IT Competition in Seattle/Bellevue (how much, relocate to, area)

[Myllz]

Hi all,

I've been going over some possible area to relocate to, and the Seattle area has been coming up at the top of my list. I've been looking at job postings and job boards the past few weeks, and it looks like the IT industry is doing well in the area, which is good for me as that's what I do.

What I'm wondering is what the competition for jobs in IT is like. There's obviously lots of openings being posted on a daily basis, but are there lots of qualified people in the industry going after them? Specifically, I'm looking at systems administration/systems engineering/IT management positions. I have 10 years experience, multiple certifications and management experience, so I'm not super worried that I wouldn't be able to find something, I'm just curious as to how much competition I'd be up against.

[kmrivers]

As someone who is headed to Seattle after landing an IT position, I will try to give you my impression.

It depends on your speciality. For example, I found that in positions that were more devops focused, the competition was not strong. Especially since the company was willing to take someone from Chicago.

My understanding is that a lot of folks are coming from California as well. I would just assume that it will be competitive and try to make yourself stand out despite your current location. Many business aren't keen on bringing someone from outside the area/state so you are going to have to really wow them to get the process started.