Frustrated in Phoenix response (Glendale: sales, home sales, job market)

[Phoenix1234]

Because my thread was closed, I did not have a chance to respond. Here goes...

1) Generalizations are just that. Just because you live in a nice neighborhood in Glendale or Central Phoenix (could be any city) does not mean that Glendale as a whole is a great place to live. Riddle me this, what do you think is the median hourly income from someone working in Glendale? Notice I said median not average. I'd be really surprised if it's even $11/hour. The reality is if you live in Glendale and make a decent salary you are probably paying for it with a longer commute.

2) Yes, I am going to talk about the weather. Hundreds of thousands of people live here because of it so it's kind of a big deal. So what if it's a dead horse, it's a big issue for anyone planning on moving here.

I happen to dislike the weather because, as I mentioned, it never cools off below 85 for 4 months and you could easily argue that for 6 months of year it is uncomfortable. Like I said, if Phoenix cooled off at night in the summertime, like say Sacramento does, then the heat would be much more bearable. At least you could get up early and go jogging without the threat of heat exhuastion.

Also, the winter IS very nice but if you are working full-time and commuting you wake up when its dark and cool and get home when its dark and cool. Plus, even in nice weather it isn't like there are all these great places to spend time outside in metro Phoenix. Yes, you can hike/mtn bike in the desert hills around Phoenix but that's another 30-45 minutes driving. It's not like there are all these great city parks to hang out at. Yes, there are city parks but many are just not attractive and/or safe.

3) I criticize the job market here because I HAVE had a lot more success in other places but since I am here, own a house, have friends, etc of course I am going to job hunt here first. The problem I have is getting interviews and not the interviews themselves. I get job offers on approximately 40% of interview which I consider to be pretty decent.

What I really think the problem is here is that the atmosphere in Phoenix is not progressive at all. I have what I would consider as a more "diverse" resume. In other places I have lived my experience in other fields outside of accounting was looked at as a positive. My experience in my job hunting in Phoenix is that many employers tend to be a lot more close-minded and tend to criticize rather than praise my job history.

Also, the work atmosphere here, people just tend to lack sophistication compared to other places I have lived. It's tough when you're the new guy and you're smarter, better educated and more creative than your boss. This creates problems since your boss will then feel insecure about him/herself and then have to compensate in some way. A progressive boss would realize that they have someone with talent working under them and work WITH that person instead of trying to prove that "they are the boss."

Now the above happens anywhere you go but the scale on which it happesn here is off the charts based on comparisons with other places I have lived. Obviously, there have got to be jobs in Phoenix where there are great bosses. However, based on my experiences, my guess is that Phoenix simply does not attract a lot of top talent and thus management is generally pretty mediocre.

4) Perhaps, to be more concise, what bothers me about Phoenix is what I just mentioned - a lack of true diversity and a sense of progressiveness in its culture. This is something that I know a lot of people not from Phoenix (or Minnesota) notice that is missing from a city of Phoenix's population and size. It seems here the status quo is what rules the day and that think outside the box is still seen as "dangerous."

Just the simple fact that Phoenix is still using coal to power most of its electricity is a perfect example of why it is not progressive. Where are the neighborhoods being run on solar power??? For a place that gets this much sunshine and has huge electrical needs, you would think that solar energy would be a much bigger player here. It says an awful lot about this city that this is barely starting to be tapped.

5) Bottom line is that right now people are leaving Phoenix in droves becasue of the same frustrations that I have had. The lack of home sales have and will continue to be proof of Phoenix's inability to attract quality companies and people. How long did Google last at ASU even after the huge investment they made? Or outside of warehouses and processing-type jobs what fortune 500 companies have come to Phoenix recently?

Look, I'm not saying that everything about Phoenix is bad. I'm simply saying that for a progressive-minded, educated, hard-working middle-aged guy this place is seriously lacking in opportunities.

[LocoAZnative]

Would you like a tissue

[OurNextAdventure]

Originally Posted by locoaznative

would you like a tissue

:d

[FadedGlory]

"Look, I'm not saying that everything about Phoenix is bad. I'm simply saying that for a progressive-minded, educated, hard-working middle-aged guy this place is seriously lacking in opportunities."

Then do yourself and others a favor and move somewhere else. If I didn't like the Phoenix area as much as you seem to I would be spending my time relocating and not continually talking about it on the computer. I wish you the best wherever you land.

[scratchNsniff]

I have always said this about Phoenix and maintain that it is still very true:

People go to Phoenix to die.

If you want to "live" you need to go somewhere else.

[observer53]

OP had his chance to respond.