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Old 10-21-2015, 11:59 AM
 
Location: Texas
5,717 posts, read 18,849,306 times
Reputation: 11224

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People leave jobs because of better wages and better opportunities. Maybe the problem is with the incompetence of the CEO to recognize if he can't hire talent from a city of over 2 million, maybe he's the problem. Might try better working conditions and better pay. I have a lady friend that works there, is in management, and makes just over 30 grand a year. For her qualifications, she could make double that elsewhere as starting wages. So morons r us says San Antonio is the problem....nice going, dumbass.
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Old 10-21-2015, 11:27 PM
 
Location: West Grove, PA
1,011 posts, read 1,112,681 times
Reputation: 1043
What I've seen in the 5 months I've been are tons of jobs and not enough people for those jobs. Victim of your own success is what that tells me.
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Old 10-22-2015, 05:31 AM
 
520 posts, read 779,544 times
Reputation: 492
Quote:
Originally Posted by Azure110 View Post
A talent gap in sales, marketing, product, AND engineering fields? The article lost me at that point as I knew it was nothing more than opinion out the mouth of some big head honcho of a major tech company. This article is only focused on that one tech company too.
Azure, I can vouch that as a Sr. SysAdmin subcontractor not with Rackspace or USAA, it's not just opinion, it's true. The organization I work for struggles to recruit talent. Talking to local recruiters and other techies it's a universal problem here in SA. There isn't a big enough talent pool here in SA and convincing folks to uproot family (again, talking Sr level techies) to move here is a hard sell.

Due to a reorg of our organization we've expanded operations here considerably. A not insignificant percentage of our new hires in the past year have been full-time remote teleworkers and most of of our Austin/Silicon Valley-based folk (yes, we have a guy on my team who used to crashpad here and fly back to SF to be with his family on the weekends) are now full-time teleworkers, a concession to recruit and keep the qualified talent on staff. Unfortuantely, that means salaries well north of the average service wage going elsewhere.

Some may take this as a knock on the city, and I guess in some ways it is but San Antonio is not a tech destination despite the large tech presences of Rackspace, USAA, DoD, & NSA. Why is that? Unfortunately that's not a discussion that can be had here on CD without it devolving into a derailed argument between SA defenders and haters.
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Old 10-22-2015, 05:39 AM
 
520 posts, read 779,544 times
Reputation: 492
Quote:
Originally Posted by spursfan View Post
In reference to Rackspace, highly educated professionals don't work there long because it's located in an old mall in suburbia. If you could choose that or a thriving community of like-minded people in California or Austin, what would you choose?
In all fairness, Silicon Valley was once and in many ways still is suburbia. You are spot on about like-minded community/culture though.
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Old 10-22-2015, 07:01 AM
 
6,693 posts, read 8,742,982 times
Reputation: 4845
Quote:
Originally Posted by CyVaquero View Post
Azure, I can vouch that as a Sr. SysAdmin subcontractor not with Rackspace or USAA, it's not just opinion, it's true. The organization I work for struggles to recruit talent. Talking to local recruiters and other techies it's a universal problem here in SA. There isn't a big enough talent pool here in SA and convincing folks to uproot family (again, talking Sr level techies) to move here is a hard sell.

Due to a reorg of our organization we've expanded operations here considerably. A not insignificant percentage of our new hires in the past year have been full-time remote teleworkers and most of of our Austin/Silicon Valley-based folk (yes, we have a guy on my team who used to crashpad here and fly back to SF to be with his family on the weekends) are now full-time teleworkers, a concession to recruit and keep the qualified talent on staff. Unfortuantely, that means salaries well north of the average service wage going elsewhere.

Some may take this as a knock on the city, and I guess in some ways it is but San Antonio is not a tech destination despite the large tech presences of Rackspace, USAA, DoD, & NSA. Why is that? Unfortunately that's not a discussion that can be had here on CD without it devolving into a derailed argument between SA defenders and haters.
Fair enough. If more that one source attests to talent pool being scarce here in San Antonio then I am more inclined to believe that it is in fact a problem here in San Antonio.

It is not that I took the article as a "knock on the city". I just felt more sources needed to be interviewed and cited, not just the Rackspace CEO before we are to believe that our local talent pool is lacking in ALL areas.

The OP of this thread isn't just concerned with the talent pool of this city, he just dislikes San Antonio and makes no secret of that. I actually feel sorry for anyone that hates where they are living and does not move to a place better suited for them. San Antonio isn't for everyone, that is for sure.

Also I just don't get why people think Austin is better for living and that is where all the techies want to live. I get that the city is trendy and people are willing to wait for a LONG time in a car on I-35 or in line for BBQ there. As for me, I will enjoy this more laid back city while I still can and my laid back meals at BBQ station that I did not have to wait half a day for.

Last edited by Azure110; 10-22-2015 at 07:42 AM..
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Old 10-22-2015, 07:52 AM
 
2,382 posts, read 3,485,489 times
Reputation: 4915
I think some of the problem is that the cost of living here USED to be very low, compared to say California.
In the last few years, we have had a flood of people moving here for that reason.
The result has been our cost of living has skyrocketed in the last few years. Homes, rent, etc. has gone way up, while salaries here have stayed the same.
Why stay here when you can move elsewhere for more money?
Businesses moved their operations here for the low wages and low cost of living, which means more profit for them.
These new homes and apartments they are throwing up nonstop are priced out of the salary range for the area.
I have been looking to move somewhere nicer and bigger myself, but $1200 for a new 1 bedroom apt?? I'll pass.
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Old 10-22-2015, 10:24 AM
 
Location: San Antonio-Westover Hills
6,884 posts, read 20,366,517 times
Reputation: 5176
Rackspace needs to listen to their employees. That's their biggest problem with retention. Second would be salary.
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Old 10-22-2015, 10:24 AM
 
262 posts, read 432,569 times
Reputation: 267
Txtea is absolutely correct. I moved here from California years ago to be a university professor, and the primary thing that helped me cope with the culture (with which I have always felt a disconnect) was the lower cost of living. Suddenly I find myself paying top dollar for the unsophisticated, podunk culture, and staying here is making MUCH less sense to me now. For example, houses in the Monte Vista historic district have practically doubled in price in the past 5 years. You can find a home of similar style, and of superior architectural quality, in some of the hip areas of Chicago and one block from the causeway in West Palm Beach for LESS than it costs here. It's ridiculous. I am not surprised about the difficulty in keeping talent. I guess a few restaurants at the famed Pearl, along with a coffee shop and a farmers market on Saturdays that barely sells any vegetables is not enough to entice people to live here.

Last edited by Proffer; 10-22-2015 at 10:35 AM..
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Old 10-22-2015, 10:58 AM
 
2,382 posts, read 3,485,489 times
Reputation: 4915
Thanks Proffer
Think of it like the Eagle Ford boom we had in recent years. They started building housing like mad men when it took off. Pleasanton had traffic jams at midnight, hotels, restaurants, campgrounds, etc. sprang up everywhere. Charging ridiculous prices for housing and food. Now it's back to normal since oil prices plunged. Vacant hotels, campers for sale all over the place, closed businesses eveywhere.
Wait a few years, and a lot of people that moved here are going to get tired of this crap and say adios. Homes, rent, etc. will fall back down to normal once apartments and homes start going vacant with no one wanting to pay the price they want for them. It's all a matter of time.
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Old 10-22-2015, 08:33 PM
 
102 posts, read 128,341 times
Reputation: 93
Quote:
Originally Posted by txtea View Post
Thanks Proffer
Think of it like the Eagle Ford boom we had in recent years. They started building housing like mad men when it took off. Pleasanton had traffic jams at midnight, hotels, restaurants, campgrounds, etc. sprang up everywhere. Charging ridiculous prices for housing and food. Now it's back to normal since oil prices plunged. Vacant hotels, campers for sale all over the place, closed businesses eveywhere.
Wait a few years, and a lot of people that moved here are going to get tired of this crap and say adios. Homes, rent, etc. will fall back down to normal once apartments and homes start going vacant with no one wanting to pay the price they want for them. It's all a matter of time.
I still think san antonio is pretty cheap. Do you see that happening in Austin also?
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