Any opinion in regard to University of Central Florida and jobs in Orlando? (Miami: home, application)

[silvio]

Another thing...the only reason people wanna go to UF is because its home of the Gators. People equate UF with the Gators. Sure, UF has been around longer but lets be honest...if it wasn't for the Gators would UF really be that great? UCF's big problem is that it doesn't have as good as a football team as say UF, FSU, or U.Miami. It really frustrates me when people judge a university by its football. Are you coming to learn or play and watch football games.

[linnil]

Guys, I did some research on renting an apartment. It seems that a decent one bedroom apartment will at least cost 800-900usd. It's insane. Maybe I will have to find another couple to share and get a bigger one to bring down the price.

Thank Silvio for your UCF info. I think the college is getting better and better and that's why I am considering taking the offer although it ranks lower than my shooting range. Its faculty are nice and kind, too.

[stormweary]

linnil:
you mentioned that your wife has a law degree. As pianogal said paralegal may be an option. Also she may want to look into teaching at the college level. There is Valencia Community College here as well as Rollins and UCF.

I had the same trouble when my son was looking for a 1br apartment and we found a 600 usd place a bit further away from campus (he has a car) If you know of others you may consider renting a house and splitting the rent. If you have the time and can come down here for a week or so you may find something unadvertised. People sometimes put signs out on the road and it seems sketchy but you also can see the house/place before calling. there are some nice neighborhoods up University Ave.towards Winter Park and out towards Oveido, you may consider.
I taught a UCF as an adjunct( pay is determined by each college)and the school is good. BIG university ,pretty campus, good library. I was told that many of the tech companies hire UCf grads and there may even be a way you could "intern" for some. I'm pretty sure they do that in engineering....

Oh and Orlando is just like a city with growing pains. Some traffic, some crime, there is a night life and several areas like Winter Park Village and downtown that seem to always be hopping on week ends. There are major concerts, plays, symphony, a few decent art galleries and film festivals. And then there's campus stuff to do. ( the music dept.has regular concerts thru out the semesters)
Good Luck

[LisaDawn]

UCF is a great school. Try the Orlando Sentinel online to see the job market for computer and IT jobs here. The area around the UCF area is safe and is still growing. You can still sleep with your door unlocked.

You can see my profile for more info.

[MaryLou2007]

Originally Posted by linnil

Guys, I did some research on renting an apartment. It seems that a decent one bedroom apartment will at least cost 800-900usd. It's insane. Maybe I will have to find another couple to share and get a bigger one to bring down the price.

Thank Silvio for your UCF info. I think the college is getting better and better and that's why I am considering taking the offer although it ranks lower than my shooting range. Its faculty are nice and kind, too.

The Arden Villas Apts are not bad. The staff there sucks (my cousins lived there when they attended private school).

Hey, IF you wnat to live in a non-crack area, you have to pay at least $900/mo for an apt. That is standard for Orlando, specially near UCF.

Here is how you learn about how these "cut apts" REALLY are like: apartmentratings.com.

Good luck, you will need it. But remember with $17k, there is no way in heck you can survive in Orlando. Not unless you sell illegal substances on a street corner... but you are not like that, so you need to figure out some otehr way to make it through the 2 years of schooling.

[stormweary]

If transportation is a problem there are shuttle buses to and from some of the apartment complexes near the university. there is also a bus terminal on campus for the Lynx system.(Public transportation system) While it may not be the greatest way to get around its, at least, something.

[Prichard]

If you're a college student, you can survive on $17,000/year. Get rid of the car and get either a scooter or motorcycle - that will save you tons of money in gas and insurance. Find a house for rent and split the rent with a couple of roommates; or get a 2/2 appartment and get a roommate.

Here's your budget:

Rent @650/month (with two other people, you could rent a house for $1950)= $7800

gas for motorcycle - $15/week = $780/year

Utilities @ $100/month = $1200

Food @ $12/day = $4380

You have about $5800 left over for misc., clothes, entertainment, etc.

It's tight, but possible.

[linnil]

I think I will try to figure out how to make extra money via legal way (things like internship during summer time, etc). And I will consider share the apartment with another couple to bring down the cost.

Hopefully UCF is getting better each year... lol

[Pigsty333]

Orlando suffers like everywhere else. Crime is all over and that is something we cannot avoid. Some make it sound like the OK Corral.

There are great areas. If you don't mind the commute - check out the Lake Nona area. This will be the future home of UCF Medical School, Burnham Institure, VA Hospital, 1.1 million square foot mall. Presently home to Orlando International airport.

There are jobs to be found. For example:

Presently if you go to the Orlando Aviation Authority - http://www.orlandoairports.net/goaa/hr/employ.htm, they have the following jobs open:

Current Job Postings for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority include, as of February 9,2007:
Position Level Hourly Annual Salary Apply

Database Administrator - EAI L12 Up to $72,092
Systems Analyst/Programmer L12 $54,808-$72,092
Network Administrator L12 $54,808-$72,092
Communications Specialist L7 $14.22
Security Area Monitor L4 $10.11

[Marieannie]

I went to visit UCF. The school is big and clean. The school is not run down. The tuition at UCF is not expensive compared to colleges in NYC. Studios, one bedroom, two bedroom and three bedroom apartments rents are $1,200 and up. The apartments are small and some apartments are messed up and have roaches and rats. In NYC apartments you don't get patios, space and food pantries. Crime in NYC is up. Right in front of a private college a student got robbed and beat up for his cell phone! Don't complain about Florida because it is a walk in the park compared to NYC. In 2011 in NYC everything is going up. Food and rents are going up. Here in NYC you need to work two jobs just to survive. People's salaries are not going up. Crime in NYC in 2011 is going up including robberies. Trains are dirty and the streets of NYC are dirty. People throw garbage on the floor and keep walking. Terrorism is up in 2011. So now you have to worry about the terrorism on the subways or outside somewhere then you have to worry about paying your bills. There is too much stress in NYC. At least in Florida you can find affordable apartments. Everywhere you look in Florida it is clean. So at least in Florida you can survive and you don't need to have two or three jobs to make it.