Moving To Colorado. What kind of salary to expect?

oxymoron5k

Hey guys, I will be moving to Fort Collins Colorado this July. I am curious on what kind of salary to expect there when I move. I have no idea what they pay over there. I know the cost of living is higher but it's hard to create a mock budget without and knowledge of pay grade. I thought it would be worth asking on here how much in general you think I could make with this as my experience:

I am a network technician for a mom and pop shop. I handle all kinds of network support for small business. My company is also a internet provider so I work with ISP technologies a lot as well. We are pretty much the tech company you call when something is broke regarding IT and we fix whatever it is.

Experience: 1st job in IT and I have worked here for 1 1/2 years.

Certs: A+, Network +

Any thoughts or advice on what to pursue would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks guys! I have no real interest in any specific field in IT.

oxymoron5k

Anybody work in Colorado?

Codeman6669

Maybe they will pay you in weed. (duh duh tiss)

Honestly I dont know, but if you search IT jobs in that area like on Craigslist or other sites you can get a good idea of what they pay for what experience.

oxymoron5k

I have looked there and unfortunately I can not find any salaries listed. Which led to this post here.

stryder144

Honestly, Fort Collins is a small area. More than likely, you'll end up working in Boulder/Broomfield/Denver. If you apply for a job at a company like Level 3 Communications, I would imagine that you would be looking at roughly $20/hr to $25/hr.

oxymoron5k

Living in Boulder is not out of the question. We just thought the cost of living was so high it would not work out. If I found a job there though I wouldnt mind it. I wonder if commuting to Boulder from Fort Collins would be cheaper.

stryder144

The cost of the commute depends on the fuel efficiency of your vehicle. One of my buddies lives in Fort Collins and travels to Broomfield each day. He doesn't seem to mind the cost too much. He has a Mazda sedan which, I think, gets around 30+mpg highway.

oxymoron5k

How long does that take?

markulous

stryder144 wrote: »

Honestly, Fort Collins is a small area. More than likely, you'll end up working in Boulder/Broomfield/Denver. If you apply for a job at a company like Level 3 Communications, I would imagine that you would be looking at roughly $20/hr to $25/hr.

Agreed. I lived in Greeley for a short time and I didn't see a ton of jobs there or in Fort Collins but there were tons in Denver and Boulder.

mjnk77

From Google Maps.
From Fort Collins, CO To Broomfield, CO - 57 min (55.3 mi) via I-25 S
From Fort Collins, CO To Boulder, CO - 1 h 7 min (55.3 mi) via I-25 S and CO-119
From Broomfield, CO To Boulder, CO - 19 min (13.1 mi) via US-36 W/Denver Boulder Turnpike or 28 min (15.8 mi) via S Boulder Rd
From Fort Collins, CO To Denver, CO - 1 h 24 min (65.4 mi) via I-25 S
From Broomfield, CO To Denver, CO33 min (18.3 mi) via US-36 E and I-25 S
From Boulder, CO To Denver, CO - 43 min (28.7 mi) via US-36 E/Denver Boulder Turnpike or 54 min (31.3 mi) via US-36 E/Denver Boulder Turnpike and CO-121

I think that covers most of the scenarios of home to work.

stryder144

Several variables need to be taken into consideration: weather, traffic volume, and drivers. I live in the south Denver area and my drive to Broomfield took between 45 minutes (470 to 25 to 36) and two hours (same route, bad weather). If I took the non-highway route, it took between one and two and a half hours. Ultimately, the above info from Google Maps is a good starting point and then I suggest multiplying by 1.5, just to be safe but only until you learn the patterns.

oxymoron5k

Well sounds like I will try Fort Collins first and then begin to move south if needed. Thanks for the help guys. I really do not want to live in the city unless I have to. Whats your guy's thoughts on Fort Collins as a place to live?

markulous

oxymoron5k wrote: »

Well sounds like I will try Fort Collins first and then begin to move south if needed. Thanks for the help guys. I really do not want to live in the city unless I have to. Whats your guy's thoughts on Fort Collins as a place to live?

Fort Collins is nice. I visit there every so often. Considering how many jobs are in the Denver area though, I'd rather move to a suburb though. Centennial, Littleton, etc. You still don't get that "in city" feeling and it's a way better commute.

Rocket Impossible

First of all: Welcome! You've made a great choice. Some people are suggesting some really crazy commutes here though. Ft. Collins is a long drive from Boulder, Greeley, Denver, etc. If you going to move to Ft. Collins, live and work there. It's a smaller town but beautiful, relatively cheap compared to other places in the state, and has some tech companies. Not sure about salary expectations at your level, but it's a great place to be.

BigMevy

I live in Fort Collins, I don't know that the cost of living is that high, but then it depends on where you're coming from I guess. Housing is a bit hard to find right now, it's definitely a seller's market. You would probably find it easier/cheaper to live in Loveland, Longmont, or Greeley.

Regarding salary, again you didn't say where you're coming from but if you check some of the sites like Glassdoor or the like, you could probably figure out a range for your position pretty easily. I will say it's pretty hard to land a job in this town, I lived in the area for 5 years before I managed it. In the meantime I did a lot of commuting to either the Tech Center (south Denver), mid-Denver, or Cheyenne when I worked at the Air Force base. You do get used to it, but again it might be a good argument for starting out further south unless you can manage to get lucky.

The good news is that there are a lot of small businesses and growing industries so it may be a bit easier than when I looked. I've worked for the same company for 11 years so I admit I'm a bit out of the loop. But you might be able to get a contract gig with one of the IT agencies that cater to small businesses, or possibly get lucky with one of the larger companies like Otterbox which has grown a lot in the last several years. If not, I-25 has gotten a lot better, so commuting may not be too bad. But expect at least an hour drive depending on where you land.

All that aside, it's a great town to live in. Close enough to Denver to be able to do some of the larger city stuff, and far enough away to have that small-town vibe. During the summer months there is always something going on. You'll definitely want to check out Tour de Fat and New West Fest to name a few.

oxymoron5k

Awesome thanks guys! I live in Bloomington, IL which is a little smaller than Fort Collins and I managed to land an IT job here with no experience. I was thinking about just dropping off my resume at all the repair shops along with all big names as well and see where that gets me. (Along with all the open jobs I find). I def want to live in Fort Collins but it's not out of the question to have to move. Right now I am only making 33K annually so really cant get any worse salary speaking I can hopefully only go higher.

srabiee

My fiance and I are considering the Denver area as well. We were seriously considering the Salt Lake City area, but it seems like the IT job opportunities in Denver are much more plentiful in comparison. We definitely don't want to live in the inner city, but also don't want to deal with long commutes and/or terrible traffic every day. We also want a SAFE area for our daughter to grow up in.

I'm keeping an eye on this thread regarding the highest recommended areas of Denver for us to look into.

BTW, I did some research on the Boulder area and the housing/renting costs are freaking outrageous compared to what we are used to.

oxymoron5k

srabiee wrote: »

My fiance and I are considering the Denver area as well. We were seriously considering the Salt Lake City area, but it seems like the IT job opportunities in Denver are much more plentiful in comparison. We definitely don't want to live in the inner city, but also don't want to deal with long commutes and/or terrible traffic every day. We also want a SAFE area for our daughter to grow up in.

I'm keeping an eye on this thread regarding the highest recommended areas of Denver for us to look into.

BTW, I did some research on the Boulder area and the housing/renting costs are freaking outrageous compared to what we are used to.

I am pretty much in the exact same boat. I thought I would surely find a job in Fort Collins but as it seems on this thread I may have to try Denver. I dont want to live in the city though.

srabiee

What is it about Fort Collins specifically that makes you want to move there? Sorry, I know very little about the Denver area.

Also, what can you guys in Colorado tell us about Aurora, Centennial, Littleton, and Lakewood? They all seem to be about equal distance from downtown Denver, more or less. Are these areas equally good as far as housing costs, schools, safety/crime, morning traffic, etc?

MeanDrunkR2D2

srabiee wrote: »

What is it about Fort Collins specifically that makes you want to move there? Sorry, I know very little about the Denver area.

Also, what can you guys in Colorado tell us about Aurora, Centennial, Littleton, and Lakewood? They all seem to be about equal distance from downtown Denver, more or less. Are these areas equally good as far as housing costs, schools, safety/crime, morning traffic, etc?

I haven't lived in those areas, but did travel and do work in the Tech Center area and I can comment that the traffic completely sucks there. There was definitely lots to do in that area and it seemed pretty nice. Most of the areas I saw looked like they would be fairly expensive, but I'd take a look at Zillow to get an idea of what houses are selling for in those areas. My guess is that anywhere in those areas that are in good school districts and have a good crime/safety report would be fairly expensive as downtown Denver is a short drive (not quick though lol) from those areas. Like most major cities, I'm sure that one would need to get further out to find affordable housing (depends on your definition of affordable).

oxymoron5k

If you do some research on Fort Collins it seems like a really nice city. It has a lot of festivals and big events to keep you busy in the summer. It's got a bunch of micro breweries that also can provide entertainment. The city as a whole is very big on green energy and also bikes. Its big enough to keep you busy but it doesn't have that "big city" feel. I live in a college town with the same population so I am familiar with the size and would feel comfortable there. I should note that my description of the city is from others I have asked I have not been there myself but I have done a lot of research and my girlfriend has been there.

markulous

srabiee wrote: »

What is it about Fort Collins specifically that makes you want to move there? Sorry, I know very little about the Denver area.

Also, what can you guys in Colorado tell us about Aurora, Centennial, Littleton, and Lakewood? They all seem to be about equal distance from downtown Denver, more or less. Are these areas equally good as far as housing costs, schools, safety/crime, morning traffic, etc?

South Aurora is fine, but the rest of it I'd avoid. While it's not "Compton-ghetto", it's still a bit on the shady side in a lot of areas. But Littleton, Parker, Centennial and South Aurora (etc.) are all nice, and I'm more than happy to raise my kids in those areas. Lakewood is nice in some areas too.

Traffic really depends on your location and the time. If you're coming from north of Denver, traffic is going to suck. Coming other directions, it's not bad around 6am at all. If it's 7am or later though, the freeways are all screwed up.

srabiee

Thanks markulous, that information is certainly helpful. I suspected as much about Aurora from the research that I performed.

I am going to plan a trip out to Denver sometime this year to scout out the area and look for housing options. If we like the area we may just go ahead and start the process of securing a place to rent, and then come back home to WV and pack up. Of course, the fiance has to like the area too. I think she's still a little set on moving to Salt Lake City, but we'll see. (actually she wants to move to the UK, but that's not really an option for us right now, lol)

Centennial is rated the 15th safest city in the entire nation, and is like 10 minutes drive from the tech center, and 20 minutes from downtown Denver. I think that would be the most ideal place for us to move (from stats standpoint), but the housing costs there look to be quite high. Lakewood seems to have much more affordable housing options, but of course it's significantly further away from the tech center (presuming I was able to land a job in that vicinity).

kurosaki00

oxymoron5k wrote: »

Hey guys, I will be moving to Fort Collins Colorado this July. I am curious on what kind of salary to expect?

High.

*Drops mic*. Thank you, I'll be here all night.

markulous

srabiee wrote: »

Thanks markulous, that information is certainly helpful. I suspected as much about Aurora from the research that I performed.

I am going to plan a trip out to Denver sometime this year to scout out the area and look for housing options. If we like the area we may just go ahead and start the process of securing a place to rent, and then come back home to WV and pack up. Of course, the fiance has to like the area too. I think she's still a little set on moving to Salt Lake City, but we'll see. (actually she wants to move to the UK, but that's not really an option for us right now, lol)

Centennial is rated the 15th safest city in the entire nation, and is like 10 minutes drive from the tech center, and 20 minutes from downtown Denver. I think that would be the most ideal place for us to move (from stats standpoint), but the housing costs there look to be quite high. Lakewood seems to have much more affordable housing options, but of course it's significantly further away from the tech center (presuming I was able to land a job in that vicinity).

Our office is actually moving to the Denver Tech Center pretty soon so I'm excited about that. Centennial is a great location and so is Parker, which is a little south of it. Very clean, very new looking, and safe as you said. I live right on the border of Centennial and Aurora, so it's not a bad commute at all. Housing prices aren't too bad but probably higher than the average prices. Probably around 450k for a nice 3br.

oxymoron5k

It sounds like Boulder is an awesome town as well. It seems to have a decent amount of tech companies out there as well.

Cisco Inferno

IBM has huge campuses in Boulder.

markulous

I worked in Boulder at Ricoh (which is connected to IBM). The town is very nice and clean, but it's expensive and I'm not big on the culture there. Everyone there is VERY left-wing and that's not really my cup of tea.

BigMevy

The one year experiment where I tried to live in Denver, was in the Lakewood area. It's definitely cheaper than Highlands Ranch/Parker areas. Littleton is pretty nice and is probably in between in terms of cost. Most of the folks I know who still live down there are in the Broomfield/Westminster areas. If you were focused on the Tech Center region you'd probably want to be down south, but I wouldn't see the reason to do so. There are plenty of areas with tech industry going on, including some of the northern sections. I'd suggest just renting for a while in one of the centralized areas while you learn the city and get settled in a job, then focus on where exactly to live.

Boulder has a reputation for lots of hippys and left-wingers and it's well deserved in my opinion. It's also expensive as hell as they've tried to keep availability down to avoid growth.

Fort Collins is often referred to as "Boulder-lite" as it has some of the same atmosphere/culture but just not as extreme, more leaning slightly to the left with some moderates. It's one of the reasons I enjoy it as I tend to be more middle of the road politically speaking. Money magazine has had it in the list of best places to live multiple times in the last decade, if you do some googling you could probably find the articles. They give a pretty good description.

Not that I'm trying to sell anyone on moving here.... I'd prefer you all stay away