Places out West with the least job competition? (transplants, find a job)
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You might try some of the more "secondary" cities like Salt Lake City, Boise or Colorado Springs and as wild cards Des Moines and Omaha which are doing quite well economically.
Agreed. OP, you are going to have to pick cities that are less popular or a little off-the-radar - assuming they still have decent IT job market. Build your experience for a while, then you'll have a better chance at prime cities.
I thought higher cost of living areas are more competitive. Based on your comment, California is the perfect example. Cali has numerous jobs in my major and has a high cost of living. Places like Seattle might be more competitive.
Why are San Francisco companies opening big engineering offices in other cities? Because they can't find enough people in the San Francisco area.
You might try some of the more "secondary" cities like Salt Lake City, Boise or Colorado Springs and as wild cards Des Moines and Omaha which are doing quite well economically.
I agree too about "secondary" cities, but wouldn't put Colorado Springs in that boat. Way too many people moving there and fighting over jobs. That and Denver are in those high-radar, "hottest-thing-since-sliced-bread" cities where everybody is moving to and tripping over each other. Maybe the midwest would offer the best balance.
You can save yourself a lot of headaches avoiding the hot and popular "go to" destinations. Start with those annoying Forbes lists, and cross out all the cities they mention. Then do your own research into those cities below radar. Then narrow the results, and visit the top two or three. Now more than ever is thorough research needed. It's a jungle out there.
I agree too about "secondary" cities, but wouldn't put Colorado Springs in that boat. Way too many people moving there and fighting over jobs. That and Denver are in those high-radar, "hottest-thing-since-sliced-bread" cities where everybody is moving to and tripping over each other. Maybe the midwest would offer the best balance.
You can save yourself a lot of headaches avoiding the hot and popular "go to" destinations. Start with those annoying Forbes lists, and cross out all the cities they mention. Then do your own research into those cities below radar. Then narrow the results, and visit the top two or three. Now more than ever is thorough research needed. It's a jungle out there.
I actually had Colorado Springs in mind, but I agree with you about that. I've heard that too many people are moving there and fighting over jobs and the cost of living there is going up, because of that. It's becoming more crowded too. I could try Pueblo, which is a bit south of Colorado Springs, but not sure how many jobs are out there. Pueblo is cheaper too.
Also, I noticed that nobody mentioned Reno. Reno is becoming a secondary city. The cost of living is going up there (trapping Californians who are already used to a high cost of living), but Reno is creating more and more jobs. Originally, Reno was cheap and jobs were mostly just retail stuff.
Are you dead set on moving out west or do you just really want to get out of NJ? Your best bet may be to look into midsized cities in the Midwest/Northeast like Cleveland, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Rochester, etc. Cities like this seem to be less competitive and a much lower cost of living than Portland, Seattle, and even NJ. Even if its just to get a few years of experience before looking at higher paying jobs out west. Good luck!
Are you dead set on moving out west or do you just really want to get out of NJ? Your best bet may be to look into midsized cities in the Midwest/Northeast like Cleveland, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Rochester, etc. Cities like this seem to be less competitive and a much lower cost of living than Portland, Seattle, and even NJ. Even if its just to get a few years of experience before looking at higher paying jobs out west. Good luck!
The West is the only part of the country I want to live in. If I liked the Midwest, then yes, those Midwestern cities mentioned would have less competition.
Yeah - midsize midwestern/eastern cities would give you the most opportunity and "bang for your buck".
My husband is in IT and he won't live/work in an area smaller than a Detroit-sized area.
In smaller cities, there are only so many companies to apply for work at and they aren't always going to have an opening when you are looking! With a larger area, there's just more opportunities and you won't have to pick up and move to a new area if your job doesn't work out.
A lot of these mid-size places are regional hubs for many major national/international corporations and draw good opportunities. Their locations may not be as popular, like a Chicago or Seattle or San Francisco, but you can still make a good living and have a good quality life.
The west has a buzz and mystique about it that draws people. Many see a fresh and different land, with less people, more openness and open space, and more possibilities and freedom...
I fell for all of that too at one point, but found it lacking, overhyped, and sort of weird. Steering back more to the east is proving beneficial and rewarding. Sometimes seeing and experiencing these differences first-hand is the only way to "get it" and shatter those illusions.
The West is the only part of the country I want to live in. If I liked the Midwest, then yes, those Midwestern cities mentioned would have less competition.
Gotcha, but the reason it's so hard to find a job in "the west" is because most people want to move there too. It's a highly desirable part of the country.... and as such, the major cities there are growing at a rapid clip. There naturally will be increased competition, especially in the field of IT, as the west coast is seen as the tech capitol of the U.S.
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