Software Eng. jobs / Moving to Raleigh (Chapel Hill: best cities, chapel, co-op)

[Lant]

Hey all,

I am currently employed in the UK as a software engineer and have graduated from a good university here. I'm looking to make a move to Raleigh area due having some family already in NC and feeling very priced out of the property market in the UK ($600k+ for a 2 bedroom bungalow). I would really welcome any input on whether this is a horrible idea or not

How is the IT job situation in the RTP? I have just over a years professional experience at a medium-size multi-national - would the lack of experience help or hinder my chances of getting a job? From looking at RTP jobs it does seem like most are after 3-5 years exp. Failing to land a job I enjoy, I'd be pretty happy to enroll for a MSc in comp sci at Chapel Hill or Duke, assuming that this would improve my job prospects. Would this be the case and are their comp sci programs regarded well among the RTP community?

[Dire Wolf]

The job market here is very tough right now. It isn't impossible to find a job, but it is very challenging even for seasoned professionals. Expect a lot of competition for any openings you are lucky enough to find.

As for Comp Sci Masters programs, I've worked in the Data and Voice Networking businesses in RTP for 20 years now and in my experience the NC State grads (not just Masters) outnumber the UNC and Duke ones by about 20 to 1 or better. Virginia Tech, Clemson and Georgia Tech all have better showings among the places I've worked than UNC or Duke.

[Lant]

Thanks for the reply. I will need to take a look at NC State as well.

I take it from your reply that you generally see all the programs as equal then? And also, that if times were better for the economy it would be not overly difficult to obtain a job with 1-2 years exp?

[saturnfan]

You also need a visa that will allow you to legally work in the US.

[Francois]

Originally Posted by Lant

Hey all,
How is the IT job situation in the RTP?

Nit-pick: We say "In RTP", not "In the RTP", generally.

NC is something like the #6 state in the USA for unemployment right now, much of it being hi-tech.

[QUOTEI have just over a years professional experience at a medium-size multi-national - would the lack of experience help or hinder my chances of getting a job? From looking at RTP jobs it does seem like most are after 3-5 years exp. [/quote]

In IT, "Lack of experience" is the MAJOR hindrance for jobs, period. They want someone who can hit the ground running and need as little training as possible (especially in this economy), and I do think "3-5 years" is a standard experience requirement even during good economies. Obviously, SOME folks are getting hired with less experience than that, but I can't say what kind of jobs they're getting. DO YOUR HOMEWORK on the job market before moving all the way here--I know someone with 12 years experience in Silicon Valley as a software developer who has been unemployed here for 4 years.

Failing to land a job I enjoy, I'd be pretty happy to enroll for a MSc in comp sci at Chapel Hill or Duke, assuming that this would improve my job prospects. Would this be the case and are their comp sci programs regarded well among the RTP community?

As someone else said, NC State is the best "Tech" school here. UNC and Duke have better reputations overall and for Business/liberal Arts, but Tech is one thing NCSU is known for. But, bear in mind that the acceptance process for graduate schools here is not as if you can just "land here and go to school"; it would be probably a year before you'd be able to start, once you went through the hoops of applying (you might have to take some standardized tests only given in the US, etc). And, with the economy being so bad, applications to graduate schools are way up from "usual", due to people not being able to get jobs with an undergraduate degree. And you'd be paying out-of-state tuition--how would you support yourself for the year or so it took to get in grad school?

Not trying to scare you, but these are the realities; I don't think "a year or so" of experience is worth much in your field right here, right now, especially for someone from out of the country who would require work Visas.

[joey2000]

Exactly...

As for getting a Masters, I would think an MBA or even MIS might serve better vs one in CompSci....maybe not now but down the road, and with little experience, not sure how much the Masters will help anyway, at least in this area.

[Dire Wolf]

Originally Posted by Lant

Thanks for the reply. I will need to take a look at NC State as well.

I take it from your reply that you generally see all the programs as equal then? And also, that if times were better for the economy it would be not overly difficult to obtain a job with 1-2 years exp?

I don't really have enough experience working with grads from those other 2 programs to have an informed opinion.

And as others have stated, experience and connections are always important in landing a job. A year or two is definitely much better than none at all. The work visa is also a major issue. Combining the two magnifies both. It is hard for an employer to justify an H1-B for an employee with little experience. The justification for them is that there was no U.S. citizen they could find to do such specialized work.

If you were to come here for school, and then land a co-op job at a local employer, you might have a much easier time getting hired there after you finish the degree.

[Francois]

I just saw one of those online "Best Cities for ____" and it mentioned the Provo, Utah area as the new "hot market" for Software development. Hope you like Mormans.

[Dire Wolf]

Interesting. I was unaware of that and will have to look into. Not Mormon (or at all religious), but might put up with that to have mountains and all the Utah National Parks fairly close by. Not that I'm planning on moving away from NC (am a native) anytime soon.

[Lant]

Should have mentioned a visa/permanent residence is a non-issue due to family ties in the US, particularly NC, so it wouldn't be a crazy move where I knew no one with no support whereas the proposed state of Big Love would be.

From the posts I think I've gathered that it will be difficult but not impossible for jobs and also that NCSU is the way to go for tech. Thanks for the help.