opportunity to work in Miami for AA

pfarber

pfarber

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pfarber
Anyone in the Miami area have some insight for a poor little a&p and family about COL in Miami?

Combined income would be about $100k.

I am not a city boy, would prefer to live outside and commute to work.

Timeframe is 4-6 months depending on HR issues.

Thanks
 
Personally for me, happiness was seeing Florida in my rear view mirror.

I am not a city boy either, and the constant year round temperature drove me nuts. I was not the kind to go to the beach and lie on the sand with thousands of others. Friendly folks though. And flat.

The only saving grace was the many race tracks. I did hook up with one team and worked on their pit crew for most of the season.
 
Do you speak Spanish?

100k in Miami is not much unless they are covering your housing, crime is also very high there, FL is great if you can get some distance between you and the heavy urban areas, Miami like Vegas isn’t ideal if you’re not making close to 7 figures.
 
I, personally, would not want to live in Miami or any of its neighboring cities. Go visit for a few days and you’ll find out why! ;)

YMMV
 
Been a lot of years since I've been in Miami. To be honest I wouldn't live there if they gave me the place ...
 
I have yet to hear anything like the nonsense happening in say NYC or the entire state of Oregon.
 
My favorite part about going to florida is leaving. Miami is probably the coolest city in the state, but it's still florida.
 
Florida is nice, but I've never been to Miami. On purpose.

Also, I think you're going to have to make a lot more than $100k to live in Miami comfortably. It's a very expensive city.
 
I'm not sure living outside of Miami is possible as it is wedged between the Atlantic Ocean and the Everglades. There is really nothing south beside the keys and north looks like SoCal with no end of concrete insight with the requisite amount of traffic. Good luck.
 
I have an acquaintance who is a captain for American Airlines out of Miami. He lives in North Carolina but commute to Miami for the job. Two weeks on two weeks off something like that.
 
Ive lived in Daytona Beach and had annual vacations to Orlando for the last 10 years.

Not sure why all the Florida hate. I guess most people have never lived more than one or two places?. I'm ex military and a military brat so moving every 30 seconds to a new area and adapting is not a problem.

Housing sucks.. everwhere. My rent is going up $300 on renewal simy because they can do it. Moving to Miami entails a significant raise so staying put is not an option. Gots to follow the money.
 
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pfarber said:
I guess most people have never lived more than one or two places?.
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You would be guessing wrong.

pfarber said:
I'm ex military and a military brat so moving every 30 seconds to a new area and adapting is not a problem.
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So what brought the original question up? Looking for positive reinforcement on your decision?

pfarber said:
Moving to Miami entails a significant raise so staying put is not an option. Gots to follow the money.
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Following money to the wrong place might not be the best answer. I sure learned that lesson the hard way.

But it sounds as if you made up your mind already, so best of luck to you and your family, and I sincerely mean that.
 
pfarber said:
Moving to Miami entails a significant raise so staying put is not an option. Gots to follow the money.
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How much of a raise are you actually getting when taking cost of living into account? SoFlo is high rent district, but I wish you all the best, nonetheless.
 
I left Miami a few years ago and my wife and I both Thank God we were able to leave!! Several of our good friends have left Miami and feel the same way and Yes, I have lived in other areas and all have been better than Miami. I still go to visit my parents, but love it when we leave. Won't stay more than 3 days.
I can tell you from experience, an A&P in Miami makes soooo much less than any other area.
 
Zeldman said:
But it sounds as if you made up your mind already, so best of luck to you and your family, and I sincerely mean that.
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Agreed on both parts. Not sure why he would to ask the question if he had the answer and only seeing the input that was asked for from others as "hate" because it doesn't confirm his original thoughts. But I also agree that I hope the move works out well if that's what he wants. Miami ain't for me but it might be exactly what he wants.

No harm, no foul! ;)
 
If this is your only foot in the door to work for a major airline and that is your goal, I say go for it. Later, if Miami is not to your liking, you can look at other bases to transfer to. There seems to be people living there so there must be some good to the place.
 
pfarber said:
Not sure why all the Florida hate. I guess most people have never lived more than one or two places?.
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This prompted me to add up my numbers. I’ve lived in 8 towns in 4 states, which makes me a lightweight compared to some here. I’ve no idea what national averages might look like.
 
I have lived in two US states and five different countries across three continents. I would say go for it, even potted plants benefit from a new pot every now and then. Miami is not everyone's cup of tea, but you are not going to be chained there for life, if you don't like the place. Make sure the rest of the family is on board with the decision, and take the move as an opportunity to grow and learn.
 
GaryM said:
This prompted me to add up my numbers. I’ve lived in 8 towns in 4 states, which makes me a lightweight compared to some here. I’ve no idea what national averages might look like.
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Yep, lightweight! ;)

I have lived for a year or more in 15 cities or towns in 9 states. I have also spent months on assignments in other states and countries.

The states and number of cities I have lived in each is as follows. IN(4), IL(1), TN(2), NC(1), SC(1), GA(2), FL(1), CA(2), NV(1).

And I’m certain that I am not at the top in that category on here though I have probably bounced around more than most.

While I have my favorites, if the job was appealing enough, I’d consider any of them again.
 
pfarber said:
I have yet to hear anything like the nonsense happening in say NYC or the entire state of Oregon.
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To be fair, basically the entire eastern half of Oregon is VERY conservative. The national news portrays the state through a very narrow lens due to Portland, Salem and Eugene. Unfortunately, Bend is beginning to lean that direction, as well.
 
I like visiting Florida but wouldn't want to live there.

Don't care for the alligators or the need to be prepared to evacuate when a hurricane is on the way. What I really dislike, though, is the proliferation of Stroads. They are everywhere, in Florida, and they are huge. Sure, they're a blight across most of North America but Florida and Southern California are both infested with them.

A stroad is a type of thoroughfare that is a cross between a street and a road. The term was coined by American civil engineer and urban planner Charles Marohn in 2011, as a commentary about paved traffic structures in the United States. The word stroad is a portmanteau of street and road.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroad​
 
Larry in TN said:
Don't care for the alligators
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I spent two years in Florida and only saw 2 alligators: One was dead and the other ran across the interstate (I-75) in front of me. I did hear them splashing around in the swamp/pond behind where I lived.
 
Zeldman said:
I spent two years in Florida and only saw 2 alligators: One was dead and the other ran across the interstate (I-75) in front of me. I did hear them splashing around in the swamp/pond behind where I lived.
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Come to Carolina! We had a family member had one meet them at the car one morning ...
 
pfarber said:
Ive lived in Daytona Beach and had annual vacations to Orlando for the last 10 years.

Not sure why all the Florida hate. I guess most people have never lived more than one or two places?. I'm ex military and a military brat so moving every 30 seconds to a new area and adapting is not a problem.

Housing sucks.. everwhere. My rent is going up $300 on renewal simy because they can do it. Moving to Miami entails a significant raise so staying put is not an option. Gots to follow the money.
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Daytona is very different than Miami.
 
What is the minimum number of places one needs to live in before they can officially recognize that Florida is not their jam?
 
Is Jupiter SoFlo? My parents retired there for 30 years. I always thought Jupiter a nearly perfect spot for winters. I tried to keep their house in the family when they passed but couldn't make the financials work.
 
Jorge Gonzalez said:
an A&P in Miami makes soooo much less than any other area.
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My recent offers tell me otherwise. The only places OFFERING ME more money were Alaska and way to many frozen north states (Minn, PA, NY IL).

Daleandee said:
only seeing the input that was asked for from others as "hate" because it doesn't confirm his original thoughts
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Most of the responses were 'I've never lived there, but it sucks!' so almost the first half of this thread is worthless. And saying you don't like X without giving a single reason why also is not a reply. I know I am asking for 'free advice' but most of the posts were not even worth the 'free' cost.

SkyDog58 said:
If this is your only foot in the door to work for a major airline and that is your goal, I say go for it. Later,
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Its an opportunity. Two or three years tops. Wasted 15+ at a stable job that went nowhere... my 'encore' career is all about climbing that ladder to ring that retirement bell.

I'd ask the question again but it seems that expecting (hoping for??) more than a one word/sentence response is akin to a personal attack (I guess even that's gonna trigger quite a few folks lol). I've lived in 11 states and 7 foreign cities on three continents and one country that doesn't even exist anymore and if asked I would give at least a rough overview of what I liked/disliked if asked. If I was going to spend the time to post a reply, usually I put some effort into a post.

Unless its NJ. NJ sucked. Full stop.
 
Gopher it. Union contract, built-in raises, ability to transfer cities, build seniority, build retirement. Fly free on standby and other bennies.
 
I lived in Ft Lauderdale for 3 years. Not quite Miami, but pretty darn close. The first year was fun, especially for a 25 year old. The last two sucked. The traffic was always bad, drivers were awful, people were rude, crime was rampant, and things were expensive. Miami is even worse. But my brother loves it there, so it really depends on your perspective. If you're a country boy, you are going to hate it. The land there is either paved, or a swamp. The area is WAY different than Daytona or Orlando. Honestly, as bad as this sounds to say, but if you are white country boy, you're going to be in the minority. That doesn't bother some people, other people can't deal with it. $100k household income will not get you into one of the nice areas, or you'll have a very long commute. I could live in Florida, but I'd rather move to Fargo than live in South Eastern Florida.

If it is a temporary means to an end, then give it a try.

Another suggestion is to go down there for two nights and spend time driving around. That may give you a good feel for the territory.

Good luck with your decision.
 
Groundpounder said:
…Another suggestion is to go down there for two nights and spend time driving around. That may give you a good feel for the territory.
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I give this suggestion a lot. When were assigned to Europe, I quickly came to understand no matter how great you think a place is, somebody else can’t stand it.

I was really surprised at the number of seekingly miserable service members/families overseas. While not a majority, it also wasn’t a rarity, either.
 
The determining thing for me always was the job and how much I liked it. Since you usually spend a 1/3of a year doing it, why be miserable 50% of your life since another 1/3 you’re asleep. Second consideration was the weather. If a place didn’t have true seasons (besides hot and humid and hotter and more humid), it wasn’t on my list.

After that, having lived in two countries, 5 states, big cities and the boonies and traveled extensively to most of the rest of the USA for my jobs, Florida didn’t make the cut for retirement, solely for weather considerations.

So IMNSHO, you state your priorities, measure the alternatives and get on with it.

Cheers
 
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