IT Jobs - Contracting/Temp Agency Options? (Los Angeles, San Diego: contractors, university)

[FatAlbert]

I'm a State employee working in NorCal but looking to move to SoCal. Unfortunately, there are no real State jobs except in the city of Los Angeles, and those seem to be slim pickings.


Federal jobs can take a while and may not even pay as much as I'm making now (just under 6 figures), so I'm looking at other options, some of which are to look into county/city jobs, jobs at a UC or state university, or going back to the private sector either directly applying for jobs or getting in as a contractor thru a temp agency.


I started out as a contractor for 1 year thru a temp agency and was offered a full-time permanent position with the tech company, so I am aware of the cons (you can be treated like a 2nd class worker, you don't get the better health benefits, performance bonuses, stock options or 401K with employer contributions, and are more easily fired or let go for any reason), which can make the experience unpleasant and the situation unstable. But it could be a way in if you are a strong performer and they have an open position within the tech company.


With that said, I was wondering if there are folks out there with experience with San Diego or OC IT temp agencies who know who the main tech company customers are to which the temp agencies feed contractors into. Also, which agencies are considered better in pay, benefits and treatment of their contractors?


Thanks in advance!

[1AngryTaxPayer]

I was in IT for 24 years and recently jumped out due to the instability. They later cut most of the programmers or asked them to move to the E coast. The hardware guys had to apply at a contractor picked by the company and brought back with slightly better pay (still not close to 6 figures) and no benefits so overall they got hosed. The admins and db guys headcount got cut in half and there hasn't been an opening in years.

I will try and find out the name of the contractor but not sure I'd want to work for them. Their work load is ridiculous. Your better option might be contracting through the military.

[jnojr]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Your better option might be contracting through the military.

If you have a clearance. If you don't, finding someone willing to sponsor for one is a little like hunting unicorns.

The best way forward in IT is emerging tech. If you do hardware, databases storage, blah blah blah... nobody cares. You're a dime a dozen. If you do IaaS / PaaS, HCI, SDN/SDS, "cloud"... that's the ticket. But you gotta get in, make your bones, and learn the next thing, or you'll get left behind again.

[FatAlbert]

Thanks guys. Lack of good and stable jobs, especially higher paying ones, seem to be a common issue for many about San Diego or the OC beach towns. To make 6 figures or close to it, sounds like I have to look at specialized IT jobs for the federal govt or go private sector. I got out of private sector for better work life balance, so not sure I am so keen to go back primarily due to that. I do miss some things about working in the private sector though, as various things about State work frustrate me and I don't get as much satisfaction out of it in general. Also the tech sector's volatility doesn't appeal to me. Maybe if I were in my 20's or early 30's again it'd be fine.

So perhaps I should stay put in my State job in NorCal, but I end up having to stay in NorCal. Maybe I could just make more mini trips to SoCal to enjoy the ocean and beach life whenever I get the urge. I live close enough to go a couple of times a month for long weekends. But that'd cost close to $1000 a month.