"TDogg" (needamiata)
11/24/2014 at 15:23 • Filed to: joblopnik, advice
0
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"TDogg" (needamiata)
11/24/2014 at 15:23 • Filed to: joblopnik, advice | 0
| 22 |
I'm searching for a job in Software Development - some sort of web development preferably. Where should I be looking to move, Oppo? For your time:
I'm still in school (online classes) until next fall, when I'll have my Associate's Degree. Not sure if I'll look into getting my Bachelor's right after or not. I have a decent little bit of experience on my own and I'm always learning something new to get my foot in the door somewhere.
Here's my !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , for what it's worth.
I'm wanting to get some sort of experience through something a junior level position at a company. My question is, mainly, where would be the best places in the US to be looking for an entry level tech job like this? I'm in West Central Indiana right now, but my plan has always been to move elsewhere, so I'm taking this opportunity to go for it. Warmer than Indiana would definitely be welcome.
William Byrd
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 15:30 |
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Lets of web dev jobs in DC, Northern VA and MD working for government clients.
DatASSun
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 15:31 |
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Come on down to Austin. Everyone else is coming .
PatBateman
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 15:32 |
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I would suggest focusing on finding a job in your designated field that would pay you in money.
Texas has more than a few jobs lying around. And my in laws that grew up in Whiting love it here.
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TDogg
> DatASSun
11/24/2014 at 15:32 |
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I've heard Austin is a great place for tech jobs right now. I might have to look into that. How hot constitutes hot down there, though? Like 110?
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TDogg
> William Byrd
11/24/2014 at 15:33 |
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Really? Didn't realize that. Isn't everything ungodly expensive, though?
KatzManDu
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 15:34 |
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West central Indiana. I'm so sorry (I just vacated Indianapolis.)
If you want to stay local, look at Interactions, Developer Town, Made2Manage, and Salesforce/Exact Target. They always will need people with those kind of skills, but be prepared to be paid chicken-feed and deal with people who consider Bob and Tom the pinnacle of culture.
You can always look at elance.com and similar and whore yourself out that way, but you're competing with offshore talent who charge less than minimum wage for your skills.
The $ and job security is with government stuff— especially if you're a US Citizen. There are just some things that can't be offshored. Look at the bigger contracting houses, Booz Allen Hamilton, CGI, General Dynamics, Northrup Grumman, etc. They may have a pipeline for recent grads for various projects.
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William Byrd
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 15:35 |
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Sometimes, but the salaries are a lot higher too. :)
I started working in DC back in 1999 at $26K and didn't die. Of course that was awhile ago.
MarquetteLa
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 15:37 |
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Denver, Colorado is booming in general right now, but particularly in the tech industry.
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TDogg
> KatzManDu
11/24/2014 at 15:38 |
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Awesome. I'll check these out. Thanks for the input!
Where'd you escape to?
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KatzManDu
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 15:38 |
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Belgium.
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TDogg
> PatBateman
11/24/2014 at 15:39 |
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I've heard pretty good things about Texas. I have a friend that just moved to Dallas(?) for an animation job. What cities would you suggest I look at (and avoid lol)?
Textured Soy Protein
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 15:40 |
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I'm the director of career services at a tech school. We also have a web development associate's degree program. If your school has a career services department, you should definitely reach out to them if you haven't already done so.
What you'll find in the web development space is that while there are jobs that will require a bachelor's degree rather than associate's, there are also a bunch of companies that are flexible on the degree, and look at experience (or they're entry-level jobs where no experience is required).
Web development jobs typically look at your portfolio of things you've developed, and often have a graphic design component to them. If your degree had some graphic design classes, all the better. If not, focus on jobs that don't ask for a bunch of knowledge of things like Photoshop and Illustrator.
As for location, really, you can go anywhere. Pick a city you think you might like, search on the job boards for that location for 'HTML CSS' and see what shows up. The job boards I tell everyone to use are Indeed, SimplyHired, Dice, ZipRecruiter and SoloGig. Also there's a company called Local Job Network that has more locally-focused boards in a bunch of locations.
The big thing to look for in job descriptions when you're looking for an entry-level job is the words "or equivalent." For example, "requires 1-3 years web design experience, bachelor's degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience." That's your sign to apply.
Hope this helps, and again, you should reach out to whatever career services resources your school provides. We know stuff about getting jobs!
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TDogg
> KatzManDu
11/24/2014 at 15:43 |
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Quite a ways off from Indy.
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PatBateman
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 15:43 |
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Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth... All good choices. Maybe stay away from El Paso (because of it's proximity to Ciudad Juárez).
Austin has a lot of competition in your field, but you could look. They're all fun places to live.
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TDogg
> Textured Soy Protein
11/24/2014 at 15:47 |
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Wow, I honestly didn't even think to look through the resources on campus. I've taken a look at Indeed, but the others you mentioned are new to me. Thank you so much for this info - it helps a ton!
PNW Hoon
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 15:47 |
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I would say Seattle/Bellevue has tons of tech jobs. But on further reflection, it's kind of a crap shoot here, and pretty expensive housing.
Best of luck to you though!
phenotyp
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 15:54 |
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110 is pretty hot. 2011 was a scorcher, something like over 100 days over 100 degrees. Cooling off to the mid-90s at night. Boulder CO is another tech-centric place, not exactly warm, but it's kind of a fun town. I've worked with a couple TechStars startups out there.
The Ghost of Oppo
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 16:19 |
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DC
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The Ghost of Oppo
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 16:20 |
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It's cheaper than California
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TDogg
> phenotyp
11/24/2014 at 16:22 |
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I like what I've heard about Colorado and Texas both. Haven't had the opportunity to visit either one yet. I think CO sounds better from a personal perspective (more stuff do do, mountains, etc) although Texas has a lot of fun stuff as well from what I've heard.
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TDogg
> The Ghost of Oppo
11/24/2014 at 16:23 |
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Pretty much everything is cheaper than California though right?
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phenotyp
> TDogg
11/24/2014 at 16:42 |
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Yeah, you won't find much mountain in most of Texas.