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

IT-Fella

jeremywatts2005 wrote: »

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.

Was it hard to find a job without moving down there first? I'm thinking of using a local address and may be a local number forwarded to my phone when looking for jobs out-of-state. Is it considered not a good practice or everyone does it?
I personally tend to think that for any employer, unless you have a very unique skillset and lots of experience, easier to hire someone locally instead of dealing with relocation, remote interviews, personal issues etc.

manifest3r

If you want to move to Idaho for an IT careers, you'll be doing it way way wrong!

Bokeh

Twin Cities market is not too bad. Weather in spring to early fall is great, its when that snow starts flying that things can be a real PITA. Ive been here for 7 yrs now, and I really don't mind it too much. Luckily with my current position, if the weather is too bad to travel, the boss lets us work from home. COL isn't too bad if you are not directly in the cities. I have a 11 mile commute and work the overnights so I don't see a whole lot of traffic.

So if you don't mind snow and cold, like the outdoors (plenty of places to hike, camp, fish, hunt), like food on a stick (one of the largest state fairs in the country), like classic car shows (Back to the 50's @ the fairgrounds is huge! Over 13k cars on display last June for 3 days). Then take a peek at this market.

MeanDrunkR2D2

IT-Fella wrote: »

Was it hard to find a job without moving down there first? I'm thinking of using a local address and may be a local number forwarded to my phone when looking for jobs out-of-state. Is it considered not a good practice or everyone does it?
I personally tend to think that for any employer, unless you have a very unique skillset and lots of experience, easier to hire someone locally instead of dealing with relocation, remote interviews, personal issues etc.

When I moved to DFW, I had a job lined up prior to the move and it wasn't that bad for me. Of course, it did help that I knew people in the area that could help me out to find the job, but I wouldn't worry about setting up a local address or changing your phone number. I've had a KC area number for years and haven't lived there in about 5 years, but I still use that number as my primary contact for everyone. Nowadays it's not uncommon for someone to have a cell number from a different area code and it won't affect you. You never know if the hiring person was from that area and may be able to relate to you more closely due to that and noticing the area code. All they will care is if you can relocate in 2 weeks and start promptly and not need any money to relocate as most will deny that or go against that part. DFW is hopping for IT jobs, that is a fact.

MSP-IT

I have a strong feelings against the Twin Cities. I really dislike the fact that you get little to no opportunity to enjoy the outdoors from December to Mid-March. I don't think people realize how bad the winters are here. And it's not just snow. I don't think you can understand the Minnesota until you've spent 5 minutes outside in -10 degree weather.

I'm definitely looking to relocate to a more mild climate relatively soon.

StevenP2013

This is pretty much the same thing I emailed my WGU mentor about 2 years ago. Some of it is almost word for word such as the part about only finding entry level or senior level positions. Where are the intermediate to mid mid level jobs? I still have that email as a reminder. Two years, a MSISA, and 7 certs later I am just now getting past the call centers/help desks and onto what I call the real IT, getting a piece of the network pie. There were some setbacks along the way too. For a while I had given up on studying for more certs altogether. Since I had put in so much hard work up to that point and it did not paid off. Now that I am starting to taste some success, I am getting motivated again and starting to study for CCNA, Vmware, etc. This was in the Cincinnati Ohio area.

joelsfood

MSP-IT wrote: »

I don't think you can understand the Minnesota until you've spent 5 minutes outside in -10 degree weather.

Oh come on, that's just a bit of fresh air. It's -20 where it starts to get brisk.

Ciaranp

I'd be interested to hear any info on the IT market in Toronto, I'll be moving there soon, hoping to get a job working with VMware, Cisco and Windows server administration.

MSP-IT

joelsfood wrote: »

Oh come on, that's just a bit of fresh air. It's -20 where it starts to get brisk.

heh.

MeanDrunkR2D2

MSP-IT wrote: »

I have a strong feelings against the Twin Cities. I really dislike the fact that you get little to no opportunity to enjoy the outdoors from December to Mid-March. I don't think people realize how bad the winters are here. And it's not just snow. I don't think you can understand the Minnesota until you've spent 5 minutes outside in -10 degree weather.

I'm definitely looking to relocate to a more mild climate relatively soon.

If you can't handle cold well, Minnesota is definitely not the place for a person as there are and will be some very dang cold weather to deal with. Now, if you like riding a snowmobile, it's great. And the fishing is great as is any watersports. Get used to 85 in the summer as a very hot day as well. I think in south florida that's called winter/late fall.

And like any place, you make it what you want it to be. The TC is a nice area to raise a family in and has pretty much everything a person could want or need, unless it's heat.

tkerber

From the Twin Cities as well. I'll chime in again for some input. There are a lot of opportunities here for IT jobs and I don't know where some of you are looking but I find most of the jobs here towards the Sr. Level and low level--Mid level seem very hard to come across. Low being entry level Help Desk, Mid being like a Systems Administrator with a couple years of experience, and lastly high being a Sr. Engineer with 5+ years and some high level certs / degree. The suburbs are filled with a lot of large companies--HQ and branch offices, see page one for my last post. Downtown Minneapolis seems to have a lot more small businesses like law firms, capitol management, financial institutions, and some software shops...

As for the weather..

I was born and raised in the Twin Cities and although there are some days where I really do wonder why I live here, for the most part I don't mind it. I love fall and summer here, wouldn't have it any other way. Winters are brutal but the key to surviving them is not letting them beat you down. Go to happy hours, get a gym membership (with a hot tub), but most importantly don't live too far from work!

Overall as others mentioned the pay is good and the COL is slightly below average. I've actually thought about moving to California but what stops me is the astronomically high COL and the fact that a few of my relatives live there with decent jobs and can barely pay rent every month. I'd like to gather more experience before considering that.

jeremywatts2005

I just got a call one day and they asked me about moving to Dallas. I had not even thought about it. I was working a government contract at Stennis and was not even looking. They offered me a 60% increase in salary if I could start in two weeks. I said sure and got to moving really quick. It was tough with a wife, two kids and a of course in tow a laid off 60 yr old mother in law who want to go on disability. I got it done and the job is great and cost of living is fantastic. No state income taxes mean I take home even more than I did in Mississippi. Also no tax on most grocery items and my commute is only 20 minutes. What else could you ask for?

MSP-IT

MeanDrunkR2D2 wrote: »

If you can't handle cold well, Minnesota is definitely not the place for a person as there are and will be some very dang cold weather to deal with. Now, if you like riding a snowmobile, it's great. And the fishing is great as is any watersports. Get used to 85 in the summer as a very hot day as well. I think in south florida that's called winter/late fall.

And like any place, you make it what you want it to be. The TC is a nice area to raise a family in and has pretty much everything a person could want or need, unless it's heat.

I just want people to be aware of what they're getting into before they commit to moving here. If you believe you'll be able to "grin and bear it", I doubt you'll do well here.

MeanDrunkR2D2

MSP-IT wrote: »

I just want people to be aware of what they're getting into before they commit to moving here. If you believe you'll be able to "grin and bear it", I doubt you'll do well here.

I'm full aware of the weather downsides, and that really is the only downside in my personal opinion of MN and anywhere far north. I grew up in Northern Iowa and dealt with the cold and honestly I don't miss it. Now, if I were offered a great position with a huge bump in pay to move there, I would definitely be able to deal with it. May take me a few years to get used to the extreme cold again, but if it were just a lateral move, with no significant pay raise, I wouldn't even look there.

That said, MN is a nice state and has alot of good things to offer. I'm sure if I moved back north I'd be complaining once the weather got cold. I can handle the heat much better than the cold now. Did I mention that it gets cold? Oh yea.. it does.

tprice5

Nersesian wrote: »

Affordable, safe or close - pick two.

This post was amazing but this piece was my favorite. +1

lsud00d wrote: »

Also the startup scene is starting to pick up, so that's starting to change the game too.

A lot of starting going on. I like it!

Disgruntled3lf wrote: »

I would suggest Nashville, TN.

Nashvillian here. Awesome city but the salaries seem to top out at 85k unless you are a wizard. Very reasonable COL, solid night life downtown and midtown. Downside: terrible football team.

Nersesian wrote: »

If you have three kids, need a four bedroom house and despise commuting, you're going to have a bad time.

lol keep'm coming.

MeanDrunkR2D2 wrote: »

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)

I'm so fed up with poor internet speeds that this legitimately would have a significant influence on my decision.

Ciaranp wrote: »

I'd be interested to hear any info on the IT market in Toronto, I'll be moving there soon, hoping to get a job working with VMware, Cisco and Windows server administration.

From everything I have heard about this place, it sounds almost too good to be true. Would love to work here.

MeanDrunkR2D2 wrote: »

And the fishing is great as is any watersports.

Wakeboarding? Probably not.

IIIMaster

If you live in south florida then look for jobs in Tampa FL, central FL. Tampa is in the top 10 for IT in the U.S. Clearwater, St. Pete, Tampa is a major hub for IT.

IIIMaster

By the way everytime i submitt my resume get interviews down here. If you have the skillsets you will get a response. But keep it honest and dont waste your time applying for positions you dont qualify for.

techfiend

Wakeboarding is pretty common all over the state in Minnesota in the summer and believe it or not there's surf on Lake Superior all year round. In the winter they have a lot of crazy people come from all around the world to surf it. The only sport I can think of that can't be done is deep sea fishing, no saltwater and I doubt anyone would come here to scuba dive, but it's possible and some interesting things in superior. However I don't think around superior is a good spot for IT but it's only a 2 hour drive from twin cities which is a hot spot.

Xavor

Just wanted to add that New Mexico in general sounds like Florida discussions. There's some bases in the state, and Los Alamos labs, but other than that it's hospitals and colleges (crap pay). The bases require clearances to work there.

One note is the cost of living is low, but it's a slow lifestyle anywhere in the state. I could not get some jobs because I did not speak Spanish as a second language.

I moved to DC and the job prospects are better, but I "picked two" and live in southern Maryland. Competition and availability of jobs is more promising and the phrase "same people different lanyard" is tossed around a lot.

tprice5

IIIMaster wrote: »

Tampa is in the top 10 for IT in the U.S.

Link? This goes against what pretty much everyone on this board has said, as well as a coworker of mine, that IT is terrible throughout FL, to include Tampa. Specifically, wages.

techfiend wrote: »

Wakeboarding is pretty common all over the state in Minnesota in the summer and believe it or not

Well then, I stand corrected.

Xavor wrote: »

the phrase "same people different lanyard" is tossed around a lot.

I have no idea what this means.

wolf9081

Anyone from the TN area, specifically Nashville? How is the IT field there?

tprice5

wolf9081 wrote: »

Anyone from the TN area, specifically Nashville? How is the IT field there?

Nashville has a strong IT scene. Most demand I see is in the development lane but anyone worth their weight should be able to find something within their discipline. My main concern is that there seems to be a ceiling on wages that makes it hard to break over the 80k threshold, but this was 2 years ago when I was less experienced so who knows now. Would like to return there for work soon. For my sake, I hope I am wrong.
Note that I am grouping Franklin/Brentwood under the Nashvilla umbrella.

Everything-is-Awesome-Lego.jpg

Success101

IIIMaster wrote: »

If you live in south florida then look for jobs in Tampa FL, central FL. Tampa is in the top 10 for IT in the U.S. Clearwater, St. Pete, Tampa is a major hub for IT.

So much wrong. Not sure where you're getting your information from, but I live here and talk to other professionals. Tech jobs are seriously lacking. It's not about skills or certifications to an extent. My boss is an idiot, but he just hired a new guy who has no certifications, degree, and hasn't been hands on any technology for about 10 years. He hired him because he "liked him". His lack of knowledge shows too. I believe in giving people a chance, but you have show an interest...perhaps by getting at least one certification.

IIIMaster

Success101 wrote: »

So much wrong. Not sure where you're getting your information from, but I live here and talk to other professionals. Tech jobs are seriously lacking. It's not about skills or certifications to an extent. My boss is an idiot, but he just hired a new guy who has no certifications, degree, and hasn't been hands on any technology for about 10 years. He hired him because he "liked him". His lack of knowledge shows too. I believe in giving people a chance, but you have show an interest...perhaps by getting at least one certification.

I live in Tampa too and i see a lot of IT jobs. Im not sure how you conduct your searches etc but there are a lot for those who are qualified. Before i came down here I had several job offers. If you live in Tampa why are you talking to other techs ? You should know exactly what the scene is

Johnnie5

I live in South Florida and I have to admit it is challenging but there are good paying IT jobs available if you meet the criteria. I can tell you for sure that many will not get far without advanced vendor certifications. Comptia certs such as the A+ don't cut it here. I am fortunate to work for a good organization that provides growth but I had to crawl before I walked.

Success101

IIIMaster wrote: »

I live in Tampa too and i see a lot of IT jobs. Im not sure how you conduct your searches etc but there are a lot for those who are qualified. Before i came down here I had several job offers. If you live in Tampa why are you talking to other techs ? You should know exactly what the scene is

Lol, okay. I'd like to think I'm qualified especially when I see people with job titles like "Network Administrator" or "IT Manager" who don't know what IPv6 is and ask me "What the heck are those funky letters and numbers?". I see plenty of contract help desk positions or Sr level roles with ridiculous requirements. Why am I talking to other techs? It's called networking.

Now excuse me...I need to go show my manager how to ping a server...

Iristheangel

... I still want to see a link to a reputable article that states that Tampa is in the top 10 for IT job market in the US. Just based off friends I know in the industry that live there, this defies everything they've told me or that I've seen on this forum so I'm curious.

IIIMaster

Success101 wrote: »

Lol, okay. I'd like to think I'm qualified especially when I see people with job titles like "Network Administrator" or "IT Manager" who don't know what IPv6 is and ask me "What the heck are those funky letters and numbers?". I see plenty of contract help desk positions or Sr level roles with ridiculous requirements. Why am I talking to other techs? It's called networking.

Now excuse me...I need to go show my manager how to ping a server...

He is your manager he does not need to know a bunch of technical details, only to manage a team of people. There is a reason why there are seniors or senior level techs working within your team. You are trying to validate your qualifications due to someone else incompetence. I have only been working IT for 1.5 years and my qualifications has jump 10 fold since. Then you go on to state you see a bunch of help desk or senior roles with ridiculous requirements ? That still go back to the logic of being qualified or at the least have the correct skill set.

IIIMaster

Iristheangel wrote: »

... I still want to see a link to a reputable article that states that Tampa is in the top 10 for IT job market in the US. Just based off friends I know in the industry that live there, this defies everything they've told me or that I've seen on this forum so I'm curious.

It was an article I read last year but I have not yet to find it since. So as for now I can not validate it without any supporting documentation.

tprice5

IIIMaster wrote: »

It was an article I read last year but I have not yet to find it since. So as for now I can not validate it without any supporting documentation.

If you could just present a single article that presents the IT scene in Tampa or Florida in a positive light it would help your cause. As it stands, I am not inclined to put any weight in your claims.

The coworker I was referring to earlier is a senior level VMware administrator that has done DT at his previous post and currently does DCV. He says that he could probably pull, at the most and if he is lucky, $100k in Tampa. Take it with a grain of salt but he is from there so I trust his opinion.