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I've lived in Austin my entire life and I'm in my mid 20s and although it is a great tech city, it really isn't that great job-wise unless you're at the height of your career and I just desperately need a change of scenery. I'm single with no significant other and my entire family lives in Austin so I'm not really pulled strongly in any direction towards a certain city. I'm currently freelancing as a web developer, unable to find full-time employment here for a junior or mid level role.
Houston and Dallas just don't seem all that different from Austin. I'm ready for more adventure and new experiences. SF seems out of the question as it is so expensive and competition is tough. I do have $15k in savings but know that will go fast. I've visited NYC and have received tentative offers from a few companies ("We're very interested but get back in touch with us once you have moved here"). What are some other cities I should look into where there are lower level tech jobs but where my savings can be stretched a bit? I'm wondering if Chicago, Portland or Boston might be better options?
The ones that come to the top of my head in no particular order of preference:
San Fran
DC
NYC
Boston
Denver
Atlanta
I would nix Chicago from the list. Yes, there is a lot of IT there, but I would be more inclined to go to most any of the other cities above, if I were just starting out in IT.
In a way it sort of depends what type of IT work you are seeking. You face a lot of competition with web dev. Anything else interests you in IT in particular? Programming?
The ones that come to the top of my head in no particular order of preference:
San Fran
DC
NYC
Boston
Denver
Atlanta
I would nix Chicago from the list. Yes, there is a lot of IT there, but I would be more inclined to go to most any of the other cities above, if I were just starting out in IT.
In a way it sort of depends what type of IT work you are seeking. You face a lot of competition with web dev. Anything else interests you in IT in particular? Programming?
And it's almost the exact same order for "expensiveness"..
NYC
San Fran
DC
Boston
Denver
Atlanta
If the IT job market is hot in ATL, it is certainly the least expensive to live in. Much closer to what you've been used to in Austin.
Thanks for your input! I do have a Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering but it's been about 3 years since I've really done any work related to it since I transitioned to web dev during my first job out of college. I do enjoy programming and I could probably pick up Java or C/C++ again fairly quickly if it comes to that.
And it's almost the exact same order for "expensiveness"..
NYC
San Fran
DC
Boston
Denver
Atlanta
If the IT job market is hot in ATL, it is certainly the least expensive to live in. Much closer to what you've been used to in Austin.
I would include Austin and Dallas on that list as well. Dallas being the cheaper of the two. Believe it or not, Tampa actually has a growing tech industry as well. Seattle should also be on the list, but also very expensive.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Amazon in Seattle is still building more highrise offices for tech staff, and there are several columns of jobs from various other tech employers in the Sunday Seattle times every week.
Austin is the Silicon Valley of the south. Austin, Dallas, and Houston are having severe shortage of people to fill the tech jobs.
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