Considering moving to California or Florida from New York.

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purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
52,992
5,888
126
ironic that my buddy who lives in SD just texted me this afternoon telling me to send him my resume because they are hiring 4 new developers this upcoming year lol. doubt i'll go out there that soon though (if ever).
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,810
126
What type of low skill manual labor? I think I would rather do manual labor in the cold rather than someplace scorching hot like Florida.
 

IGBT

Lifer
Jul 16, 2001
17,958
138
106
..avoid the east / west coast. Heavily targeted by the eco-KOOKS and terrorists. They are a distinction without a difference. Calif.AB-32 is a financial black hole and job killer.

http://spectator.org/articles/38810/californias-green-nightmare


Nor has "going green" helped the state's finances. The budget deficit in Sacramento is expected to reach $20 billion and the state's credit rating of A- is the worst of any state in the nation, while its default risk is rated on par with that of Libya. California voters are partly to blame. In 2008 they approved a $9.95-billion ballot initiative to build a high-speed "green" rail project from San Diego to San Francisco and beyond. The state can't pay its bills already. Most rail experts believe the actual cost will be multiples higher than anticipated, and that's only for the construction costs. The train figures to be an albatross around the neck of the state budget every year in operating subsidies, much as Amtrak is in Washington. By the way, you can take a Southwest flight from San Francisco to San Diego for as little as $59.
 

MarkXIX

Platinum Member
Jan 3, 2010
2,642
1
71
i ate at jersey mikes, twice, while in san diego for a week. that is the freshest sub i think i've ever had at a sub shop, especially considering it's a small chain out there. holy shit it was good.

??? I've had Jersey Mike's several times in Georgia.
 

McLovin

Golden Member
Jul 8, 2007
1,911
58
91
[B}I found Bronx pizza in SD to be superior to the NY slices I got in NY.[/b]


This. So this.

Spent thanksgiving in SD (more precisely Ocean Beach) and we went out of our way to go there. Twice in fact.

I've had the real deal NY Pizza and Bronx was the closest thing I've had on this side of the country.

Also, if you're ever in Phoenix for some reason, Streets of New York is also very close.
 

CountZero

Golden Member
Jul 10, 2001
1,796
36
86
Just remember that public transit in CA cities ranges from terrible to moderately bad. On a manual labor budget you likely won't live in city center and if you don't drive you'll be at the mercy of the bad transit. Don't know what FL is like in that regards.

I think CA would be the best for manual labor everywhere coastal but it gets pretty hot inland. FL summers can be brutal.

Everyone has hit CoL but if you are making it in NYC then really nothing can be too shocking except that rent control isn't terribly strong in CA but there are BMR rentals which are based on median income which tends to be pretty high.

While IGBT's rant is fairly misplaced IMO he does bring up a point. If you have strong political beliefs one way or the other CA tends to be liberal with conservative pockets and FL is the opposite (though not quite TX level conservative).

Housing in the Bay Area is very tight, I'm not sure how you'd find a place to live if you didn't already have a job.

As to your question about certs, etc. the market for people with computer skills is very competitive in the Bay and in your early 30s without a relevant degree (I'm assuming) and just some certs it would be very hard without some good connections. I would think the market in FL and even SoCal would be better.

Either choice could be interesting and fun or you could loathe it, only way to find out is to try. Good luck!
 

ultimatebob

Lifer
Jul 1, 2001
25,134
2,445
126
I would think that SoCal would be a bad choice for the OP. He would be competing with illegal Mexican immigrants who work for peanuts on manual outdoor labor jobs. Combine that with a high cost of living, and he's got a serious problem.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,095
30,038
146
he lives in NY and works in NYC...if anywhere is more expensive than LA, it's NYC.

yeah, but the real problem, as mentioned, would be competing with the day laborers that are perfectly content to hang out in the Home Depot parking lot all day and wait for a random pickup truck to offer them some work and quote a price, with no promise of ever working on any day.

afaik, that ain't normal in NYC
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,418
1,598
126
yeah, but the real problem, as mentioned, would be competing with the day laborers that are perfectly content to hang out in the Home Depot parking lot all day and wait for a random pickup truck to offer them some work and quote a price, with no promise of ever working on any day.

afaik, that ain't normal in NYC

ah yes, that's SOP in SoCal.
 

Dr. Zaus

Lifer
Oct 16, 2008
11,764
347
126
OP:

Just about any under-grad degree will make you a teacher in many towns in Texas. The winters are exceptional mild. The ability to speak Spanish will go far. The low cost of living will change how you see the world.
 
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