Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Cost of living in the Phoenix area might be less than what it is on both coasts but it's still not cheap to live here.
Maintaining a car can be expensive because parts like batteries, hoses, and tires don't stand the heat too well, summertime utility bills can be costly too.
Reptiles and other creepy-crawlies are overblown, they won't be out and about in most urban-suburban areas, they will only be seen if you purposely go to a desert area looking for them.
I don't know how easy it would be to get an internship or a job in baseball, but it's a good question because Phoenix has an active pro-baseball scene with both spring training and the Diamondbacks NL. Maybe someone else in the know can offer suggestions.
Thanks! I have a friend who says where he lives in Mesa he finds tons of lizards and stuff. Maybe just his location being near the canal. Also how close is the nearest "desert" where I'd probably go looking for stuff? Kind of a difficult question to ask, but just for the sake of most reptiles? For specific ones I'll have to look that up myself. My main concern was probably the AC bill. I guess I would be trading off a hefty heating bill in the Winter here for a hefty AC bill in the summer in AZ.
Are jobs for young people hard to come by? Especially for people in the range of 18-22. Pretty much just a basic part time job that pays above minimum wage. I'm not sure how possible that is there, but minimum wage probably won't cut all the costs of things if I'm only working part time while at school. Like I said before I don't need a lot of things. I'm probably going to get a room mate to help cut the costs. I'm not really sure exactly how much I'll need to be honest. Rent (possibly utilities if they aren't included). food, transportation, clothing, a laptop and some spare money for other things. I don't think I'm missing anything, but I might be. What kind of easy to get job would be able to cover for that? I doubt a job at like McDonalds would even though I wouldn't want to work there.
Thanks! I have a friend who says where he lives in Mesa he finds tons of lizards and stuff. Maybe just his location being near the canal. Also how close is the nearest "desert" where I'd probably go looking for stuff? Kind of a difficult question to ask, but just for the sake of most reptiles? For specific ones I'll have to look that up myself. My main concern was probably the AC bill. I guess I would be trading off a hefty heating bill in the Winter here for a hefty AC bill in the summer in AZ.
Are jobs for young people hard to come by? Especially for people in the range of 18-22. Pretty much just a basic part time job that pays above minimum wage. I'm not sure how possible that is there, but minimum wage probably won't cut all the costs of things if I'm only working part time while at school. Like I said before I don't need a lot of things. I'm probably going to get a room mate to help cut the costs. I'm not really sure exactly how much I'll need to be honest. Rent (possibly utilities if they aren't included). food, transportation, clothing, a laptop and some spare money for other things. I don't think I'm missing anything, but I might be. What kind of easy to get job would be able to cover for that? I doubt a job at like McDonalds would even though I wouldn't want to work there.
Lizards are pretty easy to find, I meant the dangerous reptiles like rattlesnakes and such, they won't be found too often in the urban parts.
People have this weird fear of desert creatures like snakes and scorpions but they are mostly found in the desert, the fear is pretty overblown because most people never see a snake or scorpion if they don't go looking for them.
You can find desert areas in the mountain preserves and some parks with desert settings like South Mountain or Papago Park, otherwise you might have to drive some distance outside the metropolitan area to get the feel of a real desert experience.
Jobs are plentiful for people in your age bracket but they usually don't pay much if you don't have a whole lot of experience.
Maybe apply at some call centers, the pay scale isn't great but it's usually more than minimum wage and it's a good way of getting some entry-level experience.
Hey I see you're from Fairfield County as well. Are you moving to the Phoenix area? And the national average is still much lower than the very expensive Fairfield County. I'm not sure how well the jobs there stack up with ours though.
Yes, I've been living in Fairfield County, CT for about two years now. No, I'm not moving to Phoenix. The Phoenix area has a very, very weak job market for my specific career (corporate tax accounting). You are correct that Fairfield County home values are much, much higher than the national median. On the bright side, Fairfield County is the absolute best metro area in the entire nation for my specific career. But I'm still planning to get out of here soon, due to the extreme cost of living. I wish to buy a home, but can't do that here anytime soon. I've been considering moving to the Cleveland, Ohio area, which has plenty of jobs for me and a low cost of living.
Yes, I've been living in Fairfield County, CT for about two years now. No, I'm not moving to Phoenix. The Phoenix area has a very, very weak job market for my specific career (corporate tax accounting). You are correct that Fairfield County home values are much, much higher than the national median. On the bright side, Fairfield County is the absolute best metro area in the entire nation for my specific career. But I'm still planning to get out of here soon, due to the extreme cost of living. I wish to buy a home, but can't do that here anytime soon. I've been considering moving to the Cleveland, Ohio area, which has plenty of jobs for me and a low cost of living.
You must love winter if you're thinking of coming to Cleveland.
Lizards are pretty easy to find, I meant the dangerous reptiles like rattlesnakes and such, they won't be found too often in the urban parts.
People have this weird fear of desert creatures like snakes and scorpions but they are mostly found in the desert, the fear is pretty overblown because most people never see a snake or scorpion if they don't go looking for them.
You can find desert areas in the mountain preserves and some parks with desert settings like South Mountain or Papago Park, otherwise you might have to drive some distance outside the metropolitan area to get the feel of a real desert experience.
Jobs are plentiful for people in your age bracket but they usually don't pay much if you don't have a whole lot of experience.
Maybe apply at some call centers, the pay scale isn't great but it's usually more than minimum wage and it's a good way of getting some entry-level experience.
I think the main thing for me would be the jobs available. I have a good idea of what I want to major in and what I want to do for my career. I have several other back up plans since most students switch their majors. AZ offers the best (in my opinion through some research, though I could be wrong) location for me with all things considered.
I just don't know how hard it is to get a job. I'm used to CT and NY where people make a ton of money, but also pay a ton in taxes. Not to mention how much the houses are! It's crazy to see houses in Wilton, Westport and parts of Fairfield going 2-3 times what they go for at similar sizes in places like Mesa, AZ. It just isn't any option to stay here unless I want to live with my parents until my late 20s if not longer.
For all things business related is Phoenix and the suburbs a good place for young people who are majoring in business to get jobs that pay decent? I haven't picked out anything specific, but I was looking into marketing and possibly entrepreneurship. My first choice would be to work somewhere baseball related while tying business and baseball together as part of my job. Of course I'm realistic and know the chances of my "dream job" might not happen so I want to have a back up plan. I want to be in a place where I can realistically obtain my goals. I THINK Phoenix is the place. Hopefully I can take a visit out there either this summer or next Spring to see what it's like.
I think the main thing for me would be the jobs available. I have a good idea of what I want to major in and what I want to do for my career. I have several other back up plans since most students switch their majors. AZ offers the best (in my opinion through some research, though I could be wrong) location for me with all things considered.
I just don't know how hard it is to get a job. I'm used to CT and NY where people make a ton of money, but also pay a ton in taxes. Not to mention how much the houses are! It's crazy to see houses in Wilton, Westport and parts of Fairfield going 2-3 times what they go for at similar sizes in places like Mesa, AZ. It just isn't any option to stay here unless I want to live with my parents until my late 20s if not longer.
For all things business related is Phoenix and the suburbs a good place for young people who are majoring in business to get jobs that pay decent? I haven't picked out anything specific, but I was looking into marketing and possibly entrepreneurship. My first choice would be to work somewhere baseball related while tying business and baseball together as part of my job. Of course I'm realistic and know the chances of my "dream job" might not happen so I want to have a back up plan. I want to be in a place where I can realistically obtain my goals. I THINK Phoenix is the place. Hopefully I can take a visit out there either this summer or next Spring to see what it's like.
Go onto Indeed.com and run a search for specific job titles in your field for Phoenix (25 mile radius). Then, run the same search in another city. Compare the number of results against the metro area population. At least for me (corporate tax accounting), Phoenix is SEVERELY deficient in jobs for me, relative to the metro population.
Go onto Indeed.com and run a search for specific job titles in your field for Phoenix (25 mile radius). Then, run the same search in another city. Compare the number of results against the metro area population. At least for me (corporate tax accounting), Phoenix is SEVERELY deficient in jobs for me, relative to the metro population.
Wow thanks for the website. In only a few minutes I found several jobs that interest me and I fit the qualifications for. Obviously their pay isn't great, but what can I expect as an 18 year old kid? No way to tell if these jobs will be there in a year or 2 when I actually move there, but very helpful to know. My worst fear would be going there and not finding employment soon. My parents would help me out, but I'd rather start learning how to work and get into the routine of having to work hard.
Wow thanks for the website. In only a few minutes I found several jobs that interest me and I fit the qualifications for. Obviously their pay isn't great, but what can I expect as an 18 year old kid? No way to tell if these jobs will be there in a year or 2 when I actually move there, but very helpful to know. My worst fear would be going there and not finding employment soon. My parents would help me out, but I'd rather start learning how to work and get into the routine of having to work hard.
Well, that's the thing....jobs in Phoenix don't pay well in general. But each person's situation is different.
Whatever you see now on Indeed is fairly indicative of how the job market typically is, over the long term, in a particular place. If one job posting disappears, a new one will likely pop up later on. Jobs are constantly disappearing and being posted on Indeed. So don't worry about that. I've been using Indeed for at least 5 years now.
I've never lived in Phoenix but have spent time there, and have worked in the baseball biz. To be entering college soon with lots of interest in that industry, I'd say your chances are pretty good to work with some baseball organization. You've got the D Backs of course and lots of teams there for spring training and also the arizona fall league. With some ambition, work ethic and some luck (depending on the job you want), you'll eventually wiggle your way into some ball club and go from there Pay tends to be low or not at all (interning), so it will be tricky to balance that, and possibly another job to supplement income, plus school. A roommate situation makes things a lot easier.
For biking, exercise, etc, I think you'll be ok but I'm from Texas & used to summer heat. Maybe you'll need to adjust a little, but last summer my fiance and I went hiking in the evening in Phoenix. During our stay the highs were in the low to mid 100's and it was still hot but it was doable at sunset.
I've never lived in Phoenix but have spent time there, and have worked in the baseball biz. To be entering college soon with lots of interest in that industry, I'd say your chances are pretty good to work with some baseball organization. You've got the D Backs of course and lots of teams there for spring training and also the arizona fall league. With some ambition, work ethic and some luck (depending on the job you want), you'll eventually wiggle your way into some ball club and go from there Pay tends to be low or not at all (interning), so it will be tricky to balance that, and possibly another job to supplement income, plus school. A roommate situation makes things a lot easier.
For biking, exercise, etc, I think you'll be ok but I'm from Texas & used to summer heat. Maybe you'll need to adjust a little, but last summer my fiance and I went hiking in the evening in Phoenix. During our stay the highs were in the low to mid 100's and it was still hot but it was doable at sunset.
Best of luck!
Thanks for the reply! How much is "low" for pay? Like minimum wage? Or a little above? I researched a few jobs, but can't find how much they pay without directly contacting someone about the position. I'm not sure if it would be enough to cover rent. Like you said a roommate might be a good option. I think I can get an apartment or small house for around $700-1000 a month and can cut that in half with a roommate. Would the job be enough to cover rent and food? I wouldn't need too much more unless utilities aren't included, but I'll look for apartments that they are included in first. Thanks!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.