I have never so intensely hated someplace I lived before Phoenix. Nor after, come to think of it.
I lived in the Sunnyslope area for a year, back in 1983-84, and went to DeVry.
At that time, there was only one way to go anywhere in town, and that was through town, stop and go all the way. I have been told it's improved since then.
Even in the winter, it's not winter. Although we had snow one morning when I got up, it was gone before 10 AM, and that was the limit of our winter.
About the "monsoon" season. The "monsoon" season is sort of a joke, since monsoons are really long-term events. During July and August, you will occaisionally have a rainstorm. It will cloud up any time of day or night and suddenly downpour. Sometimes it lasts only a few minutes, and all it does is turn to steam when it hits the 120 degree asphalt, and suddenly you have a steaming jungle generally for the rest of the day, and maybe the next day. During these, it is incredibly miserable. If you don't have air in your vehicle, it is STILL way too hot to be in it with the windows up, and then the sun comes back out and it's 100+ degrees with water evaporating everywhere. Reminds me of a steam bath.
If it's a longer rain, it soaks everything down totally and it does cool off a bit. Of course, by the next day, all that rain is in the air and it's your short term steam bath again.
Historically, Phoenix had very low humidity during the hot seasons, but that seems to have changed quite a bit. I lived in southern Utah before and after my year in Phx, and it made Phoenix feel positively muggy by comparison. Watered lawns, some attempts at agriculture, and other activities seem to have raised the humidity levels quite a bit.
Of course, it's nothing like the humidity in the swamps of Louisiana, but for us spoiled by temperate climates like Eastern Oregon, it seemed unbearable hot to me.
Albuquerque, on the other hand, is not too bad. It's still hot, but not AS hot, since it's just about a mile high in elevation. It's 95 to 105 or so in the summer, the humidity in the outlying areas is really low, and down by the river, in the bosques it's generally moderate. The smog is about the same for both, but I found Albuquerque a whole lot more liveable, for driving, for climate, and for people's temperament.
Albuquerque has Sandia Peak (12000+ feet at the peak) at it's edge, and mountain ranges to the east and north which are very pleasant in the summer for temperatures. All are within an hour's drive of the city's edge.
I would not trade you the whole of the state of New Mexico for a little corner of Oregon, Idaho, or western Montana. But, then that's just me.
Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
. The big advantage is you can camp year round and never worry about weather. You can do anything from jet ski to snow ski all within a 2-3 hour drive. If you like the ocean you are only a few hours from Mexico or about 6 hours from the west coast. It would take a little adjustment coming from the Rockies, but northern AZ has around 7,000-11,000 foot (or so) elevations and beautiful mountains. Outdoor activities abound in AZ, year round. Good luck in the job search.
