[ChrisA70]

Not overcast and rainy in Florida often...BUT... Instead we get downpours during the rainy season, nasty thunderstorms. nearly every day. And there are crappy rainy days. I know for a fact in MA during winter, fall, etc. it is NOT gloomy all the time, in fact last winter it was sunny a lot.

[jim09091]

Originally Posted by ChrisA70

Not overcast and rainy in Florida often...BUT... Instead we get downpours during the rainy season, nasty thunderstorms. nearly every day. And there are crappy rainy days. I know for a fact in MA during winter, fall, etc. it is NOT gloomy all the time, in fact last winter it was sunny a lot.

BS. I lived in MA for 7 years. There were winters where it was dark for 5-7 days straight. Oh, and it is cold everyday. I would rather cut my arms and legs off, battle hurricanes and live in FL then spend another day in MA. Everyone has an opinion on the weather.

Don't forget about those summers (i.e. this past one) where it rained 10 out of 12 weekends in MA. Awesome. We actually had a dry summer here this year... it started out with a few weeks of afternoon rain and then dried up. We really should have gotten more rain. There is a system here and that involves rain in the summer! I love the summer.... the hotter and more humid the better. At least it lets me know I am alive and not frozen and numb.

Anyway, getting back to topic. It all depends on what field you are in. I'm in technology and am doing fine but know people in higher-up fields relating to construction that were lured here by the construction boom and are now leaving. Many of them have just spent their careers following the money. Construction collapsed here (it had to - out of control) and hopefully will stay dormant for awhile. Not everyone here wanted urban sprawl to the max.

Originally Posted by seain dublin

CA will rebound faster than FL which is a service industry state. FL is not expected to see any recovery for years.

According to a recent TBO article it will not be until 2018.

When you build an economy on tourism and new construction and allow a "right to work " environment you take longer to bounce back.

My comment concerned higher salaried workers, I didn't see so many struggling like you do in FL on $8 and $ 9 hour jobs.

Our daughter was doing temp work in Oregon, she was making $15 an hour to do light computer work and answer phones.

This was last year and then she was hired from temp to perm.

How many in FL get $15 an hour or anything close to that for temporary work, or for that matter any type of work?

I have seen comments on here with office workers at Disney in Orlando get $12 an hour and that is considered really good pay.

People struggle in FL more because the salaries are so much lower and the cost of living is not that much cheaper.

Get it?

I have plenty of younger friends working temp jobs between Fort Myers and Naples making $12 - $16 to do very little except answer phones and enter data into databases. They are going to school at the same time. Not everyone here has their head up their a$$ and thinks $12 an hour is something great. There are many educated people who make much more and expect much more pay. For many though, it is easy just to settle on that $7.50 and then spend the next 5 years complaining. My sister is one of those - I just personally don't get it.

[aninaction]

im late to the thread but....

i can count no less than 10 friends off the top of my head who have left for nyc or boston areas. most often heard complaint: theres nothing in florida, anywhere. and well, thats true. for an intelligent motivated young professional, florida is one of the most unattractive states in the country.

i expect to be gone by mid-2010: lack of quality grad schools, lack of intellectual communities, lack of art and literature type things, lack of jobs, lack of public transportation

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by ChrisA70

Not overcast and rainy in Florida often...BUT... Instead we get downpours during the rainy season, nasty thunderstorms. nearly every day. And there are crappy rainy days. I know for a fact in MA during winter, fall, etc. it is NOT gloomy all the time, in fact last winter it was sunny a lot.

I repeat, ONE DAY, where it was cloudy and drippy ALL DAY. The temps did not even get to 60 degrees. You cannot imagine how thrilled I was that day. I went out at 9 AM and spent all day outside. I actually got to wear jeans and a sweatshirt. Pitiful, that I have to be grateful for ONE DAY out of an entire year.

[ChrisA70]

Originally Posted by jim09091

BS. I lived in MA for 7 years. There were winters where it was dark for 5-7 days straight. Oh, and it is cold everyday. I would rather cut my arms and legs off, battle hurricanes and live in FL then spend another day in MA. Everyone has an opinion on the weather.

Don't forget about those summers (i.e. this past one) where it rained 10 out of 12 weekends in MA. Awesome. We actually had a dry summer here this year... it started out with a few weeks of afternoon rain and then dried up. We really should have gotten more rain. There is a system here and that involves rain in the summer! I love the summer.... the hotter and more humid the better. At least it lets me know I am alive and not frozen and numb.

Anyway, getting back to topic. It all depends on what field you are in. I'm in technology and am doing fine but know people in higher-up fields relating to construction that were lured here by the construction boom and are now leaving. Many of them have just spent their careers following the money. Construction collapsed here (it had to - out of control) and hopefully will stay dormant for awhile. Not everyone here wanted urban sprawl to the max.



I have plenty of younger friends working temp jobs between Fort Myers and Naples making $12 - $16 to do very little except answer phones and enter data into databases. They are going to school at the same time. Not everyone here has their head up their a$$ and thinks $12 an hour is something great. There are many educated people who make much more and expect much more pay. For many though, it is easy just to settle on that $7.50 and then spend the next 5 years complaining. My sister is one of those - I just personally don't get it.

Are you sure you were not in Alaska funny guy? Dark for 5-7 days, give me a break...

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by jim09091

BS. I lived in MA for 7 years. There were winters where it was dark for 5-7 days straight. Oh, and it is cold everyday. I would rather cut my arms and legs off, battle hurricanes and live in FL then spend another day in MA. Everyone has an opinion on the weather.

Don't forget about those summers (i.e. this past one) where it rained 10 out of 12 weekends in MA. Awesome. We actually had a dry summer here this year... it started out with a few weeks of afternoon rain and then dried up. We really should have gotten more rain. There is a system here and that involves rain in the summer! I love the summer.... the hotter and more humid the better. At least it lets me know I am alive and not frozen and numb.

Anyway, getting back to topic. It all depends on what field you are in. I'm in technology and am doing fine but know people in higher-up fields relating to construction that were lured here by the construction boom and are now leaving. Many of them have just spent their careers following the money. Construction collapsed here (it had to - out of control) and hopefully will stay dormant for awhile. Not everyone here wanted urban sprawl to the max.



I have plenty of younger friends working temp jobs between Fort Myers and Naples making $12 - $16 to do very little except answer phones and enter data into databases. They are going to school at the same time. Not everyone here has their head up their a$$ and thinks $12 an hour is something great. There are many educated people who make much more and expect much more pay. For many though, it is easy just to settle on that $7.50 and then spend the next 5 years complaining. My sister is one of those - I just personally don't get it.

I'm retired but I see what the rate of pay is here, and people are constantly complaining.

For example do you know what a substitute teacher gets paid here? Between $8 to $10 an hour and you don't need a college degree.

I did sub work for Los Angeles Unified School District after retiring. The rate of pay (and this is few years back) was around $250 for the day. But you also needed a BS degree and pass a state exam. Unlike here where anyone with a HS diploma can do it.

Sorry but I think are very few jobs here that pay what you mentioned. They may exist but as I said someone who worked for Disney Corporate stated $12 an hour was considered good pay. This was an office worker not someone working in the park.

FL salaries have always been much lower and therefore you have more people struggling to get by.

I read an article when gas was at $4 a gallon. They included a map of the US and FL was one of the states highlighted as people being hit the hardest in the pocketbook due to higher gas prices.

The reason was even though gas prices were higher in other states the lower salaries in FL made it harder for people to pay for the increase in gas.

[gypsystar]

Originally Posted by TANaples

I repeat, ONE DAY, where it was cloudy and drippy ALL DAY. The temps did not even get to 60 degrees. You cannot imagine how thrilled I was that day. I went out at 9 AM and spent all day outside. I actually got to wear jeans and a sweatshirt. Pitiful, that I have to be grateful for ONE DAY out of an entire year.

Yes, that does sound pretty pitiful. What a waste of those other 364 days!

[personalensign79]

Yes, I am in the legal field and there is nothing for me here unless I want to make $28,000 as a PI attorney after 4 years of hard work and thousands of dollars of debt. I am trying to plan my escape....but that's not going so well either I will not give up!

[tercel95]

I actually came to Florida for gainful employment... Not that the unemployment rate was very high where I lived before (DC/Metro area)... but as a young professional (21 year old software developer) I finally feel like where I live is worth the money (Jacksonville)...

JAX has completely changed my life for the better...

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by personalensign79

Yes, I am in the legal field and there is nothing for me here unless I want to make $28,000 as a PI attorney after 4 years of hard work and thousands of dollars of debt. I am trying to plan my escape....but that's not going so well either I will not give up!

You're an attorney and can't find something over 28k? Even government work (Assistant DA or PD) starts at 42k or so down here.

If you can't find work in FL (except those willing to pay only 28k), I think you might have problem landing that 130k/year Manhattan salary at a national firm (which, by the way, national firms also hire in FL and pay commesurate with COL).