Tech jobs coming to Phoenix? (Scottsdale: house, salary, live)

[veritased]

on the OT of chips, also in the biz, and I would say Huawei, and maybe Samsung too now, have smoked Qualcomm and Intel in mobile chip performance. My Huawei Mate 20 Pro phone and it's performance and battery life are beyond what Apple and Google can offer with their iPhone and Pixel phones respectively. The way this phone never seems to heat up even during constant internet use, is far beyond what I experienced with any Qualcomm based device. And Intel is even further behind on mobile APs.

Sorry to say, but the Chinese have taken the ARM architecture and built a better chip. For now, at least, they need Google for software. But as much as I want the USA to win, I'd still buy a Huawei phone before any USA brand. The USA has fallen behind on silicon and system design. I'll tell you why, having been at Huawei facilities in China. They work 6 to 7 days a week, 10 or more hours a day. They just toil away until they get it right.

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by veritased

Sorry to say, but the Chinese have taken the ARM architecture and built a better chip. For now, at least, they need Google for software. But as much as I want the USA to win, I'd still buy a Huawei phone before any USA brand. The USA has fallen behind on silicon and system design. I'll tell you why, having been at Huawei facilities in China. They work 6 to 7 days a week, 10 or more hours a day. They just toil away until they get it right.

Certainly the Chinese are a force to consider. But working 60+ hours a week is nothing unusual in my experience.

[EEngineer]

I charge by the hour. I can't often get 60 from one place.

[Ping322]

Originally Posted by infocyde

Comparing the Phoenix metro to Silicon Valley, Seattle, DC, and some other big metro areas is kind of unfair in one respect. Phoenix lacks the angel investors/financiers on a scale anywhere close to those other areas. Innovation tends to happen near the financing sources that support it's growth are located. The IT job market in Phoenix is growing despite that and a few other small handicaps. Good on Phoenix.

This is a fascinating insight. What would need to change for Phoenix to have a great number of angel investors / financiers?


Also ... I read a remarkable stat recently: "Between 2009 and 2018, the number of engineering students at Arizona State University (in metro Phoenix) grew from about 6,400 to 22,400."

What percentage of those 5,000 engineering grads per year are staying and working in the Phoenix area? Are a relatively respectable percentage of them starting their own business?

[infocyde]

Originally Posted by Ping322

This is a fascinating insight. What would need to change for Phoenix to have a great number of angel investors / financiers?


Also ... I read a remarkable stat recently: "Between 2009 and 2018, the number of engineering students at Arizona State University (in metro Phoenix) grew from about 6,400 to 22,400."

What percentage of those 5,000 engineering grads per year are staying and working in the Phoenix area? Are a relatively respectable percentage of them starting their own business?

That is a great stat...where are all the engineers going?

As to the financiers/angel investors...I don't know. When the original hype hit the SF bay area was the place to be to get financing. It is still that way but I think it is on sure momentum. I don't think having IT companies in the bay area now is competitive (cost of living is too high). A lot of big tech that is based there are now exploring relocating a lot of their operations or starting newer ones in other areas (a few even in Phoenix as mentioned on the thread).

I think a lot of the reason why SF at least remains the hot spot for tech financing now is the financing culture there. The human reasons involving the financial crowd themselves. Weather, familiarity, being settled, having a big group of people in your circle doing the same things. It will take a long time for that to defuse.

The other spots probably had financing that was vestigial left over from America's industrial age that made the shift over to tech.

It seems Phoenix would have to kick start something new to attract big investors to locate here and finance local things. It will happen to a degree just on the sheer size of Phoenix, and Universities generating more talent will only help as well. But it lacks the past big financing history to dig into. It will be interesting how things go.

[popwar]

Originally Posted by newtoaz20172

Yep. I work in IT management and there is a great market here.

I also noticed Amazon/Lyft/Uber/Microsoft teasing a bit with jobs, trying the Phoenix market out. They're not fulling jumping into Phoenix, but do have tech jobs. I was suprised to see a Special Project Operations Team job from Uber posted in Phoenix. Those are their tougher jobs to get.

Big players like Google, Facebook and Apple are bay-centric still.

I'm not 100% sure if Phoenix will become like Denver or Austin, but its tech market is pretty good.

A long shot, but are you aware of any W10 deployment projects going on right now? I am looking to temp move to the area and I know deployments are pretty quick to get working on just to get my wheels rolling in a new state.

[veritased]

Originally Posted by infocyde

That is a great stat...where are all the engineers going?

As to the financiers/angel investors...I don't know. When the original hype hit the SF bay area was the place to be to get financing. It is still that way but I think it is on sure momentum. I don't think having IT companies in the bay area now is competitive (cost of living is too high). A lot of big tech that is based there are now exploring relocating a lot of their operations or starting newer ones in other areas (a few even in Phoenix as mentioned on the thread).

I think a lot of the reason why SF at least remains the hot spot for tech financing now is the financing culture there. The human reasons involving the financial crowd themselves. Weather, familiarity, being settled, having a big group of people in your circle doing the same things. It will take a long time for that to defuse.

The other spots probably had financing that was vestigial left over from America's industrial age that made the shift over to tech.

It seems Phoenix would have to kick start something new to attract big investors to locate here and finance local things. It will happen to a degree just on the sheer size of Phoenix, and Universities generating more talent will only help as well. But it lacks the past big financing history to dig into. It will be interesting how things go.

Traditional Sand Hill Road VC's won't be coming to Phoenix anytime soon, but then again, they are more dinosaurs than they are agile young tigers. I would not be surprised to find a new wave of VC's branch out to smaller regions. I have seen such in Chattanooga for example, Portland, etc.

But what Phoenix needs is to market something special that the university set can offer to investors, or some specific financial or logistic reason for startups to choose to startup, or grow here, vs other cities. It's doable, since we are close to SF Bay, we are much cheaper than them, and so it's not a stretch to imagine that happening. But the state would have to formally commit to this, and create a strong marketing program and go sell this pitch. It won't happen overnight, or by Instagram posts.

[veritased]

Originally Posted by hikernut

Certainly the Chinese are a force to consider. But working 60+ hours a week is nothing unusual in my experience.

Not in mine either, but seems to be the millennial generation grew up a bit soft, and may not totally get into the 6-7 day workweek concept!

[PhoenixSomeday]

What, so you just aren't supposed to see your family and live life with them? You leave when everyone is sleeping, come home when everyone is about to go to bed and yay, what a great life? Or you work your ass off for 10 years for the "privilege" of a 40 hour week once you reach a senior status or become a manager or something, and you just missed over half of your kids' life?

A long day of work here and there is one thing. A release is imminent, or some critical bug is found, etc. Ok, sure, but that's the exception and not the rule. Spending all of your waking moments making some rich old jackass even richer, who would drop you like a diseased limb at the drop of a hat when someone breathes wrong on the stocks one day? What's the point of that? That's the dumbest thing anyone has ever heard of, and a lot of companies are finally on board with that. Work / Life Balance.

[wase4711]

If you dislike your employer, and they treat you like dirt, the beautiful thing about working in the USA is you can leave and get a different job; some employers care about work /life balance, and others care only about the balance sheet. Its your choice on which environment you prefer to be in...