Job hunting/networking from another state (Knoxville, Kingsport: sale, real estate, house)

[seity123]

My husband and I currently live in Upstate NY and have become more and more disheartened with this state. Over a year ago we started researching our options and both fell in love with Eastern TN, especially the Knoxville area. Last summer we visited in person and fell in love. I'm currently employed with a great job as a systems administrator. I have been working at the same company for over 17 years. I love the work, but I'm completely self taught, so no certifications. I've already been applying for jobs for the past few months in Nashville, Oak Ridge, and Knoxville. I feel the next step is to start making local contacts and networking. I'm even seriously considering, selling our house and moving my family down there without even having a job lined up (scary!!), but I'd much rather have something lined up first.
Are there any good local resources I should contact to help me with my job hunt?
Do you think moving first without a job is insane? I would probably only have enough money from the sale of the house to support us all for 3 months.

[Serious Conversation]

Moving without a job is not smart. The IT job market in Knoxville is generally weak. SAIC in Oak Ridge frequently has openings, although many of those openings are for help desk. You may want to check there. I had a call for a junior system administrator at UT-Knoxville last August and pay started at $27,000. I am from east of Knoxville and would have relocated there, but could not find a job that paid enough to support myself.

Also, most of these roles are W-2, with no benefits, and filled by the local TEKSystems office, Southeastern Technology Consultants, and other staffing firms. It is very rare to find a direct infrastructure hire in the Knoxville area. Go look at dice.com and you'll see what I mean.

You need to stay in NY until you have a written offer in hand.

[jabogitlu]

I know next to nothing about the IT field, but east TN is not the type of place to move to without a job or SERIOUS savings to float you. It could easily take 1-2 years for the right type of position to come open.

Not saying there aren't jobs, but it might be a situation where, like Emigrations said, you're working full time and still getting paid $25-$35k and no benefits.

[seity123]

I didn't think the market was good enough to make moving without a job a realistic option, but I'm the type that likes to consider every possibility. I'll keep searching in the meantime. I'd already found SAIC, TEKsystems, and Southeastern Tech and use Dice.com, so I guess I'm off to a good start.

[marinomelissa2]

My husband works for the real estate appraisal industry in New Jersey. His company subcontracts with townships to do the re-evaluations with townships for tax purposes. He is not a licensed appraiser yet. However, we did research and it seems real estate appraisers in Knoxville make about the same median income as those in New Jersey. So would it be difficult for him to find a job that requires similar experience and he gets similar pay in Knoxville? Is there an employment agency down there that could help him with his job search? How difficult is it to apply for a job from out of state? Any tips from anyone who has found work from out of state? My husband's company is only located in New Jersey.

[Serious Conversation]

I would Google up some firms doing similar work to what he does in NJ to see if they have open positions or give you some pointers. He would likely have to take any applicable state level tests for the industry or transfer a license if that applies. You may also want to try to connect with individuals on LinkedIn in the field and see what advice they have.

Knoxville has the highest state average weekly wage per the BLS and the only TN metro above the national average. This site mainly focuses on data related to the Tri-Cities, but there can be interesting info about Knoxville and the rest of the state in there as a comparison from time to time. Knoxville is cited in this report.

https://donfenley.com/2017/03/16/joh...state-ranking/

Getting a job out of state is difficult anywhere unless you have a unique skill not commonly available with local candidates. It's not impossible, but yes, it will be considerably more difficult. I am from Kingsport, and landed a job in Kingsport last summer while living in Indianapolis. There would be few people with experience in what I'm doing in this area, but there are also few positions for these types of skills. I don't think someone without local connections would get a call here. Knoxville has a better economy than where I am, but it's still not going to be easy.

[hiknapster]

However, we did research and it seems real estate appraisers in Knoxville make about the same median income as those in New Jersey.

I find that very hard to believe. I'm not saying you are lying, but I question the source of your data. It is probably wrong.

[phoenixmike11]

Is it possible that you can keep your job and work remotely from another location (maybe worth looking into if possible and you like TN a lot).