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It's not though. Did you drill into the stats? Asians are pigeon-holed into certain roles. Senior leadership is overwhelmingly white and male. I'll call it diverse when the makeup of the engineering ranks matches the engineering leadership, and the non engineering roles match up closer to general population portions. This isn't just about Black people and Latinos. The company I work at is around 85% white across the board. And engineering is mostly white. Accounting is almost all asian. Sales is all white. Marketing is almost totally white. The VP and Directors are almost 100% white. The startup in our building has similar demographics.
It is all a mute if the OP doesn't have any ins that will get his resume noticed. Connections are critical if you have a non-standout resume.
So you think where he is coming from (NYC) area is any different? This is a racist society we live in and there is little we can do about it.
So why move here? Its not like you are living in Little Rock, AR. You are in friggin NYC. Do you hate the NYC winters? Love the California landscape? I would argue there is equal economic opportunity in NYC.
May be I haven't been clear about my motivations. I did mention why I want to move briefly in my first post. I will list them here so you may see where I am coming from.
Tech industry: It is not a career move. I have been wanting to move to CA for a few years now. But never possessed the financial resources or the confidence that I do today. The reason is that I have a love affair with technology. It gets me excited and hyped. Not just computers or gadgets but actual cutting edge stuff that changes how people live their lives. Stuff that fixes problems. No where else in the country you can find such density of innovative companies as in the Bay area. Sure NY has some companies, but it's not nearly as tech friendly as CA. Just one specific example is the state rebate on electric cars which I plan on taking advantage of. Putting yourself where you can hone in towards fostering your passions is not such a bad idea.
Weather: Yes. I hate NY winters and would like more sunshine. But let's say NY was as sunny as CA, and CA was as wet and humid as NY, I would still move because of the tech scene.
Landscape: I would love to explore CA landscape. They have everything from mountains to deserts to beaches. I have been to NYC quite a few times and while it's very lively, I am quite bored of it. I am more of a guy who likes to hike for 5 hours to find a secluded spot for astrophotography.
Commute: Some people have mentioned commute as a problem. Even if I was travelling two hours daily going back and forth from work and home, it would be an improvement over my current setup. I work in the field, and a lot of times I end up staying late at client sites; coming back from there usually takes an hour during the rush hour. Try looking up how long it takes from NYC to a nice suburb like Hicksville on I495 during the rush hour. It's going to be over an hour for sure, and that's when there are no accidents, with the usual accidents it can go up to 90 minutes. Even train will take 45 mins to an hour. I don't actually go to NYC for work, but still get home pretty late on a regular basis; usually after 6:00 and some days as late as 9:00. And I still have work to do from home.
Family: I don't want to give you a sob story. But these are just some facts. Not looking for pity, just want to give you an idea of why I can survive in CA. People probably overlooked this little bit, but I didn't mention that I am an immigrant myself. I don't have the luxury that many people born into this country have. I have been financially supporting my parents for over 14 years. I worked two jobs while I was in college to help them with the mortgage. One of the jobs was overnight shift with 30+ hours and the other one was during the day. I also took only three courses to minimize course work. Up until I was in my mid twenties, I never really kept any of my pay checks except one week's pay per month. Most of the money I made went to my parents. My father worked menial jobs for some time and my mother worked for 3 years I believe. During the financial crises my father lost his job and has been unemployed for the last 5 years or so. There are plenty of jobs he can do but he chooses to watch political talk shows from our native country for the ENTIRE DAY EVERY DAY. His routine consists of eating, watching TV, sleeping and repeating the pattern. I have been asking him to find jobs but he just flat out refuses to do any thing.
I switched to paying him rent in my mid 20s instead of handing him my paychecks, I also pay for their phone and cable bill. I never cared much for money but last year I found my tax return which was about $7.5K. YES, I said I saw my tax return because I had never seen one before. Every year, my father took my tax return forms and hired an accountant to file it on my behalf and pocketed the money. I knew what a tax return was, but I was always kept under the impression that it's a small amount, like a few hundred dollars. I confronted him and he said he has a right to keep it because he is my father. I confronted my mother, she made me apologize to my father for confronting him. I told my aunts, they said I am getting good karma because of it. I don't believe in Karma. I am a thirty year old man who is treated like a child in his house.
About his house, my siblings and I have contributed greatly towards the house we live in. I pay for break fix stuff on a regular basis. I give both my parents gifts and cash during seasonal events to help with equipment and stuff. The kitchen still looks like SH*t, despite me trying my best to keep it clean. I was told by my sis recently that she saw letters addressed to every one in the house that we were being sued for being behind our mortgage payments. Just to be clear, none of the kids are actually listed as property owners as far as I know. We are listed contributors who are helping out our parents. I never saw the letter because my father hid it before I got to it. For all I know, all of us could be kicked out at a moment's notice. I don't know if my father actually has enough to make his payments.
There are a lot more things I am not talking about because of privacy.
So, I want to move away from them. Even if I get a place in the suburbs of Long Island, there will be too many people around me to ask me for favors and take up my time and money. I have done more than enough to support them with in reasonable measures. May be once they don't have me they will find the motivation to be independent.
Some people are saying I don't know what it takes to survive there, I would say they don't know what I have been through. If those who said that I am being unrealistic, are Americans that were born here and never had to support their parents and younger siblings, then they can't possibly relate to me. No matter how poor my lifestyle is over there, it is still going to be better than my current lifestyle. And I am not planning to keep it that way. I am confident I can learn the relevant skills fast enough.
Those are my reasons to move.
As a side note, as I have said before, I am open to working in the suburbs as long as I get to live with in close range (an hour drive) to the Bay area. I will get a job before moving, then move and find a rental place, then may be find a house after checking out the suburbs.
All my skills are self taught. I went to college for business degree but didn't like it (and it wasn't giving me much value in terms of my time). I can dedicate time to learning everyday on my own which can yield better results than college courses. The only value I see in college is if I make really cool friends. My siblings and cousins did the whole college thing. They are still paying off their student loans and have mixed feelings about taking out huge loans for a piece of paper. The skills can be learned if one is dedicated.
Great attitude. Maybe you should "self-teach" yourself how to actually network, get internships, job placement, leads, etc. Because all of those things are what I actually got out of my college and grad school education, and I'd argue it's similar for most other people who have used their degrees to get them out of poverty and other rough situations. I'd love to see you use that line in an interview. "College is just for making friends. I'm self taught!" LOL
May be I haven't been clear about my motivations. I did mention why I want to move briefly in my first post. I will list them here so you may see where I am coming from.
Tech industry: It is not a career move. I have been wanting to move to CA for a few years now. But never possessed the financial resources or the confidence that I do today. The reason is that I have a love affair with technology. It gets me excited and hyped. Not just computers or gadgets but actual cutting edge stuff that changes how people live their lives. Stuff that fixes problems. No where else in the country you can find such density of innovative companies as in the Bay area. Sure NY has some companies, but it's not nearly as tech friendly as CA. Just one specific example is the state rebate on electric cars which I plan on taking advantage of. Putting yourself where you can hone in towards fostering your passions is not such a bad idea.
Weather: Yes. I hate NY winters and would like more sunshine. But let's say NY was as sunny as CA, and CA was as wet and humid as NY, I would still move because of the tech scene.
Landscape: I would love to explore CA landscape. They have everything from mountains to deserts to beaches. I have been to NYC quite a few times and while it's very lively, I am quite bored of it. I am more of a guy who likes to hike for 5 hours to find a secluded spot for astrophotography.
Commute: Some people have mentioned commute as a problem. Even if I was travelling two hours daily going back and forth from work and home, it would be an improvement over my current setup. I work in the field, and a lot of times I end up staying late at client sites; coming back from there usually takes an hour during the rush hour. Try looking up how long it takes from NYC to a nice suburb like Hicksville on I495 during the rush hour. It's going to be over an hour for sure, and that's when there are no accidents, with the usual accidents it can go up to 90 minutes. Even train will take 45 mins to an hour. I don't actually go to NYC for work, but still get home pretty late on a regular basis; usually after 6:00 and some days as late as 9:00. And I still have work to do from home.
Family: I don't want to give you a sob story. But these are just some facts. Not looking for pity, just want to give you an idea of why I can survive in CA. People probably overlooked this little bit, but I didn't mention that I am an immigrant myself. I don't have the luxury that many people born into this country have. I have been financially supporting my parents for over 14 years. I worked two jobs while I was in college to help them with the mortgage. One of the jobs was overnight shift with 30+ hours and the other one was during the day. I also took only three courses to minimize course work. Up until I was in my mid twenties, I never really kept any of my pay checks except one week's pay per month. Most of the money I made went to my parents. My father worked menial jobs for some time and my mother worked for 3 years I believe. During the financial crises my father lost his job and has been unemployed for the last 5 years or so. There are plenty of jobs he can do but he chooses to watch political talk shows from our native country for the ENTIRE DAY EVERY DAY. His routine consists of eating, watching TV, sleeping and repeating the pattern. I have been asking him to find jobs but he just flat out refuses to do any thing.
I switched to paying him rent in my mid 20s instead of handing him my paychecks, I also pay for their phone and cable bill. I never cared much for money but last year I found my tax return which was about $7.5K. YES, I said I saw my tax return because I had never seen one before. Every year, my father took my tax return forms and hired an accountant to file it on my behalf and pocketed the money. I knew what a tax return was, but I was always kept under the impression that it's a small amount, like a few hundred dollars. I confronted him and he said he has a right to keep it because he is my father. I confronted my mother, she made me apologize to my father for confronting him. I told my aunts, they said I am getting good karma because of it. I don't believe in Karma. I am a thirty year old man who is treated like a child in his house.
About his house, my siblings and I have contributed greatly towards the house we live in. I pay for break fix stuff on a regular basis. I give both my parents gifts and cash during seasonal events to help with equipment and stuff. The kitchen still looks like SH*t, despite me trying my best to keep it clean. I was told by my sis recently that she saw letters addressed to every one in the house that we were being sued for being behind our mortgage payments. Just to be clear, none of the kids are actually listed as property owners as far as I know. We are listed contributors who are helping out our parents. I never saw the letter because my father hid it before I got to it. For all I know, all of us could be kicked out at a moment's notice. I don't know if my father actually has enough to make his payments.
There are a lot more things I am not talking about because of privacy.
So, I want to move away from them. Even if I get a place in the suburbs of Long Island, there will be too many people around me to ask me for favors and take up my time and money. I have done more than enough to support them with in reasonable measures. May be once they don't have me they will find the motivation to be independent.
Some people are saying I don't know what it takes to survive there, I would say they don't know what I have been through. If those who said that I am being unrealistic, are Americans that were born here and never had to support their parents and younger siblings, then they can't possibly relate to me. No matter how poor my lifestyle is over there, it is still going to be better than my current lifestyle. And I am not planning to keep it that way. I am confident I can learn the relevant skills fast enough.
Those are my reasons to move.
As a side note, as I have said before, I am open to working in the suburbs as long as I get to live with in close range (an hour drive) to the Bay area. I will get a job before moving, then move and find a rental place, then may be find a house after checking out the suburbs.
Well just move then and quit asking anonymous people on a message board.
The OP sounds like a pretty hard worker and currently lives in a congested area with a high COL as well. I'd say go for it. The job market is good, unemployment low, so chances are you can find something and work your way to where you need to be. Not every successful person in the Bay Area has a degree or "connections". Just go for it.
Well just move then and quit asking anonymous people on a message board.
Opinions are like @sses, every donkey has one.
Well, I came here for advice. All I got was flame wars by bunch of people recommending I go to college and network with people....despite the fact that I do have a job without either of those things. I will do research on my own and I guess I will update this thread when I move and have a stable income/housing. Thanks crouching Tiger for at least getting it.
So you think where he is coming from (NYC) area is any different? This is a racist society we live in and there is little we can do about it.
You are essentially telling him that he is SOL.
The most important thing to get a job in tech right now, if you aren't coming from the right school or are not a superstar in your field is to network. So yes the OP is SOL ifhe doesn't have some connections to get him in the door. It is as simple as that. It sounds likes he has a mishmash of experience that adds up to nothing that will get past the resume algorithm.
Great attitude. Maybe you should "self-teach" yourself how to actually network, get internships, job placement, leads, etc. Because all of those things are what I actually got out of my college and grad school education, and I'd argue it's similar for most other people who have used their degrees to get them out of poverty and other rough situations. I'd love to see you use that line in an interview. "College is just for making friends. I'm self taught!" LOL
I have been to many interviews and offered jobs before but never had to use that line; most recruiters understand a degree is not necessarily a proof of skill and college is not mandatory for skill development. College can work for those who have accessibility in life and no responsibilities. I know it wasn't for me. I work much better learning at my own pace.
May be you are just really bad at what you do so you do need network and "connections" to land a job. I can find work without connections, although I don't mind making them.
The most important thing to get a job in tech right now, if you aren't coming from the right school or are not a superstar in your field is to network. So yes the OP is SOL ifhe doesn't have some connections to get him in the door. It is as simple as that. It sounds likes he has a mishmash of experience that adds up to nothing that will get past the resume algorithm.
Here we go again with this nonsense. I have said it a multitude of times. I have specialized skills as well as general skills. Mish mash also means having a diverse range of skills. My current employer is also hiring for the exact same position that I currently have in the bay area. I find it funny how you show concern over lack of diversity in tech while simultaneously discouraging a person from minority background from persueing their idea because they won't fit in due to their race.
Mind you, mechnaical repair is a specialized skill and not something one can learn through certifications. Most IT guys are clueless on how to fix moving parts in machines. The pay is usually better than desktop support but the work is strenous.
The only jobs available for someone whose experience is "fixing moving parts in machines" are places like "The Geek Squad" at Best Buy and that pays around $13.50 an hour with no chance for advancement No tech company is going to hire you to spend your time fixing PC's or servers. My husband just retired from a fortune 500 company as a network administrator and he said that they have a contract for server repair and replacement, laptops and desktops are purchased with a 2 year warranty and are generally replaced every three years. Out of warranty repairs were performed by he or one of his staff but that comprised around 5% of his job. I just read your post to him and he said "tell him not to leave home without an MCSE and CCNP"
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