Current job market in Tampa (Miami, Orlando: chapel, home, neighborhood)

[lrupe28]

Hello, i'm sure this has been asked before and I did search through previous forums, but all of them had dates in 2006. I was wondering what the job market is like currently in the IT field. My husband is interested in web design has an associates in CIS and is now working on certifications in a bunch of different things. He knows HTML, UNIX, CSS and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember. For me, I have less than one year and i'll have my degree in business with a double major in human resources and management. I have no job experience per se in this field but I was in the military for 6 years prior (was an NCO) to my staying home to take care of my family while I finished my degree.

What are the chances of us being able to find decent jobs where we can afford to live in a nice neighborhood so our 3 young kids will be safe to ride their bikes around if they want to (we are looking at the Lithia/Brandon area or New Tampa/ Wesley Chapel area).

[JSnFla]

If your are putting the time, effort and money into getting IT degrees and certifications then dont waste your time moving to Tampa...if u had a ton of IT experience in a highly desired skillset then u might find work here otherwise forget it...Tampa has been ranked as the worst city in the US for young professionals for 2 years in a row....its a horrible job market here, the pits....try austin, raleigh, san diego, houston, dallas, SF, boston, DC, NY, denver, chicago, atlanta or seattle for cities with good IT job markets where u can build a career.... forget Tampa.

[Lulu101]

try Hooter's IT dept.

[BradS1]

Originally Posted by JSnFla

If your are putting the time, effort and money into getting IT degrees and certifications then dont waste your time moving to Tampa...if u had a ton of IT experience in a highly desired skillset then u might find work here otherwise forget it...Tampa has been ranked as the worst city in the US for young professionals for 2 years in a row....its a horrible job market here, the pits....try austin, raleigh, san diego, houston, dallas, SF, boston, DC, NY, denver, chicago, atlanta or seattle for cities with good IT job markets where u can build a career.... forget Tampa.

It's that bad ?

Are you taking just IT or or overall the market is crap. I'm interested in moving down and trying to land some type of financial job, I just find it really hard to believe the market is that bad. They have all kinds of huge financial buildings in Tampa that have to have job openings.

[JSnFla]

Originally Posted by BradS1

It's that bad ?

Are you taking just IT or or overall the market is crap. I'm interested in moving down and trying to land some type of financial job, I just find it really hard to believe the market is that bad. They have all kinds of huge financial buildings in Tampa that have to have job openings.

its a horrible job market here dont let the few buildings in the ghost town downtown tampa fool u....its the call center capital of the world...read the forbes magazine article about tampa....i know tons of experienced, highly educated people who have or are running away from this place...if u value your career dont move here

[tampaguy03]

Originally Posted by JSnFla

its a horrible job market here dont let the few buildings in the ghost town downtown tampa fool u....its the call center capital of the world...read the forbes magazine article about tampa....i know tons of experienced, highly educated people who have or are running away from this place...if u value your career dont move here

Or if you are seriously considering a move here, check out the Tampa Bay Business Journal Book of Lists..it has lists all the companies in the Tampa Bay area for every industry(a pretty impressive list for such a small city, and mid sized regional area). You will not know what is out there if you just listen to a Forum that attracts less than .000000001% of the Bay area population(a dozen or so posters) and some of those who constantly are negative...Jobs are there in all fields, but its a matter of seeing exactly what companies are in Tampa area, and which ones are hiring for what...and what kind of education and experience you can bring...

As far as Financial Services..a few biggies are MetLife, USAA, Raymond James(corporate headquarters), New York Life, Bank of America are just a few that have Regional Offices in the Area.

There are approx 60,000 people that work in the downtown proper(the area with the tall buildings) each day...not much of a ghost town during the day, in the evenings, downtown proper is home to about 1000 residents.

Westshore District, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westshore,_Tampa , is the largest Business District in the State, where over 100,000 come to work each day from the outlaying areas.

[InLuvWitFlo]

Tampa is just like many cities in america, slow job market, layoffs, and weak economy. If you have a job the best thing to do in these times is to keep it and ride out the tide til times get better. If you have to go to Tampa you could snag a customer service gig til you find something better. I lived in Tampa for years and there came point in time when I had to say to hell with the sunshine I need a better quality of life financially, emotionally, and so on. I now live in Ohio and my quality of life is better and I'm happy! If I were you I would take my time the sunshine state isnt going anywhere and wait for times to get better, I believe they will. Good luck to you!

[BradS1]

Originally Posted by tampaguy03

Or if you are seriously considering a move here, check out the Tampa Bay Business Journal Book of Lists..it has lists all the companies in the Tampa Bay area for every industry(a pretty impressive list for such a small city, and mid sized regional area). You will not know what is out there if you just listen to a Forum that attracts less than .000000001% of the Bay area population(a dozen or so posters) and some of those who constantly are negative...Jobs are there in all fields, but its a matter of seeing exactly what companies are in Tampa area, and which ones are hiring for what...and what kind of education and experience you can bring...

Interesting info, thanks.

Tampa Bay Business Journal Book of Lists

I will keep an eye on his and see if they come out with an update soon. The last one was released Dec 07 so it's a bit outdated.

As far as Financial Services..a few biggies are MetLife, USAA, Raymond James(corporate headquarters), New York Life, Bank of America are just a few that have Regional Offices in the Area.

Yeah, those are some of the buildings I was thinking of. Florida trust or Florida first bank(can't remember which) was another decent size building as well. I guess I just don't know what goes on in there. I'm not interested in a $10/hr call center job which may be what's going on up there.

There are approx 60,000 people that work in the downtown proper(the area with the tall buildings) each day...not much of a ghost town during the day, in the evenings, downtown proper is home to about 1000 residents.

Westshore District, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westshore,_Tampa , is the largest Business District in the State, where over 100,000 come to work each day from the outlaying areas

What type of work is available in Westshore?

[BradS1]

It's funny(scary) the more I read about the Tampa job market. I know our economy is crap overall and jobs are hard to find anywhere, but to hear young professionals running from the area is a bit disturbing. Where are they running to....everyplace sucks.

I was under the impression that Tampa was one of the best markets in Florida. It might be, I have no idea...is the rest of the state worse off than Tampa?

I'm thinking the only other bigtime job markets would be Orlando, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and probably JAX.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by tampaguy03

Or if you are seriously considering a move here, check out the Tampa Bay Business Journal Book of Lists..it has lists all the companies in the Tampa Bay area for every industry(a pretty impressive list for such a small city, and mid sized regional area). You will not know what is out there if you just listen to a Forum that attracts less than .000000001% of the Bay area population(a dozen or so posters) and some of those who constantly are negative...Jobs are there in all fields, but its a matter of seeing exactly what companies are in Tampa area, and which ones are hiring for what...and what kind of education and experience you can bring...

As far as Financial Services..a few biggies are MetLife, USAA, Raymond James(corporate headquarters), New York Life, Bank of America are just a few that have Regional Offices in the Area.

There are approx 60,000 people that work in the downtown proper(the area with the tall buildings) each day...not much of a ghost town during the day, in the evenings, downtown proper is home to about 1000 residents.

Westshore District, Westshore, Tampa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia , is the largest Business District in the State, where over 100,000 come to work each day from the outlaying areas.

This is the only post that offers you some good info. It is true that the economy is down all over Florida; (and much of the US) that said, Tampa will probably be one of your best bets for employment in the state. Rather than listening to a couple naysayers on this forum, you need to do some of your own research - remember that often the best jobs are not advertised anywhere. Still, I really would not move down here without some job prospects in hand.

Good luck!