Atlanta Job Market For an "Almost" Grad (fit in, school)

[justdidit]

Why does it seem like there are Two Popular opinions on the Atlanta job market that just happen to be night and day? On one end of the spectrum people harp on and on about how the prospects in Atlanta for those with credential's and also recent grads are amazing. However, on the other end of the spectrum people give light to the fact that Atlanta is only producing service jobs. I'm a Junior CIS student at GSU with a concentration in Health IT, I have also completed internships and I still don't know what to think about the Market here in Atlanta. Anyone care to state their opinion on whats really going on here. Cold Hard Facts will also be appreciated.

[netdragon]

The unemployment rate is where it is because a lot of metro Atlanta people are not qualified for the jobs where there's a shortage of workers.

Service jobs in Atlanta are just starting to turn around, whereas there has been a shortage of qualified IT and software engineers in metro Atlanta for about six years running. I'm a software engineer, and actually used to be an R&D department head and the hiring manager before we were acquired by a bigger company, which due to duplication of roles allowed me to get back into being a lead software engineer, which I was growing nostalgic of, and get a raise in the process.

During the time I was a hiring manager, I found out how tough it was to find talent in metro Atlanta, from about 2008 on. Before that, it was actually pretty easy to find skilled people. Atlanta is no silicon valley but it is still a hot-bed for tech. Shortages in skilled workers attract more, and excess of skilled workers attract more businesses. It's a cycle in a healthy job market. Right now, we're in a shortage of skilled workers for tech.

You also benefit from us having exited the downturn, which made it tougher for new college grads to find jobs. In tech, there's still a lot of diversity so some skill-sets get hot and others not at various times. Being a generalist like myself is better from a stability standpoint, though it also means you can't take advantage of those hot skill-sets specialists take advantage of which can command exorbitant consulting fees and salaries, but also means having to be very focused on one thing and constantly attending seminars on it. As a generalist, it may have taken me a bit longer to get up into the six figure range, but I also would be miserably bored as a specialist. Definitely something to think about as you move forward, but you don't have to make that decision right now. Right now, you just have to find a job. After you have a few years of experience under your belt, then it's time to think about major career choices.

It sounds like your major's focus is a specialty in the IT field, and I don't know much about the health specialty. It sounds like you aren't necessarily limited to that area, but would prefer it. I'd look at the businesses that you would work for and see if they are hiring. Does GSU have a career development center? You may want to pay that a visit as well to get some assistance in the search. Employers sometimes post an opening at colleges when they have trouble filling a role, as well. You could also talk to head-hunters and recruiters, but keep in mind that if they find a business that is not willing to pay them a commission, it could make it tough to apply to that business on your own (our company only used recruiters we paid hourly for that reason, and refused to talk to any other recruiters) so I'd look on your own first before resorting to head-hunters and recruiters.

One other avenue to pursue that works well in metro Atlanta is networking. Maybe a friend of your relative knows of an open position at the company he or she works at. At our company, we even offered our employees incentives for referrals, so long as they weren't managers in the same department.

If you still have no luck, and I wouldn't wait long, then perhaps expand into searching for more general IT positions.

[MathmanMathman]

Might want to check out jobs at Emory. Emory is big on medicine with lots of support positions. Health IT should fit in.

[Tarzanman]

I'm not sure that I agree with Netdragon. I have a degree from Tech and no one is beating down my door to interview me or give me a job when I submit resumes.

I am currently working, so its not an imperative, but the job market in Atlanta doesn't seem like it has much demand at all.

Maybe my strategy is all wrong? Netdragon saying that he can't find talent doesn't make any sense to me at all unless he is being very particular in looking for people with very specialized or specific experience.

[MathmanMathman]

Yeah, by "talent" they mean experienced such that they require little to no training. Someone here posted about a position they couldn't fill. Apparently, they do nothing like internships to promote the field and give some experience. Or hire an assistant who could have stepped up to the position later.

I landed my position through networking.

[Mutiny77]

Just a few minutes ago, one of my FB friends that I know personally announced that he just landed a job as an implementation consultant for a healthcare software company, and he's only been out of school for less than two years. The job market here isn't the best, but there are still jobs to be had here, especially in IT.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Yeah, by "talent" they mean experienced such that they require little to no training. Someone here posted about a position they couldn't fill. Apparently, they do nothing like internships to promote the field and give some experience. Or hire an assistant who could have stepped up to the position later.

I landed my position through networking.

Not enough can be said about networking. It is so very important to use your contacts for referrals. If folks don't have a contact, they should establish them the best they can. Heck, the last IT fellow I hired came through about 3 levels of referrals -- he called, showed up and introduced himself. Made him stand out above the folks buried in a stack of resumes somewhere on my desk.

[bhammaster]

Originally Posted by netdragon

Service jobs in Atlanta are just starting to turn around, whereas there has been a shortage of qualified IT and software engineers in metro Atlanta for about six years running. I'm a software engineer, and actually used to be an R&D department head and the hiring manager before we were acquired by a bigger company, which due to duplication of roles allowed me to get back into being a lead software engineer, which I was growing nostalgic of, and get a raise in the process.

I call bull on this. There are plenty of people qualified but many employers want to "plug-in-play" people into roles vs. easing or training them at all.

If you don't fit the exact years of experience in this or that exact software or skill or if don't match the laundry list of skills on the job description you aren't qualified. They rather sit around or hire a cheap H1B then to just spend the extra month or so getting someone with the competency up to speed.

[jhtrico1850]

Well no offense, but it takes years to get experience. Why gamble with a fresh IT intern when an H1B at least has a track record?

As an American, I started from the bottom ($15 an hour), doing menial work. I did it accurately, quickly, and with a good attitude, and have been promoted often, and now, I'm making almost $30 an hour, 3 years after graduating. I guess lucky for me, I started in accounting, and now I'm kind of IT/Finance.

[midtown mile girl]

You are a young, fresh grad with interning experience. You should be fine because that is what employers want-young & cheap.