do laid back IT jobs exist in Austin? (San Antonio, Portland: tech job, salary)

[HappyTexan]

I'm a programmer and yes, plenty of laid back going on here. I'm a jeans/tshirt worker and can't remember the last time I dressed up for work. I can work at home if I want and flex within reason.

And yup..when I'm not programming for work, I'm programming for fun (Linux open software - best free software to happen either side of the Mississippi).

I love my job (20+ years) but the writing on the wall is getting bigger and bigger so I don't have high hopes of putting in another 10 years here.

Pretty much that's all that's out there today..gov't contracts as that's where the stimulus money is.

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by atxcio

I agree that the OP is simply looking in the wrong places or missing it somehow... you won't find the pierced, jeans and sandals wearing IT workers at places like Dell, Samsung, AMD, or the gov't... just like you won't find them at Boeing or Microsoft in Seattle, or Intel in Portland.

But there are many smaller IT companies, marketing firms, and specialty companies that are full of people exactly like he describes. Maybe not quite as many as in the NW, I don't know... but they are definitely here.

Yes you do find them there. I've done work over the years with Apple, Intel, AMD, Nvidia, Novell and MS. The programmers do not dress up. The techies that do not deal with customers do not dress up and do not have to.

[inthecut]

isn't a stereotypical "PNW tech look" just another way of "dressing up"? I mean, if you REALLY want to be different, why not go to work in a tux and tails, or a three piece suit with vest? At least it would turn a few heads, especially when its 110 degrees outside in july....

[Mach50]

Even here in Silicon Valley, unless you work for a small start-up it is not laid back at all. Actually it is pretty intense and cut throat these days.

The day of jeans, sandals, and the long haired programmer died with the bubble of 2000 I had thought. I remember getting the memo saying "wear dockers and shave from now on". If you work from home, employers are starting to hold meetings over Skype were they can see you with that 2 weeks of growth on your face.

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by Mach50

Even here in Silicon Valley, unless you work for a small start-up it is not laid back at all. Actually it is pretty intense and cut throat these days.

The day of jeans, sandals, and the long haired programmer died with the bubble of 2000 I had thought. I remember getting the memo saying "wear dockers and shave from now on". If you work from home, employers are starting to hold meetings over Skype were they can see you with that 2 weeks of growth on your face.

I agree....seems like the old "tech guy with beard" days are stuck in the 80's.......also, so much is outsourced now as well. If its back office with look not being an issue, than it's prob either in chindia/ukraine, or about to be......

I still love that pic of the original microsoft gang......the pinnacle of that PNW tech look...even the chicks back then had that chick techie look...I suppose you could call it a mixture of nerd/dork/pocket protector and lumberjack......again, goes with the PNW territory(redwoods)...



As plugged-ugly as these folks are, keep in mind that two of the top 17 richest people in the USA are in the pic(Steve Ballmer didn't join till '80, and the pic is from '78).....

Paul Allen is the Rasputin looking thing on bottom right, and the anemic fellow on the bottom left I'm sure you recognize.....




Again, hard to believe such a strange, repulsively ugly, Mutt and Jeff-like pair would grow to rule the world, and rank in the top 17 richest in the USA....


Yes, even the richest man in the USA has a mug shot.....not sure what this was all about...DUI?



And sorry, Paul Allen, but MD outranks you on the forbes list this year. (True fact, MD has more wealth than 96% of the residents of Austin put together...gotta love capitalism....sorry Karl Marx!)

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by HappyTexan

I'm a programmer and yes, plenty of laid back going on here. I'm a jeans/tshirt worker and can't remember the last time I dressed up for work. I can work at home if I want and flex within reason.

And yup..when I'm not programming for work, I'm programming for fun (Linux open software - best free software to happen either side of the Mississippi).

I love my job (20+ years) but the writing on the wall is getting bigger and bigger so I don't have high hopes of putting in another 10 years here.

Pretty much that's all that's out there today..gov't contracts as that's where the stimulus money is.

The issue is he is talking system administrators. They typically are not the smartest and brightest. A small company simply does not need many if any sys admins. The people that he is describing are software developers people who create for a living, not sysadmins, people who babysit hardware.

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by Austin97

The issue is he is talking system administrators. They typically are not the smartest and brightest. A small company simply does not need many if any sys admins. The people that he is describing are software developers people who create for a living, not sysadmins, people who babysit hardware.

Well, whatever he IS talking about, all the jobs are going to Chindia anyway.....where the next few William Gates III's will come from the next 20 years.....the US tech industry is in "stick a fork in it" mode....same as microsoft itself(did we really need Windows 7?)

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by Austin97

The issue is he is talking system administrators. They typically are not the smartest and brightest. A small company simply does not need many if any sys admins. The people that he is describing are software developers people who create for a living, not sysadmins, people who babysit hardware.

Oh you are right..I didn't see the "sys admin" buried in his post.
I'm a systems programmer...yes code to the metal sometimes but never venture past the middleware and no way, no how would you ever find me doing a sys admin job..just not up my alley.

[h8n]

The tech side of IT work (not Business Analysts).... programmers, architects, sys admins, dbas, etc. As stated previously, in the NW jobs pay less for a reason. Austin is constantly trying to "Keep Austin Wierd", etc.... of course that has been Portland's motto for years due to the number of hairy women & dreaded men in all workforces. In the NW that mentality still exists.... it rains all the time & a significant number of people bike to work making it difficult to dress like a business man. I'm just trying to find a middle ground here in Austin where I can work in system architecture & not feel like a stick is up my butt like I did in Chicago several years back.

[calel]

Yes you do find them there. I've done work over the years with Apple, Intel, AMD, Nvidia, Novell and MS. The programmers do not dress up. The techies that do not deal with customers do not dress up and do not have to.

I work for a tech company and can vouch for the laid back, no dress code type atmosphere. But all the programmers are in Silicon Valley and our office rarely hires system admin types. Just not much turnover.

Lots of gaming companies here too. I doubt they have much of a dress code.