Best places for IT on the East Coast?

Hey all,

I am posting because the fiance' and myself have been giving a lot of thought on where to settle down and trying to determine area we could see ourselves planting some roots. Since I will be the primary breadwinner I have been looking into area that are good for IT. I work for the DoD in a Info Assurance role but have a background in System Admin etc.

Right now we are in MD, right near DC and of course MD/VA/DC area is great for this kind of work but we don't know if we see ourselves settling down here. We lived in Hampton Roads for a few years prior to this and while it doesn't have as much going on as NOVA, we enjoyed the more laid back feel and being right near the ocean.

I've been looking into other areas for IT and I am curious which are some of the best places, whether with or without a security clearance. N.C. doesn't seem to has as high salaries as NOVA but the property is also much cheaper and of course it is warmer as well. We've kicked around the idea of the Raleigh NC area, maybe Charleston SC, or of course even Hampton Roads again.

While NOVA does offer great salaries and job security, it is also extremely expensive and congested.

I have a B.S. in IT Systems, 7 years of experience plus the certifications listed on the left, and a TS clearance. I'm also 1 year away from finishing up my MBA with a concentration in Info. Sys Management.

The Fiance' has a M.S. in Education and plans to teach so that is another consideration as well, good schools not only for her to teach in but for our kids to go to as well. We have a newborn daughter and plan to have at least a couple more.

Any worthwhile ideas or insight would be greatly appreciated. Looking for areas with high levels of job opportunity, family friendly, and possibly where your salary can stretch further than it does here in Northern VA/MD/DC area.

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Comments

networker050184

For cleared jobs nothing is going to compare to the DMV area as far as pay and availability. If you are looking outside of the cleared sector Raleigh would be one of my top suggestions. Tech centered, low cost of living, decent salaries, plenty of things to do, family friendly. I really enjoyed my time there. Coming further south Atlanta is a good area, but cost of living is a bit higher and if you hate the traffic where you are now it's no better there.

I'm mostly familiar with the South East though some people might have some other options for you. Good luck!

Nyblizzard

I would tell you not to come to NYC

GarudaMin

Nyblizzard wrote: »

I would tell you not to come to NYC

Why not? I thought more jobs in NYC.

Polynomial

Boston.

networker050184

GarudaMin wrote: »

Why not? I thought more jobs in NYC.

Doesn't fit with the OP's want for somewhere that his salary can stretch.

paul78

I've always liked the Boston area. It's a great place to start a family, lots of culture and history, good beaches, progressive, good schools, etc.

If you don't mind the colder and longer winters, it can be a great place to live. From an IT job perspective, lots of financial services and healthcare jobs. There are also a lot of startups.

zxbane

Very interesting input, thanks so much everyone. Boston although cold and not as far south as I would like, is close to my fiance's family in NY and Boston has for some reason always appealed to me. I've done some job searches online and there are no shortages of opportunities in Boston my only complaints would be the taxes in Mass. , and the cold but as I mentioned there are plenty of perks still.

For those who do or have had security clearances, have you been reluctant to move away from government/clearance work and risk letting your clearance expire just because it would limit future opportunities?

Polynomial

paul78 wrote: »

If you don't mind the colder and longer winters, it can be a great place to live. From an IT job perspective, lots of financial services and healthcare jobs. There are also a lot of startups.

And for OP's fiance, its higher education capital of the world.

jdballinger

I have to humbly suggest Pittsburgh. IT jobs are plentiful, cost of living is low, and that city is no slouch when it comes to education either.

paul78

zxbane wrote: »

For those who do or have had security clearances, have you been reluctant to move away from government/clearance work and risk letting your clearance expire just because it would limit future opportunities?

I've never held a security clearance so take it for what it's worth, but I wouldn't expect that opportunities would be limited? From what I could tell private sector will likely have higher compensation and the experience will be more transferable.

Santa_

I agree with Boston. I work within the area and live outside of Boston. Granted my commute should normally be about 30 minutes with no traffic. With traffic expect to be an hour, unless you take the commuter rail.

Taxes, oh taxes. I live right on the border of NH so whenever I want to purchase anything expensive most of my shopping is done in NH.

Areas within the area that you can check, Methuen, North Andover, Andover, Dracut, Tewksbury, Salem NH

nerdinhiding

I live in Raleigh and its a great place for tech and low cost of living overall. However, I will warn you that teacher pay is abysmal in NC (near the lowest in the country on avg.) and will remain that way for the near future. We have lost a great number of teachers to VA lately. I would have your wife check into these issues and factor that into your decision.

zxbane

Nerdinhiding/Others,

The teaching salary/conditions is something we've definitely taken into consideration. Even though know that I will be the primary breadwinner, I wouldn't want her to work somewhere that is paid and appreciated so little.

Right now we are leaning towards Northern VA just because their is an abundance of jobs for what I do, and for her as well and both are paid relatively well (although the COL is significantly up there!) Now we have to determine where we will be working so we can strategically figure out where to live.. Seems like this is a big task for that area since even a short mileage difference can mean a huge difference in commute times.

tprice5

zxbane wrote: »

For those who do or have had security clearances, have you been reluctant to move away from government/clearance work and risk letting your clearance expire just because it would limit future opportunities?

You should have 10 years from the time you were adjudicated so don't think of it as something you have to walk away from and never look back. Even if you are wanting to maintain your clearance, a lot of the people I work with are here specifically to renew theirs. You will always have the DoD to fall back on.

zxbane

Very good advice tprice, although I know it varies depending on the level of clearance. I have a TS and if I am not mistaken it has a 5 year window of being active.

tprice5

Yup, that is correct. My mistake.

Breadfan

I have lived in SC my entire life. I can speak from personal experience that the IT jobs here are horrible (at least in the Columbia area where I am it is). Now, down in Charleston, my favorite city on the planet, there are good jobs to be had, and especially to those who have TS clearance like you.

The traffic is bad, but not as bad as say ATL or DC or Charlotte, but still but bad nonetheless. Schools here arent that great and teachers salaries are not that far behind NC. My mom has been in the school system almost her whole life and the pay is just crazy bad.

Of all the choices I have seen listed here, Charleston and Cary or Raleigh or Chapel Hill areas seem to be the best, but there is also Jacksonville and Tampa jobs I have seen lately. But, I dont know what it's like in either of those areas.

My vote is for Charleston, SC, but I am biased b/c I love that city and my state. Good luck with your search

blargoe

If your other half wants to be a teacher (at least in the public system) stay far, far away from NC. The government spends way too much on "administration" of system that is totally broken, and the teachers get no leeway with actually educating children, and are paid very poorly. Not only will she not be compensated fairly, she will probably be miserable in her job as well.

zxbane

Blargoe,

Thanks for the input, unfortunately others have mentioned the same thing. It really is too bad because the triangle area would be great for me as far as IT jobs go and I think NC has some beautiful areas. It really is a shame that the education system is what it is there..

blargoe

Don't get me wrong, I love NC. I have lived here my entire life and never want to leave. Like anywhere else it has its drawbacks, and the public education system is one of them.

BGraves

Only been in ATL for about a year but don't see a huge opportunity for you to put that TS to work here. There are maybe a few small opportunities at places like the CDC or etc...but I don't know if you would want to work there, lol. There might be a opportunity or two at a base/fort here?

I know it's not East Coast..but have you considered Hawaii? I always see TS clearances needed for positions there...and it's not a bad place to live! Not sure about the school systems though.

zxbane

BG,

I would love to take off to Hawaii, or even Texas for that matter but I just had a daughter a few months ago so I am trying to avoid moving too far from my family in Ohio, and the fiance's in NY, so that our kid/s can still get to visit family a fair amount through the year on long weekends etc.

BoneSpur

I work and live in SC as well. Have you looked into Greenville, SC? This city is booming and growing. i am not an expert on how the education system pays, but if she has the right credentials, she could teach at a local college. To me, you can access almost anything you want living there; the mountains, beach, major cities and sporting events (ATL and Char). All within a 4 hr drive.