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I have lived here for five years and hate every minute of it, wife was transfered here by her company at the last minute when we thought we were going to Cincinnatti. There is no job market here unless you are in the medical field. I was told I am not educated enough to find work here, I only have an AA degree, with a background in banking and Insurance. Been laid off from the two jobs I did have and worked as a contractor at others, but no work for five months. Please think twice, it is expensive here, we came from Atlanta, and the cost of living I beleive is the highest of the southeast. The real estate market is in a downturn now, I live near Wake Forest and my home has declined 30K in the last two years. Dont be fooled by Realtors, the population is not growning, Teachers are being laid off, North Carolina has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation now almost 11%. We are in the process of moving to Phoenix and I cant wait. Wife secured a transfer, but we requested so we are paying for it, will rent our home since it will not sell, have 2600 square feet and would be lucky to get 200k. If you come, make sure you have a job in hand. Thanks
Sorry you had a bad situation here, but did you ever stop to think that there might be something you could do to change it? You know the job market is tough right now, but you say you only have an AA degree. There is no guarantee that a BS would get you better pay, but it's almost a requirement these days. If you hate Raleigh, I don't know that you'll like Phoenix any better. Be prepared to stay inside your house or your car most of the year. When it's 115 degrees outside you won't be sitting out in the yard.
For the record, I moved here about 6 weeks ago with an MBA degree. I haven't found a job yet, haven't even had an interview, but I still love it here. I spend a lot of time in front of the TV waiting for interviews, but I've also been out networking and exploring the area.
I agree with the "expensive part." As far as everything else goes, it is a great area with good schools. Close to the beach and the mountains. I am reminded of this when I drive through other towns that are weed filled and going down hill. The triangle is very pleasing to the eye. On the other hand, there are cheaper places to live that offer the same salaries that are in the triangle. My family thinks we got ripped off when we moved here and bought a house here. They live in Boiling Springs, SC ( a really nice place close to jobs and everything the triangle offers). We actually got a great deal, they just have sticker shock. For example, you can by a full brick house that is less than 5 years old and 2200 square feet with all the extras like granite and hardwood floors for around $212,000. That would go for about $320,000 here. Same Salary as here too. I can see why they thought we got ripped off by buying a starter home for $150,000 and 1100 square feet. In Boiling Springs, $150,000 is not a starter home...it is a very nice intermediate home. I guess I'm saying that the triangle is nice, but you can get just as nice and have your dollar stretch further in other areas in the country. I still think prices are a little inflated here and that builders make mad cash off of all of us. With all that said, this is a really nice area and see the appeal. Just agreeing that it is pricey.
Weather in Phoenix is hot, but it really is a dry heat, was there for two weeks last month, the highest we saw was 108, it will get hotter during Monsoon season(August)-Raleigh would be great to retire, just not if you have limited education, im 52 and have experience as a Bank Manager and Insurance Claims and Mortgages. The market is dead for those jobs now, my wife is a QA Tech for Proctor and Gamble, and has been with them for 15 years and I have followed her around the country. But when you have some young Girl tell you that the job market is flooded by younger and more experienced Bachelor and Masters degree holders and it will be tough to find a job, it is very depressing. Perfect example is Fidelty Investments, temped for over a year, then let go because I did not have a Bachelors, and they brought someone in for me to train and take the position just due to the education, the recrutiter at the Staffing Agency told me, they will not hire anyone perm who does not have a degree. Good Luck in finding a job here, I will miss the green trees, but I can drive one hour north of PHX and see snow and plenty of green. Thanks
We are in the process of moving to Phoenix and I cant wait.
I think you're lucky to be moving to Phoenix. You'll enjoy Phoenix much more than this area and don't forget that Phoenix is a good area to retire as well. And like you said you can drive and hour or two north of Phoenix and see green in Flag or Sedona. Good luck.
Last edited by he's so hott; 07-16-2009 at 12:34 PM..
Perfect example is Fidelty Investments, temped for over a year, then let go because I did not have a Bachelors, and they brought someone in for me to train and take the position just due to the education, the recrutiter at the Staffing Agency told me, they will not hire anyone perm who does not have a degree.
Good luck. It's never too late to go back to school. There are no guarantees, but I started a Masters degree at age 42. I've heard of people doing their high school degrees at age 90 and bachelor degrees at 65. I'm not saying it's easy, but it's something to think about if you can afford it. Some schools have evening programs, that's how I worked full time and went to class at night in Chicago.
Hope you like Phoenix. I think you are smart taking a chance and trying a new area. That has worked for me and I wish you the best of luck! Things will get better.
For the record, and in my humble opinion, Boiling Springs SC is nothing like the triangle. Sure, it's close to Greenville, but Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill beats Greenville hands down. I only say this because I lived in Spartanburg for 10+ years. The triangle has so much more to offer. Thus, the houses are more expensive here because more people want to be here and the houses are in higher demand. You could move to just about any small town (like Boiling Springs) and spend wayyy less on a house, but you are also giving up many of the things a city has to offer... just depends on what you want!
As far as getting an MBA, long-distance learning has made it easier for everyone to get such a degree (because they are convenient, not because they are easy), and as I understand it, there is somewhat of an oversupply of them right now.
It would probably be worthwhile for you to get a bachelors via one of the online schools, though. (Phoenix University comes to mind. )
Quote:
Originally Posted by rodneywayne
I have lived here for five years and hate every minute of it, wife was transfered here by her company at the last minute when we thought we were going to Cincinnatti. There is no job market here unless you are in the medical field. I was told I am not educated enough to find work here, I only have an AA degree, with a background in banking and Insurance. Been laid off from the two jobs I did have and worked as a contractor at others, but no work for five months. Please think twice, it is expensive here, we came from Atlanta, and the cost of living I beleive is the highest of the southeast. The real estate market is in a downturn now, I live near Wake Forest and my home has declined 30K in the last two years. Dont be fooled by Realtors, the population is not growning, Teachers are being laid off, North Carolina has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation now almost 11%. We are in the process of moving to Phoenix and I cant wait. Wife secured a transfer, but we requested so we are paying for it, will rent our home since it will not sell, have 2600 square feet and would be lucky to get 200k. If you come, make sure you have a job in hand. Thanks
Quote:
Good luck. It's never too late to go back to school. There are no guarantees, but I started a Masters degree at age 42. I've heard of people doing their high school degrees at age 90 and bachelor degrees at 65. I'm not saying it's easy, but it's something to think about if you can afford it. Some schools have evening programs, that's how I worked full time and went to class at night in Chicago.
Hope you like Phoenix. I think you are smart taking a chance and trying a new area. That has worked for me and I wish you the best of luck! Things will get better.
Last edited by lovebrentwood; 07-16-2009 at 12:57 PM..
First I just want to applaud the replies so far - frankly I expected a lot of boo-hoo hurt feelings and accompanying snide remarks because someone dared to say they didn't like this area. Bravo.
Anyway, like most places, Raleigh/Triangle has its pros and cons and isn't for everyone, and yes the job market is bad and the "cheap" housing highly overblown/twisted. NC is no panacea. But if you can find a job, Lord knows there are plenty worse places to be.
Good luck in AZ. Lived there for awhile and PHX is really nice IMO.
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Response to Zitsky
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