tech sector mass firings (San Diego: tech jobs, school, closing)

[futbol]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

They were all in one week. Sony, Cox and one other I can't find. Some were offered jobs elsewhere in the US but many were just let go. Either way that's nearly 1000 jobs leaving SD.

Sony Electronics to cut 400 jobs here | UTSanDiego.com

Cox (and the other cable companies) have been laying off for the last few years. It is all over, not just in San Diego.

Originally Posted by sschibuola

On a semi-related note - I was at a talk last month on San Diego's economic outlook, given by GeorgeChamberlin, the Executive Editor for The San Diego Daily Transcript.

At one point, he threw out a "factoid" to the effect that right now there are 6,000 unfilled jobs in the software industry in San Diego County. He didn't go into much detail - and I had to leave early so didn't have a chance to follow-up - but he made it sound like they weren't all high-end jobs requiring an engineering or similar degree . . . that companies were so hungry for talent they'd be willing to train if the candidate looked promising.

Not that I'm looking to change careers - I'm more curious than anything else . . .but does this sound right to you guys in the local tech sector? If so it would be great news for our local economy - but it sounds a little too good to be true - maybe he's been hanging around the Chamber of Commerce rah-rah boys too long . . .

6000 seems a bit high, but I believe there are thousands of software jobs available in San Diego County. Some are well advertised; some are not.

The big companies might 'retrain' someone who already has experience in a similar field to handle the specifics of the job in need, but I don't think they would take someone with no meaningful software experience and train them. A notable exception to this is Qualcomm's program to hire local recently-discharged veterans and train them for the IT field.

However, there are ways into the tech industry. For example, I know someone in OC who had been the go-to guy in his office for most computer-related issues, software, networking, and hardware. The IT consultant for that office recognized his talent and brought him on full-time. It turned into an on-the-job training position and he worked for and earned some IT certifications. He's now in the IT industry without any formal college technical education, although he has a BA. So, those kind of opportunities might be available in smaller businesses.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by sschibuola

On a semi-related note - I was at a talk last month on San Diego's economic outlook, given by GeorgeChamberlin, the Executive Editor for The San Diego Daily Transcript.

At one point, he threw out a "factoid" to the effect that right now there are 6,000 unfilled jobs in the software industry in San Diego County. He didn't go into much detail - and I had to leave early so didn't have a chance to follow-up - but he made it sound like they weren't all high-end jobs requiring an engineering or similar degree . . . that companies were so hungry for talent they'd be willing to train if the candidate looked promising.

Not that I'm looking to change careers - I'm more curious than anything else . . .but does this sound right to you guys in the local tech sector? If so it would be great news for our local economy - but it sounds a little too good to be true - maybe he's been hanging around the Chamber of Commerce rah-rah boys too long . . .

Originally Posted by futbol

Cox (and the other cable companies) have been laying off for the last few years. It is all over, not just in San Diego.



6000 seems a bit high, but I believe there are thousands of software jobs available in San Diego County. Some are well advertised; some are not.

The big companies might 'retrain' someone who already has experience in a similar field to handle the specifics of the job in need, but I don't think they would take someone with no meaningful software experience and train them. A notable exception to this is Qualcomm's program to hire local recently-discharged veterans and train them for the IT field.

However, there are ways into the tech industry. For example, I know someone in OC who had been the go-to guy in his office for most computer-related issues, software, networking, and hardware. The IT consultant for that office recognized his talent and brought him on full-time. It turned into an on-the-job training position and he worked for and earned some IT certifications. He's now in the IT industry without any formal college technical education, although he has a BA. So, those kind of opportunities might be available in smaller businesses.

futbol is spot on here totally. Our wheelhouse isnt the Sony's of the world, its our small-medium sized businesses for consumer tech. After that its feast or famine with the HPs and Sonys that just chop off business units when bottom lines are not reached or trends change. But that is the way it is when you are a major player and/or a trend setting tech company. I know as I see it every year when our clients budgets are being arranged.

There are jobs here, they just may not pay as well as other cities in tech. Its kind of a double edged sword in San Diego in that sense. Tech is in a weird bubble right now when it is in fact consolidating and very top heavy or start up happy.

Its far more likely you have to navigate or compromise some career choices if you want to SD for the long term vs 'climbing' the ladder. I am not saying it cant be done, but jobs may get fewer and fewer after graduating from a starting engineer out of college into management etc in SD vs being mobile.

6k seems high, but then again George Chamberlain is a rah rah for the stock markets and just LOVES reporting upside news.

So here is my larger picture question. If you know what Aereo, HBO Go, Netflix or Hulu is, what kind of impression does that leave for long term job prospects?

[oddstray]

It occurs to me that 6k might be the number of positions with open listings. Trouble is, an open listing often doesn't lead to a real position. It's often a place-holder for some required process for someone who already is in line for the position.

[Huckleberry3911948]

u must be referring to sony. that is global not local. and the reason is that people dont use their laptops and desktops much anymore mostly use smartphones. sony reps confirm it but it should be obvious. sony did not jump on the smartphone bandwagon.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

u must be referring to sony. that is global not local. and the reason is that people dont use their laptops and desktops much anymore mostly use smartphones. sony reps confirm it but it should be obvious. sony did not jump on the smartphone bandwagon.

Sure they did. Their Xperia line is coming out in force this year.

[sfosyd]

I'm seeing another trend as well in San Diego:

Many Bay Area tech employees who can relocate are moving here simply because the cost of living up there is so outrageous, these days there are plenty of 1 bed apartments in SF going for 4k to 5k a month. San Diego seems like an absolute bargain! Many Bay Area companies actively promote working remotely as an option and recruiting decent people is a huge issue up there. Not so much in San Diego as everyone and their dog wants to live there. If I were looking for a tech job, I wouldn't even consider working for an SD company, and I would only look at Bay Area companies. I think people here don't realize how good the tech economy is up there. JavaScript "engineers" make over six figures. Crazy!

Of course , if these people are laid off, or their start up fails, it increasingly adds to the highly competitive local job market. Again, many tech folks who move to SD do not realize how limited the local job market is. I'm seeing the same thing in Portland, Oregon.

I do think this is having an effect on the local housing market. I've had to go up to SF for meetings the last few weeks and all the flights at business times have been completely sold out and I've had to go at undesirable times i.e. Sunday morning.

Anyway, food for thought.

[Think4Yourself]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

They were all in one week. Sony, Cox and one other I can't find. Some were offered jobs elsewhere in the US but many were just let go. Either way that's nearly 1000 jobs leaving SD.

Sony Electronics to cut 400 jobs here | UTSanDiego.com

Sony is a company with problems. It's main consumer electronics business has been losing money for years as it gets squeezed by the Koreans on the high end and the Chinese on the low end, its movie business isn't making much money as people just aren't going to the movies as much as they used to, while their cellphone business is a distant also ran getting clobbered by the Koreans and the Americans. People aren't really even buying their laptops any more and instead are buying tablets and smart phones instead. In short it is a company which isn't doing well in any of its business fields.

[earlyretirement]

There have been several companies that have announced layoffs. A good source of company closings and layoffs is the weekly San Diego Business Journal which typically reports all of these things.

[Pedro2000]

It's bound to happen when a company (websense) gets bought and plans to relocate to texas and if you don[t want to move, you pretty much are out of a job. That's like 600 jobs right there. Sony, as others have already stated, is a company who has been losing money for years in various businesses. And they've always had the 4 or 5 teams do the same thing around the world competition. That means a lot of redundant departments and employees.

As far as the 6000 job openings, most of those reports in general are BS for any city. They are used for various reasons. One reason for the "can't find people" is to bring in more visa workers or to offshore jobs and save a lot of money. That's been done for years in the tech industry.

The truth is, San diego isn't exactly the place you move to "move up the career ladder" in any industry. So when a few companies cut employees or a place like Websense decides to move, it is big news. Websense is a nice success story for San Diego and it is a bad omen when a company like that decides to relocate. Especially considering a biotech company did the same thing a few years back. It's one thing if they just relocate their location to texas (petco did that), it's another if they take the entire company with them. And the industry websense is in, is bound to get bigger and add more employees.

[hitman619]

My friend just quit Cox Cable after working there a long time t.
Cox went from being a pretty good place to work for to being cheap and second rate.
His words!