Older IT developer looking for a new city (rentals, how much)

[KJoe11]

Hello.

I am currently living in Portland OR. The area is beautiful and I enjoy the mild winters, rain, and dreary overcast skies. What I DON'T care for is the lack of job opportunities (wife's issue), West Coast attitude, traffic, and cost of living. So, we decided to do some exploratory research to determine if an area would be a good fit.

I am a Database developer (Ms Stack, .NET) in my 50's. I do run into some age discrimination but I always manage to find employment especially as a consultant. Since I like to exercise I am usually in better shape than my counterparts who are in their 30's. So, I don't look like the kind of old guy that will keel over during the interview.

My wife is an ex teacher with a Master's degree in SPED. The last few years she has been an Acct. Manager and general office worker. She is the kind of person that does extremely well in interviews and most people instantly like her. Her salary is in the mid 30's.

My queries are:

I am a Bible believing Christian and not a LDS member. How much realistic discrimination are we going to face?

How are the opportunities in IT? Do you feel age is a severe detriment in the local area? Are there more fulltime or contractor positions available? What is the current rate?

How about office workers? My wife, an Acct. Manager, has an extremely hard time finding office work in the Portland area. The pay, I think, is extremely poor offering anywhwere between 13 - 19 dolllars an hour. She does have the experience and holds a Master degree.

We currently have a Golden Retriever. Is the local area dog friendly Do hotels and rentals accept dogs?


I appreciate you taking the time to read about me and my family unit. And, I thank you in advance for any feedback.

[MrAnderson]

I work as a software developer in the .NET / MS stack as well. I've never noticed any shortage of jobs available ...there's a booming tech sector here. I'm only 31 though so I'm not sure about the age discrimination. I don't think you'd have any trouble at all with the LDS thing - most companies here have a mixture of peoples.

I will say, traffic here is probably on par with Portland though.