Can someone tell me any info on IT industry job fairs in CA & LA areas? (job market)

[greencrew]

I've searched online but they don't seem the updated information or not clear. I found one site with this year's schedule of career fairs in California but it didn't give me any further details.
Can someone tell me where to look for these information? My dh is trying to find a job in IT field and would like to attend a few career fairs when we visit California in April or May. (March could be an option too).

[sprint100]

I worked in IT before I moved out of L.A. last month. There are alot of jobs but it is VERY competitive once you get beyond desktop support. In my experiences I found it to all about networking, I'm sure it is like that elsewhere. If he doesn't get directly hired by a company definitely go through an agency. He may have to do temp work without benefits but at least he can start building a name and knowing the lay of the land more.

[ElysianEagle]

not sure about career fairs but attending networking events might help. there are some networking events focused on tech in LA. look at this meetup, for instance:

http://www.latechhappyhour.com/

twiistup.com also does events every now and then.

also, if he puts his resume up agencies should get in touch with him, recruiters these days are pretty aggressive.

[kasuga888]

@sprint100, Do you have any comments on the software development side? Does LA have alot of enterprise software dev?

LA is suppose to be the "next" big tech startup scene behind NYC in terms of funding, but not sure how that translates to Jobs. Maybe the OP can post his resume up on dice or indeed to see what kind of traction he will receive.

[ElysianEagle]

@kasuga - i know your question was directed at sprint, but i work as a software dev here in LA so i think i can chime in.

i recently moved back from NYC and here in LA it seems most places want full-stack, front-to-back devs, meaning you'll have to know not only server side and enterprise dev and all of what it entails, but also HTML5, CSS, javascript with jquery, etc. with the web development framework of your choice (.net/java or j2ee/python with django/php with cake/ruby on rails etc). it's not a 100% requirement but the vast majority of jobs list them as almost-required. i was bummed initially because i enjoy server side stuff far more than front-end dev but was lucky to get into the big data space. so i "escaped" this time but i'll be sprucing up my front end skills in the meantime.

mobile dev and big data are also in demand. if i had to rank the skills by demand tho, i'd list them like so:

1: pure web dev using one of the frameworks i mentioned above
2: mobile dev (android/iOS but preferably know both)
3: big data

also, most of the software dev jobs are at small-to-medium-size companies, unlike say in NYC where the massive investment banks and various other financial service firms would suck up a major portion of the developer population. so if you're looking for really challenging enterprise level work, you'll have to look around because the firms aren't that big and their businesses aren't that complex. this also means that their benefits and 401Ks aren't as awesome, but they're generally not too bad either.

in terms of the industries here in LA, ad-serving and ad-targeting seem to be the hottest areas right now. just abt every job i interviewed for was related in some capacity to either one of them.

[mayorhaggar]

I'd look into the Bay Area, the IT job market is still very hot there. At some point it will probably crash but probably not for a few years at least.

[ElysianEagle]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

I'd look into the Bay Area, the IT job market is still very hot there. At some point it will probably crash but probably not for a few years at least.

i seriously doubt if the IT market will ever 'crash' as such...

[kasuga888]

Thanks for the detail info ElysianEagle!!

Seems I am in a similar situation as you were coming from NYC. I'm more of backend Java/Spring/Hibernate type of guy doing Integration/Consultant type of work. I'm really resistance to Javascript as all the examples i've seen looks like puke Are there any complimentary technology you can recommend? I'm thinking maybe picking up Grails or Spring Web Framework and Hadoop/Mahout

Thanks!!

[sprint100]

Sorry I didn't respond, I am a UC guy basically hardware and networking side so I don't keep up with Software Dev.

[ElysianEagle]

Originally Posted by kasuga888

Thanks for the detail info ElysianEagle!!

Seems I am in a similar situation as you were coming from NYC. I'm more of backend Java/Spring/Hibernate type of guy doing Integration/Consultant type of work. I'm really resistance to Javascript as all the examples i've seen looks like puke Are there any complimentary technology you can recommend? I'm thinking maybe picking up Grails or Spring Web Framework and Hadoop/Mahout

Thanks!!

yes, big data is in big demand right now, but still overall it comes in at #3 as i mentioned. you have a good skillset so hold on to it, but as i said to increase your chances of getting offers pick up some front end stuff as well just in case. many of the nosql databases are also in demand, especially mongodb. the hadoop framework (mapreduce coding, pig, hive, hbase, and possibly even zookeeper) is in good demand here.

in LA ad serving and ad targeting is huge, and because of the humongous amount of log data that's generated (tracking users on websites) using big data technologies is a must to be able to successfully mine the data.