Thinking about relocating to Tucson, AZ....Help, haha!! (Young: layoffs, school)
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Haha... to be honest, I was pulling for UNC, but I wanted to nice since I am talking to (mostly) people from Arizona. By the way, funny quote on them being pizza delivery boys, haha!! I'm sure they're not all that bad!! So I'm assuming the desired college down there is UofA? That where the g/f wants to go... still not sure if this is the right move for me... or her... her options for med school are UofM (MN), Duke, UNC, or UofA (AZ).
Just to add to my last post... I'm not sure why the UofA is sticking out to her as the #1... I'm assuming it's because she just took a trip there not that long ago... her last vacation for that matter. I guess I'm just concerned because, I travel fairly often and I know the feeling after you get back. It's like, "wow, that place is so great and life was so easy for the past week!" Actually those were her words exactly, except she followed with "Life down there would be sooo easy!!" Don't get me wrong, maybe it is, maybe it isn't... you don't know how it is until you actually "live" somewhere! I've taken trips to Mexico and have absolutely had a blast, but I'll tell you this, I wouldn't want to live there, haha!! Not to mention my spanish vocabulary consists of "Hola!" and "Como estas?"... oh and "Cervesa" (spelling??)
For what its worth (not that much admittedly!) I think the U of A has a pretty good medical school. Not that I have any knowledge about it first hand - but I do know quite a few folks in the industry and they seem to have good opinions on the medical grads from the U of A.
The University Medical Center hospital does some good work too. One of the best places for cardio and cancer treatment in the Southwest US - according to many.
If you are intelligent and have a skill, you should be able to find a decent paying job. I know you keep hearing about call center jobs on these posts, but if you are working at a call center you obviously have no other skills to offer! That is why you are working at a call center! I have plenty of friends here who don't have a degree and they are making decent wages. In fact, most of them make more than I do as a teacher. Many of them make A LOT more than I do.
You just have to put in the time and effort in looking for a job. If you can do that, you will find something.
Thank you for all of your replies and opinions! I appreciate them all! So why shouldn't I move to AZ? What are the reasons I should? ...given what information I posted earlier in this thread. The time has come to choose... I have the ultamatum in my lap right now, so any help is going to be greatly appreciated!
Thank you for all of your replies and opinions! I appreciate them all! So why shouldn't I move to AZ? What are the reasons I should? ...given what information I posted earlier in this thread. The time has come to choose... I have the ultamatum in my lap right now, so any help is going to be greatly appreciated!
Your skin might melt and fall off.
Especially with all this global warming and our month of every day being below our average temperature...
you asked about skin cancer: yes, it is a problem down here and, I think, this area was once mentioned as the "skin cancer center of the country" or something....need to wear a wide-brimmed hat (all around, not just a baseball cap)....sun block works, but isn't 100%....that white zinc stuff is better....sounds like you had some trouble, so avoid it entirely if you can...very dry out here, so skin moisturizer might help you and the little lady....I get bloody noses occasionally from the dryness, but I love the dry air....
the UA med school is very good, as chorizo says...
can't help too much with the job thing...not a lot out here and it may not be as high-paying as back east, average, at least....be ready for a possible let-down....lots of people chasing jobs out here as the econ is worse here than most other states....can you transfer within the company?....
following your g/f out here (did you do that when you went to MN, too??) may or may not work out....many face that dilemma....do you want to go back to school out here?....that may be an option if you're up for that....
decent nightlife out here with the U nearby, but the city is not as big deal, hip, happening, whatever as the twin cities....you may think we're a bit hokey out here, maybe...things are a bit slower, less flashy, trashy in some specific spots, in general, but, with the U, the people are educated, savvy, all that......
great year-round outdoor rec...the dry air is awesome....skiing in the winter is one hour away (when it snows)....
Not really looking to go back to school full time... hasn't been in the cards for awhile now... My job currently will offer tuition reimbursement for people who are interested in continuing their education. And I am underqualified as it is... The only way I got into my position was hard work and years of dedication to the company. Go figure... my best friend whom is a co-worker of mine and holds the same job title, is going for his MBA right now and I'm haven't even finished my AA.
So no on the school item... I've been blessed to have wonderful parents and a pretty decent up-bringing, but we by no means had or have money in the family. I've been on my own financially for awhile now! So work is the #1 priority in my life because I don't want to end up being one of those people on CNN living in a tent city, haha!!
In regards to the lifestyle. I have lived most of my life actually, in a laid back state/city. NC was great, I loved it there, but for someone who needs to make some $$ to survive and make life work, it was an easy choice for me to move to a better suited economy (MN). I could have easily stayed in NC, but I know where my life was heading... working a whatever job... having an okay apartment... wishing I was one of the rich retirees that made all their money up north and then retired south. By no means do I need to be rich, but I also want to have a decent house, good schools for my kids someday and still have enough money to golf and travel and do all the things that would make me happy! Oh and I met my g/f here, but I met her before I moved to MN... so in a way, I moved "to" her, but that wasn't the only reason!
The weather doesn't matter when you don't have a roof over your head or you're struggeling. Hard to enjoy the outdoors when you have no money to do so or you have to work so much that you never have any downtime. IDK.......
Location: Tucson, AZ - The mountains are free here.
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Funnyguy, I lived in Raleigh, NC for eight years.
I have been looking into moving to Tucson for over a year and I've been actually here about ... mmm, three weeks now (I know, sooo long!)
First, I don't have a degree. I worked through high school, graduated high school, moved to NC from NY, still worked. Worked worked worked. So, even though I'm only a year older than you, I MIGHT have more practical experience (for all the good it will do me).
Before we moved, I started sending resumes online to anyone I could find. Nothing.
We've moved and I'm still sending resumes, visiting business, looking for jobs 'below' me (I need a job, even if it is a job as a hostess at a (EDIT: it cut out *****.. fine) "lady-berry" bar or a housekeeper). My husband's in the same position. He works in retail upper-management, but now you have to have a degree to do a job that you used to be able to do with REAL experience.
The trend is that you have to have a degree. It doesn't really matter what it's a degree for, just as long as you have one. No one really cares about real experience.
Call it personal experience, but that's what I've found.
As for schools. I have NEVER (in all the states I have lived in; CA, NY, NC, AZ) -- let me make this clear -- NEVER EVER seen a state so completely up their own butts about their colleges as NC was. I'm sure U of A is nice, a lot of people here seem to really like it. But I have yet to see anyone wearing an entire U of A outfit or sticking those tacky little flags in the windows of their cars. Do not expect the school here to be the same. It will not be. That's all I can say on that 'cause I don't know anything else.
I'm not sure if I can say you'll like it here or not because I've never been to MN and I actually get a little angry and sea-sick feeling when I think of NC (I hated it there that much, yeah), whereas you seemed to enjoy it.
I can say that Tucson is different. The weather, I think, is way better. The mountains are closer (and better) - there's no beach to drive to, but I guess that's okay. There's more foot traffic, more of a sense of community (even if some of the people on this board don't like that community).
It IS an old town and parts of it look very ... mm, unhappy, we'll say.
There are illegal immigrants, but they have delicious food.
There is crime and graffiti and gangs.
People are not lying when they tell you these things. What matters is what's important to YOU. Are you bothered by illegals? Do you like shiney new cities? Does graffiti make you really mad? Are you excited by the idea that they have a functioning bus system here and pedestrians and bike lanes and that - if you wanted to - you could get somewhere without having to get in your car?
Hell, using public transpo, you could get all the way to Phoenix and to the airport and fly to CHINA - without a car. Amazing.
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