Hi,
Can anyone shed light on the career situation for psychologists in Southern Florida? I saw T4C's remark in another thread:
While I will greatly miss the weather and lifestyle that S. FL affords me, it doesn't offer the kind of professional opportunities and setting for my career.
There are definitely some positives and negatives about living/working down here. Generally it is a competitive market because many people want to relocate here (and many people semi-retire), though probably not any worse than NYC, SF, Boston, etc. There are some excellent places to train/work, so you can have access to top places....though you'll probably work longer hours than most everyone for the honor of working there (Jackson Memorial, etc).
The weather is definitely a plus, though "Summer II" can be rough until you get used to it. I am not really sure how I'm going to handle it when I move and the temperature goes down past 65 (jacket weather). I happened to move during an active hurricane season, but in general they aren't a big deal and you don't pay much attention to them until they start interrupting broadcasts to talk about the approaching storm.
As for the lifestyle, most everyone is on "Island/Florida" Time. Hospitals and the like aren't as bad, but it is FAR more relaxed than anywhere up North. There is something to be said for lower stress levels and a more "social" environment. Boca may be a bit different (depending on where you live and what you enjoy doing), but it is night and day compared to up North.
The reason I ask is that my husband, who is in an academic field, is looking at a job in Boca Raton. I have a couple years left - one year in grad school and then internship - and I'm concerned that if he takes this job that I will be, well, jobless. Any thoughts are much appreciated. My specialty within the field is health psych and I ideally would like to work in a VA, but mostly am interested in the hospital setting.
There are a number of solid hospitals to work in the S. FL area (Jackson Memorial, Broward General, Miami VA, West Palm VA), though it depends how far you are willing to drive. The ones I named above are mostly in Broward and Dade counties, but I am sure Palm Beach county also has some good hospitals.
In regard to health psychology.....it is a nice area to work in, particularly if you do neuro, rehab, or related work. The only drawback would be competition and the high cost of living. Boca is a
really nice area, but you pay for that through property tax and higher than average housing. The "Boca Bubble" is good for raising a family and generally offers a comfortable community.
My issues with S. FL have more to do with the cost of doing business down here. I'd like to open up a treatment center and expand into a few other areas, but it is prohibitively expensive when compared to living in the South (which is my preferred location anyway). I can have a similiar clientel and have my overhead cost 30-40% less. I also want to lecture at a small college and do a few other things that are a better fit elsewhere.
