Entry level IT jobs? (Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach: home, find a job, bankrupt)

[Nemoralis]

I am looking to move to Florida at the end of the year for college. (South Florida is great for a biology major). I'm worried about my fiance being able to find a job, since what I've heard is that the IT market is dead in south FL.

We are young (early 20s). He has been working at a small IT company here (we live in Mississippi) making 26k a year. From what I have seen on other threads, the people that are having a hard time finding jobs are the ones with 20+ years of experience looking to make high salaries. It's not that my fiance doesn't WANT a good salary, it's just that he is fresh out of school and is willing to work his way up. So he wouldn't be seeking a high paying job right off. Basically what I am asking is, what is the market for entry-level, small business type IT jobs in south FL (particularly the Delray area)?

Thanks!

[Nemoralis]

Also - how difficult is it to get a job in the food industry? I've been a server for several years, have a lot of experience in fine dining, good recommendations. Right now I'm a server in a fine dining restaurant taking home 25k in cash per year working part time while still in school. Would a job like this be easy to come by in PBC?

[ra1007]

A friend just moved to area and got a decent server position in less than a week. I'd say she earns about $400 or more per week. (net).

[exmbdude]

Originally Posted by Nemoralis

I am looking to move to Florida at the end of the year for college. (South Florida is great for a biology major). I'm worried about my fiance being able to find a job, since what I've heard is that the IT market is dead in south FL.

We are young (early 20s). He has been working at a small IT company here (we live in Mississippi) making 26k a year. From what I have seen on other threads, the people that are having a hard time finding jobs are the ones with 20+ years of experience looking to make high salaries. It's not that my fiance doesn't WANT a good salary, it's just that he is fresh out of school and is willing to work his way up. So he wouldn't be seeking a high paying job right off. Basically what I am asking is, what is the market for entry-level, small business type IT jobs in south FL (particularly the Delray area)?

Thanks!

You may be able to find entry level jobs but there isn't much IT in Delray. Office Depot used to have their HQ there but moved most everything to Boca. Most of the IT work was off of Congress avenue and Linton which was close to the north end of Boca Raton. There was another company called Greenpoints too but I think they went under/bankrupt a couple of years ago. 26k-30k is not an unrealistic IT salary but the cost of living is high and there will be a lot of competition even for entry level work here. Realistically, commuting to Fort Lauderdale or North Broward or further south will be necessary to find positions. Once you get north of Boca, there is very little IT (Delray included) work. There are some companies but not many positions. Really the IT work doesn't pick up until you reach the Melbourne area (about 100+ miles north of Delray) There is digital domain which is an animation studio/CGi outfit but that is in Port Saint Lucie and there is not much other than that in a 50 mile north/south direction (Port Saint Lucie is some distance from West Palm Beach) My advice, move to TX if you can. Far far more IT work and no state tax like FL. If you are young, consider Austin. You both will have much more opportunity there and you will fit with the demographic.

[Nemoralis]

Originally Posted by exmbdude

You may be able to find entry level jobs but there isn't much IT in Delray. Office Depot used to have their HQ there but moved most everything to Boca. Most of the IT work was off of Congress avenue and Linton which was close to the north end of Boca Raton. There was another company called Greenpoints too but I think they went under/bankrupt a couple of years ago. 26k-30k is not an unrealistic IT salary but the cost of living is high and there will be a lot of competition even for entry level work here. Realistically, commuting to Fort Lauderdale or North Broward or further south will be necessary to find positions. Once you get north of Boca, there is very little IT (Delray included) work. There are some companies but not many positions. Really the IT work doesn't pick up until you reach the Melbourne area (about 100+ miles north of Delray) There is digital domain which is an animation studio/CGi outfit but that is in Port Saint Lucie and there is not much other than that in a 50 mile north/south direction (Port Saint Lucie is some distance from West Palm Beach) My advice, move to TX if you can. Far far more IT work and no state tax like FL. If you are young, consider Austin. You both will have much more opportunity there and you will fit with the demographic.

Ha, funny you should mention TX. The other option that we have been considering is Austin. All his family lives in Texas too. We went to Austin 2 months ago to look at potential places to live and check out the schools. The problem is that there is only one school for me in Austin (since UT Austin is nearly impossible to get into) and that school costs about 30k a year and is a liberal arts school. I'm a bio major. And once I graduate there will not be much work for me. Austin is eco-friendly and all, but it is an oasis in the middle of nothing.

We went to Melbourne a few months ago to look at Florida Institute of Technology, but hated the area and the school wasn't great either.

We don't mind a bit of a commute - I would be going to school in Boca anyway, not Delray. I don't think we are expecting to both find jobs in Delray. That would be too perfect.

Thank you for all the information!

[exmbdude]

Originally Posted by Nemoralis

Ha, funny you should mention TX. The other option that we have been considering is Austin. All his family lives in Texas too. We went to Austin 2 months ago to look at potential places to live and check out the schools. The problem is that there is only one school for me in Austin (since UT Austin is nearly impossible to get into) and that school costs about 30k a year and is a liberal arts school. I'm a bio major. And once I graduate there will not be much work for me. Austin is eco-friendly and all, but it is an oasis in the middle of nothing.

We went to Melbourne a few months ago to look at Florida Institute of Technology, but hated the area and the school wasn't great either.

We don't mind a bit of a commute - I would be going to school in Boca anyway, not Delray. I don't think we are expecting to both find jobs in Delray. That would be too perfect.

Thank you for all the information!

Well, if you are planning on marine biology or ocean sciences/engineering, FL has some really excellent schools but for IT work it is going to be an uphill struggle in FL (low pay and switching jobs quite a bit). FL is great for your schooling and TX would be good for your fiances career. Good luck whatever you choose.