How is the economy in Dallas? (Austin, Fort Worth: find a job, schools, college)

[thatguyoverther]

I will be graduating from college soon, and I was considering moving to Dallas. I was wondering how well is the economy doing? I want to be a financial analyst. Are there a lot of business jobs in Dallas, and also how well do they pay? The reason I ask about pay is because I was set on moving to Phoenix for a long time, but the wages are so low in Arizona that in reality it does not seem worth it to move there.

[BigDGeek]

Get your MBA first.

[TrueDat]

Or you could get your MBA in Dallas since there are schools with good business departments here, and you'd have some local connections when you graduate.

In general, though, to answer your question, the economy's better here than a lot of places, and this can be a great place to land if you're in financial services, but this isn't Minot, North Dakota, where the unemployment rate is so low that jobs at McDonald's are going begging. It would probably be unwise just to pack up and move here without a clear plan.

[BeenThereDunThat]

FWIW, you could sure do a lot worse than moving to Dallas. All things being relative, I'd say spend some time performing your "due diligence" and see how a move to the Big D would increase your chances at achieving your goals. And as someone else has already mentioned, you can get your MBA in Dallas as there are quite a few options to consider. It may be slow-going at first but if you're smart and determined enough to go after what you want... I wouldn't hesitate to give DFW area a strong consideration.

Here's some food for thought: The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has one of the largest concentrations of corporate headquarters for publicly traded companies in the United States. The city of Dallas has 12 Fortune 500 companies, and the DFW region as a whole has 20. SOURCE: Dallas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[MckinneyOwnr]

I started out as a financial analyst in Austin, then moved to Dallas many years ago. From what I've heard, starting salaries for that are around $50k now, and it can be hard to find a job in that field starting out, because you are competing with people who have been Senior analysts and have gotten laid off with much more experience than you who are willing to take a big pay cut to have a job.

I'd recommend getting a job lined up first before moving, whether that means you have to fly in for a few interviews or what have you before moving here. While the economy as a whole is better here, financial firms have laid off a ton of employees the past few years and are nowhere close to being at the same employment level they were before the downturn. That's why I switched industries completely.

[BigDGeek]

My brother is a senior financial analyst....his advice is to get your MBA. If you plan to stay in Dallas then you can do worse than SMU.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by thatguyoverther

I will be graduating from college soon, and I was considering moving to Dallas. I was wondering how well is the economy doing? I want to be a financial analyst. Are there a lot of business jobs in Dallas, and also how well do they pay? The reason I ask about pay is because I was set on moving to Phoenix for a long time, but the wages are so low in Arizona that in reality it does not seem worth it to move there.

Did you participate in on-campus recruiting this spring? That is where all the best jobs are filled. I would use your college's career office to 1) reach out to alumni living in Dallas who are in the finance industry and 2) reach out to companies who interview on your campus & try to get connected to the Dallas office HR team (if they have Dallas offices).

The economy here is pretty good and there are a lot of finance jobs...:however, for the best jobs, pedigree (what college you graduated from & your grades / internships) is VERY important. Someone with a 3.0 from Podunk State U is going to have a MUCH harder time landing a good job in Dallas than someone from Ivy / Michigan/ UVA/ UC system/ UNC / Vandy/ etc.

[txgolfer130]

Lots of finance jobs, if you've got experience and your MBA. And entry level jobs...start in the low-mid $40's. Economy and jobs are good, but only for those in certain situations.

Entry level you had better come prepared. BoA, Citi, Chase are hiring entry level, but the comp for those positions are fierce.

Good luck.

[Mr. Chad]

Originally Posted by txgolfer130

Lots of finance jobs, if you've got experience and your MBA. And entry level jobs...start in the low-mid $40's. Economy and jobs are good, but only for those in certain situations.

Entry level you had better come prepared

How about mid-level people like myself? I have 10 years experience in banking, 8 in private banking from NYC?

[thatguyoverther]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Did you participate in on-campus recruiting this spring? That is where all the best jobs are filled. I would use your college's career office to 1) reach out to alumni living in Dallas who are in the finance industry and 2) reach out to companies who interview on your campus & try to get connected to the Dallas office HR team (if they have Dallas offices).

The economy here is pretty good and there are a lot of finance jobs...:however, for the best jobs, pedigree (what college you graduated from & your grades / internships) is VERY important. Someone with a 3.0 from Podunk State U is going to have a MUCH harder time landing a good job in Dallas than someone from Ivy / Michigan/ UVA/ UC system/ UNC / Vandy/ etc.

I go to a small college in Western North Carolina called Mars Hill College. It's probably a lot like "Podunk State U" in the sense that no one has heard of it, nor cares. In Asheville, which is the closest city, all I can say is good luck getting an internship. They're non existent. I have no internships, but I have worked extremely hard in college and my gpa is a 3.6. A 3.6 is at least mediocre I suppose. My degree is Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and Economics. It doesn't sound like I can get a job as an analyst. Should I attempt to pursue something else?
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