Austin, TX job market

Hey guys,

I'm currently a pretty junior guy, though with decent experience, in Vancouver (Canada). I have an option to pursue Linux administration (80% what I'm doing right now), Cisco networking, or (slightly longer-term), infosec (which I find boring, but it pays really well and the market is going to be even better), with about 2.5 years experience so far in total. Will have 3.5 or so by the time I want to move. I have an almost-finished non-related degree (molecular biology & biochemistry).

I've also wanted to live somewhere where a) apartments don't cost as much as in NY and b) salaries actually pay a living wage. Sysadmin with an MCSE, a bunch of other relevant certs and 7-10 years experience won't make more than $60k here. Network engineers with a CCNP make $50k unless they go into project management. I make $15/hour right now (took a poorly paying job for really good experience, and they let me do sysadmin stuff almost right away instead of dealing with tickets. I'm in a data centre). Best I could hope for here is maybe $40k, which is "eat slightly better than McDonalds if you only have 1 roommate."

I'd like to move somewhere in a year or so (or whenever I actually finish my degree), and Austin appeals to me for the climate and the general city culture. So I'm wondering, how easy is it to find an IT job in Linux admin or Cisco networking with my credentials, and what the real-world average is.

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Comments

philz1982

Texas is no state income big deal once you get passed 100k. Also crazy amount of jobs...

Hilmil

We've been in Austin for two and half years, moving here from the Bay Area. Expect to pay $900 for a studio, plus $200 for utilities. Gas is cheap ($2.30!). I don't think the salaries you quote are significantly better around here. Maybe slightly better, with the real difference being perhaps easier to get in the door, and advancement sped up because of demand? It's easy & pleasant to live here. I can't imagine living anywhere else in the U.S. The Texans are cosmopolitan and crazy polite. I didn't anticipate that it would be so pretty- lots of time is spent at the river in the summer. See you around.

LeBroke

philz1982 wrote: »

Texas is no state income big deal once you get passed 100k. Also crazy amount of jobs...

Sorry, what? I'm not quite sure what you mean by this statement.

philz1982 wrote: »

Also crazy amount of jobs...

Good to hear

Hilmil wrote: »

We've been in Austin for two and half years, moving here from the Bay Area. Expect to pay $900 for a studio, plus $200 for utilities. Gas is cheap ($2.30!). I don't think the salaries you quote are significantly better around here. Maybe slightly better, with the real difference being perhaps easier to get in the door, and advancement sped up because of demand? It's easy & pleasant to live here. I can't imagine living anywhere else in the U.S. The Texans are cosmopolitan and crazy polite. I didn't anticipate that it would be so pretty- lots of time is spent at the river in the summer. See you around.

Thanks for an awesome review! Is the $900/studio somewhere in the core with most workplaces a few kilometers away so you can walk/bike, or is that on the periphery with a 1 hour commute? Or somewhere inbetween?

By utilities do you mean electricity + cable (which I don't need, nor care about) + internet + cell, or do you just mean electricity and stuff?

Hilmil

$900 will buy you a good location, within 5 miles of your work. The water & electric are high, and that's what I'm quoting. We don't pay for cable either, but our unimpressive Internet costs $60! Google fiber is newly here, with a limited zone for now. ☺️

philz1982

LeBroke wrote: »

Sorry, what? I'm not quite sure what you mean by this statement.

Good to hear

Thanks for an awesome review! Is the $900/studio somewhere in the core with most workplaces a few kilometers away so you can walk/bike, or is that on the periphery with a 1 hour commute? Or somewhere inbetween?

By utilities do you mean electricity + cable (which I don't need, nor care about) + internet + cell, or do you just mean electricity and stuff?

You can't fill in my missing words ?

.

Texas has no State Income Tax. Big difference in salary pull once you get above 100k/yr

Kai123

I'd happily move to Texas (from Ireland), I have to move at some point, either back to the UK, or I can be a bit more adventurous.

Many NOC jobs knocking around? I'm 3 months away from making a massive commitment (dropping alot of money for a 3 year Bach in IT security). I could leave that and save to move, might be a better option (could always go for a Bach in Texas anyway, right?).

Kai.

Hilmil

All I can add as to the prevalence of NOC jobs is that there must be a dozen major employers in this area, and they don't list their openings on Dice, etc. They list on their individual websites. I've focused on two jobs I'd like to apply to, and I'm fitting my skills to those listings. (A Bach seems like a lovely thing to put on a CV.)

rgagnon_gamer

Hilmil wrote: »

All I can add as to the prevalence of NOC jobs is that there must be a dozen major employers in this area, and they don't list their openings on Dice, etc. They list on their individual websites. I've focused on two jobs I'd like to apply to, and I'm fitting my skills to those listings. (A Bach seems like a lovely thing to put on a CV.)

^ This is it.

LeBroke

So I fake-applied for a job ad I saw on CL and got a voicemail on my fake Fongo account asking for an interview. Holy smokes, Batman.. I didn't even change much, just gave myself a fake name and address and took an online skills test (fix basic Linux thingies for Apache, MySQL, networking, etc, configs). Didn't even give myself an Austin address, kept the Vancouver one.

I didn't even expect a city 1/3 smaller than Vancouver could have 3-4 times the amount of job openings. The city is looking better and better, the only thing that might be in my way is that I'm Canadian...

Hilmil wrote: »

All I can add as to the prevalence of NOC jobs is that there must be a dozen major employers in this area, and they don't list their openings on Dice, etc. They list on their individual websites. I've focused on two jobs I'd like to apply to, and I'm fitting my skills to those listings. (A Bach seems like a lovely thing to put on a CV.)

Any idea what these employers are? I've basically only ever used Craigslist (and frankly, that + Indeed.ca are the only two worth using in Canada).