What businesses are similar to Lockheed Martin in Prescott, PV, and Dewey areas? (Phoenix: job market)

[Z.C.Weber]

My husband and I are looking for information in the Prescott area since we have family in Phoenix and are considering moving to AZ. We are out of state and have never been to AZ. My concern is finding a job and career for my husband that he is happy with. He is graduating in a year with a BS in information systems technology. He wants a higher paying job(65,000+) with a (larger) company where he can advance. He would like his main focus to be cyber security or anything to do with that. Not so much database administrator.

I came across in another thread that there was a Lockheed Martin in the area. My husband has been interested in the company even before attending school for his degree. He has military experience which is a bonus for that kind of company. Does anyone have any information about Lockheed Martin? How big is it in the area? Good or bad information about working there? Also what other companies in the area would hire an IT guy for a larger salary?

Thanks

[agorski]

LM operates a flight service station under contract to the FAA. About 150 employees. A friend of mine moved here to work there, but he was already in the business. Not much else in good paying IT jobs in the area. Maybe the county government with their GIS systems.

[GoClick]

They employ about 200 people in the area. Unless he already has a specific job offer or some other source of income I would not recommend you move here. Even if you did though, what happens if he loses that job? The population isn't big enough to support many companies large enough to have specialist IT staff of any kind, let a lone information security staff. The job market here for tech professionals is pretty bad, I myself make roughly half what I would make in Phoenix and the cost of living is (in my opinion) higher.

[like-2-hike]

Originally Posted by Z.C.Weber

My husband and I are looking for information in the Prescott area since we have family in Phoenix and are considering moving to AZ. We are out of state and have never been to AZ. My concern is finding a job and career for my husband that he is happy with. He is graduating in a year with a BS in information systems technology. He wants a higher paying job(65,000+) with a (larger) company where he can advance. He would like his main focus to be cyber security or anything to do with that. Not so much database administrator.

I came across in another thread that there was a Lockheed Martin in the area. My husband has been interested in the company even before attending school for his degree. He has military experience which is a bonus for that kind of company. Does anyone have any information about Lockheed Martin? How big is it in the area? Good or bad information about working there? Also what other companies in the area would hire an IT guy for a larger salary?

Thanks

Hate to break it to you, but the Prescott area is not a great spot for those looking for IT employment. Low turnover, relatively low pay, and generally high demand make it a frustrating option for many potential employees. There are only a few employers that have large IT departments in Yavapai county - most are government, and they pay about 60% of what your husband would make in Phoenix. The hospital (aside from Raytheon) is the only other large non-government IT employer that I'm aware of, and they outsource most (or all?) of their IT to a third-party company (but they do pay well for the area and would be the best choice if salary was the sole concern). Other options: Yavapai County, City of Prescott, Town of Prescott Valley, Yavapai College, Embry-Riddle, Prescott College, school districts (PUSD, HUSD, CVSD, etc.), possibly US government (forest service, court system), and one-offs with other larger local employers (Storm Ruger, Ace Hardware, etc.)

Here's the real problem: Except for the hospital or a private employer, there's virtually no chance your husband will get $65k+ right out of college (even with a degree in IT security - which it doesn't sound like he has). If he could work with $40k, he might be able to find something. Then you have to deal with the housing situation (which is not good at $40k). Government employers in the area simply will not pay $65k unless you've got 10+ years experience or have a few years of experience in a niche field (e.g. database administration).

It's a beautiful place to live, but a tough place to make a career happen. Good luck - I hope you find something that works for you!

[GoClick]

like-2-hike is 100% correct. This is not a good place to start a tech career, he can expect $30-40k if he can find a job at all.

I've been programming sine the mid 1990s, taught at a few schools, and worked for many Fortune 500 companies. In Prescott I make about half what I would make in the Phoenix area.

I know multiple people in Prescott who have education and experience in STEM fields and work outside the field doing all kinds of work, most of them make pretty low wages and generally only stay because they're from the area or married to someone who is.

Even in Tempe or Chandler which are generally considered a pretty good cities for tech workers a first year information systems technology graduate isn't going to make great wages.

Information systems jobs generally pay a fair bit less than other tech related degrees. Then on top of that low experience means low wages no matter where you go; but since lots of people want to live in Prescott employers can get a lot of experience for less money.

Don't feel like I mean he has the wrong degree though! Degrees in IS (vs CS, EE or other harder science degrees) do tend to pay less to start, but the work is generally less stressful, and after 10 years or so the pay is about the same. I don't know a lot of CS grads working as programmers who actually like their jobs. I do know a fair number of IT guys, and systems administrators who actually like their jobs.

[infocyde]

Programmers are at the end of the mistake chains. Clients who don't understand their own business rules, ever changing specs, deadlines set by business interest that don't really understand what it is technically they are asking people to do...it all falls on the programmers in the end to come up with a solution that works and is accepted. A lot of companies like to make up for failures up stream by demanding more out of their programmers as the deadlines roll in. There are some great programming jobs, especially if you are your own client. But the vast majority of them are pressure cookers. Also programming now tends to attract a lot of very bright but very anal people now a days. They are good but bummers to have a work mates. In the past things were less polished and more cowboy. Overall that was bad from a software engineering perspective but good for having some pretty cool personalities come through the work place. Now many programmers more and more are becoming like the machines they operate. They are still creative and talented, more so then the older crowd. But colder, more analytical, more focused, less fun. Also, if you are young, no matter what HR departments tell you, the people you hang out with, befriend, date, and marry are often the people you spend the most time with (you spend a lot of time with the people you work with and their friends). It is human nature. With that in mind would you rather work at an advertising agency or a software engineering firm. Just something to consider...