Questions on Mid-Twenty Y.O. From Michigan to PHX (Phoenix: skateboarding, rent)

[ericire]

Hello all. Thank you for taking your time to read and hopefully giving me some help on my questions.

So my background, I am 24 and will be 25 when I plan on moving to Arizona. I have visited 2 times now. I am currently employed at a job in Michigan that is stable. I am going to be making $14/hr with no health insurance and not really feeling challenged or happy with the job. I have had my HR guy say to me flat out, you are smart, you don't want to be here forever, get back to school, find something you love and go for it. On top of that, I have mentioned to my boss my intentions and he says it is a brave move and he is envious of it, that I should at least take the opportunity to see if it works. He said I will always have a job as long as I leave on good terms.

I have took classes at a community college and have close to enough credits for a general associates. I am planning on going into the environmental science field. I would enroll into a CC once in Arizona for a year, to reduce the crazy high tuition for an out of state resident.

Recently, I have had my friend bring up that he may have a spot for me to live with him and 2 other room mates soon. A couple weeks ago he said there is a spot for me. He is planning on buying a house in about a year's time and that would make rent even cheaper for us all. I would come down to PHX with a place to stay, vehicle, roughly $10,000 and a good head on my shoulders. My friend says he has ideas and connections for me to hopefully get a job. He is like an older brother, so would not feed me pipe dreams. He also owns his own small business that I could help him with to get a few extra dollars between jobs.

I would look for jobs in a factory/warehouse setting, with 4 years of experience in shipping/receiving and experience in manual labor settings such as a weld shop with various machines and hand tools(no welding experience though). I can drive a forklift and oversaw a huge portion of the inventory at a small business. I also have experience in restaurant work before I got this job. I have browsed CL to get a feel of the job market, but would like another person's opinions on it. If it didn't work out, I have a limit that I would pull out before so I could move back with money in my pocket still.

So, after this long introduction, I am curious, from a fresh perspective, are there jobs in PHX for what I am looking for? How are the community colleges in the area? Are the average wages enough to live on with $400 being spent on rent/utilities a month(I don't have expensive hobbies/habits)? Has anyone moved from a northern state and realized the benefits of plentiful sunshine?

I love skateboarding, motorcycles, sunshine and the outdoors, which AZ offers up good opportunities for each.

I truly appreciate any response and hope to get a few views on the situation.

[AZJoeD]

Well since you are only making $14 now, you should have little trouble finding a job with close to the same salary here. Since you plan on sharing with friends you should by OK money wise. I might suggest trying to find work with a company like Costco or Amazon.

Definitely follow through with your plan to return to school. Ultimately, that is going to be your ticket to a career vs just having a job for the rest of your life. When your 25 it does not seem important, but when you get to be 45 it will.

[ericire]

Thank you for the input. My real drawback was realizing that I had to be a resident for a year to get back into school. But, I feel it might be a good year to get myself acclimated literally and figuratively to a new location. I have heard good things about Costco, but did not know Amazon was in the area. Thank you!

[The_Cadillac_Lawyer]

Check out Rio Saldo Community College to finish up your remaining gen-ed credits. You can complete classes online and get ready for ASU (presumptively).

I moved here from MI with an Associates degree from CC, went on to ASU, then graduated from law school. Picking up and moving will give your drive and self-esteem a major boost!

[ericire]

I will check into Rio. I am hoping the change will do me good in the motivation area. Want to get on with school and get myself into something I truly enjoy doing. Thanks!

[Bruce Jackpot]

That restaurant experience may come in handy for you. We have TONS of restaurants and they are always hiring.

[corydon]

There are about a million warehouses in Phoenix, that is probably the number 2 industry.

Go chase your dreams before a lady tosses a lasso around your neck.

[brian571]

I think you'll be fine. There are a ton of warehouses along the 10 in the west valley and some new ones going up on the 303 just north of 10. We moved out here from the midwest about 4 months ago and like it so far. You'll be spending a lot more time outside just by virtue of it being sunny and warm. At this time of the year the mornings are cool (40s lately), but it warms up quickly. Much better than the cloudy and cold weather I used to deal with. Good luck!

[brian571]

Originally Posted by AZJoeD

Definitely follow through with your plan to return to school. Ultimately, that is going to be your ticket to a career vs just having a job for the rest of your life. When your 25 it does not seem important, but when you get to be 45 it will.

True. I quit college with about a year left and got a full time job. I intended to go back as I just needed the money at that time. Of course, that never happened. Life always throws you curveballs and it never seems to be the right time to go back. It's worked out fine and it wouldn't make any sense for me to go back at this point because I have 12 years of experience in my field now. Still, I wish I had that degree now. Feels like I wasted time and money in college for nothing...

[ericire]

I appreciate the information from you all. It sounds like if I come down there with good intentions and keep the hope going, it will all work out great. I wish the best for you all, and hopefully you are getting what you all want out of life! Enjoy this day and take care!