IT Job market by state/city

Hello everyone,

I want to start this thread by saying couple words about my current situation. I'm actively looking for any position similar to System Engineer, Network Administrator, IT Administrator, IT manager etc in South Florida and am barely can get any traction. I mean, I do receive random calls from recruiters and occasionally from companies' HR but it just either doesn't meet my salary expectations or skill set required doesn't match what I can offer. I'm looking for a mid level position and it seems that in this area only entry jobs are available with the pay grade of $10-13/hour or senior positions with the salaries upwards 100K. I understand that midlevel is probably the most competitive but when I tried to look for jobs in North East region I was able to schedule 3 interviews in one week, while here I only had like 1 or 2 in six month period.
Someone had already discussed the job market in South Florida in other thread. Lower salaries and huge competition is most likely related to a high number of highly-skilled transplants who tend to lower the overall compensation in IT. I believe that other states and cities may not be as desirable as SFL from the standpoint of weather, the amount of sunshine and ocean but there should be other benefits such as lower COL and better IT job market.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback from someone looking for work in other metro areas.

P.S. I have 5 years of mixed helpdesk/admin/managerial experience with BS:CS and no certificates (currently working on CCNA and LPIC-1...).

Thanks

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Comments

tkerber

I'm in the TC of Minnesota. LOTS of jobs, I would maybe even say booming.. There are lots of large headquarters and branch offices in the suburbs along with smaller tech companies downtown that are pretty successful. I've seen of a lot of small tech start ups that have been successful too. The weather really sucks sometimes but I will probably be staying in this area for my foreseeable future because it's relatively low COL if you're in the suburbs and there are great opportunities.

Some big ones below I can rattle off my head and have worked at a few of them.

Star Tribune 100: Top Minnesota companies ranked.

Best Buy
Cisco
Target
Cargill
Medtronic
Ecolab
Wells Fargo
TCF Bank
Microsoft
Oracle
Prime Therapeutics
United Health Partners
Symantec
Code42
Dell Compellent / Enterprise Storage
Cigna - Behavioral
Magenic
Ameriprise
US Bank
3M
Lifetouch
Winmark
IWCO Direct
Dairy Queen
CH Robinson World Wide
General Mills
Supervalu

xocity

South Florida Is not the Best I.T. Market. I was only able to get my job at an MSP because I knew someone on the inside. Its extremely competitive unless you have 10+ years EXP or CCNP / CISSP or security clearance. Entry level jobs here are between 9-15/hour ish.

I cant add much to other markets since i've never worked anywhere else, but just wanted to get in on the ranting.

Good Luck on your journey

Bchen22

For the IT job market Dallas Texas is always hot on weather and IT jobs as well as Austin.

Florida is just not a good IT job Market.

New York, Los Angeles, Washtington D.C are all having IT jobs too

I know a couple of guys who quit System admin jobs for some reason and now they have job openings but typically you move out of that place because Florida just sucks for IT

And make sure you are applying like crazy online, network with people, try craiglist, and in some cases apply in person at some random companies go to their IT Department in person.

New York pays extremely well for a System Admin but the cost of living is the highest in the United States so take that into consideration.

Typically citys that have a low cost of living have a low salary as well for the most part. So know this wisely

Nersesian

In the last 10 years, I've moved around a fair bit for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons were work related and some were not. I do not have the market cornered on opinions of course.

Georgia/South Carolina - Unless you know someone already in the target $organization, you might have a rough go of it. I leave Atlanta out of the statement as it tends to be its own beast. I would consider moving back to Georgia if it was Atlanta, but we would need to be talking a good 100k over my current salary. Upside - Waffle House. Downside - low salaries, lower enthusiasm.

Central/Gulf Florida - Some of the best scenery, night spots, restaurants and overall quality of life can be found (for me at least) in the Sarasota/Tampa/St. Pete areas if you have a job. If you were to lose your gig somehow, your options just shrank and you might want to reconsider picking up that extra bag of ramen last week. Upside - Publix. Downside - snowbirds.

Oklahoma - Awesome if you happen to be a white male. Not so much for anything else unfortunately. Upside - its crazy quiet. Downside - its crazy quiet.

Phoenix - This town will redefine what you think you can put up with weather wise, but its an awesome opportunity to be exposed to quality data center work. Good food, nice drinking culture and lower rents make for a great time if you can get past the overall dryness and general paranoia of some of the older residents. Crazy police presence, so do your best to not get arrested. Upside - its gotta be the overall quality of food. Downside - Liberal use of the word bro.

New Orleans - Ah, my home away from home and literally the worst place to get anything constructive done. You know those people you just love to party with? Yeah....they have to go to work sometime and they all seem to live here. Humid, poor infrastructure and crime ridden but one hell of a good time. Upside - amazing seafood and a 24 hour party with drive through daiquiri shops like its 1983. Downside - what a pain to get anything done from trash service to renting an apartment. This is an exercise in patience, but the drinks help.

Washington DC - Expensive but with a corresponding job market, DC lives to break people down like the sausage factory it is. Great jobs, long hours and even longer commutes, this is one of the best ways to advance your career if you can find a way in. Affordable, safe or close - pick two. Upside - there is no shortage of work. Downside - there is no shortage of applicants. Bring your diplomas as the bum standing in traffic has a degree from Stanford and is looking to network.

techfiend

Agree that twin cities is a hotbed right now for IT jobs. However they seem very competitive, at least for entry level. I'm still having trouble getting a foot in the door after years of trying but just recently became serious about it.

Success101

I can't speak for other places, but Florida as a whole sucks for IT(IMO). Majority of the time someone posts a topic about trouble finding a job, etc they are from FL. Many of the employers low ball...hard. You start to wonder if you aren't good enough...then you find a job and start wondering how did these people get hired in the first place. Oh well.

tjb122982

Does anyone have any information about how hot Chicago or Indianapolis are?

IT-Fella

Thanks everyone for replies!

I've been looking at couple particular locations before, such as Denver, CO Boston MA or DC-Baltimore, but I have a feeling that even though they have a pretty strong job market they have one of the highest COLs in the country.

Any idea about less desirable (don't mean to offend anyone) states such as TN, IN and mid-west in general?

Nersesian

Man, you posted some great reviews here!

What would be the best place from the job perspective and COL without taking quality of life into consideration among all those cities you lived in?
I also heard a lot about Phoenix in the context of data center jobs.

Even though I have a pretty decent and relatively well-payed job right now I just don't want to have a feeling that if something happens I won't be able to find something else.

Heero

tjb122982 wrote: »

Does anyone have any information about how hot Chicago or Indianapolis are?

My experience with Chicago is that it sucks for entry level, but there are a good amount of mid level and senior roles out there.

lsud00d

lol @Neresian!

Not sure the last time you were here, but New Orleans is actually booming with tech jobs. The COL is generally staying the same (it's increasing in parts of the city due to rapid gentrification) but the tech sector is seeing pay increases due to top fortune companies moving in and elevating the market standards. Also the startup scene is starting to pick up, so that's starting to change the game too.

But yeah...when there's a festival of some (art, music, food, etc) sort literally almost every weekend out of the year, you put your thinking cap on during the week and blow it off for the weekend.

Nersesian

IT-Fella wrote: »

Nersesian

Man, you posted some great reviews here!

What would be the best place from the job perspective and COL without taking quality of life into consideration among all those cities you lived in?
I also heard a lot about Phoenix in the context of data center jobs.

I'm obviously going to be biased here, but I can offer you two options based on QOL. Live in Maryland and commute to DC. I know that sounds like crazy talk, but hear me out. You can live in Frederick MD (or Baltimore), take your car to the MARC station and ride the train for an hour or so. The trains have wi-fi and for the most part are fairly quiet Monday through Friday full of commuters like yourself. You might be able to work out an agreement with your employer for a 4 day work week as its fairly common to telecommute here. I don't know what your budget is, but here is an idea of the price difference between Baltimore and DC proper. This is very obviously cherry picking to support my argument, but I think this is fairly representative of the area:

DC:
Beautiful Condo for Rent by the Convention Center!

Baltimore:
Furnished home for rent in great neighborhood!

Outside of that, if you can deal with the heat, Phoenix is not a bad place to call home. I lived in this building and couldn't have been more pleased with it:

44 Monroe | Luxury Residential Apartments for Rent in Downtown Phoenix

The downtown area in general isn't exactly the most happening place, but I really liked the options and the fact that most folks headed home around ten on a weeknight.

Fair example:
Downtown Urban High Rise in Prime Downtown Location! Live in Luxury!

Disgruntled3lf

I would suggest Nashville, TN. The salaries are very competitive and the cost of living is not terrible in the city itself and if you settle in a place like Fairview or Lebanon the COL is drastically lower and you only have a 40 mile commute. Also, tons of stuff to do for all ages. Weather sucks though. I currently live in Cookeville, TN and would advise you to stay away from here unless you can land a job at TTU or one of the big companies. (Averit, IWC, Cummins,etc)

IT-Fella

I was in Baltimore and DC this summer and can say that both cities are great. I would move to any in a heartbeat but "Downside - there is no shortage of applicants. Bring your diplomas as the bum standing in traffic has a degree from Stanford and is looking to network" scares me away. Someone posted here that it is not worth it to move to DC area unless you're making over 120K.

Nersesian

lsud00d wrote: »

Not sure the last time you were here, but New Orleans is actually booming with tech jobs. The COL is generally staying the same (it's increasing in parts of the city due to rapid gentrification) but the tech sector is seeing pay increases due to top fortune companies moving in and elevating the market standards. Also the startup scene is starting to pick up, so that's starting to change the game too.

But yeah...when there's a festival of some (art, music, food, etc) sort literally almost every weekend out of the year, you put your thinking cap on during the week and blow it off for the weekend.

Last time I was in NOLA was about eleven months ago, and I tend to have a very negative view of the "tech scene". I'm not looking to trash your fine city, but I have alot of family who still live and work in the city (most have been there 20+ years) and I'm headed back down for Christmas in two months. I feel I stand on solid ground offering a critique. The COL is increasing where people actually want to live. I'm not just talking about the Quarter or the Bywater, but out towards Jefferson and Oak Street, many of the post WWII homes are going to upwards of 1500 and 1700 a month. When you mention tech, I'm assuming you mean Turbosquid, iSeatz, Geocent, FedSample or Revelry Labs. I'm sure there could be a few other players out there, so feel free to offer them up.

Average pay, high expectations and no budget. I'm not a developer, but I heard Ruby and Javascript are in demand, so YRMV, but top fortune companies?

Three LA companies among Forbes' Fortune 500 - FOX 8 WVUE New Orleans News, Weather, Sports

Century Link, Entergy (lol) and Shaw Group. Not exactly a tech boom. Combined with the crime and infrastructure make for the general area pretty unpleasant to live in. You may find a decent paying tech gig somewhere, but the majority of the locals I've personally spoken to feel differently. As I said, I'm not down on New Orleans. I love the city, but I couldn't make it work professionally.

iSeatz Reviews | Glassdoor

Nersesian

IT-Fella wrote: »

Someone posted here that it is not worth it to move to DC area unless you're making over 120K.

This depends largely on what you want to do and what requirements you have coming into a new job. If you have three kids, need a four bedroom house and despise commuting, you're going to have a bad time. If you're single, ok with living in 600 square feet and making above 65k, you should be fine. It is true 120k can go quickly in DC but it doesn't have to. The city is crazy expensive to live in, but no one is forcing cash out of your pocket. Eliminate the car (parking, tolls, taxes) and most folks do ok, even on intern salaries where they have to live with a few roommates. Nothing compared to NYC or SF in my humble opinion.

LDhiker

I am also curious about the front range in Colorado, looking at Boulder, Longmont, Fort Collins, North Denver.
Looking at moving there for two reasons. First I live in Northern California, not San Fran, think Humboldt/Trinity County. Jobs are hard to come by, and my contract is up in a few months. Other reason to move is to be closer to family, (IOWA).

Thanks

JoJoCal19

Success101 wrote: »

Many of the employers low ball...hard. You start to wonder if you aren't good enough...then you find a job and start wondering how did these people get hired in the first place. Oh well.

Truer words were never spoken. Especially the part about wondering how people got hired in the first place, and usually in the management spot.

networker050184

I have to agree with Neresian on New Orleans. I grew up in New Orleans and it's still my favorite city by far. I would love to move back if the tech market was stronger. Just nothing there for me career wise. Hopefully someday I can get back down there though!

darkerz

Seattle Metro (WA state) is excellent. You can't keep the recruiters away with a 10 foot stick if you wanted to.

Growing population, booming cities, safe neighborhoods, good schools and no state income tax (great if you're not a spender & a saver

)

stryder144

LDhiker wrote: »

I am also curious about the front range in Colorado, looking at Boulder, Longmont, Fort Collins, North Denver.
Looking at moving there for two reasons. First I live in Northern California, not San Fran, think Humboldt/Trinity County. Jobs are hard to come by, and my contract is up in a few months. Other reason to move is to be closer to family, (IOWA).

Thanks

Colorado has a pretty good tech market, kind of high cost of living (depending on where you live). I live in south Denver metro area and work in Broomfield, LoDo (Lower Downtown Denver), and Lone Tree. During winter, it takes me up to two hours to get to work, though the non-winter weather commute is roughly 45 minutes to an hour.

JoJoCal19

darkerz wrote: »

Seattle Metro (WA state) is excellent. You can't keep the recruiters away with a 10 foot stick if you wanted to.

Growing population, booming cities, safe neighborhoods, good schools and no state income tax (great if you're not a spender & a saver )

I'm from San Diego and the Northwest (especially Seattle) is and has always been tempting me. If we didn't have three small rugrats we need heavily discounted childcare for (thanks mom!) I would be moving out of FL and over that way in a split second.

lsud00d

@Neresian, GE will have added 300-400 IT jobs, a company called 4th Source is adding 300+, there's a new hospital corridor on Canal that will require a lot of tech positions, and I believe Entergy is ramping up hiring too. Disregard the 'top fortune companies' comment, in my head the impact of some of the companies don't match their gross revenue.

A lot of startups are popping up as there's a big incubation/investment community geared towards that market. There's actually a large dev community in the city. Like I said, market standards are going up and people are moving here for the IT industry.

MeanDrunkR2D2

LDhiker wrote: »

I am also curious about the front range in Colorado, looking at Boulder, Longmont, Fort Collins, North Denver.
Looking at moving there for two reasons. First I live in Northern California, not San Fran, think Humboldt/Trinity County. Jobs are hard to come by, and my contract is up in a few months. Other reason to move is to be closer to family, (IOWA).

Thanks

As a fellow Iowan, you may be shocked to know that the IT market in the state has improved since the time I moved away with many opportunities in the Des Moines area. However, If you want to be close and have an even better market, Kansas City has a very good IT market with many large employers and is about 3 hours from Des Moines. Currently I'm in Wichita and it has a decent tech presence with Koch Industries and Netapp hiring lots of folks constantly as they are growing. Not to mention many aerospace companies that are always looking for good (mid-level and above) professionals in IT.

I moved from the DFW area earlier this year and the market in DFW is very HOT, however many folks have relocated there so the competition is absolutely insane as you will be going up against some tough competition and can be difficult to find a good job if you have issues separating yourself from those who are higher level or longer experience.

Denver is a nice area, but many of the tech type of jobs will be south of downtown in the Tech District (Denver/Greenwood village).

Bonus on KC, if you find the right area to move into, you can get google fiber at your house, plus they will be expanding their coverage in the city on top of that so many more areas will have that in the near future. (I think by the end of 2016 is the plan now)

IT-Fella

Can someone chime in from the twin cities area in MN? I did some reading about the IT job market there and it looks really promising. I know it probably would be a drastic weather change for me coming from South Florida but I can't pay my bills with sunshine.

MeanDrunkR2D2

The TC area sounds like it's a promising market for IT, and yes, you will be in for a weather shock by moving there. Buy lots of warm clothes for the winter and be prepared for nasty winter weather, but it's a very nice area.

joelsfood

Chicago definitely has lots of senior level positions open. I get contacted regularly by recruiters through Linkedin. Minnesota is where we're looking long term though. Or just stay with my current remote position and move to MN

techfiend

In the Twin Cities it's tough to get your foot in the door but it's picking up a lot lately. If you have some experience there is a lot of openings. On various job boards I see 50-100 IT jobs a week, ~10% of them are entry level, ~70% are mid level 3-10 years, ~20 are senior 10+ years. The IT pay is a bit above national average according to pay scale sites ($100K is realistic), while the cost of living is a little below national average in most areas, new houses are 300-500K.

If you have never lived in snow, you probably don't want to move here in the winter. In 3-5 weeks there will probably be snow that stays for 3-5 months. Lately it's been 50-60's and sunny.

Relatives made a career move (non IT) from Florida in April and they love it so far but they aren't looking forward to winter. They are hearing a lot of complaints about last winter from natives and when that happens you know it was a brutal winter but that's not typical.

joelsfood

Heh, we're actually thinking of driving up there in December, Techfiend, so the snow will be all kinds of fun.

Thanks for the info though, haven't looked too much there yet job wise, but drooling (literally) over the restaurants, etc, we've found and heard about on Andrew Zimmern's podcast.

jeremywatts2005

Funny I see MeanDrunkR2D2 moved to where I grew up. I lived in the midwest Des Moines/Kansas City all over that area and work was hard to come by and salaries low. I ended up leaving the area, because of the lack of work but that was a few years back. I am now in DFW and this area is really hot for jobs. Especially infosec I get 10 - 15 calls and or emails daily on Infosec jobs around this area. I live in McKinney and work in Carrollton near DFW and I have never seen a market as hot for tech as this is. I guess this is why they call this area the Silicon Prarie. HP, DELL, Verizon, US Air, Toyota coming soon, State Farm and others all have HQ's or large office around the area. Check it out plus I am making more than I ever have. BTW here is a tip if you are looking in the KC area and do no mind travel Fishnet Security is always hiring check them out.

emerald_octane

Someone mentioned Seattle earlier. It can be a mixed bag. On the one hand, lots of opportunity and a variety of small orgs looking for multifaceted types. Don't show up expecting to make it with only help desk skills, but if your willing to learn, the sky is the limit.

Cons are that its extremely competitive. Amazon , MS import highly skilled techbrains who eventually head out into the local market for new opportunities. It is not tough to find qualified professionals with degrees, relevant certification AND 5-10 years experience. This is good for organizations because they know they can find talent there easily so they setup operations, but everyone else has to work harder to get noticed. Not really a con but, anywho.

Also the COL is insane. People lose it when Amazon offers them $100k+ salaries but that's barely middle class unless you're single. A one bedroom apartment is about $1800, not including parking, unless you want to spend all day in traffic.