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My wife and I are planning a move out of Chicago in the next year or so. I can't stand the cold anymore. Currently, I have a great job as a software engineer making over $100k. I am totally fine with taking a pay cut when I move. Albuquerque was recommended by a friend, and the more I research, the more I love the city. Only problem is the lack of engineering / software jobs. I looked on several job posting websites and there are only like 5-10 positions available that my skills set qualifies for. Is this typical of Albuquerque? Our other choice for relocation is Portland and I see hundreds of posting that interest me.
My wife and I are planning a move out of Chicago in the next year or so. I can't stand the cold anymore. Currently, I have a great job as a software engineer making over $100k. I am totally fine with taking a pay cut when I move. Albuquerque was recommended by a friend, and the more I research, the more I love the city. Only problem is the lack of engineering / software jobs. I looked on several job posting websites and there are only like 5-10 positions available that my skills set qualifies for. Is this typical of Albuquerque? Our other choice for relocation is Portland and I see hundreds of posting that interest me.
Albuquerque is not like Portland or Austin, while it has the population to compare (somewhat to Austin, e.g.) it is just not a tech/startup hub like Portland or Austin. You can google and see what most people do for a living in ABQ but I don't think it is software engineering. I have tried for 5+ years to get a job in NM in soft eng and have gotten exactly one interview even though I have tons of experience, a stellar resume and could get a job anywhere really. In fact, I work from home now and have been for the last few years - that's our ticket to NM....
Now, if you were in ABQ already and were looking for a job, maybe the situation is different, don't know. For some reason I got this feeling that in ABQ/NM it is who you know but that's just an (un)educated guess on my part with no proof whatsoever...
I think I would never live in Portland (just like I am abandoning Austin) but that's just me.
I can assume you are too smart to move to a new city without securing a job there first, yes? You only need one job, so if you apply remotely and secure a job in Albuquerque (as I just did – they flew me out for the interview as well) does it really matter how many other openings there were? There was only one opening of its kind for my job.
Presumably your concern is what if you secure a great job, move to Albuquerque, and then the job doesn't work out for some reason. In that scenario, the more software development opportunities, the easier it would be for you to find another local job presumably. Therefore, as you job search, it would be important to evaluate the stability of the job, and the degree to which your skills and expertise are in high demand such that you could become irreplaceable.
This is a trade-off that makes sense depending on the degree to which you love Albuquerque and New Mexico. It seems to be a place that coastal professionals like me fall in love with quite easily, but other folks that come from places with lots of cheap new construction real estate find Albuquerque to be lacking in fanciness.
I can assume you are too smart to move to a new city without securing a job there first, yes? You only need one job, so if you apply remotely and secure a job in Albuquerque (as I just did – they flew me out for the interview as well) does it really matter how many other openings there were?
Presumably your concern is what if you secure a great job, move to Albuquerque, and then the job doesn't work out for some reason. In that scenario, the more software development opportunities, the easier it would be for you to find another local job presumably. Therefore, as you job search, it would be important to evaluate the stability of the job, and the degree to which your skills and expertise are in high demand such that you could become irreplaceable.
This is a trade-off that makes sense depending on the degree to which you love Albuquerque and New Mexico. It seems to be a place that coastal professionals like me fall in love with quite easily, but other folks that come from places with lots of cheap new construction real estate find Albuquerque to be lacking in fanciness.
That is all fine and dandy but given the city's size, the number of job openings for software engineers is pretty small, period. That means that if your job doesn't work out, well, you may or may not be in a tight spot. I would love it if ABQ could become a start-up incubator like Austin did. I am not sure why all of a sudden a place like Austin became an incubator and tech job generator, maybe has to do with the fact that UT is a good school? Just general availability of money and rich and educated people? The state policies towards new businesses? Even Dallas is slowly becoming a tech hub. UNM CS department is not so bad but it is not that great either. Is the business climate not so great? Or is it the lack of educated grads that would make up the workforce? Don't know. I am bringing my job with me to NM but I also have years and years of experience and can do that at this point.
New Mexico hasn't been "discovered" by the part of the startup community that funds it, particularly for software startups. This is why people who get 5 recruiter calls a day for a $150k job in Bay Area California can't get the same job in Albuquerque for $50k to save their life.
The problem is not incubators- Albuquerque has too many of them (most of them merely real estate and government-teat plays).
The problem is investors- there are too few of them. Investors (at least the sort to fund high-risk startups) tend to only invest in their own neighborhood.
There are many firms that need software engineers here but they don't all have familiar names. Post #2 is a fair representation of what's out there.
And while ABQ doesn't have a major tech scene, we also don't have the high costs and traffic of places like San Diego, Irvine and Austin (although Austin isn't that expensive).
There are many firms that need software engineers here but they don't all have familiar names. Post #2 is a fair representation of what's out there.
And while ABQ doesn't have a major tech scene, we also don't have the high costs and traffic of places like San Diego, Irvine and Austin (although Austin isn't that expensive).
Austin is getting there in terms of being expensive. There are other quality of life issues there but I digress, this is about ABQ. I am thinking maybe one day I start a startup - if I were to do it in ABQ, my question would be - is there enough local talent coming out of UNM to pick from? I have no idea (this is more rhetorical question than real)
Around Austin you have a strange situation, there are many, many jobs and seemingly not enough people. The higher you go in the requirements the less people available.
There are some neat companies in ABQ and at least one neat company in Santa Fe that I used to be aware of in the field of bioinformatics, pretty cutting edge. I wish there were many more.
That is all fine and dandy but given the city's size, the number of job openings for software engineers is pretty small, period. That means that if your job doesn't work out, well, you may or may not be in a tight spot. I would love it if ABQ could become a start-up incubator like Austin did. I am not sure why all of a sudden a place like Austin became an incubator and tech job generator, maybe has to do with the fact that UT is a good school? Just general availability of money and rich and educated people? The state policies towards new businesses? Even Dallas is slowly becoming a tech hub. UNM CS department is not so bad but it is not that great either. Is the business climate not so great? Or is it the lack of educated grads that would make up the workforce? Don't know. I am bringing my job with me to NM but I also have years and years of experience and can do that at this point.
Austin got its start in tech when Michael Dell decided to live there.
I'll also add that Northrop Grumman may be hiring software engineers.
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(this is more rhetorical question than real)
