Returning to Phoenix, AZ...
Over the Christmas and New Year's Eve holiday period, I travelled from Baltimore to Phoenix, Arizona. It was my first time back in Arizona since the 2010-2013 time frame. It was like visiting Phoenix for the very first time. Moreover, it was the first time that I have seen my mother since she visited Baltimore in March 2018. It was my first time seeing my sister, her husband, and their children in nearly 10 years or so. I used to have an aunt and uncle that lived in Gaithersburg, MD. Once my uncle retired from working at the National Institute of Health, my aunt and uncle sold their home and moved to Florida.
While visiting Phoenix, I started to take a look at what IT jobs are available as well as places to live.
I suppose that the big allure for being in the Phoenix area is to be close to family. Here in Baltimore, I don't have any family. In addition, I don't have any friends outside of work. The only people that I have seen consistantly over the past five years have been all of the doctors I have visited in both Columbia, MD and at the VA Hospital in Baltimore. I lived for one year in Columbia, MD, and I can honestly say that I don't have any friends their either.
On the other hand, I rather enjoyed my two visits with Dr Evan Chung, a chiropractor here in Catonsville, MD. During my first visit with Dr Evan Chung, I discovered that we both the opening night celebration of the 2002 World Cup in Seoul, South Korea.
During the summer of 2016, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma for the second time in two years. For the next five years, I went to Maryland Oncology Hematology and American Radiology in Columbia, Advanced Radiology in Ellicott City, the VA Hospital in downtown Baltimore, and the VA Counselling Center up in Pikesville. I have visited so many doctors' offices over the past five years that I need a moratorium or sabbatical. However, I do like going to the chiropractor.
While going through chemotherapy for the second time, there were times when having a family member available to pick me up would have been convenient, such as when I had to go in for a bone marrow biopsy. Boy, did that really did hurt.
Let's face it, my IT help desk job at the Social Security Administration isn't exactly conducive for meeting people. Since I work at the IT help desk, my job is to sit at a desk inside an office cubicle and answer phone calls non-stop for eight hours a day no matter how ridiculous the problems are.
In all honesty, I also had trouble meeting people when I lived in Reston, VA, outside of Washington, D.C., for four years. I was one of the few people at my workplace that ACTUALLY lived in Reston. I could never figure out the social scene at Reston Town Center. Since I didn't work AND live at Reston Town Center, I was an outsider.
Looking for a New IT Job...
Since I am not happy with my current job, I am starting to look for a new IT job.
My initial thought was to look for a new IT job in the Baltimore area. There is A LOT of competition in Baltimore for the IT jobs that are available. A couple of years ago, I applied to an IT job in Timonium/Cockeysville/Hunt Valley, thinking that I was a good match for the job. I was dismayed when I discovered that 200 people applied to that one job.
Since I don't have a Top Secret security clearance with a current full scope polygraph, pursuing a help desk job at Fort Meade is just a waste of time. Furthermore, I no longer have a Top Secret clearance. It's hard to believe that it has been nearly 10 years when I discovered that I no longer have a Top Secret clearance. When I do get a job offer that requires a Top Secret clearance from, say, a recruiter on LinkedIn, I just DELETE the email without any further thought. As far as I'm concerned,
As a result of not having a Top Secret security clearance anymore, my whole life has changed.
Getting back to Phoenix...
Let's face it, there are TONS of IT jobs in Maricopa County in general and in Phoenix in particular. I'm sure that some are good and some are bad. After performing a quick search for IT jobs in Phoenix on Google, it became abundantly clear that I need to figure out some method to sort out the wheat from the chaff.
Earlier this week, I went through the job openings available on USAjobs.gov, looking for any IT jobs with the Federal government in Maricopa County. There wasn't a whole lot to choose from. The only IT job openings were with the IRS with job openings located in Phoenix, Chandler, Gilbert, and Glendale. One of the IT jobs with the IRS involved getting hired at a low level, such as at GS-7, for example. Once hired, you would then be mentored to advance to a higher GS level for that job. Would I apply for that job? I probably should. Regardless of what one thinks about the IRS, that job opening is an opportunity.
On the other hand, the job openings at USAjobs.gov are feast or famine. One week, there are all kinds of job openings. Then on the following week, there's not a whole lot to even consider applying for. Recently on USAjobs.gov, I did find two GS-12 IT job vacancies at Camp Humphreys near Pyeongtaek, South Korea. Those two jobs were the kind of jobs that I wish I had both the necessary job experience and IT certifications. Make no mistake, I would return to South Korea AT THE DROP OF A HAT.
Another attraction for moving to Phoenix is that the cost of living is a lot lower that it is here in Maryland. For example, the monthly rent for my 550 square foot apartment in Catonsville costs a little more that $1,000. Each year, the rent for my apartment keeps going up even though I don't live in a fancy apartment complex. There's no weight room. There's no pool. It's not close to the Inner Harbor.
The Most Probable Scenario...
The most probable scenario for me would probably be to quit my job at SSA. I'm a contractor, so I won't be missed a whole lot. I would need to clean out my storage unit in Herndon, VA, pack everything up, and move back to Arizona. I suppose I could drive a U-Haul truck with my belongings back to Arizona. An option to consider would be to have my car shipped to Phoenix. You DO NOT want to be without a car in Phoenix.
Once there, I could see living at my mother's house in Sun City and work at a temporary IT position, while I search for a permanent IT job and a new place to live.
One item that will help tremendously in my search for a new IT job would be to pass the exam for Cisco's CCNA certification.
The demand for the A+ certification from CompTIA is really low. Everyone wants workers with the newest IT certifications.
