Through advice on moving to Arizona from Brooklyn with no degree or driver's license (Phoenix: rent, how much)

[HopeArise]

I'll be as thorough as possible with the details.
Hello my name is Alexis!
I am 23 years old, I do suffer from depression so I go through periods of being house bound.
I am on a break from college (I am a junior w good academic standing ) I was studying nursing for a 1yr &1/2.
In terms of work I have a certificate as a nursing assistant.
I have about $5k saved up & I really need to leave this New York ****hole.


I wanted advice on how I should go about making this move.
Possibly finding a place to live & paying 2 or 3 months rent in advance while looking for work as a CNA (certified nursing assistant) & taking drivers lessons.
I'm looking at arizona because I feel like it would play a big part in rehabilitating my mind and spirit.

Advice, tips, pointers are greatly appreciated.
P.S. I love the heat dry or humid so weather isn't a setback or problem for me. My temperament actually improves the hotter it gets.

[jamies]

You will need a good car and a dl. This is not NY hot here, it's 160 in the sun! NA's make $9 an hour.

I would suggest getting your nurse degree, then get a job offer in AZ. Not hard to do.

With your RN the rest will come easy. It may be hard and seem intermidable but try to just suck it up, tough it out and finish what you started.

Then, come here. As an RN you can pick where you want to go. Good luck!

[gemstone1]

Excellent advice from jamies.....don't ever think you can make it on your own as a CNA or LPN...those certificates are stepping stones to a career as a Registered Nurse. Once you are an RN with some experience, look into Travel Nursing, it is a great way to see the country, while earning a very handsome, self-supporting income.

Regards
Gemstone1

[HopeArise]

Originally Posted by jamies

You will need a good car and a dl. This is not NY hot here, it's 160 in the sun! NA's make $9 an hour.

I would suggest getting your nurse degree, then get a job offer in AZ. Not hard to do.

With your RN the rest will come easy. It may be hard and seem intermidable but try to just suck it up, tough it out and finish what you started.

Then, come here. As an RN you can pick where you want to go. Good luck!

Whoa $9 only thank you for letting me know!!
It really does make more sense to tough it out I'll just have to find patience somehow.

[HopeArise]

Originally Posted by gemstone1

Excellent advice from jamies.....don't ever think you can make it on your own as a CNA or LPN...those certificates are stepping stones to a career as a Registered Nurse. Once you are an RN with some experience, look into Travel Nursing, it is a great way to see the country, while earning a very handsome, self-supporting income.

Regards
Gemstone1

Thank you for the realistic response!!
I'll try to be patient, I just thought there would be some way to ditch nyc- it is definitely best to wait.

[SmurfOnABoat]

When there is a will there is a way... I will always believe in that statement because it is 100% true. You, yourself, control your own future.... With that being said, if you really want to get away from NY and AZ is your for sure destination. Then I would recommend making your way out to AZ, see it for yourself. Scope some places out, look into jobs... it might take 2 jobs to make it but if you can make it then you can make it.

A question I guess not asked yet, what do you do for work now and how much do you make? What is your cost of living where you are? Are you on your own?

While the above responses are most advisable, safest routes, however they are not the only options. First thing I tell people is don't steer from your wants and desires, it only makes things worse. Settling for what you don't want is the not the end result you wish to seek. I am no expert but I would guess (only guess) that with depression, either route could have potentially bad effects. Staying where you are, where you are unhappy, while you save and work towards your degree and future career... Having to stay put may not be what you want and it may make you feel worse.... on the other hand, jumping ship, making the trek to AZ then failing financially may also be a bad route...

Now, with that being said, jumping ship, moving to where you want to be. What will make you happy, in my opinion, will only help your current feelings. A new hope, new opportunity and a completely new environment with new people. You are young, I am guessing pretty smart, and seem to put some thought into serious decisions. You probably know what it takes to survive, and if you are willing to do what you need to survive, continue with school then in my honest opinion... you can make it...

The thing about being 23 vs 33 or 43 or older... is that you can probably recover if things go south, but if they don't go south and you come out to AZ and flourish and make your dreams come true, get out of the hell hole of NY and find new opportunity then it will ultimately lead to great things for you.... The thing is, if you don't try it, you will never know.

Just my opinion, I know others will not agree and will say that my response is foolish. People who really get it, or people that have actually done what I have said then they will truly understand. What is life without a little risk? Its just a job at that point. Day to day routine with no change.... Boring....

I am just 30 years old and around your age I made the trek to AZ to seek new opportunity... I currently reside in both states part time and am happy with the decision I made....

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by gemstone1

Excellent advice from jamies.....don't ever think you can make it on your own as a CNA or LPN...those certificates are stepping stones to a career as a Registered Nurse. Once you are an RN with some experience, look into Travel Nursing, it is a great way to see the country, while earning a very handsome, self-supporting income.

Regards
Gemstone1

An LPN isn't a "certificate" it is a licensed nursing position. I'm an HR Director for a medical facility and we have TONS of LPN's and CNA's that have been doing it for 20-30 years. There are a lot more positions available for CNA's and LPN's then there are RN's. We have LPN's that make $70k/year.

I'm not saying they are better choices then becoming an RN, however, it shouldn't be discounted as a viable career path or pathway to becoming an RN while earning an income.

[saffordpastor]

My daughter worked as a CNA for awhile here in Safford at a nursing home right out of High School....if I remember correctly she started at over $10 ...maybe $11.

$9 seems way low.

[beTucsonan]

You can live off of CNA wages out here but you won't be living large. What most people do in this case is get a roommate and then go to school to up their earning potential over time. Like LBTRS said, it can be a viable career path, especially out here where there are so many old folks who need medical care, but to make that pan out you need to be vigilant about training and certifying in new areas of your field. I would definitely recommend finding a job before moving out here, if possible. But if you aren't currently employed in Brooklyn I suppose it's cheaper to be unemployed here than it is there.

You do not "need" a car in certain parts of Arizona. Both Phoenix and Tucson have workable (though not great) public transportation. I have a car, but I put less than a thousand miles on it last year, just driving when I felt lazy or was really in a hurry. Especially in Tucson you'll find that a bike will get you everywhere you may need to go 95% of the time.

You also need to define what you mean by "Arizona," being that Arizona is a huge and quite varied state. It's like saying I'm going to move to New York ... do I mean Buffalo, or Manhattan, or anyplace in between? Lake George? Hopefully you see my point. There is one large metro area, one mid-size metro area and a bunch of small cities each with their own plusses and minuses to consider. Look into it (these forums are a good start) and see what might work best for you.

Best of luck to you.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

An LPN isn't a "certificate" it is a licensed nursing position. I'm an HR Director for a medical facility and we have TONS of LPN's and CNA's that have been doing it for 20-30 years. There are a lot more positions available for CNA's and LPN's then there are RN's. We have LPN's that make $70k/year.

I'm not saying they are better choices then becoming an RN, however, it shouldn't be discounted as a viable career path or pathway to becoming an RN while earning an income.

+1

there are lots of opportunities to CNA's & LPN's in Phoenix, they just aren't at hospitals - they're at long-term care & rehab facilities (which actually outnumber hospitals by a fairly large margin).

That said, you'll work your behind off for whatever you're paid (it'll be more than $9 hr!), because the patient-load is often extreme.

FWIW, Phoenix College was - (not sure if they're doing it currently) offering a "Patient Care Technician" program that trains you to be 100% ready to hire-in and work at many hospitals in the valley. That job is basically a CNA that can draw blood, collect samples & set up an EKG. A few years ago, when they were setting that program up, they had employers lining up to hire graduates.

http://www.pc.maricopa.edu/pcdt/healthcare.html#2


I'm not sure that "just get your RN" is a realistic response for most CNA's - at a minimum, that's an additional 3+ years of full-time school for an ADN-RN, and those classes aren't "fluff" classes.