job search strategy - outer burbs vs center city for IT (Philadelphia: best suburbs, home)

[austin2359]

If one was looking for a job in IT in the Philadelphia metro, would the better strategy be to look further out where you can take a lower wage, or look closer to the city where there is simply more going on?

The tradeoff is between density and lower wage requirement.

I'd like to hear especially from people who made a decision in a similar situation or have some sort of statistical argument. But I'm also open to random opinions and hunches.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by austin2359

If one was looking for a job in IT in the Philadelphia metro, would the better strategy be to look further out where you can take a lower wage, or look closer to the city where there is simply more going on?

The tradeoff is between density and lower wage requirement.

I'd like to hear especially from people who made a decision in a similar situation or have some sort of statistical argument. But I'm also open to random opinions and hunches.

I admit to not knowing much about the IT market but there may not necessarily be a drop-off in salary, especially if you're looking at places like King of Prussia or Plymouth Meeting/Blue Bell. In fact, if you receive an offer from a Philly company that is less than 4% higher than a similar deal out in the 'burbs, you'll actually "losing" money due to the city wage tax.

On the other hand, there's no easy way to quantify the value of being close to city attractions. Lots of people have already made the decision that being convenient to Philly's nightlife and cultural offerings are worth the wage tax hit...or at least avoiding a sometimes lengthy trek back into the city during off-hours.

[maestro]

there are IT jobs all over the area, whether you're in the city or out in the burbs. The wage tax has made the suburbs very attractive to a lot of smaller IT firms and other technology outfits.

Center City is the main hub of IT jobs in the city proper.

the best suburbs for IT jobs (in my opinion) are Horsham/Ft Washington/Blue Bell in the north, Conshy/KOP/Wayne to the west, and Malvern/West Chester to the "far west".

it really just depends on what type of living environment you want. If you're good, you should be able to get a job within 10-20 miles of your home (closer if you're in the city).

Good luck, let me know if you have any other questions.

[austin2359]

If one wanted to advance in IT, would the area between Lansdale and Quakertown be worth abandoning?

It seems that most of the suburban Philly jobs are closer to Philly, and it seems that Allentown has more jobs too. Are these hunches justified?

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by austin2359

If one wanted to advance in IT, would the area between Lansdale and Quakertown be worth abandoning?

It seems that most of the suburban Philly jobs are closer to Philly, and it seems that Allentown has more jobs too. Are these hunches justified?

I'm not aware that the area between Lansdale and Quakertown is an IT hotspot. It's certainly not part of the more prominent office park areas. Know that if you're looking for a place with "more going on", maestro's suggestions are closer to and in more of those types of areas.

As far as Allentown is concerned, it may be best to ask on the Lehigh Valley sub-forum here.

[maestro]

Originally Posted by austin2359

If one wanted to advance in IT, would the area between Lansdale and Quakertown be worth abandoning?

It seems that most of the suburban Philly jobs are closer to Philly, and it seems that Allentown has more jobs too. Are these hunches justified?

I guess it depends on what you mean by "abandoning". You can live in those areas and commute to Horsham/Blue Bell with no issue. If you are looking to work in Quakertown and the surrounding area, I would say your IT job prospects would be extremely limited.

There are some decent IT jobs in Lansdale, though it's a smaller hub than Horsham/Ft Washington/Blue Bell.

Allentown does have some IT jobs, but in my experience it has been 1) older technologies 2) they tend to pay a little less. There are definitely exceptions, though.

[austin2359]

Upper Bucks to Horsham would be a long commute. I think I would move if I got a job there.

One advantage to the "low pay" areas is that living there is fairly cheap. So if you lose your job, you can afford it more.

On the other hand, if you are in the right area you should be able to get another job quickly.

That's the dilemma.

[maestro]

Originally Posted by austin2359

Upper Bucks to Horsham would be a long commute. I think I would move if I got a job there.

One advantage to the "low pay" areas is that living there is fairly cheap. So if you lose your job, you can afford it more.

On the other hand, if you are in the right area you should be able to get another job quickly.

That's the dilemma.

I know people that commute from Allentown to King of Prussia. It's a long commute for but for the right job, people will do it. I guess everyone's threshold is different.

how long of a commute would you be open to?

[austin2359]

I would eventually like to end up around 20-25 minutes (or better), however I would be open to a long commute that lasts a few months, and then moving once i'm comfortable.

40 minutes I could maybe tolerate for a few months. I don't think I could tolerate an hour for more than a month.