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I just lost my job of 15 years working in family software business with my father. Basically, I got pretty screwed, taken advantage of and paid dismally for very rigorous and long hours of work. My father got a big inheritance and when he didn't need me anymore he horded the wealth and gave me the boot. So, my life is broken now and I have just a tiny little savings which I am going to utilize to study web and mobile OS programming and build up my skill set and resume. Basically, I am going to be living very cheaply for the next year while I spend my time in training and studying. My hope would be after a year 15 years of solid desktop development background in .NET, C++, C , Visual Basic, etc and with web and mobile skills, I could land a better job or maybe even start a business. I'm also open to doing some contract work on the side or even part-time work towards the end of the year to help keep my studying and business prospects going.
Anyway, my life is in the pits and just want a new start and a new life. I will be sad to leave my home of the Pacific NOrthwest, which I have lived most of my life, but the place is getting too expensive, jobs are not matching the living costs and, to be honest, Seattle is a bit too liberal and crowded for my tastes, anyhow. I also will not move back down to the Portland area, because my family is down there , as well as the taxes in Oregon are brutal, which is why I left my home state to start with. I am going to try to get away from my family and just start a new life.
I am looking at the Southeast, because it looks like a place with good conservative values, a much lower cost of living, gun friendly and host some decent cities and larger towns that seem to have booming IT markets. I'm a right-wing, Republican/Libertarian kind of guy, but I am also very open-minded and enjoy cities/towns with culture, coffeeshops, some night life and activities. I am a 37 year old single guy. I'm Jewish, not a churchgoer, but have no problem going hunting , fishing or hanging out with people of any religion, culture or ethnic background.
After I lost my job , I got pretty screwed by my local Jewish community who wanted nothing to do with me, since I don't have anything to offer them. As I expressed in other posts in the past, Seattle's Jewish community is affluent and you gotta pay to pray. In Seattle, and in other areas around the country, the Jewish community expects you to contribute a lot to them or you will not feel so welcomed. I don't want to get into more details about this issue. I just want to make the point finding a place with a Jewish community is not a requirement. In fact, I want to avoid Jewish communities altogether for a while, maybe a long while. So nobody needs to tell me how great the Jewish communities are. However, I just like to make sure people are friendly to Jews, which from posts in the past I have ascertained they are in Tennessee.
Obviously, Knoxville I am sure is not a thriving IT market. However, for the next year, my goal will be to live cheaply and it appears Knoxville is very cheap and it seems I can take the money I have a long way. Also, Knoxville seems centrally located to almost every Southern and even some Midwest and Eastern cities (like Pittsburgh) I could consider living if I had to. Basically, I am wanting to live in Knoxville for the next year, possibly, while I spend my time studying 12+ hours a day to build my resume/business prospects. Then, if I cannot find work in Knoxville or start a business by the time my money is getting lower, I will look at relocating to more IT friendly paces such as Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta, Huntsville, Dallas, Pittsburgh, etc.
Anyway, I have talked to people about Knoxville before I have learned some things, but my situation is totally different now, due to the horrible event I encountered in my life and the loss of my long-lasting job.
What I like to know is where in Knoxville can I rent a place in the $600-900 price range (lower the better) that is in a safe and quiet neighborhood away from the gangbangers, traffic, noise and crime. I don't care about charm, if it is cookie-cutter or whatever. I just need a place that is clean, quiet and safe for the next year or as long as I can hold out. A 1 or 2 bedroom apartment and duplex will do, if I could get a garage, all the better.
I am a mountain man and love hiking and the outdoors. So Knoxville seems like the kind of place I want to live. Of course, a man has got to eat, so when money gets low, I will obviously need to get work if my business plans fail or are postponed.
As well, would people say that Knoxville has anything to do for non churchgoers who are single and in the 30s? I don't mind hanging out with 20 somethings or people a bit younger, but from my experience, married people with kids tend to keep to themselves and not socialize. At least that is how it is in the Northwest. I'm assuming in an area with a large religious Christian population, most people marry young and associate only with themselves. I accept I may be a bit lonely, and although it's not a deal breaker, it is not a benefit. My mindset now is mostly on survival, living in a safe, inexpensive clean and decent place. But, it would be nice to know about social prospects.
I would also appreciate if people can tell me the prospects of finding work as a software developer in Knoxville or the metro area. How tough of a market would it be? Is there any major industries in the area hiring? Is it mostly an H1B environment like here in Redmond, WA. I'm not a college graduate, but have 15+ years of software experience and an extensive portfolio of my software projects and over 1,000 people in the medical industry using the software I have written over the years. As I said, I am not going to be looking for a job until I can build my skill set even more and become very web app/mobile app friendly. Still, it would be nice to know whats happening in the software market in Knoxville.
I appreciate the input people can give me.. I'm in a time critical situation and will probably be making my decision of where I live in the next week and buying a plane ticket and flying out there to look for a place and find a rental.. Thank you..
Last edited by RotseCherut; 12-21-2015 at 01:38 AM..
The IT/software market in Knoxville is not very large. A seemingly large amount of the jobs run through staffing agencies, primarily TEKSystems (avoid) and Premier Staffing Partners. Employers of note include Oak Ridge National Labs, UT-Knoxville, and SAIC. I have no knowledge on the visa status of the workers.
With that said, Knoxville is a good outdoor city (air quality is poor - city is in a valley), and the cost of living is going to be quite reasonable coming from Seattle area. However, payscales are going to be lower, and the economy isn't nearly as robust. If you find a good job and something happens to that job, your odds of finding similar quality employment aren't as good as they will be in a major market.
Most people are not going to be in your face about politics or religion in Knoxville proper. In rural areas, people are more conservative and open with it. Likewise, I wouldn't bring up your politics around people you don't know.
Most importantly, do not randomly move anywhere without a job lined up, or six months of living expenses, at a minimum. Moving somewhere in a rush without a good plan or employment is likely to end in failure.
Like Serious said, it would be foolish to move here without a job lined up or some serious savings.
Reading your post (I confess, I started skimming it after a while) I got the feeling you have not visited this area, and have some preconceived idea about the South in general.
You might not have an accurate understanding of: 1. just how conservative the people of Knoxville are, and 2. how religious the people of Knoxville are.
I visit Seattle at least twice a year, so I have a fairly good idea of the vibe of the area. Honestly, I don't think you are going to feel a huge difference. Walking around Downtown, or Market Square is certainly not a conservative right wing type vibe. Visit Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or REI, and you are not likely to see Rush Limbaugh bumper stickers. The other side is you will not likely get accosted by a Southern Baptist walking down the street.
While you will be able to find a place to rent within your budget, it will probably be at the higher end. You might have a problem renting at some places if you do not have a job. I know when I rent to someone, we do a credit check, and want to know where they work. Not having a job could be a problem for some landlords.
My suggestion is to visit the area and get an idea if it seems like a good fit. You might get a better idea about the job market too.
I guess my big question, is why move to Knoxville, where the job market in your field is likely poor, instead of moving to one of the other choices you listed, and start off fresh? Why diminish your savings just to plan to move to another area that has a higher potential for success?
Good luck with your planned move.
I'm not political or religious at all and while there are many many churches here, I have had just two religious conversations and not a single political one in the 6 months i've been here. No one has ever badgered me about church or treated me less for not belonging to one. You will find that there are your conservatives and your liberals but they aren't in your face about it at all.
As for the job market... try and get some feelers for the market here in terms of salary and what the rents are. It makes a huge difference knowing. I was lucky that we stayed with my MIL when we first got here and that I had 3 job offers in the first week after I arrived but the accounting job market was better in the summer than it is now. You might be better off in Nashville or possibly Atlanta.
I certainly don't think I would be as comfortable as I am now without my husband's family and friends here to keep me company at first. Even though I have been here 6 months, I really don't have any friends outside that circle yet but I just now started meeting people my age at work who I feel comfortable talking to. I hope you are a person with a strong sense of independence.
Thanks for the posts, I think I will forget about Knoxville, as it makes sense that I should stick my roots in a place where I do feel the potential of finding IT work after my finances start getting low. Of course, I am hoping to find a telecommuting option for supplemental income while I do my studying. Knoxville sounds like it could be nice with the mountains, smaller city atmosphere, conservative environment, etc. However, I guess I will probably look at Charlotte, NC across the mountains where there is a more thriving IT market and the cost of living is not much more expensive.
Nashville may be an option, but it is a bit flat for me and the cost of living in Nashville seems to be approaching the Seattle prices, which means I cannot live there unless I have a job already lined up. I have no problem living in a place that is inexpensive where I can spend time increasing my skill sets and training and then look for work. But, if I live in an expensive place like Seattle or Nashville, I will go broke too quickly and not get the training time I need that can boost my paycheck or even have the potential to start my own business.
As far as culture, excitement and enjoying life, Nashville probably would be the most fun town for a single 30 something guy like me to live, but a man has got to eat and survive.. I always wanted to live in a city with some soul, after living in the lifeless, smileless, cold, dreary and unfriendly city of Seattle for so long. However, in the current dismal situation I am in, I probably will not have a lot of time to enjoy life much anyway.
Have you looked at Chattanooga? They have lighting fast internet.
Richmond VA seems to be on the upswing and it has a lot of soul. No info on their IT scene.
Are you saying Chattanooga has better software job market than Knoxville, a city with a metro that is like 3 times as large ? Yeah , thought about Chattanooga, but I heard it has a bit of crime problem and didn't think it had jobs. It looks to be in a beautiful area though.
Richmond, VA is a place I would consider.. Although, I always thought Virginia was pretty liberal state, how would a more conservative person fare there? Also, doesn't Richmond have a pretty bad problem with crime?
I am yet to see anywhere where Chattanooga has any type of sizable IT market or software industry. I've heard about the great internet, but The Dalles, Oregon also has great internet and not a ton of IT jobs; although, it does have a Google campus there, but being only one employer, doesn't mean a ton of software jobs. For example, I wouldn't move to The Dalles gambling on getting a job at Google.
1) IT/software jobs tend to be concentrated in the biggest metros. Nashville is the biggest market in TN overall, and I think has been the fastest growing for quite some time. Even though it has a higher cost of living, it's going to have more software/IT jobs by virtue of its size and likely proportionally as well.
2) NC has a state income tax and neither TN/WA do. It's an added burden.
3) Yes, Nashville has a rising cost of living, but I'd still bet it's cheaper than Seattle. There are still more affordable surrounding cities, but the commute downtown (if you had to) could be a bear.
4) Richmond has a lot of history and I wouldn't consider Virginia liberal in the sense that Washington is. A lot of the IT jobs there probably lean toward VITA (Virginia Information Technology Agency) and defense/federal work.
5) I've seen more software/IT jobs in Chattanooga than most small markets its size, but it's still a small market.
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