Economic opportunity for women (Pittsburgh, Scranton: 2014, tech jobs, school)

[zman63]

We are one of the lowest paying cities for women....

The worst-paying cities for women

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Kinda sad in general that we fall on lists where the pay is near or equal to some of the poorest/most depressed areas in the United States (Augusta, Baton Rouge, Scranton, Bakerfield, etc.) Guess that's why all those startups are flocking here: talent from good universities for a fraction of the price of other big cities.

[zman63]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Kinda sad in general that we fall on lists where the pay is near or equal to some of the poorest/most depressed areas in the United States (Augusta, Baton Rouge, Scranton, Bakerfield, etc.) Guess that's why all those startups are flocking here: talent from good universities for a fraction of the price of other big cities.

I don't see the startups coming here. I think the grads that do get jobs here move on after a few years for greener pastures and more pay. Something like 18 percent of CMU grads get a job in pittsburgh after graduation.

The low paying jobs and wage disparity between men and women is not good.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by zman63

I don't see the startups coming here. I think the grads that do get jobs here move on after a few years for greener pastures and more pay. Something like 18 percent of CMU grads get a job in pittsburgh after graduation.

The low paying jobs and wage disparity between men and women is not good.

CMU isn't a regional, state or even a national school. Its really an international institution whose students come from all over the known and unknown world. The fact that almost a fifth stay here is a point of positivity.

[WhoIsStanwix?]

Not that this isn't a bad headline for Pittsburgh, but can you really draw any real conclusions from how the USA today presented these survey results? Pay gap may exist, but what is the pay gap for equivalent positions? What is the opportunity gap for moving up into higher paying positions?

[metalforever]

I'm a chick. There's no tech jobs. I wanted so badly to live here in Pittsburgh long term. The computer science / engineering outlook is so bad, I cannot in good conscience stay here. Right now I'm living in Regent Square working for a company in San Francisco (I'm cheaper due to cost of living). Its ridiculous.

[BarqCider]

Originally Posted by metalforever

I'm a chick. There's no tech jobs. I wanted so badly to live here in Pittsburgh long term. The computer science / engineering outlook is so bad, I cannot in good conscience stay here. Right now I'm living in Regent Square working for a company in San Francisco (I'm cheaper due to cost of living). Its ridiculous.

the CS is bigger here than my field: network security. don't give up yet

[metalforever]

The problem is that I believe the unemployment / underemployment rate to be high. I witnessed working conditions I didn't really feel were favorable at one of the larger employers for engineering / computer science in the area. 60+ hour weeks consistently, mental breakdowns/crying by multiple coworkers (3 in a 6 person team), pay that was way low compared to national average. Also, since it was salary, they weren't being paid OT, so it might have ended up being $25/hr for an engineer. There are few other options. Google wasn't interested..., I can't find any area internships. I'm just not sure its going to work out :/

Contrast this with San Francisco companies wanting to pay me $35-40 an hour and provide me with free beer and xbox at work, free lunches, free snacks, flex hours (work when I feel like it), and a free taxi every day to work....as an intern. :S I really do like Pittsburgh better but its very difficult to make that choice. In contrast, the Pittsburgh employer had none of the above benefits and only paid me $14.50 an hour for what I would consider highly technical, skilled work.

[WhoIsStanwix?]

Originally Posted by metalforever

The problem is that I believe the unemployment / underemployment rate to be high. I witnessed working conditions I didn't really feel were favorable at one of the larger employers for engineering / computer science in the area. 60+ hour weeks consistently, mental breakdowns/crying by multiple coworkers (3 in a 6 person team), pay that was way low compared to national average. Also, since it was salary, they weren't being paid OT, so it might have ended up being $25/hr for an engineer. There are few other options. Google wasn't interested..., I can't find any area internships. I'm just not sure its going to work out :/

Contrast this with San Francisco companies wanting to pay me $35-40 an hour and provide me with free beer and xbox at work, free lunches, free snacks, flex hours (work when I feel like it), and a free taxi every day to work....as an intern. :S I really do like Pittsburgh better but its very difficult to make that choice. In contrast, the Pittsburgh employer had none of the above benefits and only paid me $14.50 an hour for what I would consider highly technical, skilled work.

So do they pay females less here?

[sealie]

Originally Posted by WhoIsStanwix?

So do they pay females less here?

From my own personal anecdata, not really. The subspecialties of IT that have more men in them may be better paying than the relatively female-heavy fields like QA and web design, and I don't have enough evidence one way or the other on promotion paths although I seem to see more female project managers and more male technical architects. The USA Today article is kind of meaningless if it is going to compare by job area rather than actual title, but this is par for the course. The trouble is when people see the numbers and don't think about what they represent.