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I'm a retired Coast Guard Vet currently living in Connecticut who'll be moving to NC soon. Combination of many factors, main one being I want my son to grow up good.
I've just started my research, focusing on jobs for now. Besides the usual type of info one can get online, am really interested in any inside skinny from techies who currently live in North Carolina. Stuff like which areas are really the best for IT work, what's growing/not growing, areas to avoid, etc.
Geographically I'm giving long looks at Wilmington, Asheville, the triangle, Charlotte.
Tech wise I've what I imagine to be the usual suite: MCSE 2K3, CCNA-headed towards CCNP, wireless, troubleshooting, some security, Exchange experience (and working on certs for these as well). Not sure if it would increase my marketability, but I'm fluent in Spanish, conversant in Italian and a couple others.
Well, anyways - thanks much in advance for your input. Though I've only spent a little bit of time in NC, it was great - I was in Wilmington back when they still had a Coast Guard Icebreaker stationed there, and memories of the kids saluting us in uniform and the warm appreciation from the locals for us is something I've never forgotten... and I want my boy to have that excellence imprinted inside him.
Job opportunities in your field will be much more limited in Wilmington or Asheville. I lived in Wilmington for five years and worked in the software development field, and have lived in Asheville for the last four and worked in the same area. Both cities' economies are tied heavily to service and tourism and there just are not many IT related jobs. I worked in a software firm that laid off 60 people in Wilmington in 2002 and only a handful were able to find work there, most of the rest moved to the Raleigh area and some to Charlotte. Same thing in Asheville, I was able to find work here before the next layoff the Wilmington company had, but now, if I were to lose my job here, I almost certainly would have to move. Pay scales much higher in Charlotte and Raleigh as well, in general. You pay a tax, so to speak, for living near the beach or the mountains. Good luck in your search.
If you're considering the Triangle, go to www.rtp.org. That would be my first suggestion. There is also the Triangle Business Journal, triangle.bizjournals.com, which may have information on local companies. pm me for specifics on the area, and thank-you for your service from an Army brat!
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