Relocating to the Roanoke VA area soon

Just curious what the job scene for IT is like in this area? I grew up in a part of VA where a lack of true IT jobs (and a girlfriend trying to move away) drove me away to another state to find work in the IT field. The girlfriend recently got accepted to grad school in Roanoke, and truth be told i'm dying to be closer to home, family etc. Just wondering if anyone has any insight into what i can expect looking for work here?Thanks

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victor.s.andrei

nole07 wrote: »

Just curious what the job scene for IT is like in this area? I grew up in Southwest VA where a lack of true IT jobs (and a girlfriend trying to move away) drove me away to another state to find work in the IT field. The girlfriend recently got accepted to grad school in Roanoke, and truth be told i'm dying to be closer to home, family etc.

Just wondering if anyone has any insight into what i can expect looking for work here?

Thanks

I'm in Central Virginia, west of Richmond, and the market here is stagnant compared to the DC area. That said, you might want to apply for a Federal IT contracting position - many of them are now 100% WFH/remote.

ypark

I'm in more of a northern VA, close to Dulles. There are no shortage of jobs in the area, as far as I can tell. The pay seem to be getting better too. I see many new hires with only a couple years of experience starting at ~$60k or more. This is for an associate NOC position.

MrsWilliams

nole07 wrote: »

Just curious what the job scene for IT is like in this area? I grew up in Southwest VA where a lack of true IT jobs (and a girlfriend trying to move away) drove me away to another state to find work in the IT field. The girlfriend recently got accepted to grad school in Roanoke, and truth be told i'm dying to be closer to home, family etc.

Just wondering if anyone has any insight into what i can expect looking for work here?

Thanks

first and foremost I wish you the best of luck. Secondly, as you might be aware Roanoke doesn't have the big IT/DOD/Government presence as Northern Virginia. The closer you are to Washington DC the more jobs are available.

Your priorities are in the right place (for some). You are concerned about being closer to home, family, etc. I respect that.

But, Roanoke isn't one of the top 20 cities in Virginia I would recommend someone who's looking for a competitive IT market.

I did a simple IT test. I went to Indeed and put in CISSP for Roanoke and 6 results. I said hey, let me try another test. I put in CCNA for Roanoke and got 3 results.

So, I did the same in Ashburn, which isn't to far from Dulles (which is where an international airport resides).

Ashburn CCNA- 864 hits
Ashburn CISSP -1791 hits

I said that to say that if your priorities are family stick with it. It's just not a plethora of IT jobs in that area that is just being brutally honest. The few that are there I am going to assume are highly competitive.

If it were me, I would venture off away from Roanoke some. I would rather drive an hour or two to get my feet wet and pad my resume than to be jobless. It's not uncommon for people to make long commutes. It's all about the sacrifice one is willing to make.

I once moved to be closer to a significant other. The significant other benefited and I was struggling. Then, we broke up a year later. Would I do it for a wife/husband? Yes. Girlfriend?.....

I wish you the best..