Please Help! How Difficult Is It to Find Employment in Greater Orlando? (Tampa: credit, how much)

[da8509]

Hi all. First of all I'd like to express that I have visited Florida -- different parts of Florida -- at least 7 times in my 20-something years of life, and I am in love with the state. It just keeps drawing me back; I even miss it very often, including its diverse and beautiful scenery. I live in Greater Los Angeles, California (I have since I was born). I'm considering attempting a move to Florida. My gripe with California is that I am unemployed (I graduated high school with honors, completed some college) and I can't for the life of me find a job, which I've been trying to do for many years now. I've applied to numerous places and jobs, and have taken countless interviews. I have no criminal record, I very rarely consume any alcohol, never ever take any drugs, and am not disabled. But here even a minimum wage job anywhere at all requires at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited university. If you don't have a bachelor's degree, it's like you're nobody, you just don't matter to any employers or to society whatsoever, be it at a gas station or a fast food restaurant. Why not pursue a bachelor's you ask? Because I can't afford to pay for a college or university education. And I know I wouldn't qualify for financial aid because my parents make a relatively high income; though they're unwilling to give me so much money, and I don't expect them to, either, my being an adult and all. If I could just find a minimum wage job anywhere I would save up and set aside for a college education to strive for a higher-paying career. My question to you is this: Are job qualifications (minimum wage) THIS demanding in Florida, as well? What has been your experience in this topic? If I move to Florida (with some help from mom & dad at first) I'd consider Greater Orlando, the Cocoa Beach area, Tampa Bay (including St. Petersburg), or Naples area (I know high-end, but why not dream big?). ANY FEEDBACK AT ALL from Florida residents would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[kyle19125]

Finding a minimum wage job might be easier here as most employers don't want an "overqualified" applicant because many are allergic to paying at or above $10 an hour, plus there's also the mindset that someone overqualified is going to quit soon after being hired because a better job will come along for them. However the reality is there aren't many "better jobs" available here, so what happens is many of the marginally employable are working while countless qualified/motivated job candidates sit at home.

[Soup Not See]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Finding a minimum wage job might be easier here as most employers don't want an "overqualified" applicant because many are allergic to paying at or above $10 an hour, plus there's also the mindset that someone overqualified is going to quit soon after being hired because a better job will come along for them. However the reality is there aren't many "better jobs" available here, so what happens is many of the marginally employable are working while countless qualified/motivated job candidates sit at home.

The question is how much longer can these countless qualified/motivated job candidates sit at home ? Do you really they jobs are going to magically appear in Orlando soon ?

[duttygal86]

Do yourself a favor and move somewhere with a good economy, that has cheap flights to Florida....Minneapolis....for example. Its a real cool city, with lots to do, great nightlife, and you can fly to Florida for 200 round trip. I grew up in Florida (25) and I feel like Florida dosen't want to keep hold on its young people, and as a state it definitely doesnt care about its poor and working class.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by duttygal86

I grew up in Florida (25) and I feel like Florida dosen't want to keep hold on its young people, and as a state it definitely doesnt care about its poor and working class.

That seems to be about the only group of people that states like NY, NJ and CA care about. Ask any taxpayer who lives there. Hopefully MN is better in that regard.

[RenneNY]

Harsh! planning a move to Orlando in the Spring, lived in New York for 14 years I just could not take it how ridiculously expensive it is to live there, moved to raleigh NC about 3.5 years ago and hated every minute of it, everyday I cant wait until that day comes when I leave, but all this posts on here are so negative, it really brings you down reading all this, I believe orlando is a city of almost 3 million peple if im not mistaken, if things are so bad how do all this people manage to live there? but oh well, I guess I will just risk it all and give it a shot

[Stray_Dude]

Though it's been some years since I've been there, I like Raleigh. However, I can't live there until I'm older, have children, and thinking about retiring, etc. Go to Waraji and console yourself until you can get out.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by RenneNY

I believe orlando is a city of almost 3 million peple if im not mistaken, if things are so bad how do all this people manage to live there? but oh well, I guess I will just risk it all and give it a shot

Yep, exactly three million!

The city of Orlando has a population of just 240,000, and what is considered the "Orlando metro area" covers FOUR THOUSAND square miles and has a population of a bit over 2 million. By contrast the city of Raleigh has a population that's nearly double Orlando's (404,000), the Raleigh metro area has a population of 1.7 million, while it's just half the land size of the Orlando metro area with 2100 square miles.

Just a newsflash as you seem to be all "sunshine and kittens" about moving here. I would highly recommend putting on your reality cap and doing some critical thinking. Good luck!

[Rabflmom]

I think the thing about moving to Florida is that you have to realize and accept the fact that you probably won't make as much money as up North unless you run your own business or are a medical professional etc. . Some things may be cheaper but cost of living is not as low as a lot of people think. We are a tourist location so what the tourists get charged we get charged, too.Even when I moved here 35 years ago I took a pretty big cut as a teacher to live down here. I used to joke that part of my pay was the sunshine. If I hadn't gotten married and added the 2nd income, I would have had to have roommates to make it and probably would have given up and left.



The other thing to think about when moving here is if you are coming down with a family and going to work at the theme parks, or in some other service job like stores etc. Most jobs that do not require a college education are part time so that companies don't have to pay the benefits full time jobs usually have. Don't expect to spend a lot of time at the theme parks etc, because you may have to work 2 or 3 jobs to make it. You would be surprised at the number of locals who have never been to Disney, Sea World, Universal, or Busch Gardens etc. They just cannot afford the price. When I was teaching we often took field trips to the parks and pooled money from teachers, other parents who could afford it, etc. to pay the price for many of the kids to go. It was usually their first time there.

[beckycat]

Originally Posted by RenneNY

Harsh! planning a move to Orlando in the Spring, lived in New York for 14 years I just could not take it how ridiculously expensive it is to live there, moved to raleigh NC about 3.5 years ago and hated every minute of it, everyday I cant wait until that day comes when I leave, but all this posts on here are so negative, it really brings you down reading all this, I believe orlando is a city of almost 3 million peple if im not mistaken, if things are so bad how do all this people manage to live there? but oh well, I guess I will just risk it all and give it a shot

Some people LOVE it and some HATE it. What don't you like about Raleigh? Just curious. If it's missing what you had back home or friends and family, you won't find that here either. I like this area and there are several nice places to live. There is plenty to do and it has everything that you need. Don't listen to all the negative comments. Is it perfect here? No but the pros outweigh the cons by far IMHO. The only complaint I have is how long the heat lasts. If you can acclimate to that, you should be fine. I'd say visit the area and see if it's for you. If you like it, look for employment and then move here.
Good luck!