why live in Tampa if the salaries are higher in other cities? (Jacksonville: house, employment)

[user8]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

It's called being flexible. If all you can do is pound nails, it doesn't make you a carpenter.

that's a poor choice of job comparisons. there is quite a bit more involved in being a sys admin than doing the IT equivalent of pounding nails.

it's not called being flexible. it's called being outrageous, and your posts are certainly a bit indicative of that!

[sware2cod]

Originally Posted by user8

every staffing agency that contacted me in tampa regarding a position led to dead ends. every. single. one. private company recruiting, defense contracting, didn't matter. they bring you in to a face to face meeting, get your info and resume, then it basically goes into a black void.

oh and from what i've heard, kforce has a reputation for taking quite a bit "off the top" when they land you a position.

A staffing firm got me a full-time IT job in Tampa making 6 figures. The job before that, Kforce got me a full time IT job that I kept for many years. I think their take is approx 20% of the annual salary for placing a full time person. I have had good luck with staffing firms for both full time and contract IT jobs over the years.

BTW, the contract (temp) positions typically pay W2, not usually 1099. They often provide health insurance through the firm. Often in an IT contract, you can be there a long time if you choose, it just depends. Once I was in a 6 month contract that kept getting extended until I was there 5 years and I eventually resigned when I moved. The client wanted to bring me on full time but I chose to stay in the contract because the pay was so much higher. Plus the perm folks were expected to work longer hours on their salary. When I was contract, if I worked more hours, then I was paid for each additional hour.

Contract is really pretty nice if you have good enough IT skills where you know you can land another job pretty easy. The hourly pay is usually very good - often better than a full time job. The negative is you do not get paid holidays or vacation or sick days. But the higher pay usually makes up for that and then some. But you have to keep current on skillset/tools and always get experience in whatever possible, to make yourself more marketable going forward. Plus you have to have a good resume and interview well. The nice thing about contract is you don't get caught up in politics at work when everyone else is worried about layoffs or promotions and things like that.

My personal experience is that good IT jobs are available in Tampa and I am able to be picky and even negotiate salary to my advantage. I get calls and interviews and offers. But IT is a vast field and some niches are in demand at any given time and others, not so much. I do have a BS in Comp Sci, which is a listed job requirement lately much more so that it was in prior years. This is good for me, because it weeds out a many competitors for jobs. I sense this might be why I am having such good luck compared to other posters on this board(?).

But please don't call me a troll or a liar because I have good luck with the Tampa IT job market and your experience is different.

[Spring Hillian]

Back in the day, we used to call them "head hunters". If you want to change jobs you contacted them, they had the scoop on what positions companies wanted filled and found the qualified people for those jobs. Ther was no other way to get into a corporation without the "head hunter" as they did all the screening. However, the hiring firm paid the fee for the new employee, not the employee. 20% of annual salary was the going rate then too.

Originally Posted by sware2cod

A staffing firm got me a full-time IT job in Tampa making 6 figures. The job before that, Kforce got me a full time IT job that I kept for many years. I think their take is approx 20% of the annual salary for placing a full time person. I have had good luck with staffing firms for both full time and contract IT jobs over the years.

[Spring Hillian]

Well, if you don't have the credentials the recruiting firm needs to provide to the Employer, someone else is going to get that job. Yep, staffing companies can and do charge fees. That is why they will only forward the best people to the Employer (their client). If the Employer gets 5 people who don't meet their needs, they are not going to use that staffing company again.

Originally Posted by user8

every staffing agency that contacted me in tampa regarding a position led to dead ends. every. single. one. private company recruiting, defense contracting, didn't matter. they bring you in to a face to face meeting, get your info and resume, then it basically goes into a black void.

oh and from what i've heard, kforce has a reputation for taking quite a bit "off the top" when they land you a position.

[user8]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

Take my posts as you wish. I am not the one complaining about a lack of work and wondering why.

i am neither complaining about a lack of work (as i work a good full time job), nor wondering why.

[Keeper]

OK folks.. you don't have to agree with another's opinion but name calling and personal attacks will not be tolerated here.

The OP is entitled to all opinions not just yours. Hopefully he will take all suggestions and make one that is good for him.

We all agree employers are not hurting for applicants and it is his decision to make if he wants to try temp or headhunters.

[NALEXAND]

Originally Posted by sware2cod

A staffing firm got me a full-time IT job in Tampa making 6 figures. The job before that, Kforce got me a full time IT job that I kept for many years. I think their take is approx 20% of the annual salary for placing a full time person. I have had good luck with staffing firms for both full time and contract IT jobs over the years.

BTW, the contract (temp) positions typically pay W2, not usually 1099. They often provide health insurance through the firm. Often in an IT contract, you can be there a long time if you choose, it just depends. Once I was in a 6 month contract that kept getting extended until I was there 5 years and I eventually resigned when I moved. The client wanted to bring me on full time but I chose to stay in the contract because the pay was so much higher. Plus the perm folks were expected to work longer hours on their salary. When I was contract, if I worked more hours, then I was paid for each additional hour.

Contract is really pretty nice if you have good enough IT skills where you know you can land another job pretty easy. The hourly pay is usually very good - often better than a full time job. The negative is you do not get paid holidays or vacation or sick days. But the higher pay usually makes up for that and then some. But you have to keep current on skillset/tools and always get experience in whatever possible, to make yourself more marketable going forward. Plus you have to have a good resume and interview well. The nice thing about contract is you don't get caught up in politics at work when everyone else is worried about layoffs or promotions and things like that.

My personal experience is that good IT jobs are available in Tampa and I am able to be picky and even negotiate salary to my advantage. I get calls and interviews and offers. But IT is a vast field and some niches are in demand at any given time and others, not so much. I do have a BS in Comp Sci, which is a listed job requirement lately much more so that it was in prior years. This is good for me, because it weeds out a many competitors for jobs. I sense this might be why I am having such good luck compared to other posters on this board(?).

But please don't call me a troll or a liar because I have good luck with the Tampa IT job market and your experience is different.

Very good post. I have had good luck as well and also didnt appreciate being called a liar.

[sware2cod]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

Back in the day, we used to call them "head hunters". If you want to change jobs you contacted them, they had the scoop on what positions companies wanted filled and found the qualified people for those jobs. Ther was no other way to get into a corporation without the "head hunter" as they did all the screening. However, the hiring firm paid the fee for the new employee, not the employee. 20% of annual salary was the going rate then too.

Hi Spring Hillian: To clarify, the hiring fee is still paid by the company that is doing the hiring, just like before.

[Spring Hillian]

Thanks for the clarification.

Originally Posted by sware2cod

Hi Spring Hillian: To clarify, the hiring fee is still paid by the company that is doing the hiring, just like before.

[jdm267]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

You survive on 67k a year in NYC? That's amazing.

Stop worrying about the dollar and be more concerned with your personal happiness.



quote=jdm267;21319532]I'm a 28 year old IT system administrator. I grew up in Tampa and am considering a return to the bay area. For the past 10 years I've been studying, living and working in New York. I like New York, but for many reasons, I miss my hometown.

My major concerns regarding relocation are 1.) the availability of careers not jobs and 2.) the salary disparity between what a career pays in the northeast versus what the same career pays in Florida. I'm interested to hear other poster's experiences regarding salary levels in the bay area.

I am currently able to earn ~$67,000 annually in NYC. If I could take this salary to Florida, I would have moved yesterday. But realistically, if I did move, how large of a pay cut could I/should I expect (generally speaking)?

I also pay about $400 a month in student loans, which is also a concern because I will need to continue paying them while dealing with the constraints of a lower salary.

I left Florida at 18 because I didn't believe that the job opportunities would allow me to live a comfortable life and be able to save for retirement. In my opinion, the salaries were too low 10 years ago and I fear not much has changed. None of my friends from high school have "careers." They are all in the service industry and living paycheck to paycheck as servers, waiters etc. I'm not sure if this is a state wide phenomenon. I live paycheck to paycheck as well but I am still able to save, have a 401k and have an opportunity for career growth.

Despite my personal and emotional reasons for wanting to move back to Florida, I'm uncertain if it makes financial sense. I suspect that I will continue with the sure thing in NY but as I said earlier I would like to hear opinions of other's who have left careers in other parts of the country to move to the bay area and whether they were able to maintain their lifestyle despite the pay cuts.

Thanks

[/quote]


I'm not worried about the money and am very happy where I am. My concern was moving home with the mindset that a "job is a job" as you say and then two years later that job is outsourced and I'm left in an area where employment is scarce. This is why I wanted to get a feel for IT professionals who have found long term careers as I don't like suprises. Perhaps Florida is only for visiting. c'est la vie