I know a lot of you live in the Austin area. I'm going to graduate with a degree in Computer Science at the end of the year, and I'm trying to get a good idea of what kinds of jobs might be available in or around Austin. I know things have dried up horribly, but is there any kind of prevailing theme for what kind of work is needed most these days? The way I see it, I still have enough time to take some more classes in a certain area if there's a need somewhere. I already know Java/C/C++, and I'm taking some database and networking classes. I figure learning Oracle is a good idea, and I may TA the database class my last semester. How many of you use Linux as opposed to Windows on the job? We use both here at school, but I was kind of curious. Any suggestions on what kind of stuff I should study? Thanks.
The job market here has forced many programmers like yourself out of town. There is work to be had, however you have to differentiate yourselves from the other 50 applicants to get the job. Hourly contractor jobs can be found on austin360.com, but salaried positions are hard to come by these days. Also, learning ORACLE is certainly not a bad idea. Just about every company used ORACLE and sql to manage their dbases.
Don't worry, if there is a computer job, they'll find a way to give it to a H1-B or L1 visa holder from another country for less money. The power of globalization comes home. Any more from me and we'll have to move this to the debate forum. http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=2&story=15259 I'm in Silicon Valley and the computer job market has pretty slim picking. I may have to change fields but I'm an old guy. Have you tried craigslist for Austin?
Contact Dell. They've hired a TON of our former students recently and the pay was not too bad (upper 30's for an MCSE with no experience). People with experience were being offered jobs at much higher saleries. From what I know, they are still looking to hire lots of folks. Good luck.
Thanks for the response, albeit a tad cynical. Family is really the driving force behind going to Austin. I know that the market is bad there, but I'm not allowed to make these kinds of decisions (where we live) anymore. I'll give Dell a ring, and see what they can tell me. austin360.com I had never heard of, so that's nice. The search goes on, it seems...
You might want to point your eyes to Houston for your job search. Let me put it this way: Austin job market: Like the Texas Cyclone. Very high highs when the economy is good (late 90's - early 00's) and extremely low lows when its poor (01 - present). Houston job market: Like the kiddie ride: The Serpent. Highs and lows are moderate, and economy moves at a fairly even pace no matter what the national economic status is. Austin brought in and lost a ton of jobs building its economy on the IT market. The good news is things have started to slowly improve a tiny bit. The housing market, although not as rich as it once was, is still moving along - albeit at a much slower pace. People like yourself will want to move to Austin no matter how bad the economy is. Work your ass off to find a job here and you will be rewarded. Good luck man!! I know the feeling.
Advice: Move! I would explore other cities in Texas besides Houston or Austin. Why not try Dallas or San Antonio? Dallas has some good employment up here. From what I hear....
Apple has not only tech support but also higher level server and admin stuff there that has nothing to do with being a phone monkey. They actually use Linux and even some Windows servers for some call routing and other stuff. Check out jobs.apple.com for more info.
Apple wouldn't have crossed my mind in a million years. Actually, I wouldn't mind working in Houston at all, or Dallas and San Antonio for that matter. When I used to work in construction when I was younger, I spent a good amount of time in all the major Texas cities and I like them all in their own way. The main thing is that my family, including my extended family, all have their heart set on moving to the Austin area. My sister and brother-in-law already live in Marble Falls, and my parents are planning to move soon in the area between San Antonio and Austin. My other brothers have Austin in their sites as well. Unfortunately, I'm the only one with any technology experience, so they don't really understand what I'm worried about. Heh. I'll investigate the San Antonio market, though. I won't root for the Spurs, but San Antonio is a great city.
