Where to relocate? Young, broke, single, in IT

I'm thinking about relocating in the beginning of 2014. Just attempting to do some research now.

Where are some good cities to relocate to for a young (early-mid 20s) man in the infancy of his IT career?
I'd want something with a great social scene as well as good IT job prospects. (I'm thinking of completing my CCNA by the end of the year and possibly going down the networking route.) Also, since I'm in the early stages of my career, cost of living must be relatively low.

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Comments

jvrlopez

I can't believe I'm seeing suggestions of Washington DC, Columbia MD, and the DMV area when the OP said himself that the area must have a low cost of living...

Nutsacjac

jvrlopez wrote: »

I can't believe I'm seeing suggestions of Washington DC, Columbia MD, and the DMV area when the OP said himself that the area must have a low cost of living...

Compared to Northern NJ/NYC area? It's a good 20-25% drop in COL

RouteMyPacket

Pseudo_node wrote: »

Come on down to Austin...reasonable cost of living, no state income taxes, great social scene and jobs a plenty!

Shhhh! Texas is full, sorry OP!

instant000

Austin has tech presence, the state flagship university, and plenty of young people. If I was young and single, I would want to be in Austin.

One adjustment you will have to make is that you pump your own gas down here.

Hehehe.

VAHokie56

Hypntick wrote: »

I'll go with Claymoore on the Charlotte recommendation, then again I am a little biased.

I am in VA but if I was not in a serious relationship ship,younger and did not own a house here I would bounce to Charlotte. That place is the Jam for people in their 20's, lots of cool night spots. I am only 30 but I went up there many times in my "balls to the wall" 20's drinking days for football games and stuff. Also there is good work for IT there...

Mongo32

I am in VA but if I was not in a serious relationship ship,younger and did not own a house here I would bounce to Charlotte. That place is the Jam for people in their 20's, lots of cool night spots. I am only 30 but I went up there many times in my "balls to the wall" 20's drinking days for football games and stuff. Also there is good work for IT there...

This is good to hear since I am planning on moving up that way in a month or two.

DoubleNNs

At the moment, my list is:
1) Austin, TX
2) Charlotte, NC
3) Seattle, WA
(Then maybe the DMV area)

In that order. However, I'm just worried because I rarely see job ads in the Austin area whenever I do searches.

neo9006

Try Houston and see what you come up with, traffic blows here, but it is not that bad.

ptilsen

If we're voting, I vote Seattle. Microsoft, Valve, Amazon, tons of other tech firms, the University of Washington (top ten CS school = more tech firms nearby), climate, quality of life, people/culture, and so on. It's probably the only city I'd seriously consider relocating to, personally. Austin and Charlotte are not bad choices, per se, I just wouldn't move to either, personally.

clouder

For the D.C. answers - Having, or being able to obtain a security clearance will strongly affect your job prospects for the better. Cost of living is harsh, unless you're willing to commute or have a roommate.

EDIT: I agree with ptilsen in that Seattle is an awesome city, but I imagine it's probably quite a competitive job market. The city itself is fantastic, though. I love that place.

nel

DoubleNNs wrote: »

I'm thinking about relocating in the beginning of 2014. Just attempting to do some research now.

Where are some good cities to relocate to for a young (early-mid 20s) man in the infancy of his IT career?
I'd want something with a great social scene as well as good IT job prospects. (I'm thinking of completing my CCNA by the end of the year and possibly going down the networking route.) Also, since I'm in the early stages of my career, cost of living must be relatively low.

I dont think anyone else has mentioned this but why dont you look outside the US? Maybe get yourself a working holiday visa to a foreign country somewhere? I am a UK citizen and we have arrangements with various countries such as Australia, NZ, canada etc for 1 and 2 year working holiday visa's. I am sure it will be the same for US citizens.

I think the trap a lot of people fall into, including myself, is becoming so career driven in their younger days. Dont get me wrong, i am not saying become a bum, but dont forget you are only in your twenties once. A good mix of career progress but enjoying/experiencing life is essential imo. Thats one of the reasons i moved to Australia on a WHV. Its been a fantastic experience. I have been contracting in IT whilst living and enjoying the country. Folk like Essendon will back me up on this, Oz is a great place. However, the cost of beer still makes me cry to this day

You have 30-40 years after that to work on your career dont forget. Then you could get in some travelling to/from the US to your chosen destination.

ptilsen

This isn't IT specific, but regional unemployment rate disparities will probably be somewhat comparable across industries. It would even be worth looking at city-level unemployment.

sratakhin

nel wrote: »

I dont think anyone else has mentioned this but why dont you look outside the US? Maybe get yourself a working holiday visa to a foreign country somewhere? I am a UK citizen and we have arrangements with various countries such as Australia, NZ, canada etc for 1 and 2 year working holiday visa's. I am sure it will be the same for US citizens.

I think the trap a lot of people fall into, including myself, is becoming so career driven in their younger days. Dont get me wrong, i am not saying become a bum, but dont forget you are only in your twenties once. A good mix of career progress but enjoying/experiencing life is essential imo. Thats one of the reasons i moved to Australia on a WHV. Its been a fantastic experience. I have been contracting in IT whilst living and enjoying the country. Folk like Essendon will back me up on this, Oz is a great place. However, the cost of beer still makes me cry to this day

You have 30-40 years after that to work on your career dont forget. Then you could get in some travelling to/from the US to your chosen destination.

Hey, good beer costs a lot in the U.S too!
I was actually considering moving to Australia or New Zealand for a few years. Also, it's easier to become a permanent resident there than it is in the U.S. May be I'll take a leap of faith some day.

it_consultant

You should move to where you want to live. If that is Austin then I think you will be able to secure an excellent job. However, you might want to live in LA for whatever reason, I can promise you that you will find a good job there too. I am always surprised when I see so many people emphasize cost of living, seriously who cares? The cost of living in Cheyenne is agreeable, but then you would have to live in Cheyenne and that has limited appeal. There is a reason why people pay the ridiculous prices to live in San Jose or around SF, its culture appeals to a lot of people. If you like the culture of Austin, go for it - but don't do it simply because the jobs are good and the cost of living is low. There is so much more to life.

undomiel

I'll add in another vote for Seattle with Akaricloud. Fabulous area and plenty of hiring going on around here both on the entry level as well as the high end. If you don't mind a bit of a commute you can find some pretty affordable housing as well. If you don't like the heat and lack of green, avoid Phoenix. You'll be miserable most of the year.

Akaricloud

clouder wrote: »

EDIT: I agree with ptilsen in that Seattle is an awesome city, but I imagine it's probably quite a competitive job market. The city itself is fantastic, though. I love that place.

The Seattle area has tons of IT jobs currently. Competitive? -To some degree but most of the competition is so horrible that it really isn't very difficult to find jobs in.

We actually have trouble trying to hire anyone in the area. You have no idea how many people talk themselves out of the job in their interviews...

clouder

Akaricloud wrote: »

The Seattle area has tons of IT jobs currently. Competitive? -To some degree but most of the competition is so horrible that it really isn't very difficult to find jobs in.

We actually have trouble trying to hire anyone in the area. You have no idea how many people talk themselves out of the job in their interviews...

Then I cast my vote for Seattle

Have some Anthony's on Pier 66 for me!