we want to move to Austin

[sajae90]

Originally Posted by sweetvelocity

My husband and I currently live in Michigan and he will be getting his associates in Technology this May. We are planning on going down to Texas after this semester is done.

What is the job market like in Austin?

We will be initially staying in Seadrift TX with a parent, but plan on moving to Austin if we are able to get jobs there. It is either Austin or Houston, but perferably Austin.

Hi. I am also from MI and just moved here about 3 weeks ago. Um, I would agree with the one poster, it is competitive for jobs down here. Mostly you will be competiting against others who are bi-lingual and/or hispanics. They take up a bulk of the jobs offered in austin (construction, labor, tech, customer service, etc.). Also, before you make a move, secure a job FIRST in austin. Jobs are not as plentiful as falsely advertised by the politicians and governors. Also, be prepared to pay a boatload of money to live in austin. The biggest bills will be utility for the air conditioner cause it is like a sauna in texas. Your next bill will be for other "must haves" (car inspections, food,gas,drivers license,etc). Also, if you and your husband plan on having kids, then you might want to send them to a school in Round Rock (neighboring city) because i heard the school system is not so good. You are going to have a BIG surprise as to how the people act in texas compared to us northerners. Some texans (especially if they are native-texans) can be a little shallow and inconsiderate, northerners are a little bit quicker and swift on their feet. The traffic is CRAZY. There are only 2 major highways and they are also jammed pack! It will take you at least 1-2 hours to get to your destination, so you better get an apartment that is really close by. And be prepared to shove out money for "speeding tickets". this is how texas make up for not having state taxes (in my opinion anyway) I think you will fair better in Houston where there is more culture and diversity...Dallas is also a really good option.

[jread]

Originally Posted by sweetvelocity

My husband has about 4 years of desktop support and IT experience with the college he currently works for. He is not an intern. He says he does not have to work in the computer field, but I personally think it would be such a waste if he didn't. He is our go to man for all things computer related and I have never met anyone that was not pleased with his work.

The City of Austin has about 5 job postings for System Support Technicians right now, which he would be qualified for if he was interested. The City is a great place to work as it is very secure and the benefits are great (still have a true pension plan, etc.)

[sweetvelocity]

Originally Posted by jread

The City of Austin has about 5 job postings for System Support Technicians right now, which he would be qualified for if he was interested. The City is a great place to work as it is very secure and the benefits are great (still have a true pension plan, etc.)

I seen that one an had to do a double take. Not many companies offer pension plans anymore. Like I said before, he is willing to work in other areas too. Computers is just what he like to do. I am more of a customer service type worker.

I have spent some time in Austin when I was younger, but never lived there or worked there. The apartment we are looking at is only 100 more than the dump we currently live in. Car inspections are like 15 bucks. Not that much of an expense. While Texans have 6 months of A/C bills, Michigan has 6 months of heat bills. Even trade I would say. I have had to pay the A/C bill in Texas before.

We are not able to go down there with jobs. Most places will not even consider you if you living in another state. Lots of employers will put it in writing " State or local residents only". But we are lucky in that we are staying with my mother in her guest house for free until we both find work. I have never had any luck getting a job while living in another state.

[jread]

Originally Posted by urban2

....

Advertising isn't allowed on here.

[kenzie217]

dont move to austin!!!!! traffic is terrible and there as never not traffic. cops are dics wil co is know by the nation as corrupt. there are alot of homeless and summers it gets to an average of 104. plus austin people are mean and the city is over crouded, it wasnt ment to support such a large population. and if you already have a job in austin you probably wont get laied off but good luck find any news ones. ive been unemployed for a year now

Originally Posted by sweetvelocity

My husband and I currently live in Michigan and he will be getting his associates in Technology this May. We are planning on going down to Texas after this semester is done.

What is the job market like in Austin?

We will be initially staying in Seadrift TX with a parent, but plan on moving to Austin if we are able to get jobs there. It is either Austin or Houston, but perferably Austin.

[jread]

Originally Posted by kenzie217

dont move to austin!!!!! traffic is terrible and there as never not traffic. cops are dics wil co is know by the nation as corrupt. there are alot of homeless and summers it gets to an average of 104. plus austin people are mean and the city is over crouded, it wasnt ment to support such a large population. and if you already have a job in austin you probably wont get laied off but good luck find any news ones. ive been unemployed for a year now

Hello sajae90.

[sweetvelocity]

Traffic is not that big of a deal to me. I lived in the O.C for a short time. That's bad traffic! I also lived in Arlington and travel through Dallas every day I had to work. That's bad traffic!

You're from Michigan, you should know about orange cone season. That makes for some seriously terrible traffic. So just get off the traffic. That is not a deciding factor when it comes to moving to another state to provide for myself. I need a paycheck that pays enough so that I can pay my health insurance bill an a roof over my head. If I have to drive through thick traffic to do it oh well. Cops are not crooked. It is the capital of Texas an they are very strict because they have to be. They want to city to be safe so tourists will continue to come there. If that mean they give every speed racer a ticket then good for them!

Originally Posted by kenzie217

dont move to austin!!!!! traffic is terrible and there as never not traffic. cops are dics wil co is know by the nation as corrupt. there are alot of homeless and summers it gets to an average of 104. plus austin people are mean and the city is over crouded, it wasnt ment to support such a large population. and if you already have a job in austin you probably wont get laied off but good luck find any news ones. ive been unemployed for a year now

The City of Austin has about 5 job postings for System Support Technicians right now, which he would be qualified for if he was interested. The City is a great place to work as it is very secure and the benefits are great (still have a true pension plan, etc.)

My husband works two part time desktop support and IT positions here because nobody will hire anyone full time anymore to get out of paying insurance costs and low budgets. The funny thing is that even after having 2 part time jobs he still does not get 40 hours a week. But maybe having two excellent work references will help in the long run. He told them he was leaving and the most they could offer him to stay was more unpaid time off! They cannot afford to give people raises! Both are state run facilities. One is a college and the other is a community mental health facility. I think that is pretty well rounded work history for a person who does not even get their degree until May. For this area anyways.

We are going either way. We want to find work in Austin, but if it is San Antonio or Houston at least it is work.

[sweetvelocity]

So we have about $7000.00 in cash saved up and another 28,000.00 in trust fund money that we can get into if we need to.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by sajae90

Hi. I am also from MI and just moved here about 3 weeks ago. Um, I would agree with the one poster, it is competitive for jobs down here. Mostly you will be competiting against others who are bi-lingual and/or hispanics. They take up a bulk of the jobs offered in austin (construction, labor, tech, customer service, etc.). Also, before you make a move, secure a job FIRST in austin. Jobs are not as plentiful as falsely advertised by the politicians and governors. Also, be prepared to pay a boatload of money to live in austin. The biggest bills will be utility for the air conditioner cause it is like a sauna in texas. Your next bill will be for other "must haves" (car inspections, food,gas,drivers license,etc). Also, if you and your husband plan on having kids, then you might want to send them to a school in Round Rock (neighboring city) because i heard the school system is not so good. You are going to have a BIG surprise as to how the people act in texas compared to us northerners. Some texans (especially if they are native-texans) can be a little shallow and inconsiderate, northerners are a little bit quicker and swift on their feet. The traffic is CRAZY. There are only 2 major highways and they are also jammed pack! It will take you at least 1-2 hours to get to your destination, so you better get an apartment that is really close by. And be prepared to shove out money for "speeding tickets". this is how texas make up for not having state taxes (in my opinion anyway) I think you will fair better in Houston where there is more culture and diversity...Dallas is also a really good option.

sajae90 - I wish you would post things you really have a good understanding of. As you showed on your other posts - you are not well informed.

You told us you have been here three weeks. How do you know what utility bills are like in the summer? You don't own a house. You are renting an apartment and you have never been here in the summer.

It is true air conditioning will generate what most consider to be a high utility bill in the summer. But our winter utility bills are much lower - and there is no sensitivity to the price of heating oil here.

How do you know how much better Houstona and Dallas are since you have never lived there?

Car inspections! Why do you think this is such a big deal? The annual safety inspection is $14.75. Travis County, like some other counties, requires an emission check, that can cost up to $28. I am willing to bet registration costs less in Texas than in Michigan for most people since our registration cost is based on the car's weight, not its value.

It is no surprise by the way that car-related fees might be lower in Michigan since so much of the economy (and politicians) are influenced by the auto industry.

As for schools - you know absolutely nothing about schools in Austin. You came from a state with some of the worst public schools in the nation. Austin has many fine public schools. The schools in Eanes ISD (Independent School District), Lake Travis ISD, Round Rock ISD, Leander ISD, and many others are excellent. Austin ISD has many fine schools too - though some are not.

Your rant about speeding tickets is rather funny. Many of us have driven from Austin through Dallas dozens of times without getting a speeding ticket.

I do agree that the OP should try to find a job before moving. The job market is tight.

[jread]

Originally Posted by sweetvelocity

So we have about $7000.00 in cash saved up and another 28,000.00 in trust fund money that we can get into if we need to.

Wow... must be nice!