Austin is short on Tech Talent... (Atlanta, Center: college, living, cost of living)

[colombiunpride]

Originally Posted by Math Commando

As a fellow Spring 11 GT (Masters) grad I have to warn you not to go to Austin. I left Austin to go to GT with the intent of never coming back. Austin runs on mediocrity not meritocracy.
Most don't know anything about Georgia Tech other than it's sports rankings.
When you put "Georgia Institute of Technology" on your resume most will assume that it's something like ITT or any other for-profit college that you see advertised on TV.
I remember mentioning that I was headed to GT to someone who was a headhunter and her response that she had never heard of it but that she had heard of Georgia Tech.
She represents the typical Austin headhunter who acts as a filter in the hiring process but is clueless as to what to filter for.
Outside of huge companies in Austin, your degree will receive little recognition. The downside about the huge companies is that there are so many other competitors exactly like you.
The first thing that many will filter is GPA and you know that is with Tech. Outside of Georgia where they know Tech's reputation you can't be anything but shortchanged.
If it's low they'll write you off as a bad student, if it's high they'll make you compete against other high GPA students from easier schools.

I understand your concern. I've gotten a similar "oh you go to Georgia Tech, my friend goes to Lincon Tech" response from some ghetto girl. (Some no name vocational school).

I DONT rely on the Georgia Tech name to push my resume. In fact I got flown out by HP to San Diego because of my highly relevant internships and co-ops.

To be honest, GPA and school do play a factor, but it's not the determining factor. I tend to have my resumes screened by hiring managers rather than clueless HR people. Hiring managers definetly know a more suitable canidate when they see one.

Also, I have side projects I'm working on that involved conference calls with the boss of the boss of the hiring manager. It's all about how you sell yourself. If you rely only on the name of your school to land you a job, you'll be set for failure. Just my opinion.

[Math Commando]

Originally Posted by colombiunpride

I tend to have my resumes screened by hiring managers rather than clueless HR people. Hiring managers definetly know a more suitable canidate when they see one.

That's 80% of the battle right there.

Also, I have side projects I'm working on that involved conference calls with the boss of the boss of the hiring manager. It's all about how you sell yourself. If you rely only on the name of your school to land you a job, you'll be set for failure. Just my opinion.

As I said before, the hard part is getting access to a competent person with the ability to sidestep HR. As I also said before, with smaller companies you may not be able to find a competent person period.

[colombiunpride]

Originally Posted by Math Commando

That's 80% of the battle right there.



As I said before, the hard part is getting access to a competent person with the ability to sidestep HR. As I also said before, with smaller companies you may not be able to find a competent person period.

I've never really had issues applying for jobs regardless of company size. Usually I find a solid one within 2-3 weeks tops.

If it helps, I ONLY apply to jobs I actually have highly relevant experience in. It's easy to say you're a "Software Developer" but if you submit a general Sofware Developer resume to every software related job your gonna get horrible feedback.

Oh, and to keep the post relevant to city talk, I think due to Austin's high demmand of Software Engineering jobs this greatly improves the chances for a position. There are few high quality software engineering positions in or near NYC compared to Austin.

I hand tune each resume I send out, and I only apply to positions that I'm a perfect match to begin with. I filter out "impressive, but not relevant" material from my resume so HR has less clutter to go through, and I emphasize the experience bullet points they focus on in their job description.

To keep the post relevant to city talk, it also helps that Austin has a high demmand for Software Engineers. I say Engineers b/c IT people are a whole different animail. Compared to NYC, Austin has a lot more quality software engineer positions available for grab.

[sxrckr]

Let's be clear. Austin has an abundance of so many things. It is absolutely the best place to live.

Trammell & Warnock: Austin's long on ambience, but it's short on tech talent

Are they being serious? Wow, a bit puffed up, aren't we. No wonder we get called out for "Austitude"....

[Mrs.JT]

Originally Posted by Math Commando

Most don't know anything about Georgia Tech other than it's sports rankings.
When you put "Georgia Institute of Technology" on your resume most will assume that it's something like ITT or any other for-profit college that you see advertised on TV.
I remember mentioning that I was headed to GT to someone who was a headhunter and her response that she had never heard of it but that she had heard of Georgia Tech.

That's amazing.

My best friend studied aerospace engineering at GT. My brother studied mechanical engineering at UT. They had a friendly rivalry going on.

GT has consistently ranked in the top 10 as far as public universities. They have an excellent engineering program. It's a shame that it isn't always recognized.

[colombiunpride]

Originally Posted by Mrs.JT

That's amazing.

My best friend studied aerospace engineering at GT. My brother studied mechanical engineering at UT. They had a friendly rivalry going on.

GT has consistently ranked in the top 10 as far as public universities. They have an excellent engineering program. It's a shame that it isn't always recognized.

I didn't know about GT Engineering programs until I checked college rankings for engineering schools. I kinda discovered it that way.

I'm really looking to settle in a city with a night life, software industry, and close proximity to engineering talent.

Austin seems to have a good mix of all three. I was looking at San Diego, beatiful city with a night life, but not so strong on software compared to Austin.

They also don't have a top ranked engineering program near by. I'm looking to start out working a 9-5 and collaborate with local talent on some business ventures.

[Math Commando]

Originally Posted by Mrs.JT

That's amazing.

My best friend studied aerospace engineering at GT. My brother studied mechanical engineering at UT. They had a friendly rivalry going on.

GT has consistently ranked in the top 10 as far as public universities. They have an excellent engineering program. It's a shame that it isn't always recognized.

It's even worse when you're from the #1 ranked industrial engineering dept. We invented it. MIT is #2!

[colombiunpride]

I don't think I've ever used the schools name to carry a interview or resume. Of course the school you went to makes a huge difference, but I think that comes into play in terms of abilities gained through oppurtunities. GT is full of nerds.

Let me clarify. A GT education has let me make sense of how technology works and how to make it improve the quality of life. Here are some projects I jumped on and messed around with. I have a social life so only a few weeks of learning is sufficent in each.

ex. GPU (CUDA/OpenCL) Development - Make apps 10x-100 faster.

ex. Embedded Programing - Code touch panels and write firmware that runs those things people call printers

ex. Mobile Development - Those smart phones that are all the crazy right now.

I jump on board any "fun" project and add it to my resume. It's funny because I wasn't the one guy aiming for a 4.0, but I have more useful experience compared to those guys who mastered the art of memorizing the textbook and exam questions.

Tying in Austin.... it seems like a great city to network with other engineering grads coming out of UT Austin as well as the bright people that make up the Software Industry in that region.

haha a quick disclaimer: This is just advice that has worked for me and my kind of personality. I like to think I'm outgoing and I call things like they are.

[Tycho Brahe]

Originally Posted by colombiunpride

To keep the post relevant to city talk, it also helps that Austin has a high demmand for Software Engineers. I say Engineers b/c IT people are a whole different animail. Compared to NYC, Austin has a lot more quality software engineer positions available for grab.

Where are you getting your statistics from? There are easily more software jobs in NYC than Austin. No competition, not even close. Perhaps you meant per capita?

[drshdw]

Originally Posted by colombiunpride

I don't think I've ever used the schools name to carry a interview or resume. Of course the school you went to makes a huge difference, but I think that comes into play in terms of abilities gained through oppurtunities. GT is full of nerds.

Let me clarify. A GT education has let me make sense of how technology works and how to make it improve the quality of life. Here are some projects I jumped on and messed around with. I have a social life so only a few weeks of learning is sufficent in each.

ex. GPU (CUDA/OpenCL) Development - Make apps 10x-100 faster.

ex. Embedded Programing - Code touch panels and write firmware that runs those things people call printers

ex. Mobile Development - Those smart phones that are all the crazy right now.

I jump on board any "fun" project and add it to my resume. It's funny because I wasn't the one guy aiming for a 4.0, but I have more useful experience compared to those guys who mastered the art of memorizing the textbook and exam questions.

Tying in Austin.... it seems like a great city to network with other engineering grads coming out of UT Austin as well as the bright people that make up the Software Industry in that region.

Why aren't you looking in SF/SJ/etc..