IT Jobs (Houston, Dallas, Richmond: apartment complex, lease, insurance)

[mayday2k3]

Hey hows the market out their in the It field for entry -level Network Admins or Helpdesk ? Im about to get my M.C.S.A cert. in a couple of months just wondering cause the market sux here in Cincinnati. Its hard 2 get a entry level A+ helpdesk without 3-5yrs exp.

[robertsd247]

You need to get to Dallas if you want IT work in Texas. There are three growth industries in Houston: Medical, energy, and ambulance chasers. IT has been moving out of Houston because of the weather changes and insurance companies not wanting to insure large data centers.

I left Houston in 2004 for Cincinnati (ironically) because I could not find IT work for experienced tech workers, such as myself. I spent 17 months out of work, unable to find IT employment anywhere near Houston. I am now in Cleveland (even further from Houston).

If you are still in Cincinnati, get to Columbus or Cleveland. Forget Dayton, there are no jobs to speak of there and the city itself will probably be in bankruptcy in the next 5 years.

Texas does have some advantages. For one, there is no state income tax or city taxes. The cost of living is a little low but expect to pay a lot for electricity. Texas was deregulated and cooling a typical 800 sq ft 2 bedroom apartment will be around $500 month in the summer and around $300 in the winter. No snow. Global warming has made it a tropical area with rain constantly and the city has poor drainage, especially downtown and in the Galleria. San Felipe and Richmond area flood heavily and regularly.

You won't get hit with the "pet rent" scam like they have in Ohio, but you'll pay $300 deposit for you pet in a typical apartment complex, and do not expect it back either. Most complexes that are decent will be around 500 to 800 for a 2 bedroom. Downtown, East Houston, and southwest near 59/Beltway 8 are loaded with criminals and illegal aliens, avoid it. The only thing running after 6PM in Downtown is the Harris County Jail.

The southwest area is also where a lot of the New Orleans criminals went to post-Katrina. They are currently fighting it out for drug and gun running rights in the area with HPD trying to suppress it and threatening the local media from broadcasting it. This is happening since the destruction of New Orleans shut down the drug and gun routes in that city. They are fighting the local Houston runners in an attempted takeover. Crime is up 1000% post-Katrina and the war is still going on. Any "gang killing" in SW houston is most likely another dead gang soldier.

Do not break down on a Houston freeway either. They tow your car and charge you $200 to get it back.

Montrose is the gay area of the city. Not a bad thing but that is where they are. Similar to Northside in Cincinnati.

Respond back with any other questions you might have.

[Spade]

IT is what I'm going to school for. It's sad to hear that Houston is not a player in the IT industry. I wish that would change very quickly because I would love to live down there. I knew about Dallas having a huge IT field, though.

[BearBranch]

Actually, Houston has close to 2000 tech companies in its metro. This link may be a good place to start:

Houston Technology Center - Assisting Houston Emerging Technology Entrepreneurs

[BearBranch]

In addition, there are ton of super large global companies in Houston where you could get a Network Adminstrator position

[mayday2k3]

hey guys thanx 4 the info

[robertsd247]

Take BearBranch's comments with a grain of salt. Entry-level work is hard to find in Houston. If you want a more certain chance and a better salary, head to Dallas...seriously. A lot of those "2000" tech companies are here today and gone tomorrow.

The majority are also recruiters posing as "tech companies" to contract you out to other companies. Do not move or sign a lease until you have a letter with a job offer.

[Mr. Krinkle]

I'm sorry… I have lurked around this board at times, but robertsd247 reply finally made me register due to his ignorance.

Originally Posted by robertsd247

You need to get to Dallas if you want IT work in Texas. There are three growth industries in Houston: Medical, energy, and ambulance chasers. IT has been moving out of Houston because of the weather changes and insurance companies not wanting to insure large data centers.

What? You should not have a problem getting an IT job. You may have to start out at the helpdesk or desktop level if you don't have any experience. Robertsd247 must not have any IT skills or is a very bad interviewer. Weather changes? Insurance companies? You don't know what you are talking about. Just look at Monster, Dice, ect... and look for yourself to see what's out there. Look in the employment section of chron.com.

Originally Posted by robertsd247

Texas was deregulated and cooling a typical 800 sq ft 2 bedroom apartment will be around $500 month in the summer and around $300 in the winter. No snow. Global warming has made it a tropical area with rain constantly and the city has poor drainage, especially downtown and in the Galleria.

What...do you keep your thermostat on 50 degrees? My 1000sq. ft. loft in downtown (with 16 ft. ceilings and huge windows) ran $70.00 in the winter and no more than $180.00 in the summer. True...it does flood at times, but not due to global warming. Houston has been tropical since the 1800's.

Originally Posted by robertsd247

Most complexes that are decent will be around 500 to 800 for a 2 bedroom. Downtown, East Houston, and southwest near 59/Beltway 8 are loaded with criminals and illegal aliens, avoid it. The only thing running after 6PM in Downtown is the Harris County Jail.

Get your facts straight man. Downtown, Midtown, and the East End of downtown is upcoming and other areas are great; however, you will probably spend at least $1000.00 a month for a 1 bedroom for these areas. Yes, stay away from the southwest part of town.

Originally Posted by robertsd247

Montrose is the gay area of the city.

Montrose is a very diverse neighborhood, and is no longer considered "the gay" area (unlike the early 80’s). It’s true there is a gay population in Montrose, but it’s know for more than that. St. Thomas University, the Manil Museum, great restaurants, and nice living.

The botom line is you can find (and many others I know have), can find IT jobs in Houston. All of these big corporations in Houston need IT help.

[davidt1]

Originally Posted by robertsd247

You need to get to Dallas if you want IT work in Texas. There are three growth industries in Houston: Medical, energy, and ambulance chasers. IT has been moving out of Houston because of the weather changes and insurance companies not wanting to insure large data centers.

I left Houston in 2004 for Cincinnati (ironically) because I could not find IT work for experienced tech workers, such as myself. I spent 17 months out of work, unable to find IT employment anywhere near Houston. I am now in Cleveland (even further from Houston).

If you are still in Cincinnati, get to Columbus or Cleveland. Forget Dayton, there are no jobs to speak of there and the city itself will probably be in bankruptcy in the next 5 years.

Texas does have some advantages. For one, there is no state income tax or city taxes. The cost of living is a little low but expect to pay a lot for electricity. Texas was deregulated and cooling a typical 800 sq ft 2 bedroom apartment will be around $500 month in the summer and around $300 in the winter. No snow. Global warming has made it a tropical area with rain constantly and the city has poor drainage, especially downtown and in the Galleria. San Felipe and Richmond area flood heavily and regularly.

You won't get hit with the "pet rent" scam like they have in Ohio, but you'll pay $300 deposit for you pet in a typical apartment complex, and do not expect it back either. Most complexes that are decent will be around 500 to 800 for a 2 bedroom. Downtown, East Houston, and southwest near 59/Beltway 8 are loaded with criminals and illegal aliens, avoid it. The only thing running after 6PM in Downtown is the Harris County Jail.

The southwest area is also where a lot of the New Orleans criminals went to post-Katrina. They are currently fighting it out for drug and gun running rights in the area with HPD trying to suppress it and threatening the local media from broadcasting it. This is happening since the destruction of New Orleans shut down the drug and gun routes in that city. They are fighting the local Houston runners in an attempted takeover. Crime is up 1000% post-Katrina and the war is still going on. Any "gang killing" in SW houston is most likely another dead gang soldier.

Do not break down on a Houston freeway either. They tow your car and charge you $200 to get it back.

Montrose is the gay area of the city. Not a bad thing but that is where they are. Similar to Northside in Cincinnati.

Respond back with any other questions you might have.

Don't forget the highway robbery property taxes (if you are thinking about buying a house).

[Wysiwyg]

IT jobs in general look good. then again i'm in software development.
job at the helpdesk (by phone) I would think may be a bit difficult to find in any state because it tends to be centralized for a certain corporation. my financial firm's helpdesk is based in chicago and delaware. i bet one day they will be merged.
maybe you should diversify your entry level skills
desktop support teams need to be within each building no matter what line of business. Infrastructure architect (and his support team) is located in offsite locations like houston. lots of these slackers everywhere.
data center teams - what we call the guys who run thru and monitor end-of-day processing. Houston has a few of these
there quality assurance teams - in my bank these guys make $85k for stuff I already QA'd!