IT/network administration jobs in Honolulu? (job market, transfer, school)

[mango-mango]

I've looked through the forums and haven't been able to find the info I was looking for, so apologies if this is a repost...what's the job market like for someone with a degree in network administration but little work experience in Honolulu? I've wanted for years to move and have visited Honolulu and LOVE it.

Advice, perspectives, etc. from those of you with IT jobs in Honolulu?

Thanks!

[TalkingShoes]

You say you have a degree but you should get a few years of experience before you risk the move. On the other hand, if you are unmarried and just out of school it could be a great life experience to come out and see what Hawaii has to offer.

There are opportunities but be prepared to deal with skepticism as to your intentions. An IT manager has to hope a new transplant with no family ties in the state won't decide to move back to the mainland after a few months. I don't know how often this really happens but the stereotype is out there. Your resume will not be considered until you are actually on the island.

My own personal story was that I came to Honolulu on a lark about 4 years ago. Prior to that I had about 8 years of experience in software engineering and development. I found my first position pretty quickly but took a cut in pay compared to what I was making on the mainland (factor in the cost of living and it was a much bigger cut).

After you have a local company on your resume and local references it gets a lot easier. Even after 2 years here interviewers were asking me why I moved to Hawaii. What they really want is some assurance you plan to stay.

So my advise if you do move here is don't set high expectations, think twice about the cost of living, don't be picky about the first job you accept. Hope this helps. Good luck.

[mdand3boys]

It is extremely difficult to get a job in Hawaii if you are still on the Mainland. My wife just got a job, but she was able to transfer via her current employer which is a large corporation. I have been trying (have excellent IT project management experience and references) but can't get anymore than a response of "Well, call us when you are living on the island." They also want to know why we are moving, how long we think we will stay, etc. We are moving to the Big Island.

[newUHprof]

Just to add another (very similar) story to the two above: We were moving here for my job. My husband has an MSCS, 10+ years in IT / tech support / sys admin and all kinds of relevant certifications. He got a lot of "call us when you get here" responses. When he added a definite arrival date to his cover letter and explained that he planned to stay for at least six years because of my job, he got more responses (but not a lot). He started work within a month of arriving.

He also took a pretty substantial pay cut compared to his mainland job. In our case, it was a wash because I got a huge raise (over being a grad student). But it's something to think about... the jobs here don't pay nearly as much as you might be used to, and the cost of living is a lot higher.

Now that I've said all that, I'll add that there are definitely positions around, even in this down market. So if you were willing to save up a few month's living expenses and make the leap, you can probably find something after you get here.