How difficult is it to get a technical job? (Electrical/Software Engineering) (Phoenix: apartment complexes, lease) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

man4857 · 12-31-2015, 01:10 PM

I'll finish my MS degree in Electrical Engineering this June and want to move to Phoenix shortly after commencement whether or not I have a job lined up. I'm slightly nervous about this move, but I do have enough cash on hand to probably last me about 1-1.5 years if I'm renting an apartment close to $1000/mo (I have about 30k in cash, have a car payment @425/mo, 13k left on balance for 2.5 more years, and student loans $15k total, no other debts). I have 1.75 years of experience as an embedded software engineer in LA in the aerospace industry. Commuting seems like no issue to me as the apartments I'm looking at are located in Gilbert (which from Googling around, seems like the ideal place for me since I'm very laid back, quiet person, family-oriented guy).

Any info about the local job market for entry-level electrical engineers would be great! I did already apply to the big names like Intel, MicroSemi, Sandisk, etc. etc.
Maybe some tips for newcomers to Phoenix? General cost of living (how much are the water/gas/electric bill/etc.) in a 1 bedroom apartment.
Any info would be greatly appreciated!

PhoenixSomeday · 12-31-2015, 01:25 PM

Speaking strictly to the job part of it, I found it really easy to get a job here even with no experience and no BS in CS (BA in psychology, but got an AA after that in Systems Programming). So it should be no problem for you. After the first job I got here didn't work out after a couple of months (they hired more people than they could afford), I noticed in my job hunt that most of the web development stuff tended to be up in Scottsdale near the airport, and most of the real-software and hardware stuff tended to be here in Chandler. So aiming for Gilbert would seem to make sense with what type of tech you're into.

For the housing bit, there's plenty of what you describe in Chandler too.

KurtAZ · 12-31-2015, 01:28 PM

I would check out MicroSemi and ON if you haven't already.

Sounds like you are pretty well set...most apartment complexes pay for water and garbage. Figure less than $100 for electrical in the Winter, probably around $200 - $250 in the summer, most apartment complexes aren't very well insulated. Gas...most apartments are electrical only...if you mean fuel for the car...we are under $2 right now but that may fluctuate. Car insurance...probably around $75 - $100 depending on the vehicle, you will get the multi-line discount with Renter's Insurance. Registration is a percentage of the vehicle value so that will vary as well. Food costs are comparable to what you are paying in CA if not a bit less expensive. Other than that...everything else is up to your lifestyle and what you want to do.

man4857 · 01-01-2016, 11:46 PM

Thanks to the both of you for the insight, I really appreciate it! Happy New Years also.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

I would check out MicroSemi and ON if you haven't already.

Sounds like you are pretty well set...most apartment complexes pay for water and garbage. Figure less than $100 for electrical in the Winter, probably around $200 - $250 in the summer, most apartment complexes aren't very well insulated. Gas...most apartments are electrical only...if you mean fuel for the car...we are under $2 right now but that may fluctuate. Car insurance...probably around $75 - $100 depending on the vehicle, you will get the multi-line discount with Renter's Insurance. Registration is a percentage of the vehicle value so that will vary as well. Food costs are comparable to what you are paying in CA if not a bit less expensive. Other than that...everything else is up to your lifestyle and what you want to do.

I did check those two companies out, I applied to MicroSemi, but not ON. ON didn't have positions related to what I specialize in. Thanks specifically for the numbers, helps out a lot in my planning. I don't think my car (a Prius) will cost a lot to register/insure/maintain. I did dig into extra info about vehicle registration fees & how it's assessed though after you mentioned it, thanks for that tid bit. Looking forward to moving, I'm getting excited just thinking about it. Phoenix appears to be one of those hidden gems that people disregard quickly without giving it a closer look.

mir86 · 01-02-2016, 10:01 AM

I can't comment on the jobs but its a lot of fun here. Welcome (soon!).

EEngineer · 01-03-2016, 11:02 AM

Hi, Man4857. I also am a EE, but with 25 years of experience in embedded software, including aerospace. I have started to look into the same topic that you have brought up, wondering where is the best place to locate to be able to reach out to all the jobs in the area.

farmgirlsuz · 01-03-2016, 11:48 AM

My B/F is a board designer and originally took a job with General Dynamics. The total corporate "just a number" was not a good fit but fortunately after 6 months of hell he was able to secure a job with a smaller branch of a larger company in Tempe. I've never seen him so happy with his job! Lesson being, take a chance and if doesn't work out there will likely be something better.
As for the housing, I wouldn't commit to a long term lease if you are unsure where you will be working. Fortunately we opted for a central location near the Tempe/Mesa border so his commute wasn't affected that much when he switched jobs. If you sign a lease in Gilbert and wind up working in North Scottsdale you will soon hate it!
We haven't noticed much of a difference in our cost of living from Iowa except my car insurance DOUBLED and I actually took a $4/hr pay cut to do the same job. Fortunately his pay increase more than covered the spread.
Good luck!

farmgirlsuz · 01-03-2016, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EEngineer

Hi, Man4857. I also am a EE, but with 25 years of experience in embedded software, including aerospace. I have started to look into the same topic that you have brought up, wondering where is the best place to locate to be able to reach out to all the jobs in the area.

You might check with a technology staffing company. There are quite a few places that won't look at an out of state person as a serious condidate but if you can get placed through a staffing agency as a contract to hire, you would be able to see if you really like th e company before making a commitment. Just a thought.

EEngineer · 01-03-2016, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmgirlsuz

You might check with a technology staffing company. There are quite a few places that won't look at an out of state person as a serious condidate but if you can get placed through a staffing agency as a contract to hire, you would be able to see if you really like th e company before making a commitment. Just a thought.

Thanks. I am actually pretty OK as far as finding jobs. I am a contracting engineer. I would be giving up a very huge and well-developed job network in Chicago, except that one of my contingencies would be to travel back if needed for work, but have a home base in, say, Phoenix.

What I haven't quite figured out yet is where is the right place to live in Phoenix - for example, if someone were coming to Chicago and wanted to reach the most job sites, maybe I would say Arlington Heights, or slightly north of there for a medical device focus.

farmgirlsuz · 01-03-2016, 04:46 PM

Gotcha. From what I've seen there are tech jobs all over the valley but a lot of the newer start up also dubbed "the new silicone valley" would focus more in the Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert area as well as northern Scottsdale. I'm sure others have more knowledge than I do, but from what I've seen, these cities/suburbs are REALLY trying to promote these types of businesses into locating in the south and east valley. FYI, it's 70 and sunny today. ;-)