[beachmouse]

There are a lot of decent-paying health care jobs outside of doctor/nurse that tend to fly under the radar: physical therapy, medical coding and billing, radiologist, surgical technician, pharmacist, etc.

[JSnFla]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

There are a lot of decent-paying health care jobs outside of doctor/nurse that tend to fly under the radar: physical therapy, medical coding and billing, radiologist, surgical technician, pharmacist, etc.

i dont think they r beneath the radar anymore....technical schools r absolutely jammed with people retraining in medical jobs....physical therapy(pending whether your undergrad degree was in biology) and especially pharmacist(phd) require from 3.5 to 7 years school which isnt ideal or possible for most people....radiology and respiratory can be done in 2 or 3 years and pay from 40-60k. these jobs require some passion towards the work though, not everyone wants to treat cancer patients with radiation for a living or help those who cant breathe...thus the demand

[Sweating in Florida]

Hello,
My family and I live in Englewood, Fl(Sarasota county). We moved here with the help of family I have here 4 years ago. We came here after my husband lost his job as a quality assurance technician of 9 years in the north west because of new owners. The sole owner died and his son sold it right away. The new owner hired new management and it was chaotic. He was making $17/hour then. We had financial hardship quickly after he lost his job and had to sell our house. That is our story of how we ended up here.

The first and only job he could find when we first came here was at Walmart for $12/hour at the distribution warehouse. Now he works for Waste Management inc. as that is the only decent paying job around here for him. He struggles at 44 years old working heavy labor in the sun, heat and humiditiy. He averages $500.-$600. per week with his tonage. Medical and dental benefits come with a high price.

I have been looking for jobs in Florida for awhile now and am still finding it hard to find stable, full time, blue collar jobs that pay well with benefits. There are a lot of low paying part time jobs. Waiters/servers jobs pay $2-$3/hour. Housekeeping jobs are part time and average $6-$9/hour (remember that you are not payed when traveling to and between clients homes). Hardly any manufacturing or production jobs around anywhere and if you find them expect $8 per hour to start.
If you are a man, you may find more jobs as a blue collar labor worker. Some of the better labor jobs with big corporations here have a physical fitness test you have to pass to get hired - you have to have strength. If you are in the medical field, a nurse or CNA, you may do well here. If you own or manage or are a CEO you will do well, but your hourly employees will not.

It all depends on who you are and what your field is and what your qualifications are.
If you are a blue collar worker and have children to raise I would not recommend Florida. The Minneapolis area of Minnesota or to the industrial valley of Washington state is much better. In the west coast the minimum wage averages $8.00/hour(Department of Labor).

[DailyJournalist]

I think employment can be found in Florida if you look hard enough but the wages will be horrible.

[Tungsten_Udder]

I think there are probably FAR too many factors involved to easily summarize the employment situation in Florida (or any other state for that matter).

Among the factors:

Florida is a large state, and not every area will be the same.

We often forget that whether someone gets a job or not usually depends on the personalities involved (the candidate, people who already work for the employer, etc.) as much as it depends on any other factor. It's not a simple matter of an employer advertising a job, you answering the advertisement, and then you're hired if you have the necessary background and skills/knowledge.

Of course, not everyone has the same backgrounds or experience. Plus not every employer is looking for the same things. Plus not everyone presents themselves as well with their resumes and/or in their physical appearance. So even aside from the personality factor, there are a lot of different things that determine whether you'll even get that far.

Not everyone knows how to search for jobs equally well. It's not just a simple matter of looking at a newspaper or an online job site. Networking is a big component, as is knowing how to tap into hidden job markets, etc. It also makes a difference if you take the time to learn something about the companies you're applying to and tailor your pitch to them based on that information.

Like a lot of other things, there is a chance component as well. Being in the right place at the right time, saying the right things, etc. can make the difference.

[TANaples]

I would give one piece of advice. Right before you are about to move, send out resumes to places you are interesting in working, telling them a specific date when you will be in Florida. I was contacted while still out of state and two prospects told me to call them when I came down. My daughter also did the same.

[Sweating in Florida]

This is true what you say Tungsten Udder in Jersey.
It is a nice positive outlook on a dead end for me here in s.w. Fl.

Florida like any state cannot be entirely rated by our own individual experiences living in a particular city or area.
Although from what I hear from family, neighbors, friends and co-workers they seem to have a lot of the same opinions about parts of Florida where I live.

I have done a lot of research looking for jobs in other places of Florida and still cannot find very many good paying jobs for us that exist. Perhaps I am looking in the wrong places. We do not have college degrees and have some limitations. The problem is not getting an interview or getting hired. The problem is finding a place here where we would want to work - besides restaurants, local stores, seasonal snowbird jobs, and unstable sevice jobs and part time jobs for low pay that have no future. I was offered a job at $8.00/hour with no guaranteed raises and refused it. I have a family to help support.

I have done some research and we will be moving out of Florida to a better place where I will be in the "right place and the right time" this spring and have a full time job that I want lined up already with a previous employer at $15/hour. This will be better for us as individuals with our individual circumstances.

Thanks for your opinion and it counts.