Phoenix? Orlando?

westward

One of these two cities might be in my future! Similar cost of living, and I am semi-familiar with both..

I'm curious on opinions with regards to the tech field, how much opportunity is there, is the work skewed towards any particular niche?

Do you know a company that's hiring for general or close to entry-level positions?

Thank you kindly!

phoeneous

Phoenix is fun but very, very, very hot.

westward

phoeneous wrote: »

Phoenix is fun but very, very, very hot.

Yeah, I lived there for a year. I would have to say though, having lived in florida, it truly is a "dry heat". I find 105 degrees in phoenix as tolerable as 95 in florida, considering the humidity!

Thanks.

Are you living there? What's the job prospects like currently?

undomiel

It is very hot here indeed. I can't stand it, I'd rather have the humidity. And snow. The job prospects here for entry level work seem to be pretty good, I still get recruiters contacting me all the time for help desk or contract work. There does seem to be lots of competition around here though judging from the resumes my employer gets, but he has a hard time finding people who can operate at a higher level.

rfult001

I actually spend a lot of time in the Orlando area as I have tons of family there. It has a tendency to be about 10 degrees cooler than Miami year round.

There is plenty of work there and nearby in the Kissimmee/St. Cloud area, even an hour west toward Tampa has quite a bit. There are several large companies in the Central Florida hiring in every area. The major theme parks are always hiring, and Disney indirectly employs a good chunk of the locals. I considered working up there myself and did, in fact, apply for several postions in the area.

nimrod.sixty9

rfult001 wrote: »

I actually spend a lot of time in the Orlando area as I have tons of family there. It has a tendency to be about 10 degrees cooler than Miami year round.

There is plenty of work there and nearby in the Kissimmee/St. Cloud area, even an hour west toward Tampa has quite a bit. There are several large companies in the Central Florida hiring in every area. The major theme parks are always hiring, and Disney indirectly employs a good chunk of the locals. I considered working up there myself and did, in fact, apply for several postions in the area.

I would have to say there is decent employment in the area (Orlando), but not too much tech. Not to mention the competition for the available tech positions... With UCF near by, and others...

westward

So, Orlando not a tech town. Hmm...probably be moving there since family is there.

I should have become a freakin' accountant

Alif_Sadida_Ekin

I live in the Orlando area. I have to say that it's a little better here than most places. However, entry level positions are a bit hard to come by. A majority of the openings are geared toward mid-senior level positions.

DigitalZeroOne

Keep in mind that FL does not have a state income tax, and AZ does. Having said that, I prefer Phoenix over Orlando, or more generally FL. You tolerance of the weather will obviously be different, but I like the dryness of AZ; Phoenix can easily get to 110-120 degrees, but I prefer that (some may not).

I no longer like the humidity that comes with FL, but getting on topic...Phoenix does appear to have a larger tech environment, companies like Intel are out there, and in general Phoenix is huge. The problem is that some people may not like the west type of living, but I say give it a try.

I can't speak on entry level jobs, but in general it appears that Phoenix is the better prospect for jobs (IMHO).

phoeneous

westward wrote: »

Yeah, I lived there for a year. I would have to say though, having lived in florida, it truly is a "dry heat". I find 105 degrees in phoenix as tolerable as 95 in florida, considering the humidity!

Thanks.

Are you living there? What's the job prospects like currently?

No, I'm in Vegas unfortunately.

phantasm

I lived in Florida for six years and am finally left. Florida itself isn't bad, but orlando is like a frying pan. The coastal cities have a breeze which make it tolerable, but Orlando is nothing but pavement and concrete. It gets hot and it sucks. The humidity alone is enough to drive you nuts.

Also, as for IT jobs, there are a number of them but mostly in the lower pay brackets from my experience. The Engineers I worked with made around $65k at most. For FL that's good money.

I'll never live there again, I hate the heat. The weekend before I left the heat index was 112. F that.