Tech worker looking to move from Portland

[Elna Rae]

Originally Posted by Starbar

I actually don't mind having to drive a lot. I do know that the traffic in Phoenix is worse, and there's not as much pretty scenery on the freeway. My AC works pretty well even in 100F, which is today's actual high. It's a dry heat too, it doesn't feel as hot as I thought. Pretty similar to Arizona heat IMO, I could get used to it.

You'll find that metro Phoenix is a very welcoming area. It's truly a melting pot.

Now if we can just get rid of all the whiners...

[CAHLUV]

Originally Posted by Elna Rae

You'll find that metro Phoenix is a very welcoming area. It's truly a melting pot.

Now if we can just get rid of all the whiners...

NEVER! haha, huge metro areas always will have those that whine but don't move, seems to be the American big city way.

[grad_student200]

Originally Posted by Starbar

I’m aware that I won’t find the same greenery as I would here. I grew up in Southern California so I’m sure I could adjust. The winters here are what kill me, it’s not even the cold or the rain, it’s the lack of daylight. Plus how do you know if me flying back would be unlikely? You do realise Southwest has tickets for like $100-$200? I also miss being able to wear shorts and tshirts for most of the year and not really having to worry about how many layers I need in the colder months. In SoCal O never needed more than a light jacket most of the year.

Some of the people who live in Phoenix are unaware of how much it can rain in the higher elevations of Eastern AZ. When I lived in Chandler a couple of years ago I took a road trip with my dad to the rugged mountains near Show Low, AZ. The downpour of rain was horrendous with flooding. The remote dirt roads started to form creeks all over the place. Cattle ranchers in that area often have chains in case it gets muddy.

After that happened, I drove around tire shops and auto dealerships in Phoenix asking if they had any tire chains in stock. They were all shocked and surprised on how bad the monsoon flooding gets in the higher elevations towards Show Low, Heber, Alpine, etc. A fair number of Phoenicians are unaware of the major difference in downpours.

But I grew up near the Four Corners and am very aware of flooding during summer monsoons. If you need to escape dry Phoenix heat, you can certainly find summer mountain rain if you know where and when to look in the higher elevations of AZ. I do.

As for IT, I am an "SDET" and currently do a lot of Java coding. The demand has been reduced relatived to half-a-year-ago. But opportunities can still be found depending on your skill area. Just know there is much more competition for open positions. I often use dice, indeed, and glassdoor. The latter two have a lot of anonymous comments about employers and work conditions. If you are a full-stack developer who knows React, Angular, Vue, and how to code APIs in Spring, Python, or .Net core, then you should be able to find something.

If you really want to "stand out", learn how to document your code efficiently for a variety of audiences ranging from non-technical business coworkers to interns and seasoned developers. I rarely find a developer who is a legitimate technical writer. If you have that skill, you will stand out significantly. Most developers hate to write and it shows when I read their documents as a tester who knows UML design, ETL specification standards, and ER diagrams.

[Elna Rae]

Originally Posted by grad_student200

Some of the people who live in Phoenix are unaware of how much it can rain in the higher elevations of Eastern AZ. When I lived in Chandler a couple of years ago I took a road trip with my dad to the rugged mountains near Show Low, AZ. The downpour of rain was horrendous with flooding. The remote dirt roads started to form creeks all over the place. Cattle ranchers in that area often have chains in case it gets muddy.

After that happened, I drove around tire shops and auto dealerships in Phoenix asking if they had any tire chains in stock. They were all shocked and surprised on how bad the monsoon flooding gets in the higher elevations towards Show Low, Heber, Alpine, etc. A fair number of Phoenicians are unaware of the major difference in downpours.

But I grew up near the Four Corners and am very aware of flooding during summer monsoons. If you need to escape dry Phoenix heat, you can certainly find summer mountain rain if you know where and when to look in the higher elevations of AZ. I do.

As for IT, I am an "SDET" and currently do a lot of Java coding. The demand has been reduced relatived to half-a-year-ago. But opportunities can still be found depending on your skill area. Just know there is much more competition for open positions. I often use dice, indeed, and glassdoor. The latter two have a lot of anonymous comments about employers and work conditions. If you are a full-stack developer who knows React, Angular, Vue, and how to code APIs in Spring, Python, or .Net core, then you should be able to find something.

If you really want to "stand out", learn how to document your code efficiently for a variety of audiences ranging from non-technical business coworkers to interns and seasoned developers. I rarely find a developer who is a legitimate technical writer. If you have that skill, you will stand out significantly. Most developers hate to write and it shows when I read their documents as a tester who knows UML design, ETL specification standards, and ER diagrams.

I find it utterly amazing that people whose jobs involve the "written word" are not more careful and conscientious before sending out documents or email. Attributing it to simple "mistakes" doesn't cut it. It goes much deeper than that; like a "skrew you, I'll do what I want" attitude.

[Alandros]

Originally Posted by Starbar

I’m aware that I won’t find the same greenery as I would here. I grew up in Southern California so I’m sure I could adjust. The winters here are what kill me, it’s not even the cold or the rain, it’s the lack of daylight. Plus how do you know if me flying back would be unlikely? You do realise Southwest has tickets for like $100-$200? I also miss being able to wear shorts and tshirts for most of the year and not really having to worry about how many layers I need in the colder months. In SoCal O never needed more than a light jacket most of the year.

I can completely relate and reaffirm your daylight perspective. I was born and raised my first 21 or so years in Phoenix, I moved to Oregon about 15 years ago for my first job in my career after college. Though not Potland I lived 4 years in Eugene. A similar climate/geography. Loved it up there, the people especially were great (and quirky, though that's Eugene), and it rained a lot but not as much as people might think. The gray was a far bigger deal than I had realized. After 4 years my company relocated to Las Vegas (which the residential part is just like a smaller Phoenix basically) and my wife and I were blown away with how much we liked the sunlight. Oregon isn't always rainy but it's very gray and I genuinely enjoyed getting more sunlight, that's coming from someone who stays in all the time and liked it dark so never thought it would be a big deal for me. The last 10 years I've been living/working in the San Francisco Bay Area though looking at going back to Phoenix. As long as you can afford to run AC (and get an energy efficient home) and are someone who can enjoy being indoorsy during the summer it's a great place. The cost of living has risen quite a bit but it's still cheaper than many other comparable cities and you don't have to deal with snow (for 3 years growing up my family moved from Arizona to western Massachusetts where we had feet of snow, blizzards, etc... never living in a place with serious snow personally).

Honestly I think most people are adaptable to enjoy wherever they live, every place has pros and cons... if you want more light then I think you'll get it in Phoenix.

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by Starbar

Are there any areas in the Valley that have tree filled nature areas I could visit if I feel homesick? What about neighbourhoods with lots of trees? I know Mogollon Rim is 2 hours away but is there anything closer.

Just thought of this one. From NE Mesa the access to the lower Salt River is pretty quick. Red Mountain Ranch is only about two miles from the closest public access -- Granite Reef Rec Area. Plenty of trees close to the river. Lots of water birds, herds of wild horses, and we even saw bald eagles once.