IT Technician Seeking to relocate Family - are there jobs? (Denver: how much, job market)

[someone_named_chris]

Hello, Everyone -

I am an experienced IT Technician/Admin from western Kansas seeking to relocate my family to the Colorado Springs area. We absolutely love the Springs and make a trip there about once a month (or more through the summer!) and I'm getting tired of that 8 hour roundtrip weekend.

I have sifted through the forums here and it looks like the IT job market is pretty bleak unless you have military clearance or high-level certifications. I can do other things, but IT is where I have the most experience and seems to be the approximate pay bracket I'm looking for. I am quickly losing hope of getting to Colorado - can anyone give me some good news?

Chris

[Snikt]

Hello -- I moved to Colorado a few years ago and tried to do the same thing you are. Initially I was looking at moving to the Springs but quickly ran into the military/clearance road block. I ended up getting a job and moving to the Denver area instead.

So I guess all I can really say is I've experienced the military road block first hand, so if you're set on only the Springs and not other areas in the front range you might be looking for awhile and might either get lucky or have a company willing to sponsor and get you a clearance.

[someone_named_chris]

Thanks, Snikt. Obviously, Colorado Springs is the preferred location, but any front range location would be great. Even when browsing job forums, etc., there doesn't seem to be a lot of opportunity for "professional geeks". Now that you're actually in a job within that market, would you say that is accurate or am I just looking in all the wrong places?

[CharlotteRJ]

Would you have an issue obtaining a clearance? Apply for every job you can, and if it requires a clearance, they might pony up to get it taken care of for you.

[Snikt]

Originally Posted by someone_named_chris

Thanks, Snikt. Obviously, Colorado Springs is the preferred location, but any front range location would be great. Even when browsing job forums, etc., there doesn't seem to be a lot of opportunity for "professional geeks". Now that you're actually in a job within that market, would you say that is accurate or am I just looking in all the wrong places?

I suppose it depends on how much experience you have, are you looking for a system admin, network engineer, helpdesk, etc..? If you're open to other front range locations, Denver metro especially, I would say your chances go up very significantly than if you were looking at the Springs alone.

Fort Collins area has a decent amount of IT, Denver metro has a ton, the Springs some and very specialized, and I have no idea about Pueblo.

[someone_named_chris]

CharlotteRJ -

No, I wouldn't have any issue acquiring clearance. Most jobs that I have run across (at least recently) require that you actually hold a clearance rather than obtaining one. I will definitely keep applying though!

Snikt -

With 10+ years experience, I am currently a Sys Admin/Network Engineer/Helpdesk (small towns = MANY multiple hats), so I could do about anything really. I would even do Help Desk, but don't know if they would hit that $45,000 - 50,000+ range I'm looking for. I would probably be more interested in the Denver metro as I'm assuming that the Ft. Collins area has quite a higher cost of living - is that an accurate statement or just another assumption?

[Snikt]

Originally Posted by someone_named_chris

CharlotteRJ -

No, I wouldn't have any issue acquiring clearance. Most jobs that I have run across (at least recently) require that you actually hold a clearance rather than obtaining one. I will definitely keep applying though!

Snikt -

With 10+ years experience, I am currently a Sys Admin/Network Engineer/Helpdesk (small towns = MANY multiple hats), so I could do about anything really. I would even do Help Desk, but don't know if they would hit that $45,000 - 50,000+ range I'm looking for. I would probably be more interested in the Denver metro as I'm assuming that the Ft. Collins area has quite a higher cost of living - is that an accurate statement or just another assumption?

Well I'm not that familiar with Ft Collins but saying it has a higher cost of living is a way too general statement. You might be thinking of Boulder, Boulder has an insane cost of living. The Denver metro area is huge also and many areas and suburbs have vastly different costs of living.

You have similar experience I did when I was looking a couple years ago, and the market wasn't even as good back then. I think you have a really good shot if you just keep plugging away and keep your options open for areas you want to live in.

[someone_named_chris]

Thanks, Snikt - I'll keep plugging away. Would it be worthwhile to make a trip to the area to do some "cold calling"-type job hunting or am I just as well off scouring online job boards?

[beezle1]

Don't look at just jobs posted on job websites like Monster.com, etc. Many companies don't post there - research the companies in the Springs that have IT shops and look directly on their websites for job/career postings. There are also a number of contracting companies that place people locally like Modis, SAIC, Boecore. This is a good way to get started as many companies will offer you permanent positions when your contract ends if they are happy with your work.

[Mike from back east]

IIRC one of the librarians (an unsung hero category) at the main library downtown runs a darned decent business center function; call or email her and ask her to dig out the book that lists firms in this town by trade specialty. When I checked this 5-6 years ago there was a multi-page listing of tech firms in this area. She may be able to fax you those pages. IMO the PPLD is an awesome resource with much available on-line.