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I'm a year away from my B.S. in computer science from Texas A&M, and since it seems to be quite a marketable degree, there are probably a lot of choices across the U.S. to look for work.
Anyway, my thought is that if I don't make the jump and leave Texas now, though it's an excellent economic bet, I may get too set in my ways and never leave at all..
This is probably over-simplifying, but with these things in mind, can anyone suggest places to look into that...
-Have a good software/tech market
-Do NOT have frequent tornadoes
-Do not have earthquakes (though I'm kind of willing to compromise on this one; I'm just terrified of the thought that my house could shake violently and fall on me at any moment without warning)
-Are coastal or nearly coastal, if possible
-Don't have outrageous living costs
?
Thanks (hopefully, such places aren't too good to be true)!
Portland or Seattle are the first places that come to mind. SF would also fit your bill except its COL is outrageous. If you can compromise on having a coast nearby, Austin is super hip and has a hot tech market right now. Yes, its in Texas but young people nationwide are moving there for the funky, organic culture. I don't believe tornadoes are a huge problem there.
Austin is super hip and has a hot tech market right now. Yes, its in Texas but young people nationwide are moving there for the funky, organic culture. I don't believe tornadoes are a huge problem there.
I have been seriously considering living there...it's definitely the money-wise thing to do!
Been in your shoes...lived in Austin for 5 years. LOVED the city (and it has the largest population of Aggies in the world), but the pay was hit and miss - some places paid well, some did not.
Been in the Houston metro area for 8 years now, and I doubt I'll be leaving. Lots of IT jobs, great pay, more culture than Austin (better theaters, travelling productions, etc), but hurricane risk.
Earthquakes are really pretty rare in CA. I grew up in CA, left for about 25 years, then came back. I've felt probably a half dozen earthquakes in all the time I've lived here. The worst that ever happened is that I felt like I was on a bucking bronco on my couch once for about 10 seconds. Sometimes things fall off a shelf. You feel a little drunk while it's happening, but it's usually over really quickly. Then everybody calls each other up to talk about it LOL!
When I left CA, I lived in WA and in TN. The weather is just so perfect here, I'll never leave again. WA is depressing with all the cloudy days. TN was too humid.
It seems obvious to me that you should move here to Silicon Valley. Great pay, just 30 minutes to the beach. Just live close to where you work, so you don't have to deal with the traffic, and it's a good life.
This year there were some tornadoes about twenty or so miles from Portland but that doesn't happen too often. Regarding the IT industry, there is tremendous competition if your skills are not specialized. It is usually the experienced people who get the jobs. From posters who live in Portland and give advice on the Portland forum regarding the opportunities in this field, if you were well versed in Linux Admin, Ruby, JAVA, or iOS systems, you would have an advantage.
The large company I last worked for before I retired outsourced a great deal of their IT workers. This is pretty common here.
We do get the occasional earthquake and are do for "the big one" but it is not known when.
The COL is pretty high unless you are able to find a really good job. If you have the IT skills mentioned above and can find work, you will do well.
Portland is about an hour and a half from the coast.
Portland is a nice place but it doesn't appear to match your criteria. I am certain there are many places that do. Best of luck in your search.
Been in the Houston metro area for 8 years now, and I doubt I'll be leaving. Lots of IT jobs, great pay, more culture than Austin (better theaters, travelling productions, etc), but hurricane risk.
This kind of reminds me of something a relative living in California once told me: apparently, a lot of the folks up there said they would NEVER live near the gulf coast/Houston, etc. and marveled at how we would want to because of hurricanes! I thought this was insane, because you know a hurricane is coming and can just leave! How is that any more terrifying than the idea that everything could just jerk around all of a sudden and collapse????
How is that any more terrifying than the idea that everything could just jerk around all of a sudden and collapse????
Everything jerks around but buildings rarely collapse. Buildings can be (and are) built to withstand earthquakes. If you live in an area where earthquakes are expected, you learn what you need to do to be safe. Then you don't worry about it.
No place is completely safe, but I'd choose earthquakes over tornadoes or hurricanes.
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