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There are an okay amount of IT internships in NJ, but I feel that we lack IT internships in quantity for the amount of people in the state who are majoring in IT. Obviously, there are more real jobs than internships in every field (duh), but still, even real IT jobs in NJ suck. Every field is going to have its good and bad states. In NJ, every regular white-collared job in general that pays enough to be financially independent requires you to have a decade of experience and only the "prestigious" people live out here. That's pretty much why you see a lot of fancy cars in NJ. Seriously! People who can afford to live in NJ have a decade of experience (even as a young person somehow) and they get their "prestigious jobs" to afford their fancy cars and luxury material things.
NM is the opposite. It's a really good state that is underrated and low income to live in. I've done research on real IT jobs for NM (not internships) and it doesn't require you to have a decade of experience for every thing and there are TONS of IT jobs out in NM. Everyone is stereotyping NM wrong. My brother told me how NM would be a boring wasteland with no jobs and just acres of boring desolation outside of ABQ. No NM has IT jobs and sounds like a fun state to live in! Also, the good part about NM is that you can live off of $50K (I'm not smart or experienced enough to get anything higher after graduation). I only have one IT internship on my resume, which was at a non-profit organization. I have a part time job right now as a copy clerk at a law firm and I lied on my resume saying I am also a help desk person there lol. Other than that, I have no other IT job experience on my resume.
There are an okay amount of IT internships in NJ, but I feel that we lack IT internships in quantity for the amount of people in the state who are majoring in IT. Obviously, there are more real jobs than internships in every field (duh), but still, even real IT jobs in NJ suck. Every field is going to have its good and bad states. In NJ, every regular white-collared job in general that pays enough to be financially independent requires you to have a decade of experience and only the "prestigious" people live out here. That's pretty much why you see a lot of fancy cars in NJ. Seriously! People who can afford to live in NJ have a decade of experience (even as a young person somehow) and they get their "prestigious jobs" to afford their fancy cars and luxury material things.
NM is the opposite. It's a really good state that is underrated and low income to live in. I've done research on real IT jobs for NM (not internships) and it doesn't require you to have a decade of experience for every thing and there are TONS of IT jobs out in NM. Everyone is stereotyping NM wrong. My brother told me how NM would be a boring wasteland with no jobs and just acres of boring desolation outside of ABQ. No NM has IT jobs and sounds like a fun state to live in! Also, the good part about NM is that you can live off of $50K (I'm not smart or experienced enough to get anything higher after graduation). I only have one IT internship on my resume, which was at a non-profit organization. I have a part time job right now as a copy clerk at a law firm and I lied on my resume saying I am also a help desk person there lol. Other than that, I have no other IT job experience on my resume.
The economy is booming and there are many IT jobs out west. The "hidden variable" in your analysis could be the culture shock. Would you culturally assimilate into the "three cultures" of the Rio Grande Valley? I went to HS in Santa Fe, NM and then to college in the midwest. Out there, I met many people from the tri-state area (NJ, NY, etc). The culture gap between them and the people I had known in NM was just very extreme: lifestyle, accent, mannerisms, etc. After that undergraduate experience, I had friends from the east coast who taught at a rural HS in NM. One of them just was really out-of-place and left after his year of service was over. He was out of his element in NM. It reminds me of that film "City Slickers" when these East Coast guys try to immerse themselves into the culture of NM but stumble.
To be fair, there are people who adjust. I'd recommend visiting first. Also, there are many places in the east coast you may feel much more comfortable for an IT internship. Another alternative is Austin, TX or Phoenix, AZ - both are low cost and known to appeal to East Coast transplants of the younger, recent-college-graduate demographic range.
As for me, I love NM and feel like I am in heaven when I hike up La Luz Trail and have a traditional NM meal at some place like Twister's after the workout. Mountain runners would love NM - a training mecca. It also has elite MMA athletes. UNM athletes are known for high cardio VO2 max with the altitude training they often do. World class runners have been known to train in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. NM is also one of the last states that still have "4/4" Native Americans who speak the indigenous langauge. Such demographic groups have gone extinct over in the East Coast. But the Four Corners Region is still alive with indigenous culture and elite cross country/basketball players. NM is my home - a modern Native American and IT software engineer who specializes in machine learning.
The are not a lot of private-sector IT jobs. There are a lot of IT jobs for defense contractors if you are a citizen and qualify for a security clearance. And there are a fair amount of IT jobs working for State Government in Santa Fe. But outside these two scenarios, not a lot.
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Also, the good part about NM is that you can live off of $50K
This is true. You can definitely have a good living by yourself on $50K in NM.
To get work in NM you don't really need internship experience.
The are not a lot of private-sector IT jobs. There are a lot of IT jobs for defense contractors if you are a citizen and qualify for a security clearance. And there are a fair amount of IT jobs working for State Government in Santa Fe. But outside these two scenarios, not a lot.
This is true. You can definitely have a good living by yourself on $50K in NM.
To get work in NM you don't really need internship experience.
Government jobs have great benefits . My dad works for the US government himself and that gives him good benefits.
Yay NM is cheap enough to live off of a $50K job. Yeah NM seems like a place where it is easy to get a job without internship experience. Here in NJ, we get so many young professionals flocking in the state, but usually they have a decade of experience (starting from their early to mid teens) and they are usually geniuses. They end up getting a prestigious job and owning a fancy car. A 50K IT job will not get me by in NJ and 50K IT jobs barely exist in NJ. Even if I wanted to live in NJ for life, I would never make it out here.
You've got three options:
1) if there's nothing in your past to prevent you from getting a security clearance, then you can apply for jobs with defense contractors in Albuquerque
2) you can apply for Federal government DoD/DoE jobs with posts at military bases or national labs in New Mexico
3) you can apply for state government jobs in Santa Fe
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. My dad works for the US government himself and that gives him good benefits. 
