Married Couple Looking To Move, California To Phoenix Arizona (Mesa: apartment, lease)

[khris4]

Hello,

My family is looking to relocated to Phoenix from Los Angeles and we want to know how is the Computer Technology field in Phoenix Arizona right now? I know the economy is doing bad everywhere but I want be able to live comfortable and own a home one day. I'm starting to notice that there are greater possibility to reach are goal in other states then California. My question to the forum is, What does the job market look like in phoenix for the customer service management area for the wife and IT field for some like me I do everything from system administrator to system engineering, also is apartment affordable?

Thank You for the help.

[JoeDiaz0312]

Originally Posted by khris4

Hello,

My family is looking to relocated to Phoenix from Los Angeles and we want to know how is the Computer Technology field in Phoenix Arizona right now? I know the economy is doing bad everywhere but I want be able to live comfortable and own a home one day. I'm starting to notice that there are greater possibility to reach are goal in other states then California. My question to the forum is, What does the job market look like in phoenix for the customer service management area for the wife and IT field for some like me I do everything from system administrator to system engineering, also is apartment affordable?

Thank You for the help.

I was in your boat about a year and a half ago. We moved from San Diego so that we could drop to one income and the wife could stay at home with the children. I had better luck looking for a Software engineering position outside of California. When I spoke with recruiters they basically told me everyone wants to live and work in CA so the compitition is really tough there. We also hoped to eventually buy a home. Our rent for a 2200 sqft home was $975 a month. After our 1 year lease was up we were able to buy a home in Marley Park. We are glad we made the move because it has allowed us to reach our goals and we love our new community. We do miss California alot...luckily SD and LA are only 4 - 5 hours of driving.

Good luck!

[Master Shake]

The majority of computer support related field in the Phoenix area is mostly call center type jobs that pay $8 - $12 per hour. However, given that there are so many call centers here, your wife should have a fairly easy time finding a customer service management position.

I believe the average 2 bedroom apartment in the Tempe/Chandler/Mesa area goes for around $750 per month and up in the better areas. Also, housing prices here are much, much cheaper than in California, so you should be able to easily pick up a nice house and still have a commute that is less than an hour (at the most).

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by Master Shake

The majority of computer support related field in the Phoenix area is mostly call center type jobs that pay $8 - $12 per hour. However, given that there are so many call centers here, your wife should have a fairly easy time finding a customer service management position.

I believe the average 2 bedroom apartment in the Tempe/Chandler/Mesa area goes for around $750 per month and up in the better areas. Also, housing prices here are much, much cheaper than in California, so you should be able to easily pick up a nice house and still have a commute that is less than an hour (at the most).

Computer Technology and Call Center jobs are not even remotely similar. However, there are still some low level call center jobs in Phoenix. Most have been out-sourced and are no longer here. The "call centers" that remain are actually much more complex than a standard call center. The centers left here like AMEX, USAA, Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, etc. are actually more like financial management support centers. These facilities pay well and extremely well for many. Before my brother's fiance became a pharmacist she was an AMEX customer service rep and made $22/hour.

[OctoberMoon]

My husband and I moved here from Los Angeles a year and a half ago. Things then were just starting to go downhill, but now it seems like there are NO jobs out there. None. My husband lost his job and now we are stuck here in a house worth less than what we bought it for and him trying to get by on a job that doesn't pay enough.

He is applying for jobs every. single. day. But so are thousands of other people. I have quite a few friends who are college grads and cannot even get hired in retail places like Home Depot. I've heard things are bad in L.A., but just be warned they are bad here as well. I'd def. recommend finding a job before you move here.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by OctoberMoon

My husband and I moved here from Los Angeles a year and a half ago. Things then were just starting to go downhill, but now it seems like there are NO jobs out there. None. My husband lost his job and now we are stuck here in a house worth less than what we bought it for and him trying to get by on a job that doesn't pay enough.

He is applying for jobs every. single. day. But so are thousands of other people. I have quite a few friends who are college grads and cannot even get hired in retail places like Home Depot. I've heard things are bad in L.A., but just be warned they are bad here as well. I'd def. recommend finding a job before you move here.

Good words of advice. But I can contend with the OP wanting to get the heck out of Dodge in L.A. While Phoenix' jobless rate is 7.4% and our state is at 8.8%, California is ever inching closer to a 12+% rate of unemployment with the epicenter being in L.A. county! It is no wonder those rowdy Angelinos rioted when the Lakers won...they have nothing better to do!

[MotleyCrew]

Even though our work has slowed down a lot with this recession, we still have small works and are very grateful to be here in AZ rather than stuck in our old home state, CA. The cost of living there would have finished us off. We have been here for 4 going on 5 wonderful years. Come on over and good luck to you.

[azcater]

We just recently found out that my husband's company will be laying off 200 people in Scottsdale.. so we took the separation package and will be moving to Denver. He's known trouble has been coming for the last year and has been applying for IT jobs here since last October. He hasn't gotten one phone call. We have no idea what will happen in Denver, but he's already applied and received two phone calls, so that's positive! Everything we've heard from recruiters is "good luck" there are so many unemployed, highly qualified IT people in Phoenix, so competition is fierce.

[Master Shake]

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

Computer Technology and Call Center jobs are not even remotely similar. However, there are still some low level call center jobs in Phoenix. Most have been out-sourced and are no longer here. The "call centers" that remain are actually much more complex than a standard call center. The centers left here like AMEX, USAA, Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, etc. are actually more like financial management support centers. These facilities pay well and extremely well for many. Before my brother's fiance became a pharmacist she was an AMEX customer service rep and made $22/hour.

Thanks, but that wasn't what I was referring to. When I say call center type jobs relating to IT support field, I mean the 2-4 people who support the computers and phones in a large call center that can have 1000+ customer service reps. These IT support technicians only make $8-$12, mostly because of the fierce competition, (and as you mentioned) these jobs can easily be outsourced.

As for the $22/hour for being a customer service rep, if anyone can find something like this, I would strongly suggest that you take it! I don't think the average salary (covering all jobs types averaged together) is $45k for the Phoenix area, so this would be fantastic. According to government data, the average salary for jobs in Phoenix, Arizona is $32,860, and the median income of households in Phoenix was $42,353.

In my experience, checking job postings and speaking with people who currently work for AMEX and Sears, most CSR's only make around $10 per hour. At Sears, management trainees make $18 per hour to start (Bachelor degree required), and go to $22 per hour after successful completion of the management program. I also know a few people who work for Express Scripts in a data entry position (very similar to a call center environment), and they only make $12 per hour -- even with a Pharmacy Tech certificate. If you can get $22 for answering phones or doing data entry, then take it ASAP!

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by Master Shake

Thanks, but that wasn't what I was referring to. When I say call center type jobs relating to IT support field, I mean the 2-4 people who support the computers and phones in a large call center that can have 1000+ customer service reps. These IT support technicians only make $8-$12, mostly because of the fierce competition, (and as you mentioned) these jobs can easily be outsourced.

As for the $22/hour for being a customer service rep, if anyone can find something like this, I would strongly suggest that you take it! I don't think the average salary (covering all jobs types averaged together) is $45k for the Phoenix area, so this would be fantastic. According to government data, the average salary for jobs in Phoenix, Arizona is $32,860, and the median income of households in Phoenix was $42,353.

In my experience, checking job postings and speaking with people who currently work for AMEX and Sears, most CSR's only make around $10 per hour. At Sears, management trainees make $18 per hour to start (Bachelor degree required), and go to $22 per hour after successful completion of the management program. I also know a few people who work for Express Scripts in a data entry position (very similar to a call center environment), and they only make $12 per hour -- even with a Pharmacy Tech certificate. If you can get $22 for answering phones or doing data entry, then take it ASAP!

It isn't just answering phones; many of these "call centers" like AMEX and USAA offer investment services, international assistance, travel planning, insurance, financial planning, and yes the typical; "can you tell me what my balance is?" LOL! But AMEX and USAA typically start people well over $16-18 an hour and depending on your ability to deal with customers, pay will increase nicely. Sucks for those computer support people; maybe they should switch to a financial support center. USAA is hiring and many of those support center near the i-17 and 101 have banners on their buildings that read; "NOW HIRING!"

And remember median income is just what the middle wage of an area happens to be during a certain year. That means from $0 per year (LOL, an exaggeration) to $1,000,000 a year then divided by ALL residents; that means working, in school, retired, etc. etc. Not a very good indicator of average salaries for a specific job market. Not sure where the resource would be online, but while I was earning my MBA at ASU they had a book and online sources from the Commerce Dept. and Morrison Institute that had average salaries for certain professions in different states and metro areas; I'm pretty sure such info. would be an easy search online for someone that is interested in knowing what they could make in one area compared to another.