Frustrated in Phoenix (Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale: lawyers, homes, unemployment)

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Why not come out to Los Angeles where the true unemployment rate is about 22%.

[_Charles_]

The rest of Phoenix is all either poverty, low income or lower middle class and as I mentioned is chalked full of hard working folks but that mostly aren't very friendly or able to hold much of a conversation.

NOT TRUE - the Central corridor is both affluent and well educated - also one of Phoenix's better kept secrets. Newcomers (hussled by real estate agents) typiclally head for the valley fringes esp the east or far north valley. The gentrified historic districts in central Phoenix are nice too.

The rest of your complaints are duely noted. Yes working poverty - often at the hands of mom and pop operations is a problem here.

No offense but it is odd that the OP obtained a second BA rather than a Masters. Also not getting your CPA will hold you back.

[_Charles_]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

Why not come out to Los Angeles where the true unemployment rate is about 22%.

LA's problems are directly traceable to massive illegal immigration.
Agreed it would not be wise for the OP or any other young job seekers to put themselves in the middle of that.

[AndroidAZ]

OP - you should move. Your mind is made up and nothing will change that.

I grew up in Phoenix, lived in Europe, midwest, Northern California for many years. I love it here in Phoenix. It's why I came back despite living in some awesome places in the world.

The heat here is easy to deal with, especially when you have a pool. The people here are family oriented, hard working, and friendly. The city is fairly clean and new. It's a great place to raise a family.

But if you can't crack it here I suggest you look to New York / Florida / California as places to explore and move to.

[khuntrevor]

you won't do better in SD, LV, or Portland. You will just go through your money faster. DC is one of the best job markets in the US right now, and you can bet, the landlords are one step ahead--as in 1700 for a one bedroom apt., where you can walk to have a 6 Dollar beer and be with a more educated crowd. I was just offered 16.89 per hour for the rest of the school year to drive the bus in NoVa, I could use the cash and can stay with the Units, but I am very reluctant to leave the Valley.

[J Swarthout]

The argument about weather in Phoenix is so reduntant already. It's hot in the summer, get over it already. Compare the weather here in the Mid-Atlantic with Phoenix. You bascially have undesriable weather six months out of the year in both places, summer in AZ and winter in the Mid-Atlantic. The six months of nice weather in Phoenix is goregous, with it being in the 70's or 80's and sunny just about every day. Summers in the Mid-Atlantic, even when the temp is nice, still consist of humidity and bugs, two things that you don't have to deal with in Phoenix. Not to mention rainy and cloudy days. I think Phoenix gets more sunny days during the winter then we get in the Mid-Atlantic all year.

Even with that I still agree with what has been said about the AZ job market. It's not just the lack of jobs available, it's the types and the attitude of some of the employers. I never worked so many 60-70 hour weeks like I did when I lived in the valley, not counting spending a few hours/week sitting on the freeway.

[Sco]

Originally Posted by jwest09

My brother-in-law graduated with a accounting degree from ASU, and quickly found employment at SRP making a good living. Could be your interviewing skills?, or something your saying to turn hiring managers off.

Bingo, you can't tell me that some of the same contempt and poor attitude displayed in the post isn't also coming across in the job interivews. In fact, my take is that the people doing the hiring know that they are dealing with the type of person that thinks a bachelors degree is a one way ticket to an executive position with a fat salary and a team of assistants to perform your work for you. In accounting, you earn your spot and move up by performing the exact kind of tedious processing work that the OP doesn't seem willing to do. In the business world you can't expect to bunt your way to a home run.

[khuntrevor]

yeah, really, and right now we are getting into serious tax season. People still have to file..........
You didn't state what type of accounting work you are looking for. Heck, being a school teacher is about 1/3 accounting, and even being a cook is. Great chefs sometimes make bad accountants, and their restaurants shutter accordingly. Even Paperboys do accounting work. And the IRS has gone crazy with 1099s.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Sco

Bingo, you can't tell me that some of the same contempt and poor attitude displayed in the post isn't also coming across in the job interivews. In fact, my take is that the people doing the hiring know that they are dealing with the type of person that thinks a bachelors degree is a one way ticket to an executive position with a fat salary and a team of assistants to perform your work for you. In accounting, you earn your spot and move up by performing the exact kind of tedious processing work that the OP doesn't seem willing to do. In the business world you can't expect to bunt your way to a home run.

I hired managed quite a few people back in the day and I can't think of even one situation where an unhappy and unproductive employee ever blamed himself for the problems. It was always something external, even though everyone but him could see the main reason was attitude. After you have dealt with that, you try to do the best job you can picking up attitude clues in the initial interviews. It is really trying for a boss to have to supervise a self-excusing loser. You just pass on anyone "suspicious".

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by khuntrevor

you won't do better in SD, LV, or Portland. You will just go through your money faster. DC is one of the best job markets in the US right now, and you can bet, the landlords are one step ahead--as in 1700 for a one bedroom apt., where you can walk to have a 6 Dollar beer and be with a more educated crowd. I was just offered 16.89 per hour for the rest of the school year to drive the bus in NoVa, I could use the cash and can stay with the Units, but I am very reluctant to leave the Valley.

I get $1650 a month for my 2BR condo in Fairfax. My tenants commute to Tysons and Union Station and live in an overpriced shoebox and run the rat race in perpetual gridlock. I would have flipped burgers here if I couldn't have kept my job when moving from our DC office to work from home in lovely Cave Creek.

Make your job work for you. Sure, I work for the man. But my commute is 50', from my bedroom to my home office. I see my boss twice a year and ride my motorcycle to my client meetings in Phoenix and LA. Job is going very well at the moment, but it's commissioned sales and can suck badly very quickly. I run errands whenever I want, take a nap sometimes. But in return for that, I ALWAYS answer my phone and reply to emails 24/7. I've been dressed to go to the gym, walking toward my car and, when the phone started blowing up, had to get back to my desk and forget going out again until the next day.

Figure out what you really want to do, how you want your life to be all set up and then make a plan. Making $X at Y stable company is a small part of the equation. Do you care about commuting? I can't do it. Do you want to be in an office environment? I can't do it. Do you mind being on call 24/7 in exchange for a decent paycheck and a ton of freedom? I love doing that. My wife has a 10 min. commute to a well-paying, stable job too. And she likes going to an office every day and dealing with co-workers. Figure out your utopia and work toward it. I'd like to make more money and get some int'l. travel in my job. But I'm well ahead of where I I thought I'd be when I first packed up the car to come out here three yrs. ago.

And remember, you can run, but you cannot hide from your real problems. Circumstances can always be beaten. But matters of personal virtue, habits and attitudes will follow you to your grave. Be sure you're addressing the real issues and not running from the ones that will always be right on your tail.