Is getting a good tech job in SF difficult? (San Jose: best city, apartment)

[Caliboy101]

Hi,

You can't just move to SF and automatically get into one of the big companies. You should try to find a smaller company and join them and go up the ranks and eventually you'll meet somebody from one of the ''big companies'' and maybe they'll help you get a job in their company. I work for Zynga Game Network and we always have people coming from the smaller tech companies but we don't just hire them if they just automatically come to us and ask.

~ Caliboy101

[ambient]

Originally Posted by samsite

I currently do Tech in Las Vegas and I hope to move back to SF someday. I didn't graduate from a fancy college or have an engineering degree and I pretty much got into the tech field by luck. I have a Comp TIA cert and I'm working on a Oracle Administrator Associate cert. My current job involves system integration and I get good experience on linux systems and general computer networking. With this background, can I get a job for one of the big companies like Apple or Google in Silicon valley? Or do they just hire the cream of the crop guys from Ivy League, India, and Computer Science majors?

In a nutshell: no, you very likely can't get in and and yes, they typically only hire the cream of the crop.

But there are tons of other technology-focused companies in the Bay area... I think most will expect you to have a bachelor's degree and good experience of a more project management / content creation standpoint rather than just narrow technicals.

[ambient]

Originally Posted by Caliboy101

Hi,

You can't just move to SF and automatically get into one of the big companies. You should try to find a smaller company and join them and go up the ranks and eventually you'll meet somebody from one of the ''big companies'' and maybe they'll help you get a job in their company. I work for Zynga Game Network and we always have people coming from the smaller tech companies but we don't just hire them if they just automatically come to us and ask.

~ Caliboy101

You're probably in a better position at Zynga than you would be at any of the "big companies" that have much slower growth prospects. You're one of the biggest anticipated IPOs in the region right now.

[80skeys]

In technical subjects, the amount of time and effort you put into your education is directly proportional to the amount of reward you receive later. Certifications will give you a bit of a boost but not comparable to what college will.

In terms of certifications vs individual courses, employers probably view these the same. I used to work as an engineering manager, and when I looked at job candidates, individual classes or certifications almost had no role in my decision.

Anything you do to boost your knowledge is good and will help you somewhat in compensation. The biggest jump you'll get is with a 4-year engineering degree from a university (not online). If for whatever reason you are unable to pursue this, you can still work in IT although you'll be stuck in the lowest pay tier until you get several years of job experience.

[sonarrat]

You might want to consider temporary agencies like Workforce Logic or Kelly Services. The permanent jobs are the cherry ones that require the most experience; nowadays you almost have to start out as a temp.

[samsite]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

In technical subjects, the amount of time and effort you put into your education is directly proportional to the amount of reward you receive later. Certifications will give you a bit of a boost but not comparable to what college will.

In terms of certifications vs individual courses, employers probably view these the same. I used to work as an engineering manager, and when I looked at job candidates, individual classes or certifications almost had no role in my decision.

Anything you do to boost your knowledge is good and will help you somewhat in compensation. The biggest jump you'll get is with a 4-year engineering degree from a university (not online). If for whatever reason you are unable to pursue this, you can still work in IT although you'll be stuck in the lowest pay tier until you get several years of job experience.

What is considered lowest pay tier in San Francsico? What is the breakdown of IT salaries these days based on experience and education in San Francisco?

[jade408]

I worked for a small tech company where the CEO purposely sought out people with certificates/online degrees and so on. It is really tough to get a job without connections and a four year degree these days. The company paid $10-20 and hour. Yes, in the bay area. Low can be very low. Especially when people are desparate for jobs and/or experienice. One person was like you. Hands on experience, no degree. He has worked there for about 4 years and gets ~ $25/hr.

You'll have trouble. No question. Especially now. There are also tons of outsourcing organizations that will lure young and eager tech workers from India, China, and the Philippines and similar locales with 4 year degrees who will work for cheap with the promise of a visa. You'll be competing with these people as well. They have better qualifications and experience than you do.

Your best bet is to make some friends and to contribute to an in demand open source project. Also build a portfolio of great work so you can attract an employer.

I used my blog (I am a marketer) to improve my job prospects and to get some experience I wasn't getting at work. It worked out pretty well, in my last 2 jobs changes, I have jumped 25-30% pay in each move.

[Setsuko]

A friend of mine works at Google, as mentioned you will need to have at least a graduate degree from a top school along with plenty of experience 5+ years unless you're some form of genius that can impress the Ph.D's who will be interviewing you. My friend had 7 years doing product development for another company along with an MBA from Yale, he had to go through 3 interviews where they basically asked statistics based problem solving questions and you had to answer quick and confidently. You're better off trying to get into a small start up company even then there is a lot of competition.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by samsite

What is considered lowest pay tier in San Francsico? What is the breakdown of IT salaries these days based on experience and education in San Francisco?

Maybe $40k - $60k if you have some IT experience and no college degree. The folks that work at the data center we use are Support Staff and they make $20/hour. They check customer in and out, install server racks, reboot servers for customers and do some minimal network and system configuration.

[samsite]

Well, I get paid more than the lower tiers already (40K-60K). I do have 4 year college degree from SDSU and a Masters from Oklahoma, but my degrees are not related to Tech or Computer Science. In addition, I have good experience in leadership and also speak 2 foreign languages. I want to focus more toward computer work because I like the work environment, but it seems like I'll be taking a pay cut and I will be competing with some highly qualified people. I guess I will stay in Las Vegas and build up my resume until the right opportunity pops up.

Why do all the best cities like San Francisco have to be so difficult to live in?