the market" and are not hiring. Then...if they are hiring and you've made too little previously, they won't hire you because they figure you're not worth whatever the pay range is. Universal is really bad about this...on the professional side. Before I moved here, I was contacted by the HR person for the professional side (not theme park jos) and was told they wanted to see me ASAP as they were looking to hire five buyers and my experience was exactly what they were looking for. OK fine. So...I go to the interview the day after I arrived in Orlando and met with the HR lady for about 45 mins and it went very well. Then, she told me the Purchasing Director wanted to meet with me since I was there. I met with him for another 45 mins and that went well. I called the HR lady after about a week to see if there was an update on the positions and was told they were still making their decision. The VERY next day, I received a form letter dated three days before I spoke to the HR lady telling me basically...thanks but no thanks. I was like...WHAT?!?!?!

It was probably a good move that I wasn't hired at that time. Universal was being purchased by GE and they didn't hire anyone for those positions.

I've heard from different friends Universal is the worst company to break into and unless you know someone really high up, forget it. But...I guess it's that way at a lot of places.

It's just frustrating knowing you can do the job but some suit won't give you the chance.

[moonbeam]

[quote=AaronS;2564063]The sad situation is that it is very hard to make a decent living in the Orlando area if you don't have a college degree. But for those that do have a degree, there are plenty of jobs.

You have to understand that for the most part, Florida citizens only have high school diplomas, which results in a very competitive job for unskilled labor. Factor in the large amount of illegals in the area, and you have a very depressed economy.

But, if you have a four year degree or better, and know how to market yourself, you shouldn't have a hard time finding a job with a decent income.[/QUOTE

What are you talking about? If anything it is the EXACT OPPOSITE and you're competing with all the graduates of Florida schools like UCF, University of South Florida, Rollins, Stetson, retirees, illegal immigrants, did I leave anyone out? The market is completely saturated with people looking for a job. The high school kids here can't even get jobs.
Many times I heard employers say, "we received hundreds of resumes and couldn't even get through all of them." The saddest part is that even with a college degree it's hard to find a job period, let alone get in for an interview and you expect a phone call? What are you crazy? Lake Mary might be a different story....moonbeam

[moonbeam]

You have to understand that for the most part, Florida citizens only have high school diplomas, which results in a very competitive job for unskilled labor. Factor in the large amount of illegals in the area, and you have a very depressed economy.

Yes, Aaron you are right about most of the Florida residents don't have college degrees I saw the statistics the other day.
Now I definitely know why I don't fit in here, never have. It's the underlying element of trashiness, low-class thought process...it permeates everything.
A few rules about the job situation. Most of the jobs on "craigslist" are bogus so if you're looking to move down to Orlando don't count on a quick view of that for a barometer of the jobs available. "Careerbuilder" is connected to 4-5 temporary staffing agencies. Temping is big business in central Florida because the employers don't want to pay BENEFITS. Therefore, you won't get 40 hours a week.
"Workforce Central" no longer offers many jobs. If there are jobs most of them want another language besides english. It's a "right to work state" people where they don't treat you with fairness that's the definition. It's really sad....for us Americans to see this place turning into a third world country. We're being sold out. moonbeam

[Magnulus]

Yeah, the competition with UCF college students in very real, especially in the entry level stuff if you live near UCF. I can't even get a low-end service job around here, it is very hard as they are filled as soon as you see the "help wanted" sign. I tried looking for a government job, maybe the post office, and they aren't hiring. UPS is hiring down at the airport hub but I consider the pay too low to travel that far and have to take the toll roads- I'm still thinking about it, though.

Lots of lifeguard and athletic coach jobs that pay 8.50 an hour. I just don't see that as being a great choice, though.

[Fnix]

Originally Posted by Magnulus

Yeah, the competition with UCF college students in very real, especially in the entry level stuff if you live near UCF. I can't even get a low-end service job around here, it is very hard as they are filled as soon as you see the "help wanted" sign. I tried looking for a government job, maybe the post office, and they aren't hiring. UPS is hiring down at the airport hub but I consider the pay too low to travel that far and have to take the toll roads- I'm still thinking about it, though.

Lots of lifeguard and athletic coach jobs that pay 8.50 an hour. I just don't see that as being a great choice, though.

The UPS in Longwood hires if that is closer.

[corderobrown]

A lot has changed in Orlando in the last few years. When my uncle moved here in 1992, It was a nice quiet city. The pay was not good, but it was not expensive to live here. You could work at Wal-Mart and still make ends meet. Not the case anymore, as this city has become extremely overpopulated and the demographics have obviously change. The pay is still lousy, but everything else has gone up. Bottom line, move to Orlando, because you like the Sunshine and the theme parks, not because you are looking for better opportunities.

[JC1972]

How is it in Lake Mary, the same as Orlando? Are there any "good" job market areas in FL?

[dreamofmonterey]

Originally Posted by kingtodd

I'm new to the board - been trolling and reviewing threads in my spare time and wanted to get some input from the locals regarding pay and compensation in the Metro Orlando area as well as relate my personal experiences. I moved here from Detroit, MI back in 2005 quite simply because jobs had become so scarce up there and that was 3 years ago. I went from making 14.42 per hr to 7.50 upon my arrival here and was disgusted to say the least. i have since recovered nicely back near 40k a year but what I'd like to know is why in the hell are their so many low paying jobs here even for those who have formal education and/or tons of experience. I knew I would sacrifice something to enjoy the beach and warmth but damn this was a shocker.

Any comments and thoughts are more than welcome.

Because you have an open immigration policy which causes greedy business owners to love Florida. People from V.I., Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba everywhere come to Florida. This is the fact that will never change. A business owner can hire and pay them dirt. This is all about the bottom line that is Florida.