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Old 01-15-2017, 04:43 PM
 
8 posts, read 23,854 times
Reputation: 11

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Hello All,

I have a BSEE but I switched couple of years ago to software development, still have less than two years experience in .NET stack and work as an independent contractor for a DOT at the moment. The biggest reason for contemplating a move are the tech centers in SF/SJ, Orange county, Portland and Seattle areas along with the general liberal and progressive atmosphere as compared to South East.

BTW I lived in Silicon valley for few years in late 90s (De-Anza College in Cupertino anyone?) so I have some idea about the west coast. Once drove through upper pacific coast all the way to BC, hiking/camping along the way around Mt Hood, Crater Lake, Cascade loop, just beautiful....

The only other somewhat clustered tech centers are along north east but see reasons below:
NY/Boston(too cold), MD/NOVA ( too formal, govt scene), NC, Research Triangle (state too conservative still)

Main Requirements: Good for my career, within reasonable distance of other tech centers (so I can network, attend conferences etc), good out doors opportunities with decent weather i.e. not NE or MidWest cold, liberal/progressive culture.

So we are planning to get rid of everything we cannot fit in the 4runner or our little 4x8 trailer I plan to drag behind and move.

What are some areas to consider to initially rent an apartment, we do not have any kids so no worries on school?

I will reach out to some recruiters to see i f I can line something ahead of time or we will get there and look, at least I will have my other position to keep us going.

Any thing else I am not considering, do I need to get some more experience here before moving as I can be somewhat flexible?

Kind Regards,
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Old 01-15-2017, 05:04 PM
 
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
12,974 posts, read 7,340,341 times
Reputation: 9711
Try for Something you can afford and short-time for up to 6 months.
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Old 01-15-2017, 05:47 PM
 
Location: Seattle
1,651 posts, read 2,765,578 times
Reputation: 3021
Your biggest problem is going to be that our rental market is pretty tight (although last month finally showed some relief) and LL's can be very choosey. One thing that's really going to hurt is a lack of current employment. When they get dozens of applicants for each opening, they're typically going to chose the candidate with verifiable income.

The other thing is that there are is a lot of top talent here that you'll be competing with. Yes, our job market is good, but there's a reason everyone and their dog is setting up shop here. Amazon, MS, Google, etc all bring in the top talent, and those people eventually leave, and that's who your competition is. Be prepared for it to take longer than you'd like, and be open to things like contracting to start generating income right away and make contacts in the industry. Getting a job with limited experience is not impossible, but also not a slam dunk. Consider those jobs might not pay enough for one person, so does your SO also have a marketable skillset?

Personally, I think it'd be better to get a job here and keep building your skillset, but that's risky. The best scenario would be to get some leads or interviews before making the jump. Just start applying - if you get some interviews/offers, then great, and if not - you'll have brushed up your resume and gotten into interview mode. I'll note that I have been absolutely besieged by Amazon recruiters lately, seems like they are hiring hand over fist, and they have been known to pay relocation. There are areas where you could potentially leverage both your EE background and your current skillset.

Which brings us to savings. Make sure you have enough for first, last, deposit, start-up costs, and then a good 3-6 months of rent + expenses. Unless you go the contract route, or land a job before moving, the HR wheels turn slooooow. It can take a lot longer than you'd think to get through the hiring process, and that's when everything goes smoothly. If it takes a few different tries, you'll eat up your savings faster than you ever dreamed possible. Unfortunately, this is an expensive city so don't underestimate. I'd say think of every possible expense and budget double that.


I hate to sound like I'm raining on someone's parade because I'm all for taking career risks and big moves (I've packed it all up and headed down the road a couple times too), but this is a tough city to not make it in, so it's good to have a backup plan in case things don't go as planned.

Without a job, I don't think you're going to get to be that picky about where you live. Looking for a 6 month lease is good advice. Traffic is horrible here, so you're likely going to want to move closer to wherever you find work.
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Old 01-15-2017, 09:58 PM
 
8,758 posts, read 6,679,912 times
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I suggest a hotel with monthly rates to start. The Mediterranean on Lower Queen Anne worked for me at one point, with my stuff in storage. Then get a job. Then live really close to it.

Most new tech jobs are in five or six districts -- South Lake Union and the north edge of Downtown proper (Amazon, Facebook, soon to be Google), the Pioneer Square area at the south end of Downtown (lots of little creatives), the Fremont neighborhood (Google, Tableau, Adobe), Kirkland (Google, Tableau), Downtown Bellevue (Microsoft, Expedia until they move to Seattle), and Redmond (most of Microsoft). All have a lot of apartments either amidst the offices, within a decent walk, or a few bus stops away.
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Old 01-16-2017, 10:25 AM
 
8 posts, read 23,854 times
Reputation: 11
^ this is precisely what I need, names of tech areas and accommodation locations that I can research, I can manage the rest.

BTW I will still have my 1099 job when I move there, it is remote so I can work on it from anywhere I have internet access. Also have enough savings but I rather not burn through them and add it to the down payment for a place if we decide to buy something.

SO was in graphic design, but she really needs to brush up so we are not counting on it
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Old 01-16-2017, 03:06 PM
 
Location: West Coast
1,889 posts, read 2,183,251 times
Reputation: 4345
Unless you're extremely skilled, credentialed, and have an advanced degree from a prestigious university don't expect to get a good payday in Seattle, in fact many companies will pay people LESS than most major cities for regular employees, even with the Bay Area Jr cost of living.

Competition is extremely stiff there, YMMV.
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Old 01-16-2017, 09:09 PM
 
Location: Nashville
3,533 posts, read 5,793,167 times
Reputation: 4707
Quote:
Originally Posted by thatguy950 View Post
Unless you're extremely skilled, credentialed, and have an advanced degree from a prestigious university don't expect to get a good payday in Seattle, in fact many companies will pay people LESS than most major cities for regular employees, even with the Bay Area Jr cost of living.

Competition is extremely stiff there, YMMV.
I am re-considering moving back to the Seattle area, because of its booming software market. Competition is extremely stiff, doesn't sound like a good thing. However, the number of software jobs in Seattle are many times more than other cities I have seen that are even larger than Seattle and the belief that these major corporations bring in the highest pay talent and they leave is also a bit of a misnomer. For example, the turnover rate at large corporations for senior developers at Oracle, Google, Microsoft is not as high one may think. The turnover rate for mid level or less experienced positions is much higher. Many companies strive to keep their experienced and respected developers.

However, with that being said, I have not been on the software market for over 15 years and now see I am going to have a tough time with my lack of web skills. I've been turned down for most jobs because they are lookign for a senior developer but want a super web guru. I'm going to be going to Seattle to try to fight may way into the market. I was considering posting a thread like this and will probably. However, my situation is not quite the same as the OP's, as I am a .Net /C++ /VB programmer with over 16 years of experience and have been in the health care software industry for last 15 years. I do not have a college degree and regret that, but I have to make due with what I have. I've been told college degrees are not so important with senior positions. Most companies who contacted me and were interested, yet turned me down, did so because I was lacking experience in certain technology sets . In fact, I would say the degree is almost irrelevant if you have years of skills in the desired technology sets.
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Old 01-16-2017, 09:32 PM
 
21,988 posts, read 15,611,140 times
Reputation: 12943
Quote:
Originally Posted by RotseCherut View Post
I am re-considering moving back to the Seattle area, because of its booming software market. Competition is extremely stiff, doesn't sound like a good thing. However, the number of software jobs in Seattle are many times more than other cities I have seen that are even larger than Seattle and the belief that these major corporations bring in the highest pay talent and they leave is also a bit of a misnomer. For example, the turnover rate at large corporations for senior developers at Oracle, Google, Microsoft is not as high one may think. The turnover rate for mid level or less experienced positions is much higher. Many companies strive to keep their experienced and respected developers.

However, with that being said, I have not been on the software market for over 15 years and now see I am going to have a tough time with my lack of web skills. I've been turned down for most jobs because they are lookign for a senior developer but want a super web guru. I'm going to be going to Seattle to try to fight may way into the market. I was considering posting a thread like this and will probably. However, my situation is not quite the same as the OP's, as I am a .Net /C++ /VB programmer with over 16 years of experience and have been in the health care software industry for last 15 years. I do not have a college degree and regret that, but I have to make due with what I have. I've been told college degrees are not so important with senior positions. Most companies who contacted me and were interested, yet turned me down, did so because I was lacking experience in certain technology sets . In fact, I would say the degree is almost irrelevant if you have years of skills in the desired technology sets.
Didn't you say before that you were going to Boise for the low cost of living while you increased your software development knowledge by self-training? Also, you've made it clear constantly that you do not like Seattle, so why not try a place you do like? This seems like an exercise in misery.
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Old 01-16-2017, 11:13 PM
 
8,758 posts, read 6,679,912 times
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The more the merrier.
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Old 01-16-2017, 11:51 PM
 
1,188 posts, read 953,572 times
Reputation: 1598
If you're a .NET developer, then you should have no problem getting a job working at Microsoft, with one caveat -- you will probably end up working as a contractor (i.e. working through a staffing agency like Insight Global or Aditi).

Feel free to message me as I am a local .NET developer who has worked at Microsoft in the past.
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