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Old 05-28-2007, 12:23 PM
 
Location: Charlotte, NC (in my mind)
7,943 posts, read 17,199,798 times
Reputation: 4680

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Hey,

I plan on graduating with a bachelors in IT/Networking this comming December. I currently live in rural Arkansas and do not want to remain here and am considering either the Austin area or the Dallas area. I visited Austin a few weeks ago and I loved the city and its atmosphere.

Question is, how is the IT job market in the area? Is it over-saturated, or will it be fairly easy to find employment. I have taken into consideration that I will likely start at a lower position and work my way up due to my lack of experience and certifications (i live in a rural area, not much opportunity for internships, etc). Will it be easy to get a new life started in Austin?
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Old 05-28-2007, 01:39 PM
 
Location: Austin
206 posts, read 1,308,484 times
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Austin do have lot of IT shops and may provide lot of opportunities for an IT guy. Although currently big employers in Austin like AMD and Dell are thinking of cuts. Dallas will definitely have more openings for you because of the number of businesses (with IT opportunities) in Dallas will be more than that in Austin.
Having said the above, I wont think you'll have problems in finding an entry level job in IT at either city.
What is your IT area of specialization?
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Old 05-28-2007, 02:49 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
1,235 posts, read 3,760,745 times
Reputation: 396
Austin is a popular destination for young people (look at the demographics below for comparisons), but Dallas would have more opportunity at higher pay. It's a trade-off. Austin is more laid back, a bit easier to adapt to. Dallas will give you more bang for the buck, you won't be squeezed by your budget as badly there because DFW doesn't have the income/cost imbalance that Austin has. That imbalance is always worse in places that are more desired for quality of life. There are PLENTY of tech jobs here, but there are PLENTY of people competing for them and I know a lot of people in that profession who are making far less now than they did 8 years ago.

Austin:



Dallas:

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Old 05-28-2007, 07:32 PM
 
Location: Charlotte, NC (in my mind)
7,943 posts, read 17,199,798 times
Reputation: 4680
Quote:
Originally Posted by pvaustin View Post
Austin do have lot of IT shops and may provide lot of opportunities for an IT guy. Although currently big employers in Austin like AMD and Dell are thinking of cuts. Dallas will definitely have more openings for you because of the number of businesses (with IT opportunities) in Dallas will be more than that in Austin.
Having said the above, I wont think you'll have problems in finding an entry level job in IT at either city.
What is your IT area of specialization?
My actual area of specialization is networking (cisco, microsoft) and also PC hardware/repair as I am A+ certified.

Anybody know which city in which I would have the least problem with nepotism? It is a huge problem in my current town and it is one reason among many that it is imperative that I relocate. Also, how does the Houston area compare as far as IT?

Houston is the Texas city I've spent the most time in and wouldn't mind calling it my home, but I just have never heard it as "the place" for IT as I have Dallas and Austin.
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Old 05-28-2007, 08:46 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,243 posts, read 35,474,152 times
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Entry level IT can be brutal...lots of contracting out by the big companies, and then they squeeze the contractors to get as much bang for the buck as they can. Of course, I think it is like that in a lot of places, not just in Austin. Also, there are probably lots of oppurtunity for entry level IT, but it can be rough for a few years. I highly recommend checking carefully into how many hours you are expected to work for the pay you get. Some of the higher paying ones will not be worth it.
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Old 05-28-2007, 10:36 PM
 
Location: Charlotte, NC (in my mind)
7,943 posts, read 17,199,798 times
Reputation: 4680
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trainwreck20 View Post
Entry level IT can be brutal...lots of contracting out by the big companies, and then they squeeze the contractors to get as much bang for the buck as they can. Of course, I think it is like that in a lot of places, not just in Austin. Also, there are probably lots of oppurtunity for entry level IT, but it can be rough for a few years. I highly recommend checking carefully into how many hours you are expected to work for the pay you get. Some of the higher paying ones will not be worth it.
Can you give me any advice on what a good salary per number of hours would be?
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Old 05-29-2007, 01:53 PM
 
443 posts, read 1,538,219 times
Reputation: 233
A+ cert. is meaningless here.

Get yourself a .NET book, and learn some C#.
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Old 05-29-2007, 02:31 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,243 posts, read 35,474,152 times
Reputation: 8587
Quote:
Can you give me any advice on what a good salary per number of hours would be?
Sorry, I really don't know absolutes (it is not my field), but if a company offers you a lot of money, make sure that it does not come out to less/hour than a smaller offer from someone with reasonable hours. You will probably want to 'interview' the company while they interview you . I also worry about companies that do not let you talk to several 'rank and file' employees in (without the HR person sitting there ).
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Old 05-29-2007, 02:39 PM
 
443 posts, read 1,538,219 times
Reputation: 233
I started as an IT guy out of college (with 4 years experience) around 30k. Switched to development/consulting work and just about tripled that.

Remember: both IT and DEV jobs are easily outsource-able, be sure you have yourself a path to management/consulting. You going to grad school?
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Old 05-29-2007, 03:03 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
1,280 posts, read 4,277,338 times
Reputation: 677
Quote:
Originally Posted by satanoid View Post
I started as an IT guy out of college (with 4 years experience) around 30k. Switched to development/consulting work and just about tripled that.

Remember: both IT and DEV jobs are easily outsource-able, be sure you have yourself a path to management/consulting. You going to grad school?
Yes, I do wish I could tell all these kids majoring in "IT" and "MIS" to either get a real CS degree or go a solid business route. The problem is that information systems degrees claim to teach you both CS and business, but you don't learn enough about either one to be qualified for anything. The days of being able to get a systems support job because you know how to turn on a computer are long gone.

The original poster may be better off considering that he has an actual degree and this may help him get an entry level job. You never know until you apply.

As for me, I also went the development route because it is more interesting (and lucrative) to me, but you cannot expect to be just a code monkey and keep your job forever. As mentioned, you need to have a path toward management/consulting to make sure you have a job in the future. I'm going back to school for a Master's in Software Engineering in the Fall to give myself more options.

It is a tough world in IT, especially in a city like Austin where EVERYONE has a college degree and there is a ton of competition for the jobs (that honestly pay crap wages when you consider the cost of living).
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