Should I move to Phoenix with no job? (Scottsdale: insurance, hotel)

[liz451]

Originally Posted by nep321

I may have exaggerated a bit. I am definitely a heat lover, make no mistake. Other people made comments that worried me though, such as having to stay indoors 24/7 for 4 months straight. But I guess it's the same here in CT, where I basically stay indoors for 5-7 months straight anyway. It's just cold instead of heat. Just one extreme vs. another. And the lack of humidity certainly helps.

I think there are health benefits for me, to living in AZ. I am very deficient in Vitamin D, due to the lack of sunlight up here in New England. So the sun would help. Also, I have always had lifelong sinus/congestion problems, likely due to the dampness here. When I visited AZ though, I could breath so much easier, with no congestion in my nose...I loved it.

It's not the heat that bothers me. It's more the safety about being outdoors in the extreme heat. I love the outdoors.

As I said, I've moved with less in savings to Chicago, but now I'm actually back in AZ, couldn't stay away for long!

As far as safety in the heat, it is very easy to compare it to winter in New England - you wouldn't go snowshoeing or cross country skiing without appropriate gear so don't hike when it's 110 and blazing sun without appropriate gear. There are many stupid people who go on very difficult hikes during the summertime that they're not in shape for and end up needing to be rescued. So when outdoors just remember how much more intense the sun is here, bring liberal amounts of water, wear sunscreen, and take it easy at first until you get the hang of how much you can handle.

Also, if you like the outdoors you'll be less than 2 hours away from temps in the 70s in Flagstaff if you want to do an all day hike or bike ride. If I feel like jogging outside in July I do a loop by my house at 7 or 8 am when it's not blazing hot. That way I can stop at home if I start to feel drained - but that's mostly because I'm in terrible shape, not because of the heat

[Afterburn]

I read this entire thread and one comment stuck out for me. You said your main reason for moving is for social/dating purposes. You do know, right, that there is not a very large gay community here? In the entire Valley? I'm not gay, and I'm female, but I was also a hair stylist here for years and this is the biggest complaint among all the young, good-looking gay men I worked with - not enough of a gay population, and not enough gay clubs. And if you want to see good-looking people like you say, Tempe or Scottsdale is loaded with them, but they are the $30K millionaires in Scottsdale mostly, and college students in Tempe. And not alot of them are gay. Conversely, you also need to know that there are literally tons of older people here. Tons. They came from all over the country to retire here, they turn out in strong numbers for the vote, and although AZ can still be the Wild West in some areas, it's also very ultra-conservative.

You are young, you are restless to change your situation (understandable), but from some of your own comments, I don't think you will like it here. You are worried about the heat, you want 4 seasons (not gonna happen here), you like it in the 80's, etc. This past summer has been one of the worst. And it is October 2nd and we are still in the 100's. There were several days over 110 - and anything over 105 is pretty unbearable - I know that sounds odd, but it's true. And pretty much all of August was humid, along with the heat. As far as finding a job goes - if you hook up with a good agency here and do have that masters and an excellent work history, they will find you a job in the corporate environment you are looking for - and it will pay pretty well. Accountants do make pretty good money here. Your budget for an apartment is fine, as long as you are not looking in an upscale area. My daughter pays $950 for a 2 bedroom with a w/d in Peoria (which is a family-oriented community not really great for singles), it's OK but not great, and she only lives there because that is where her job is.

The $26,000 you have would be OK to live on while job-hunting. But after driving cross-country and paying for gas and food and staying in hotels, paying for the cross-country movers, renting storage, and paying for movers again to move you from storage to your apartment (as you planned) - well, you will not have $26K remaining. I imagine you'd be down to about $18K or $19K. And apartments here ask for first, last and security, plus they will check your credit, and they do run a background check at some places, so you will need to have all of that in order. Plus letters of recommendation from your current utility companies so that you don't have to pay utility deposits here. That's all I can think of for now.

[nep321]

Originally Posted by Afterburn

I read this entire thread and one comment stuck out for me. You said your main reason for moving is for social/dating purposes. You do know, right, that there is not a very large gay community here? In the entire Valley? I'm not gay, and I'm female, but I was also a hair stylist here for years and this is the biggest complaint among all the young, good-looking gay men I worked with - not enough of a gay population, and not enough gay clubs. And if you want to see good-looking people like you say, Tempe or Scottsdale is loaded with them, but they are the $30K millionaires in Scottsdale mostly, and college students in Tempe. And not alot of them are gay. Conversely, you also need to know that there are literally tons of older people here. Tons. They came from all over the country to retire here, they turn out in strong numbers for the vote, and although AZ can still be the Wild West in some areas, it's also very ultra-conservative.

You are young, you are restless to change your situation (understandable), but from some of your own comments, I don't think you will like it here. You are worried about the heat, you want 4 seasons (not gonna happen here), you like it in the 80's, etc. This past summer has been one of the worst. And it is October 2nd and we are still in the 100's. There were several days over 110 - and anything over 105 is pretty unbearable - I know that sounds odd, but it's true. And pretty much all of August was humid, along with the heat. As far as finding a job goes - if you hook up with a good agency here and do have that masters and an excellent work history, they will find you a job in the corporate environment you are looking for - and it will pay pretty well. Accountants do make pretty good money here. Your budget for an apartment is fine, as long as you are not looking in an upscale area. My daughter pays $950 for a 2 bedroom with a w/d in Peoria (which is a family-oriented community not really great for singles), it's OK but not great, and she only lives there because that is where her job is.

The $26,000 you have would be OK to live on while job-hunting. But after driving cross-country and paying for gas and food and staying in hotels, paying for the cross-country movers, renting storage, and paying for movers again to move you from storage to your apartment (as you planned) - well, you will not have $26K remaining. I imagine you'd be down to about $18K or $19K. And apartments here ask for first, last and security, plus they will check your credit, and they do run a background check at some places, so you will need to have all of that in order. Plus letters of recommendation from your current utility companies so that you don't have to pay utility deposits here. That's all I can think of for now.

I don't know....I mean, there is a significantly larger gay population in Phoenix Metro vs the entire state of CT. Trust me...I checked online lol. Maybe there's less per capita, but there's more in numbers. I am aware that Arizona is significantly more conservative than Connecticut, though, and that only bothers me slightly.

[nep321]

Do people that live in AZ wish that it rained more often? Or more cloudy days? I mean, I would like some variety in the weather. A cloudy day or rainy day every now and then would be nice.

[NYorkFeinix]

This gets me so excited!! you're so lucky! listen if i had that much saved i would be out of here NYC in a heartbeat. My 10 month old son lives in PHX but ofcourse no jobs nothing saved up because i spend it all on flights and hotels in PHX lol one day!
Anyway the summers here in manhattan ny are sometimes worse than phx because of the humitity. 105 degrees never really bothered me as much as 85 with very high humidity.
Stop thinking and go!!!! someday ill do the same and be with my son!

[fennec2009]

Originally Posted by nep321

Do people that live in AZ wish that it rained more often? Or more cloudy days? I mean, I would like some variety in the weather. A cloudy day or rainy day every now and then would be nice.

No! I moved here mainly for the 300+ sunny days a year lol. I like the monsoon season while it lasts but rain bumps up the humidity way too much for me to wish for rain year round.

[Golden_Monkey]

Originally Posted by nep321

Do people that live in AZ wish that it rained more often? Or more cloudy days? I mean, I would like some variety in the weather. A cloudy day or rainy day every now and then would be nice.

I honestly wouldn't mind an occasional cloudy day. But living where it's constantly sunny is still a lot better than living somewhere that's constantly grey or raining.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by nep321

Do people that live in AZ wish that it rained more often? Or more cloudy days? I mean, I would like some variety in the weather. A cloudy day or rainy day every now and then would be nice.

Yes, absolutely! It's never good to have one kind of weather for a long period of time. I can see how depressing it would be in the NE with the constant gray days & snow during the winter months. On the other hand, it gets depressing and very monotonous here with the four or five months of intense heat. Add the lack of rain on top of that, and it can be very tiresome. Variety is the key, especially when it comes to weather/climate.

As I said before, many newer residents like our abundant sunshine, and don't seem to mind the heat. There was a time when I was younger that I actually looked forward to our summers ... but not anymore! The older you get, and the longer you live here, the more sick of the sun & heat you become. Not everybody is this way ... however, I have seen this trend more times than not. Most natives & long term residents I know despise the heat, and grow weary of the constant dry conditions & lack of rainfall. I'm one of them ... but I reside here for what I consider more important reasons besides the weather.

[jf2737]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

The older you get, and the longer you live here, the more sick of the sun & heat you become.

I agree with you but in reverse, lol. I live on Long Island and as I've gotten older, I've become sick of the winters, and the numbing cold really has been bothering me more the past few years, much more so than when I was younger.

[k1221n]

He has a masters in accounting and 26,000 in the bank, and he's worried about making a move to Arizona? accountants are definitely a cautious bunch.