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Old 05-13-2012, 02:03 PM
 
Location: Niceville, FL
13,256 posts, read 22,657,287 times
Reputation: 16398

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If you've got an active security clearance, some of the defense shops in the panhandle still have job openings from time to time.
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Old 05-13-2012, 08:19 PM
 
18,082 posts, read 18,678,059 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crazynip View Post
That's bad advice.

North Carolina also taxes the **** out of you, you have to pay personal state income tax and intangibles tax on your vehicle, neither of which you have to do here, also salaries are no better than here. I did the math a couple years ago when I had a job offer in Winston Salem and it was an absolute wash.

Raleigh also has lots of companies that use almost nothing but college grads, grad students and interns and pay is very low.

A few companies like Cisco have a large presence but you have to really watch out, because a lot of them keep salaries low due to what i mentioned, they churn and churn and churn interns and college grads and dump them when they have to start paying more.
Speaking from a Miami perspective, but I disagree. I just moved from NC, same job, just a transfer. Even with my added locality pay, my money still does not go near as far in Miami as it did in NC, with housing being the main factor in costs differences.
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Old 05-13-2012, 08:28 PM
 
18,082 posts, read 18,678,059 times
Reputation: 25191
You should concentrate more on specific IT areas and companies that employ them, rather than generic "what is the best city". What specific skill set do you have?

You should be prepared to be mobile and to move when you need to, the ideal company could be anywhere.
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Old 05-13-2012, 10:17 PM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
3,237 posts, read 6,279,394 times
Reputation: 1492
Quote:
Originally Posted by boxus View Post
Speaking from a Miami perspective, but I disagree. I just moved from NC, same job, just a transfer. Even with my added locality pay, my money still does not go near as far in Miami as it did in NC, with housing being the main factor in costs differences.
Miami has the highest housing costs in the state, so your experience is not typical.

You mention locality pay, you a government worker?
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Old 05-13-2012, 10:18 PM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
3,237 posts, read 6,279,394 times
Reputation: 1492
Quote:
Originally Posted by wsamon View Post
The DC area is definitely one of the better ones for a technology career. There's lots of people hiring around here paying pretty solid wages. Even if the company is in the city, you can ask about work from home privileges which many places provide.

The winters here probably aren't as bad as you think either. They're not great, but with a few recent exceptions, we only get snow for a couple days a year (none this past year!), and no one knows how to deal with it so stuff closes down anyway. That said, you're only going to get your FL weather for maybe 3 months out of the year.

If you look at leaving, make sure you do a full analysis first. Don't just jump at what appears to be a good job without looking at the surrounding area. Dulles for example, is still very suburban (this could be a plus or minus) and has tons of traffic (like most of the DC area). You will definitely need a car, and you'll probably have to drive to work (may be able to catch a bus though?) and to get to any decent entertainment options. Getting into the city itself to take advantage of what it offers is a good 30-40 minute trip with no traffic, and that's pretty rare. Depending on multiple factors, you could easily expect a 10-mile commute to take 30+ minutes around here, even in the Dulles area. The way of life here is also much different. It's more fast-paced and people frequently work long hours, weekends, etc., especially in IT.

Even if it's a purely financial decision, you need to at least weigh in the cost of living. A $60k / year job in the DC area (even Dulles) may not be a substantial improvement over a $35k / year job where you live, and almost certainly won't be in NYC.

What you could do is what a lot of people around here do: move up here for a couple of years to get a good paying job, work your butt off, network, move up the ladder a bit, get some good experience, get a security clearance, etc. Live with a couple of roommates to knock your housing costs down and save up a bunch of money. Then move back down to FL (or wherever) after 3-4 years with an extra $50k (or whatever) in your bank, a bunch of good experience and contacts at a major, well-known company to put on your resume, and a security clearance to get you in the door of lots of government related jobs.

BTW, you never mentioned what else is important to you, or what part of IT you work in. Hardware? Software? Web? Security? Project Management? Business Analysis?
DC cost of living is like #3 or 4 in the country, so while the pay may be better, I think you could actually be better off here. Unless you like living 2 hours or more from where you work.

I know people who work in DC and commute via train from places 3 hours away (Fredricksburg, VA and Martinsburg, WV), to hell with that.
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Old 05-13-2012, 10:34 PM
 
367 posts, read 935,200 times
Reputation: 169
Quote:
Originally Posted by wsamon View Post
The DC area is definitely one of the better ones for a technology career. There's lots of people hiring around here paying pretty solid wages. Even if the company is in the city, you can ask about work from home privileges which many places provide.

The winters here probably aren't as bad as you think either. They're not great, but with a few recent exceptions, we only get snow for a couple days a year (none this past year!), and no one knows how to deal with it so stuff closes down anyway. That said, you're only going to get your FL weather for maybe 3 months out of the year.

If you look at leaving, make sure you do a full analysis first. Don't just jump at what appears to be a good job without looking at the surrounding area. Dulles for example, is still very suburban (this could be a plus or minus) and has tons of traffic (like most of the DC area). You will definitely need a car, and you'll probably have to drive to work (may be able to catch a bus though?) and to get to any decent entertainment options. Getting into the city itself to take advantage of what it offers is a good 30-40 minute trip with no traffic, and that's pretty rare. Depending on multiple factors, you could easily expect a 10-mile commute to take 30+ minutes around here, even in the Dulles area. The way of life here is also much different. It's more fast-paced and people frequently work long hours, weekends, etc., especially in IT.

Even if it's a purely financial decision, you need to at least weigh in the cost of living. A $60k / year job in the DC area (even Dulles) may not be a substantial improvement over a $35k / year job where you live, and almost certainly won't be in NYC.

What you could do is what a lot of people around here do: move up here for a couple of years to get a good paying job, work your butt off, network, move up the ladder a bit, get some good experience, get a security clearance, etc. Live with a couple of roommates to knock your housing costs down and save up a bunch of money. Then move back down to FL (or wherever) after 3-4 years with an extra $50k (or whatever) in your bank, a bunch of good experience and contacts at a major, well-known company to put on your resume, and a security clearance to get you in the door of lots of government related jobs.

BTW, you never mentioned what else is important to you, or what part of IT you work in. Hardware? Software? Web? Security? Project Management? Business Analysis?
I do Level 3- Desktop/Telecom support. I have a family so I couldn't do the roommate thing up there. I will be moving with my family and would need to either buy or rent a place. Most preferably buy. I am still trying to work things out in South FL and not give up on the place, but I am going to start looking at jobs and cost of living in these other states. I can't keep waiting on FL, the way I've done for the last 5 years.
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Old 05-13-2012, 10:36 PM
 
367 posts, read 935,200 times
Reputation: 169
Quote:
Originally Posted by beachmouse View Post
If you've got an active security clearance, some of the defense shops in the panhandle still have job openings from time to time.
Nope- I wish, I would had gotten a job at the Southern Command in Miami.
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Old 05-13-2012, 11:26 PM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
1,388 posts, read 2,371,655 times
Reputation: 993
Quote:
Originally Posted by crazynip View Post
DC cost of living is like #3 or 4 in the country, so while the pay may be better, I think you could actually be better off here. Unless you like living 2 hours or more from where you work.

I know people who work in DC and commute via train from places 3 hours away (Fredricksburg, VA and Martinsburg, WV), to hell with that.
That was a common thing when I lived up there. I worked with a guy in downtown Arlington who commuted EVERY DAY from Harper's Ferry, WV and another guy who basically lived in his car because it was easier than commuting to the eastern shore of MD every night. Seriously... screw that lifestyle. I also felt bad for the people who had to slug in from the outskirts of the region. (in DC, slugging = drive to a parking lot, wait in specially designated lines for a total stranger to pick you up and rideshare so he/she can use the HOV lanes and you can get a ride to wherever you're going. Hopefully you're lucky enough to work at or near the designated drop-off points or else your trek continues from there)
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Old 05-14-2012, 07:28 AM
 
Location: Western NY
729 posts, read 960,134 times
Reputation: 863
Well I lived outside DC and worked in Bethesda at one time. It was expensive, then real estate had a boom and guess what? You have to live in PA or W. Va. to be able to afford a house and work in DC suburbs. Don't even bother looking at a job in DC area including N. Va, Md suburbs, etc.

IT is NOT the same as my field engineering. I disdain the words IT, but seems like every city has jobs for people who do lots of talk type computer work, rather than original engineering development. I would not pick, for IT anyway, any one over another in FL. Go for a good job in an affordable place and go there.
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Old 05-14-2012, 11:10 AM
 
18,082 posts, read 18,678,059 times
Reputation: 25191
Quote:
Originally Posted by crazynip View Post
Miami has the highest housing costs in the state, so your experience is not typical.

You mention locality pay, you a government worker?
Goodness no, 12 years in the military was enough government work for me!

I call it locality pay so everyone understands it, the official name my company uses is long, and does not even sound like it is for moving to a high cost location, but sounds like for performing well.
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