Before you move to Austin without a job... (Houston, Dallas: sale, mortgage broker)

[sliverbox]

DC from what I've heard is about the best job market in the country ( for obvious reasons) so I'd say that for at least 2 more years things will probably be pretty good there. I know where you're coming from too: we live in super-duper overpriced SF and my folks all live back in the South. As for now we're staying put. Same reasons: crappy economy.

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by Jerksticks

Yea but you are all forgetting that with the huge influx of people there is a much bigger demand for goods and services of all kinds. Entrepreneur heaven, no?

That's a good point...many people can make money OFF the people moving in..some people built fortunes that way in Vegas, during the many years it boomed..I know a couple that started a laundromat in Vegas, and ended up with 18, and a regional chain of them...I think the food wagons are a good example of it too..people have to eat, and its cheap....how about cutting hair? I think more males could stand to get into that field in Austin, and open up the more old-fashioned haircut and a shave barber shops, maybe with cool music playing and a little more hip look...

Also, it is VERY easy to get a Texas real estate license..in fact, you can take the class online, and just show up for the test once in person..wait about a month for a FBI/fingerprint check, and you have a Texas RE license, and can service all the relos like yourself that are moving here, maybe specializing in the state you came from, advertising in that state as well...especially southern californians....

Yep, you have to be creative..just looking for a job prob doesn't cut it..you have to create your own need/work in this economy...

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by austinnerd

One thing that many fresh outs miss out on is the opportunity to gain some experience while you're still in school. In my previous job I did a significant amount of hiring (at times up to 70% of my work day was related to recruiting/hiring) and I was amazed at the number of fresh outs that never took the opportunity to either get things like internships (understanding that the number of intern spots is a constrained resource) or to simply engage in activities that are related to their field even if they were not paying. Not only does this gain them some experience but it also let's them stand out more to the person doing the hiring. This obviously doesn't literally address your specific example, but it is just one more thing that can gain you an edge.



I've heard this accusation leveled in other places, can you point to an example of where this is occurring? Specifically, where folks portray Austin as a "safe haven" vs simply doing better than the majority of cities.

I don't think Austin's Chamber is broadcasting anything so specific as that..its more "good gossip" word of mouth on forums and such, though I have seen many "Best of-top 10" lists, especially the ones that pop up on yahoo from Forbes, that tout Austin as doing far better than average per emplyment rate..prob is, you really have to break it down, look at the type of jobs/pay scale compared to other metros, number of apps per job, number of relos moving to Austin, and such...a simple 7.8(august) doesnt say much..actually, that is fairly high, and sky hi compared to the long term average in Austin...when I moved here it was 3.7, and that was not long ago, in 2007..just three years, and it has more than doubled....and even more people are moving here than there were in 2007....

You really have to qualify the number 7.8% before you read the fluff pieces that yahoo and other sites place those top ten cities with good economies stats in..

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by sliverbox

I remember when I graduated from college in 2000. I moved to the Bay Area without a job. By the time I got here the dot-com boom had suddenly burst. It was absolutely crazy: Downtown SF turned into a ghost town overnight and every other vehicle was a moving van. The area was overloaded with techies and the number of available jobs in my field went from as many as 50-60 a day to maybe 1 or 2. All asking that you have 5-10 years of experience and a HUGE laundry list of skills.

Long story short I got a job at a warehouse making $6 an hour. Later I worked at a contractor supply yard. It was 2004 before I found a job in my field. Things were bad for my immediate generation as well. But my Brother is a recent grad and he's going through the exact same thing: The aftermath of a popped bubble.

I'm sort of glad I had that experience: It shows you that the economy can go down the crapper fast and that no job can be counted on for reliable income.

Also a good time to start your own biz, when everyone is losing their heads looking to "work for someone"....no employer will ever pay you what you are really worth anyway...and you will never get rich working for someone..

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by hilsmom

Trust me, these things keep me up at night. I want to move somewhere we can actually afford a house with a yard and be closer to both sets of parents for our child, but job wise in such a crap economy, it doesn't seem the most prudent decision. We thought hubby's job was on board with our move (his boss was aware that our plan all along was to move closer to family), but now they are talking about moving him to Tampa. I'd rather stay here in overpriced DC where he has all kinds of contacts always offering him jobs.

I suppose you can always move back to DC, but you would burn bridges with the old company..I did that, and the door was not open when I came back...rued it for a few years, but still moved on..had to...those are typically either-or moves..no in-between....life has crossroads, and you generally cannot respool the threads and start over again once you've made that choice....

However, sometimes you have to take that chance....depends how badly you want to break out of DC, break your butt looking for something, and make it happen...prob a lot easier to stay with the work in DC, but, funny thing about life..sometimes we need that extra struggle in life, for many reasons....just human nature to strike out in a far away place...from the gold rush '49'ers on down..

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by sliverbox

DC from what I've heard is about the best job market in the country ( for obvious reasons) so I'd say that for at least 2 more years things will probably be pretty good there. I know where you're coming from too: we live in super-duper overpriced SF and my folks all live back in the South. As for now we're staying put. Same reasons: crappy economy.

What I cannot understand is how "cool" is more attractive to those desperate for work than a large, much more viable hot job market ala Houston, Dallas, and DC..heck, even Salt lake City, Boise, Des Moines, and Omaha, for that matter..i truly think its all the web hype and top 10 lists, which are all PR fluff...Austin is a really nice place, don't get me wrong, but there are many others, and most of them have far larger job markets, just as hot, and all better paying than Austin to boot, even Houston...

last aside, and little secret, DC has FAR better paying entry-level jobs, and the federal ones out there average 100K a year....I'd be VERY interested in relocating there if I was looking for work...

[austinnerd]

Originally Posted by inthecut

I don't think Austin's Chamber is broadcasting anything so specific as that..its more "good gossip" word of mouth on forums and such, though I have seen many "Best of-top 10" lists, especially the ones that pop up on yahoo from Forbes, that tout Austin as doing far better than average per emplyment rate..prob is, you really have to break it down, look at the type of jobs/pay scale compared to other metros, number of apps per job, number of relos moving to Austin, and such...a simple 7.8(august) doesnt say much..actually, that is fairly high, and sky hi compared to the long term average in Austin...when I moved here it was 3.7, and that was not long ago, in 2007..just three years, and it has more than doubled....and even more people are moving here than there were in 2007....

You really have to qualify the number 7.8% before you read the fluff pieces that yahoo and other sites place those top ten cities with good economies stats in..

Fair enough, but sajae used the words "false advertising", "deceptive", and "haven". Those are specific accusations that don't fit into the "they paint a rosy picture, shame on them for actually trying to market their city positively" mold.

Hint for anyone look at DC (and admittedly probably too late for most), get your security clearance. Take a lame job here in Austin for some defense contractor that will get your at least a "secret" clearance (TS, SCI is even better) if you must. Once you get that clearance though, finding jobs in DC is far easier and you'll be worth a lot more.

[wsobchak]

Originally Posted by inthecut

What I cannot understand is how "cool" is more attractive to those desperate for work than a large, much more viable hot job market ...

I am an atheist. I have wondered about moving to Austin. I would not even consider moving to any other city in Texas.

Sometimes it's more important than "cool". Sometimes it means living somewhere that meets a baseline standard of culture, morality, and livability.

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by sliverbox

All because there seems to be a slew of non-stop feel good pieces about cities in the Southeast and oh how wonderfully cheap they are as well mentioning that they have diverse tech economies.

Some of these are obviously puff pieces. And notice they never mention the property taxes, or that homes are only "cheap" in undesirable areas, or way out in the burbs.

Originally Posted by sajae90

The problem is that there are too many transplants from other states fleeing to Austin for better opportunities that are not there. this is whay I have been saying to others in this forum (I'm originally from Michigan), that Austin officials (government, politicans) falsely advertise Austin as being this safe haven from the recession. Its very deceptive.

I don't know if it's all the local visitors and economic groups to blame, or just all of these puff piece magazine articles that can't come up with anything new. Either way, it's been misleading people for at least a few years now.

Originally Posted by inthecut

What I cannot understand is how "cool" is more attractive to those desperate for work than a large, much more viable hot job market ala Houston, Dallas, and DC..heck, even Salt lake City, Boise, Des Moines, and Omaha, for that matter..i truly think its all the web hype and top 10 lists, which are all PR fluff...Austin is a really nice place, don't get me wrong, but there are many others, and most of them have far larger job markets, just as hot, and all better paying than Austin to boot, even Houston...

I've had friends that've had much better luck with jobs in Houston.... the sheer size and economic power of that region with not only a huge number of fortune 500's, but seemingly many more new companies being formed as well. The problem is not only does it often fail to be included in "cool" lists (which are difficult to quantify in the first place, and therefore questionable), but people not familiar with it often negatively characterize it, unfairly.

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by wsobchak

I am an atheist. I have wondered about moving to Austin. I would not even consider moving to any other city in Texas.

Sometimes it's more important than "cool". Sometimes it means living somewhere that meets a baseline standard of culture, morality, and livability.

This is another big part of the problem. This myth that has been perpetuated about Texas, that Austin is the "only" place that's "safe" for this or that culture or lifestyle. Rubbish....