Thinking of moving from MA to CA (San Francisco: sale, apartment)

[Synchromesh]

After being laid off once again I'm pondering moving to CA. I'm 31, have a degree in Computer Science from a local university (nothing fancy) and few years of experience working in QA. Junior/mid-level at this point. Not looking for something killer, just your average job with decent pay/benefits/experience.

From what I gathered in other places it makes sense to become a local candidate rather than attempt to fly over every time. So I'm curious, how is the IT job market in or around Silicon Valley/SF Bay Area? What are the overall chances of finding junior/mid-level QA position? Providing I move over there of course.

[mini_cute]

here is an article you might find interesting about tech right now in sf

The Daily Start-Up: Web Cos. Find Their Hearts In San Francisco - Venture Capital Dispatch - WSJ

[Synchromesh]

That looks good.

I'm sure there are some IT people here that keep up with the job market so I'd like to hear from them about how it's going locally.

[gnomatic]

Originally Posted by Synchromesh

My experience is primarily in high tech. No financial and barely any healthcare.

What kind of "high tech"? People tend to specialize here and people in one sector tend to stay there. Is there a particular sector you are interested in? Same as what you were doing, or are you interested in branching out? Or types of company (large companies, startups etc) you are interested in work for? I ask because it's easier to stay in the same sector. Start ups tend to want senior QA with experience in that particular sector. The large companies are mostly hiring contractors or offshore the positions all together.

That's the case in any area. I just don't want to write QA because people not in biz will keep asking what it is. But if I write IT, pretty much everybody knows it's related to computers.

If you want input from the people who are in the "biz" you should really use the right terms. Also, underestimating your audience's knowledge is insulting. People reading your post might not be in the biz themselves, but down here, they most likely have friends/family/acquaintances who are.

I disagree with this for the most part. I tried sending resumes with cover letters specifically stating that I'll do my own moving at my own expense and I received exactly 0 call-backs. Companies always give preference to local candidates because it just means less hassle.

Okay... that wasn't my experience. I went through this last year, when I was considering moving back east (closer to my family). I interviewed with several places by phone and teleconferencing. I also had recruiters calling me from places I had no interest in (southern California, Seattle area etc). I am still having recruiters calling me now. I really don't think that the reason you are not getting call backs is because you are not physically in the bay area. Perhaps it's the wording in your cover letter regarding relocation.

Another point is that I own an apartment. Therefore I can't just take off from here in 2 weeks time. Once it's sold then I'm free but it makes little sense to stick around here as I'll have to live with parents and nobody wants that. So I might as well move over there.

I am not sure why owning an apartment prevents you from taking off. It isn't going anywhere. I had friends who got jobs out of state, and moved out first there first. They handled the sale of their home remotely, flying back to wrap things up. All at their own expense. Without family nearby to help out. Moving somewhere, with no job lined up, and no support system...is unwise. And it's a bit desperate...not something I would look for when I interview a candidate.

This one is a legitimate point and a major concern of mine. There have to be ways to obtain a job without networking (done it here before) but of course it all depends.

It's EXTREMELY rare. Especially in networking & telecommunications. It tends to be an incestuous little pool of everybody knowing everybody. I personally think it's ...well..the words I want to use would need to be censored. Idealist in me believes it's what you know, not who is know that is important. That however, is not the reality.

I'm aware of taxes. But people generally make more over there on same jobs so it evens out. Also, I own 2 cars so BART shouldn't be an issue.

No it doesn't. Cost of living is higher here than in MA.

[daepro]

My family has relocated to Oaklnd from MA two years ago. Luckily for me I landed a job in the Social Work field shortly after I arrived which helped me settle. Overall this has been a good move for us. That said I do miss the winters and all that entailed. The only part of winter I don't miss is driving on the snow and ice.
Good luck and if you need any suggestions on locations please let me know.