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I'd fall under corporate IT. I'm a Sr. Systems Engineer. I build and support *nix, Windows, Networking, Virtualization, SANs, Blades, etc. I've mainly supported corporate infrastructures, but I've also done consulting as well.
Ouch. 75k seems like a poor salary for that area.
So, I'm going to be honest with you - it's going to be slim pickings at the high level for you. You will have a limited number of large enough corps with the network and data center infrastructure to hire system engineers.
Check out these articles: you can use the list as a gauge to see what openings are available:
note how revenue drops off significantly out of the top 10 - I can tell you many of these are < 500-person companies... not exactly a need for a huge corporate IT presence there.
All that said, if you are really strong on the SAN / storage side there are always opps. There is a nascent backup software industry here. And there is always consulting but you will have to travel, if you are lucky you can get LA / OC as territory but then it makes a lot less sense to live here. Look at the Navy and military subcontractors - Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, SAIC etc.
Have you considered LA / OC? The lifestyle is honestly not all that different, and you can easily make 125k+ with good SAN / storage skills there. I have a buddy who works for EMC in Orange County and he does really well.
I'm decent on the storage side. I know EMC SAN and NAS, including a couple other storage vendors.
You would think all of those smaller companies would still need engineers to support and build out their infrastructure. Most of the smaller ones in Boston do. Maybe they're just squeeking by with a couple of admins running windows/AD and by using consultants when required.
LA has many more opportunities for my niche of IT, but I don't think that city appeals to me as much as SD. My friend lives there and says to stay away, haha. I've also heard many horror stories about their traffic. It's more expensive than SD, right?
You would think all of those smaller companies would still need engineers to support and build out their infrastructure. Most of the smaller ones in Boston do. Maybe they're just squeeking by with a couple of admins running windows/AD and by using consultants when required.
San Diego is one of those towns where the consultants outnumber the perm hires... you nailed it. I once worked for a 400 person company with exactly 4 IT people. Network Engineer / Sysadmin, myself as the dev, DBA, and a manager. Consultants did all the Oracle apps, SAN/NAS, almost everything that had a vendor.
LA has worse traffic, sprawl, is ugly, etc... but most of south Orange County (Costa Mesa and Irvine are where a lot of the jobs are) are for all intents and purposes exactly the same as Carmel Valley / 4S ranch etc.
So, I'm going to be honest with you - it's going to be slim pickings at the high level for you. You will have a limited number of large enough corps with the network and data center infrastructure to hire system engineers.
Check out these articles: you can use the list as a gauge to see what openings are available:
note how revenue drops off significantly out of the top 10 - I can tell you many of these are < 500-person companies... not exactly a need for a huge corporate IT presence there.
All that said, if you are really strong on the SAN / storage side there are always opps. There is a nascent backup software industry here. And there is always consulting but you will have to travel, if you are lucky you can get LA / OC as territory but then it makes a lot less sense to live here. Look at the Navy and military subcontractors - Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, SAIC etc.
Have you considered LA / OC? The lifestyle is honestly not all that different, and you can easily make 125k+ with good SAN / storage skills there. I have a buddy who works for EMC in Orange County and he does really well.
You guys may as well be speaking Klingon with this IT stuff. Just wanted to chime in I spoke with a gentleman last weekend who works for SAIC- it looks like a another big company is leaving CA. He told me they are closing up shop here in SD and moving to FL and DC.
You guys may as well be speaking Klingon with this IT stuff. Just wanted to chime in I spoke with a gentleman last weekend who works for SAIC- it looks like a another big company is leaving CA. He told me they are closing up shop here in SD and moving to FL and DC.
SAIC is moving their corp HQ to Mclean VA, but their contracts are mostly with the Navy, and that work remains here. That means management, accounting, IT support etc. leaves (several thousand jobs), but the local consultants (highly skilled specialists) will stay.
Neighborhood - not sure on this one yet, but I also don't want a 1.5 hour commute to work.
Housing - New and sterile (800+ sq ft.)
Nightlife - i would like some nightlife, but I don't need it next door.
Beach community - I don't need to be right on the beach. I can go whenever I have time.
I like safe areas. I don't want to have to look over my shoulder if I decide to take a stroll at night.
Okay, I live in carmel valley with my family right now, and we rent a 2/2 with all amenities-pool tennis, w/d in unit, etc. It's the lower end of this area, and was built in the 70's...it's about 900 sq fot, well maintained, and we pay $1460/month. We are 3 miles from the beach,no need to go on the freeway, even. And walking distance from parks, library, rec center, stores of all kinds, including a health store, movie theater, blockbuster, etc. It's treed, residential, quiet and quite nice.
(I have lived in clairemont-50's style cul de sac SFH, mostly-and Normal Heights-older 50's and 70's apts and sfh, more urban, for comparison to CV).
Location wise, CV is right off the 56 and 5/805, making this one of the most convenient areas-b/c you have del mar and north county coastal, as well as la jolla, very close by, and can easily access central SD in 20 min give or take.
As far as commute, jobs in SD are scattered in different areas; my husband works in sorrento valley right now, previously mira mesa-many IT jobs are concentrated in this area,as well as the 163 corridor, and La Jolla. My husband does not need to take the freeway to get to work-he uses nice surface streets, and is there in 10 minutes, 15 tops, for SV. Mira Mesa would be longer.
But, in San Diego, you would rarely have a 1 hr, let alone 1.5 hour commute, unles syou lived out in the suburbs of the county, which is usually families who could not afford to buy in the city, or wanted more space/less urban. Even then, many of these areas still would not take you an hour plus. SD is that '20 min. on the freeway gets you everywhere' kind of place.
Of course, in peak traffic, it's longer, and getting worse as they area has grown.
But, overall, beaches are 20 min., downtown is 20-30 minutes [which would only be for going to clubs, if you were into that-downtown's not really a destination point in SD, other than clubs and tourists.]
Since you want new, sterile and 800 sq ft or less, you can most easily find that in the immediate outerlying areas-ie, tierrasanta, poway, scripps ranch, carmel mountain ranch, carmel valley, etc. You should be able to find this for approx. 1200-1400/month. The one bedrooms where I live go for around $1250, last I heard. Tierrasanta, poway, carmel mtn, etc. are all off the 15 and/or 56, and are convenient to mira mesa and sorrento valley, and not a horrible drive to La Jolla/UTC, assuming you ended up working there. I know folks working high level IT at the hosptials/large medical centers, and these are scattered in different parts of the city, but equally commutable.
You might also want to check out Encinitas and particularly Solana Beach, small coastal cities/towns, formerly surf towns,just north of del mar. Also look at Cardiff by the Sea,in between del mar and solana beach. For your income, you could rent and live very well in SD. Very well. [assuming you find a comparable salary here, as already discussed]. No, you could not buy much, but like others said, look around for awhile to see what type of housing you may want. Also, changes in life stages/age can make one's criteria different. Not sure if you own where you are now....I also recommend checking out La Jolla, while you are at it. Might as well get a range of options and prices to play with.
btw, I am originally from Boston, and have been in SD for 8 yrs, CA total of 10 yrs.
Boston area of course has so many liveable,desireable small towns and cities that are commutable to Boston, and jobs are not all concentrated in the city. In some ways, I think it is this lay of the land that also affects SD. Due east is desert, due west the ocean, due south...well, tijuana! And due north of SD county, is Camp Pendleton.
Last edited by lrmsd; 03-22-2010 at 11:04 AM..
Reason: typo
San Diego is one of those towns where the consultants outnumber the perm hires... you nailed it. I once worked for a 400 person company with exactly 4 IT people. Network Engineer / Sysadmin, myself as the dev, DBA, and a manager. Consultants did all the Oracle apps, SAN/NAS, almost everything that had a vendor.
LA has worse traffic, sprawl, is ugly, etc... but most of south Orange County (Costa Mesa and Irvine are where a lot of the jobs are) are for all intents and purposes exactly the same as Carmel Valley / 4S ranch etc.
well, having had friends living in laguna niguel, etc. I would not say it's exactly the same as carmel valley, where i live now...CV is still SD, with it's vibe and charm. Solana Beach does feel like LA/OC to me, but encinitas is decidely SD.
I agree with you though-esp for someone on a career track in their late 20's, that OC/LA is a great, viable option/suggestion. Obv.,you know the IT field, so your advice is doubly sound for the OP.
Also,once in so cal, OP would be able to still look around and interview for that rarified 100k IT job in SD,were he still interested in living in SD over the other two. If you are already here, it's alot easier, in most cases, to find a desired job.
I've lived in MA for my entire life. As others in my area have already stated, I'm tired of the rain, snow, cold, flooding and constant overcast. I'm also bored of the city and need a change.
I'm a single working professional in my late 20's. I work in IT and I make around six figures. I also have about 100k in available savings and own no property at this time. I assumed I could easily move to SD and afford it. It looks like I assumed wrong. The housing prices seem even more ridiculous than in Boston, with little to no job market to support it. It doesn't even seem like you could purchase a semi-decent condo for under 250k. How the heck do San Diegans still manage to afford their wonderful city? Everyone must be a millionaire or in an incredible amount of debt.
In Boston, it seems like people with my skillset are in high demand. In SD, it seems like the demand is fairly low and the pay isn't exactly enticing. I guess there's a cost that comes with the weather.
So tell me the good and bad things about San Diego. Also, where do you think I should live? I'd like to live in a safe area that also has the conveniences of daily life. Is renting as bad as buying right now?
Lay it on me San Diegans. Feel free to smack me back into reality. Don't worry, I'm from Boston, I have a thick skin.
Also, a single professional can live very well in SD on 60k plus a year...Anything in that range will give you a nice lifestyle as a renter, assuming you have no or very little debt.
I know plenty of us who have families, and one income, who are getting by on less than 60k (much less in some cases)...and we still manage to enjoy what SD has to offer....not that I recommend doing this for any would-be newcomers...-lol, but having lived in many places/states (incl. being from boston), I find that SD is a place where one can enjoy life even if making 'less' than ideal.
The other thing about CA in general: Plan on a higher percentage of your income going towards housing, than the national 'recommended' % in calculators, and more than you would in other parts of the country. It's not uncommon to put 50% of one's income towards housing in CA, including SD. OP could still enjoy SD and save money, if it is planned accordingly. [Drop in salary and not buying real estate notwithstanding.]
Also, if you decide to look at OC, consider Laguna Niguel, Seal Beach and.... those are my recommendations for OC! [I'm sure others have their preferences/thoughts on that matter, but these would be closest to the type of SD/so cal lifestyle you are looking for, IMO, and only slightly higher than SD in terms of renting; you may even find comparable rents for some areas.]
Last edited by lrmsd; 03-22-2010 at 06:08 PM..
Reason: typo
SAIC is moving their corp HQ to Mclean VA, but their contracts are mostly with the Navy, and that work remains here. That means management, accounting, IT support etc. leaves (several thousand jobs), but the local consultants (highly skilled specialists) will stay.
Have things changed since SAIC's initial annoucement of moving their headquarters to Virginia? I thought only about 100 people were being transferred. Where San Diego loses is that it will create 1200 new highpaying jobs in McClean instead of here.
well, having had friends living in laguna niguel, etc. I would not say it's exactly the same as carmel valley, where i live now...CV is still SD, with it's vibe and charm.
I spent the part of the last weekend with my bro's family in Ladera Ranch (OC) and I find it to be no different that 4S Ranch or Carmel Valley. Lot's of familys/kids, chain stores, street layout, etc. Suburban California at it's finest.
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