Need advice from lots of different areas! Seasoned travelers especially welcomed! (employment, unemployed)

[Philsco]

I'm recently (though amiably) unemployed. I have a couple thousand saved up and I'm really not a fan of Florida! I was wondering if I could get some advice about how the employment climate feels around the country, straight from some locals or from those who travel frequently.

A bit about myself:
I'm 26, in great physical condition (from years of laboring in the construction industries), have no wife, no children, and my lease is paid up until the end. I have a pretty decent work resume (most recently I have been a Fence and Wall installer and an aluminum fabricator and worked my way up to installation crew lead, and before that I was ground labor on a railroad construction crew where I worked my way up to Spike Puller machine operator, and before that I built bridges in the Army with one year in Iraq and an honorable discharge with medals and all that stupidness), my own tools (impact drill, hammer drill, disc grinder (pretty damn nice one, too), reciprocating saw, and an assortment of other hand tools and bits), reliable transportation that could efficiently make a cross-country jaunt with everything I own in it (I'm pretty minimalist), I'm a drummer, I have great interpersonal skills from having worked as a tour guide and excellent customer service from working at Walmart and K-Mart (those jobs really teach you to deal with terrible people by just just grinning and bearing it!), and...no criminal record, that's important to mention, eh?

Anyway, anyone feel they might know a fitting place for a guy with that background? I was half-tempted to put my resume up here, but I didn't want it to look like I was trying to fish for a job, directly! I should note that I'm looking for jobs that offer $16~$20/hour, have overtime (I'll work 16+ a day if you let me), preferably labor intensive (it's cool feeling like you're work is paying you to go to exercise!), and if I could REALLY get my way it'd have shift work along the lines of 4-on, 1- or 2-off. Oh and I'm willing to start entry and work my way up :P my financial goals just make it so I really need to be able to reach around $50-$60k a year (about $1,000 a week. That's not at all unattainable in the labor industry, especially as you get promoted!)

And, you are awesome. Thanks for your time, and it's nice to meet you all!

[Philsco]

Oh and if your area is not really a good fit, I'd appreciate that info, too! Thanks.

[Sabiya]

My state is considered the #1 state for entry level jobs. But that's it. Nursing, Sales, Insurance, and Telemarketing rule here other than Entry Level. If you want to do something else, or want to get promoted and stop making $7.95 to $12 an hour... you have to leave AZ.

[Staggerlee666]

I was all about wanting to help you up until you said you were a drummer. So forget it. Ok, ok, all joking aside. You seem best fitted for construction type of work. If you really know the tools and some of the heavy machinery, consider becoming a sales rep for some of these companies. Usually it is a field job. You drive around states that you cover and you sell to construction firms, stores, etc. being a road warrior aint easy but a sales job can start you at $45-50K base and then you have commission.

[Philsco]

Thanks for the replies.

I'm honestly terrible in sales. I tried my hand at it a couple of times, but I'm much better using a product than peddling it. That is a good idea, though!