Job Prospects in Dallas - New Graduate (Greenville, Ranger: sublet, apartments)

[MissouriSpartan]

Howdy, all!

I'm a recent graduate of a four year institution with my A.S. degree in Computer Information Science - Information Technology. I'm currently pursuing my B.S. degree in the same thing (the more advanced classes). I'm planning to graduate with that degree in about two years from now.

I will have graduated with absolutely NO debt! No college debt, no automobile debt, no loans, zilch!! I should also have a substantial savings built up as well to help with moving expenses to wherever I end up job-wise.

I've always wanted to live in the heart of downtown/uptown Dallas (I love big-city life. Always have!). For someone who will be graduating in my financial/educational position, what would my career prospects be like in Dallas? Particularly with Systems Administration of some sort? Any places that would pay well? I know I wouldn't get that flashy six-digit/year job right out of college, but still yet. Just curious.....


Thanks!!

MoSpartan

[Rangers1Fan]

You will be fine! Look for summer intern positions to gain experience. If you don't SOME experience your search will be much harder. Target the business sectors you have interests in such as government, retail, oil and gas, banking, insurance or even education. Dallas school district is one of the the largest in the country.

Stay focused and keep your head to the sky.

Let's Go Rangers!!

[wyattj5226]

alot of jobs in this area for that kind of stuff.

[jdallas]

Yes, a lot of jobs in your sector but you can't swing a cat without hitting a candidate with at least a Bach and a couple years of relevant experience so it's very competitive at the entry level.

Budget $2k/month for housing to have a great place in Uptown/downtown and you will be fine but hard to say what the rental market will be in 2 years. There are a ton of units in various stages right now so the pendulum may swing the other direction by then.
I'd recommend you get your feet wet with something along the Earth City-St Peters corridor and move to a larger area once you have a bit of corporate history behind you.

[MissouriSpartan]

I forgot to mention that I'm already working full time with the school's IT department. So I'm getting experience with systems administration first-hand, while I take classes on the side. Basically, applying what I'm learning at my current job!

By the time I graduate, I should have at least three years' experience as a sysadmin, and seven years experience in general tech support and networking.

[stargirl007]

I work in IT sector and from myself and friends experiences, there are no shortage of jobs. A lot of companies here will pick up their interns full time. I work at a software company myself and help to hire entry level salespeople and system configurators and our salaries range at $50K-65K depending on our gauge for their technical skill in the interview process for people with 1 to 3 years of technology experience with a potential for $5-7K in bonus. My experience here has been that we pay a bit below market rate, at least with comparable positions in the software industry. Corporate IT jobs may be a bit different and command slightly higher salaries depending on the company.

I would highly consider seeing if you may can line up a good internship somewhere here in the DFW area if you can swing it and if it would be possible to do a small hiatus with your school job next summer. Would give you a 2-3 month shot here to see if you like it and still want to pursue living here after graduation.

I don't think it would be too terribly difficult to find a place even for that small amount of time either, especially if you keep to the Uptown and Lower Greenville area. There will be a lot of SMU students looking to sublet their apartments for the summer while they pursue out of town internships or abroad studies.

[MissouriSpartan]

I'll check it out. Thanks for the info, everyone! I'm also racking up IT certifications as well. I've learned over time that they are quite helpful with job prospects as well. "Spices" on the resume' if you will.