What's OKC like for a single 30-something female in I.T.? (Tulsa: home, job market)

[BigDGeek]

I've been lurking here for about a week and have looked at past threads but haven't found answers to all of my questions.

Basically I'm sick of DFW; sick of the work culture, sick of the environment, sick of all of it. Mostly I'm sick of the people. Are people in OKC friendlier or more laid-back than people here?

What's the job market like in tech? I have about 15 years of experience in I.T. and I work mainly with databases.

I'm female, divorced, in my late 30s. How hard it is it to meet people? I am not Christian so meeting people at church is out. I don't know anyone in OKC.

Thank you!

[debzkidz]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

I've been lurking here for about a week and have looked at past threads but haven't found answers to all of my questions.

Basically I'm sick of DFW; sick of the work culture, sick of the environment, sick of all of it. Mostly I'm sick of the people. Are people in OKC friendlier or more laid-back than people here?

What's the job market like in tech? I have about 15 years of experience in I.T. and I work mainly with databases.

I'm female, divorced, in my late 30s. How hard it is it to meet people? I am not Christian so meeting people at church is out. I don't know anyone in OKC.

Thank you!

I can't help with most of your questions, but as a Dallas native, I can speak to the bolded part. We actually moved here from Houston 5 years ago and we love it here. I find the people here to be much more friendly than Dallasites. OKC is a very laid back city. I find that people here just don't seem like their butts are on fire all the time like they do in Dallas. People are warm and welcoming without being in your business. We've lived in cities all over Texas, and as friendly as they think they are there (and some are), I have found people here to be much more so. Strangers will just start conversations with you in stores and such.

As far as the church thing goes, people may ask where you go to church, or if you've found a church home here. If you politely tell them you don't attend church, they will not push it on you nor shun you for not sharing their faith. They ask only to be polite and friendly, not in a way to try to convert you.

[prerunner1982]

I can' help you on the IT job market here, though I can't imagine you would have too much trouble here. I believe Boeing is moving jobs here, there are multiple oil/gas companies here....

As far as meeting people, if depends on what you like to do. With Downtown OKC/Bricktown right now you are sure to find a number of things to do on any given night.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by debzkidz

I can't help with most of your questions, but as a Dallas native, I can speak to the bolded part. We actually moved here from Houston 5 years ago and we love it here. I find the people here to be much more friendly than Dallasites. OKC is a very laid back city. I find that people here just don't seem like their butts are on fire all the time like they do in Dallas. People are warm and welcoming without being in your business. We've lived in cities all over Texas, and as friendly as they think they are there (and some are), I have found people here to be much more so. Strangers will just start conversations with you in stores and such.

As far as the church thing goes, people may ask where you go to church, or if you've found a church home here. If you politely tell them you don't attend church, they will not push it on you nor shun you for not sharing their faith. They ask only to be polite and friendly, not in a way to try to convert you.

Great post.

[sparkman75229]

I own property and do business in OKC and have relatives in Tulsa. My experiences have been very different. I think it depends entirely on if you actually live there or are there on business. I have found the people in Tulsa to be nice, but not any nicer than the natives in DFW, but I have had many negative experiences in OKC.

My advice would be to not let anyone know you are from Texas and you will probably be fine.

I would argue that Oklahomans are indeed more laid back but are no more friendly than native Texans. I think both states are among the friendliest.

[BigDGeek]

Thank you guys for all of your responses so far...it sounds great

[_redbird_]

Personally, I think the IT market is flooded. But that does not mean you won't find a job in your profession, just be prepared to not find the job you seek and you may have to settle for something paying far less than you made in other states.

[_redbird_]

Originally Posted by sparkman75229

My advice would be to not let anyone know you are from Texas and you will probably be fine.

My god, you must have run in to some idiots. I can't imagine someone not liking you simply due to the state you came from... that's stupid.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by _redbird_

Personally, I think the IT market is flooded. But that does not mean you won't find a job in your profession, just be prepared to not find the job you seek and you may have to settle for something paying far less than you made in other states.

I'm in Texas which is a low-wage state anyway.

What are you basing this on...are you in I.T., or do you know people in I.T.? If the job market is soft, I definitely am not going to make a move. I don't like my current job, but it pays the bills.

[#1soonerfan]

I certainly wouldn't say this market is soft; however coming from an area that is colloquially called "The Silicon Prairie" to one that is economically more blue chip (and 1/5 smaller to boot) will result in an obvious step down of opportunities.

There are some however that are worth exploring. Your best bet is to get on with one of the local oil and gas companies. Devon, CHK, Sandridge, (soon to be) Continental are all staffing up bigtime in a wide array of positions. And the pay is decent to boot. Boeing just announced a huge expansion, but I think they will be using a lot of their own people they are transferring in from KS and CA. A better bet might be getting through one of their subcontractors, like Dell or i2. Both have big offices here.

I should say I am a 25 year old single male who actually grew up in Plano. So I'm familiar with the differences in the 2 places. I really do enjoy living here. The cultural similaries, for the most part, are pretty similar. People IMO are pretty friendly in both, but Dallas is more fast paced, and will simiply have more to do. OKC is no slouch though, and the city is getting better every day. There's not as much traffic or congestion. There isn't the rampant conspicous cosumption that DFW is famous for, which is a huge relief. At the same retail stores that you're used to will be lacking here (I would give my left toe for a Container Store or Quik Trip!)

With all that in mind, I would always caution a single person who's still fairly young to really evalutate to make sure OKC would be right for you. As a single person myself, I am at the age where a lot of my friends are getting married (which is very common in OK), so I'm increasingly becoming the 5th wheel when I go out. It makes for a dreadful dating scene. Some on here may disagree with me, but while people won't be preaching to you on the sidewalks, a lot of socializing and "plugging in" here still centers around the church. If you do decide to move here, I would try to stay in the urban/inner city area. The church factor is less of issue in urban parts of OKC and there are a lot of civic organizations to get involved with.

Basically, if you are looking for a "Sex and the City" lifestyle you will grow to detest OKC. If you are looking for a slower pace and are okay with having to be a bit creative to date (since the dating pool is so small) than OKC might be for you.