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You need to be prepared to earn much less in Florida than you have been earning in DC and that means forever. Also DC has stable employment that radiates outward from the US government. Very little affected by recession.
But having said that if you want warm weather then life is too short to worry about money entirely. If you want something then you will find way to make it work. But be warned that a lot of people want to live in Florida and the pay scales here are low even for highly credentialed professionals.
Florida may take a decade to recover from the real estate fall out because the economy in the state is basically real estate and tourism. And tourism jobs pay minimum wage (service industry).
If you have a safety net (family to fall back on) then go for it. Be resourceful, get roommates, start a business you can do off-hours (not lawn service lol that's what every Tom Dick and unskilled Harry does). Do something aimed at the 65 plus crowd, their income has not been as affected as others.
Get certified in the physical therapy field, that's the main recreation here along with doctor visits and eating out.
Good luck.
Great advice. I do remember many of your earlier posts, d-fens, and I know you are am ambitious sort of person who will do what it takes to get employment. As others stated, Florida might pay less than DC, but honestly, it is really so much cheaper to live here, especially if you are renting, no matter what others here try to tell you. I would recommend trying to get roommates or at least the cheapest living situation you can while looking for employment. As long as you can get something to get you by while you look longer term for a better and more permanent job you should be OK. The fact that you have saved $15,000 while earning such a modest income in such a high-cost area speaks volumes about you. Honestly, attitude is half of it. There are so many on this forum who whine about not getting jobs but you can see their attitude coming through on their posts, and it's no wonder they can't get a decent job! By contrast there are many who have great attitudes (like yours) and come here and despite the odds, get a job, many times even a really good one!
I hope this helps, go for your dreams, it doesn't sound like you have much to lose. I think you could always return to where you are if it doesn't meet your expectations here.
Great advice. I do remember many of your earlier posts, d-fens, and I know you are am ambitious sort of person who will do what it takes to get employment. As others stated, Florida might pay less than DC, but honestly, it is really so much cheaper to live here, especially if you are renting, no matter what others here try to tell you. I would recommend trying to get roommates or at least the cheapest living situation you can while looking for employment. As long as you can get something to get you by while you look longer term for a better and more permanent job you should be OK. The fact that you have saved $15,000 while earning such a modest income in such a high-cost area speaks volumes about you. Honestly, attitude is half of it. There are so many on this forum who whine about not getting jobs but you can see their attitude coming through on their posts, and it's no wonder they can't get a decent job! By contrast there are many who have great attitudes (like yours) and come here and despite the odds, get a job, many times even a really good one!
I hope this helps, go for your dreams, it doesn't sound like you have much to lose. I think you could always return to where you are if it doesn't meet your expectations here.
Good luck!
Well actually he does have a lot to lose, like several thousand dollars in savings, a steady paycheck, and benefits.
If after 6 months and no job he will have eaten into a good portion of what he is bringing with him.
I would imagine it would be difficult to rent an apt without having a job or even getting into a roomate situation. You don't want to announce to everyone you have 15K in savings.
But a property management company may want a huge deposit when you don't have a job.
Someone who is looking for a roomate may also be leary of sharing a place with someone who isn't working. They want to know you have you share of the rent on the first of the month. And again you don't to be telling people don't worry I have 15K....LOL.
Yes if it doesn't work out you can always go back, but there will be no job waiting for you and your hard earned savings will be depleted.
I know someone who relocated from the DC area to Tampa but they work for Met Life, so they transferred with the same salary. That is completely different. But the topic of car insurance came up and theirs doubled.
FL has many uninsured drivers and the rest of us pick up the tab.
You can't just say FL is so much cheaper. In certain aspects it is, in other ways it isn't.
I don't know anyone who doesn't have a triple digit electric bill every month. Groceries are also more expensive here than many other places.
Have you researched any jobs here at the local colleges? What about at high schools?
To move anywhere in the country now unless your retired or have a job lined up is really risky right now.
With all due respect gypsychic, you have posted several times you have lived your whole life in the Tampa area. Your telling someone to do something that you have never done yourself.
OP is on the ball to be able to save a decent amount of savings. It would be a shame to see it vanish when a good portion of it could be invested and even used some of it for travel.
Does the OP have family who can or will help you out if you get down here and it doesn't work out?
Finding yourself down to your last 3K and no job would not be a good feeling.
With all due respect gypsychic, you have posted several times you have lived your whole life in the Tampa area. Your telling someone to do something that you have never done yourself.
.
I'm not gypsychic but I have done what the OP wants to do-follow their dream, step out off the safe path with no job. It wasn't easy and it took a long time to achieve middle class status income but if I didn't I'd be at a job that was just a paycheck that I sold my soul and life out for. Instead I had a career I loved in a place I loved.
Now if the OP had a family that depended on him/her I would advise wait. Single? No dependents? Safety net if things go really badly?
I'm not gypsychic but I have done what the OP wants to do-follow their dream, step out off the safe path with no job. It wasn't easy and it took a long time to achieve middle class status income but if I didn't I'd be at a job that was just a paycheck that I sold my soul and life out for. Instead I had a career I loved in a place I loved.
Now if the OP had a family that depended on him/her I would advise wait. Single? No dependents? Safety net if things go really badly?
Go for it.
Did you do it during the worst economy since the Great Depression?
And that is why I asked does he have family that can and will help out if he runs low on cash? Or is he it and when the money is gone he is on his own?
If he has parents who may not be thrilled about it,but are willing to bail him out, that does come into play.
I don't think anyone should just listen to ANY advice that they get on this board, but to just tell someone to "go for it" is very cavaliere.
And OP does have an interest in making money as he is dissatisfied with his current salary.
I would do it. Take out a 6 month lease at a $500-550 a month apt and get a part time job at a place like Walmart as soon as you get to Tampa. Just leave your education off the application...
And then continue looking for a real job.... Just get some kind of job within the first month or two you are there so you dont run through your savings as fast
As Imagardener posted, my advice would be different if the OP had a family to support and/or a lot of obligations. It appears he does not, is very frugal, able to save money even while earning a low income and willing to rough it a bit when he gets here. He is a prime candidate to give it a go.
My advice stands - he seems as prepared as anyone I have seen on the forum to "go for it." I don't think that is "cavalier" at all.
After the interview and some consideration, if they offer (which seems very likely) I think I am going to accept and keep trying to apply and line some kind of job up by next school year. This job seems like a good fit, and while I dislike the area it is something to put on a resume and a paycheck. I will probably keep saving and plan on moving to somewhere in Florida (Tampa or South Florida most likely) in May or June if nothing comes up before then. By then, I could very realistically have something more like 20 - 25 K saved which would give me a much larger cushion. Other thing is I have been finding some cheaper places to rent here and also getting better roommates might help (now I have a 30 something divorced father that for whatever reason dislikes me in my house and tries to make things miserable, also brings his daughter to the house and lets her make a mess out of the place. This is funny because the ex-con felon that went back to prison was a great roommate, well before he got felony drug charges. Really goes to show you that you can't judge a book by its cover. Been talking to people my own age that have cheaper places with utilities included, so this means more money to save.)
I have applied to positions at the local schools to teach as well as UT and HCC. I think they were looking for local candidates for the adjunct positions. Maybe this will change in the near future if the economy goes in the right direction, hopefully.
Great advice. I do remember many of your earlier posts, d-fens, and I know you are am ambitious sort of person who will do what it takes to get employment. As others stated, Florida might pay less than DC, but honestly, it is really so much cheaper to live here, especially if you are renting, no matter what others here try to tell you. I would recommend trying to get roommates or at least the cheapest living situation you can while looking for employment. As long as you can get something to get you by while you look longer term for a better and more permanent job you should be OK. The fact that you have saved $15,000 while earning such a modest income in such a high-cost area speaks volumes about you. Honestly, attitude is half of it. There are so many on this forum who whine about not getting jobs but you can see their attitude coming through on their posts, and it's no wonder they can't get a decent job! By contrast there are many who have great attitudes (like yours) and come here and despite the odds, get a job, many times even a really good one!
I hope this helps, go for your dreams, it doesn't sound like you have much to lose. I think you could always return to where you are if it doesn't meet your expectations here.
Good luck!
What,exactly,is cheap about living in Tampa Bay? Cheap compared to where, New York City?
Did you do it during the worst economy since the Great Depression?
I did, and it worked out great for me!
I had about twice what the OP had saved up before moving and yes money was flying out my ears but its fine now. A fair amount of my expenses were for non-essentials furniture, eating out, etc which could easily have been easily skipped.
Certain other things were a painful. I spent $900 to register and plate 2 cars (2 DL transfers too). However, that is mostly a one time thing, future renewals will be quite a bit cheaper. My original car insurance company took my $650 premium in MI and jacked it up to $1500, I shopped around and most quotes I got were in the $1000-$1100 range, but wound up getting a policy from esurance for $680 (same coverage).
Yeah electric is a bit steep but what alot of bitter Floridians forget is that in colder climates though your electric bill falls to $40 your heating oil\propane\NG bill jumps to $100-$200 a month in the colder months.
As for the unbearable heat... Im waiting to see. I moved for the warmer temps. Alot of my neighbors have been complaining about the hot spell FL has been having lately. I cant say I find it all that unpleasant. Sure I wouldn’t want to go out and run a marathon or anything terribly strenuous, but going out for the night, walking around the neighborhood Im quite comfortable. Besides most colder climate people are used to hiding indoors for months out of the year!
Higher cost of food? Where? If its more expensive Im not seeing it or its unnoticeably more expensive.
For us its was a call. Yeah it was a risk, though minor. We had the savings to easily last a year with no income which we were confident that we would find SOMETHING before we were in financial ruin. It just so happened that I found a job within a month and it even came with a ~20% raise! My reasoning is why wait until Im 65+ and my body is old and busted before I start to enjoy things.
Im not saying everyone should rush out and do it but its not impossible and its not necessarily a universally bad idea. If you hate where you are then moving (even to a more expensive\lower wage area) can give you a major bump to your quality of life. Its up to each person to weight the risk\rewards and make that call.
Im glad I did!
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