[bobbydubb]

Hi, I'm currently in the Tri-State area and I would like to know what's the best area for IT jobs in Florida (Network Engineering, etc). I have a degree, and a sufficient amount of experience, also I'm single with no children. I preferably would like to live in an area that has a great cost of living, beautiful beaches, and a multi-cultural environment (white, black, hispanic, etc). What are some recommendations?





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[invidia]

Well, I can tell you where NOT to go for IT jobs. Anywhere in South Florida (Miami up to Boca Raton). I'm a programmer/IT professional myself. Can't find anything here. Only companies are Motorola and Citrix which offers very few to no IT positions most of the time.

Searched around Rockledge-Titusville too near NASA. Not much there.

Your best bet may be Tampa or somewhere on the west coast of Florida. Florida is NOT a great place for the technical person. I'm moving out of this area once I've gain the experience I need. There are very little opportunities here for a programmer/IT. I got my current IT job through an internship in grad school. Been applying for other related jobs in the 30mi radius (Fort Lauderdale), but nothing is really coming up.

[bobbydubb]

Originally Posted by invidia

Well, I can tell you where NOT to go for IT jobs. Anywhere in South Florida (Miami up to Boca Raton). I'm a programmer/IT professional myself. Can't find anything here. Only companies are Motorola and Citrix which offers very few to no IT positions most of the time.

Searched around Rockledge-Titusville too near NASA. Not much there.

Your best bet may be Tampa or somewhere on the west coast of Florida. Florida is NOT a great place for the technical person. I'm moving out of this area once I've gain the experience I need. There are very little opportunities here for a programmer/IT. I got my current IT job through an internship in grad school. Been applying for other related jobs in the 30mi radius (Fort Lauderdale), but nothing is really coming up.

Thanks, how long have you been looking?

[Coconut1]

Miami has many large companies including Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, and Sony which all have Latin America headquarters there. Alienware has their company headquarters in Miami.

There are other large companies there as well, those are just the major techie ones.

[maggiekate]

skip the tampa bay area also since jobs are hard to come by here. Pay also is real low since so many people are not working-

[ognend]

Originally Posted by bobbydubb

Hi, I'm currently in the Tri-State area and I would like to know what's the best area for IT jobs in Florida (Network Engineering, etc). I have a degree, and a sufficient amount of experience, also I'm single with no children. I preferably would like to live in an area that has a great cost of living, beautiful beaches, and a multi-cultural environment (white, black, hispanic, etc). What are some recommendations?.

Orlando would be your best bet.

[beachmouse]

If there's nothing in your background that would prevent you from getting a security clearance, there's a fair amount of high tech DoD work in the state.

[bobbydubb]

Thanks to all of you so far...Anyone else feel free to add more info

Originally Posted by beachmouse

If there's nothing in your background that would prevent you from getting a security clearance, there's a fair amount of high tech DoD work in the state.

Interesting, what parts of Florida are most of these DoD jobs?

[beachmouse]

They're actually doing some pretty cool combat simulator development in the Orlando area if programming is your thing, and there are also military hubs in Tampa, Jacksonville, and the coastal Panhandle. (Eglin AFB near Ft. Walton Beach is also big into high tech weapons development)

I like to throw the idea out there when someone here mentions tech jobs because people tend not to think to look at places like Boeing, L3, Raytheon, Honeywell and the like even though they may have poistions open in the state.

I'd also stay out of the Melbourne area right now since the laid off and soon to be laid off NASA employees are probably canibalizing themselves at this point.

[invidia]

Melbourne and Orlando has some defense contractor. I know Harris Corp's HQ is in Melbourne. And yea, I would stay away from the Space Coast. I would say that the unemployment rate there will end up being 30-40% when the time comes (sarcasm but a little bit serious).

I've been searching for the past year in So. Fl. Just having large tech companies here doesn't mean they are always hiring.