Thinking of making the move from NYC to the Texas (Houston, Austin, Dallas) area

How is the IT job market down there for people at various stages of their career? I'm sick of NYC and I've been contemplating for a while now....

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MeanDrunkR2D2

Personally, look at Austin or Dallas/Ft Worth first. Houston as a last resort. Jobs are good, pay is good and cost of living is dirt cheap compared to NYC.

Expect to have a McMansion for 300k if you have that kind of money to put down on a place. Even a $150k house in those areas will get you a 2500sq ft brick home (no basement) that would be half a million or more in NYC.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Also, even though it's rare, it is possible that you may see snow once in a while down there. Although it usually comes down as ice first, and they have ZERO snow removal equipment and do not pre-treat the roads there so they become a rutted nightmare to drive on.

ramrunner800

I've been having similar thoughts, especially because of the high cost of living here in the Bay Area. On indeed I've seen jobs with attractive looking salaries in the DFW area. Not sure about Austin, and the cost of living there looks noticeably higher, though still tremendously lower than the Bay Area.

anhtran35

SF = NYC in terms of Cost of Living.

Dallas and Austin are much cheaper. MUCH. Plus the food portion. WOW! You definitely need a vehicle to get to point A to point B.

overthetop

Concerning the Real Estate in Houston. 100% agree. I will also say I was in Houston I think it was 2011 for a few weeks. I have never suggested this get a NAVIGATION if you don't already have one. Worse case go to a pawn shop and get one for 50 bucks. You will get lost in Texas, I will say Houston specifically. The intestates are beside interstates are below interstates interstates interstates. Then you get off to one interstate which turns out to be the wrong one then it takes you 20 minutes to turn around and return to the original location. IT cant speak for it, if oil was your interest you'd do just fine

MeanDrunkR2D2

Pay in DFW is quite good, especially if you are mid/sr level IT worker. Even entry level positions aren't horrible, but there is a competition for those for sure. The Bay area is nice, but man, it's damn expensive to live in. I can speak on DFW and it is very nice. You will need a vehicle most likely as public transportation is rather poor for the most part. Everything is spread out as well, but there is lots to do there if you are the type that likes to get out and see the culture. Austin is a very nice city and they are having a bit of a tech boom. Another thing is that Austin is by leaps and bounds the most liberal city in the state. People are as a general rule extremely nice and personable and will have conversations with complete strangers. At first you may feel like they are trying to scam you or take advantage of you, but soon you realize it's just how they are and raised. Dallas though, tends to get more of the East Coast vibe where people aren't quite as nice as say Ft Worth is.

Job competition may be getting tougher in that area though, with RadioShack soon to go belly up as they employ alot in FT Worth. But there are many great opportunities out there as the area is growing quite alot.

Back to Austin, yes, housing may be a bit more expensive unless you are willing to move a little further out from the city center, but as far as food and the rest go, they are all pretty much comparable.

If you do fly alot or plan on traveling, I would recommend DFW first, and Houston 2nd as they both have large airports and are hubs for major airlines. (DFW has Southwest and American, and Houston is United) While DFW is large, Houston honestly is the bigger city and traffic while not great at either, is markedly worse in Houston from the times I have been there. If you want an easier commute, living and working on the Ft Worth side is better. Verizon has a huge IT presence in Southlake, TX and that is a gorgeous part of the metroplex. There are also many other IT jobs in Westlake (Good luck owning a home there lol) and north Ft Worth. And if you find a job in the Alliance Area, housing is considerably cheaper and fantastic school districts, such as Northwest/Keller/Southlake. That area has a huge housing boom going on (Moved from there last year) and cheap houses are easy to find for less than 200k (over 2000sq ft, many near or over 3000) and commute times when living and working in that area are 15 minutes or less) Alliance Opportunity Center BNSF is probably the largest employer in that area. Great food every where you go as well.

LeBroke

I'm hoping to do the same thing in about a year. Just need to figure out how TN visas work first, since I'm a dirty Canadian.

slinuxuzer

Also, don't forget Texas does not have a state income tax. Can't beat that at all. You will absolutely need a vehicle in Texas.

EngRob

Making the move to Austin myself in 2-3 years. Tired of FL

hellolin

put me in that list. Graduating college and my year long IT internship here in LA this summer, and I have already put submitted many resumes on indeed around companies in Texas, mainly in the DFW and Houston area. To be honest I want to just go there without a job and try to find one right there, I am renting a very small studio out here in Santa Monica, CA, for almost twice as much as I would pay for a motel 6 monthly rate of about $600 in Fort Worth. I can just go there and live in a motel for 2 month while trying to find a job, it will cost just as much as one month rent here in Santa Monica anyways, plus better job prospects in DFW anyways. The only thing is that I don't know anyone in Texas and it will be a risk for me to take, but I do have a car anyways.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Hellolin, as someone who has lived in the Ft worth area, let me tell you that you will meet people and make friends quickly in that area. People are very friendly, outgoing, and are genuine about it. A car is a must in that area for sure. And for what you are paying for renting a small studio in CA, you can OWN a 2000+ sq foot house.

Now, it does get hot in the summer, but honestly it's not that bad. I heard all the time people complaining about the humidity, but it felt like a desert and was very dry there for the most part compared to the midwest where I am from. I would recommend the FT Worth/Dallas area over Houston though. That does get hot and VERY humid. Plus, Houston is massive on top of it all and does have more than a fair share of crime. (It's everywhere, but Houston has been very bad since Katrina hit)

hellolin

MeanDrunkR2D2 wrote: »

Hellolin, as someone who has lived in the Ft worth area, let me tell you that you will meet people and make friends quickly in that area. People are very friendly, outgoing, and are genuine about it. A car is a must in that area for sure. And for what you are paying for renting a small studio in CA, you can OWN a 2000+ sq foot house.

Now, it does get hot in the summer, but honestly it's not that bad. I heard all the time people complaining about the humidity, but it felt like a desert and was very dry there for the most part compared to the midwest where I am from. I would recommend the FT Worth/Dallas area over Houston though. That does get hot and VERY humid. Plus, Houston is massive on top of it all and does have more than a fair share of crime. (It's everywhere, but Houston has been very bad since Katrina hit)

Thank you very much on the friendly advice! I told my boss my future plan after I graduate, and in typically LA histper fanshion, he warned me how people in Texas are your typical "southerners" and are close mineded, I just want to laught my ass off! I was in the navy before and I have grown up with some really back country guys and I don't mind them at all!Gonna be my plan if I can't find a job here in Cali!