The current state of SD's Tech Market?? (for young people) (San Diego: job market, school)

[BSerra23]

Hey everyone. I moved to San Diego from NYC last year for a change and to get my career started.

I've got a degree in Computer Information Systems from a really good school in NY. In addition, I've worked for Squarespace (some should know), done some web design, and worked 10 months for a world renowned science institute in La Jolla as a tech support specialist.

I've learned that the science field doesn't pay s*** for tech workers in San Diego. At one job, I was supporting up to 400 employees at some points with only 1 other guy...yet the postdocs in the labs made more money than us....ugh??? Most recently, after the initial 10 months at the last science job, I got hired for $40,000/yr at SD's most famous institute....the one founded by a famous man w/ a vaccine...

However, I left after I realized this job was insane and totally underpaid.

Unless you are an experienced developer, its almost impossible to find a normal tech job that pays more than $40,000 in San Diego. Also, most of these companies are getting really stingy and trying to hire Support Specialists/Developers all in one! Hey can you develop the front end and support the whole system yourself....for $45,000!?!? WTF. Just got contacted by a recruiter for "Sr" level position paying $17/hr...lol.

About half of the companies are hiring tech workers as contract only/no benefits, or part time. I recently interviewed at ESET's (serious software/anti-virus company) building downtown and they were offering $42,000 for their incredibly involved Desktop Engineer/do-anything-we-need position.

Is this the best we're going to do in San Diego? All available data points to SD being at least, one of the 10 best tech markets in the US...but I'm starting to doubt these statistics.

I can find these exact same positions paying $5,000-$15,000 more a year in San Francisco. Cost of living: salary....SD is seeming like one of the worst in the country.

So unless you get a job at Qualcomm or you're a tech guy who's also a science wizard, is there any hope for us younger people trying to get ahead in tech in San Diego?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[futbol]

You should be able to get a tech job that pays well over $50k here with your credentials.

I don't know what your resume/experience is, but it looks like you probably have web design/Java and maybe C/C++, ~1-2 years experience, and a CS degree.

Typically in the tech field, you make much less money when you start. Salary will quickly increase with years of experience, with it leveling off at around ~10-15 years. That experience is what is most important, though. You are much more marketable with 5+ years.

The San Diego tech industry is dominated by small companies, mostly that you have never heard of.

[photo4fun]

my advice is you need to focus your skills toward sw development. Doing a little of this a little of that will not improve your chance to get a better salary.

good luck.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

San Diego is a small business town that really siphons off certain specific industries or the military.

Contracting and interning has really gained momentum as a way for companies to 'try out' workers so I wouldnt be too alarmed. Its not necessarily a bad thing if the oppt is right AND you really want to live here for the long term. Its not necessarily a place you come to 'cut your teeth' per se and get some serious corporate working credentials under your belt. But if you really WANT to live here for the long term, its worth it to 'get in' now and gain some local exposure.
I dont know much about IT, but in my world, jobs always get consolidated and new jobs arise which has requirements that share 2-3 different experience profiles. Mobile is so fast paced and the typical 2 year concept to completion is getting slimmer.

One area I know that we have the biggest challenge is not so much hard engineering, but QA in software. Its not really a 'taught' course, but rather a skill that is acquired through experience with a focus on communication.

A client that I am working with right now, has two guys that serve over 700 employees at the IT service desk and they are always busy and backed up. Things get done because they are good, but its been this way for as long as I have worked with this company (over 3 years).

[BSerra23]

Photo4fun and futbol - thanks....but I'm aware that you normally make less when you start and that software development pays more. That wasn't the point of the discussion.

I'm basically interested in whether or not most people think the San Diego tech scene has "peaked" in terms of pay, local companies, start-ups, etc.

We're also trying to figure out why a city with such low paying tech jobs boasts itself as biotech/tech hub. From what I've heard from older co-workers, IT salaries were actually much better in the past. One guy in particular told me he was making $10,000 more per year doing an easier job about 8 years ago....damn.

Opportunities and salaries even seem a bit lower than when I moved here a year ago...not looking good.

[tonyinsd]

It doesn't surprise me that someone's taken a job that requires more work and pays less. That's what's happening all throughout the country. Companies are taking advantage of the difficulty many people have finding jobs. They'll get theirs when the economy picks up and people flip companies that take advantage of them the bird.

[photo4fun]

BSerra23, I understand your frustration. The tech job scene has been rough for quite a while now and is due to bounce back. From what I hear & read, tech jobs are coming back and companies are hiring. So hang in there.

[sfosyd]

San Diego has a very limited tech sector with only a few small niches such as hardware. The software market is very poor with just a small web analytics cluster, from what I saw.

You can't compare the San Diego job market with San Francisco, New York or Boston. Try Portland or Omaha for a more realistic view. Unfortunately, San Diego does compare with SF, NYC and BOS in terms of cost. That is the sunshine tax and it is huge.

I moved there from the sf bay with a remote job, I was laid off and absolutely shocked at the offers I received in terms of compensation when I looked for jobs in the area. I decided to relocate to NYC for a great job which is fast becoming the tech capital of the east coast. We just surpassed Boston in terms of jobs and Bloomberg is doing a great job of attracting even more tech here.

Good luck!

[futbol]

My point, and what I think others were trying to say, is that you really have to be creative and look beyond the big companies.

There are tech jobs here. I work in the tech field and know this first hand.

~8-10 years ago was toward the end of the 'dot-com' bubble. That is an unrealistic point in time to compare today's tech scene to. Also, IT is not the same industry as tech.

Someone I know in the industry was laid off way back. He was industrious and had a lot of time on his hands. He put together a huge spreadsheet of all companies in SD who employed even one software engineer. That list was huge! Most of those companies I would never have thought of working for.

Case in point: some friends I work with used to be employed by Callaway Golf. Did you know that Callaway does tech work here in SD?

There are many of those kinds of companies here. Small niches of technology abound.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

IT guy for 10+ years. in 2006 I saw the layoffs coming and jumped out. I'm making about 20g less a year but I no longer put in the insane hours I used to and it's much more stable. I still do devo but not as a line programmer @ 10 hrs a day of code writing (that suxed). We were hiring again as of last year so I think it is picking back up.