Moving to Austin
Hello everyone,
I am a Masters Student at The Ohio State University and will be graduating in June 09. I am looking for full time positions in the semi conductor industry.
I would like to know if my chances improve if I move to Austin, since there are more companies (start ups) at Austin than in Columbus , Ohio.
Thanks
Harsha
Comments
Congratulations with your
Congratulations with your graduation!
My first piece of advice to you is: don't move anywhere until you have a written job offer.
Austin is not a good place to be looking for a job right now. The market is saturated with good people. We have about a dozen colleges and universities, so we have ample "fresh outs", too.
I'm originally from Silicon Valley, and may likely return there if I'm unable to find work here soon. Silicon Valley is experiencing similar troubles (things are tough all over), so I hear that companies are unwilling to relocate people to there.
If I were in your shoes (knowing what I know now, of course), I would look for areas with high concentrations of semiconductor fab's. Have you looked at Portland or Phoenix?
Good luck to you!
- John
Why are you people telling
Why are you people telling this person to check out Portland. Oregon was hit hard during the recession. Every semiconductor company in Oregon has been laying off or closing fabs over the past year. I just moved back to Texas from Oregon because the company I worked for closed and there is nothing to go to in the semiconductor industry in Oregon. Of the 1200 of us that lost our jobs, maybe 20% are now employed, and most of those left the semiconductor industry and are making less money. Some had to move across the country.
I would say Oregon was the hardest hit of the semiconductor areas in the US. Oregon unemployment is up to 14%. High home prices and high taxes too. It's a beautiful place to live, but with no jobs it is a bad place to be right now. Most other jobs in Oregon do not pay near as well as the semiconductor industry, so trying to stay there and do something else does not work well. I would love to return if the semiconductor industry ever rebounds there.
I absolutely agree with
I absolutely agree with John. You shouldn't move unless you have a job offer accepted. The only exception I could contemplate is if it's too expensive to live where you are after graduation. However, I know Ohio since my wife is from there, and I'm fairly certain this does not apply.
When you say "the semiconductor industry", I can't tell what area you're looking to work in. John is correct if you're planning to work in a fab. Otherwise, if you're planning to work in design, there are plenty of fabless chip houses around the country. Check out: Oregon, Phoenix, Research Triangle Park, Boise, etc.
Matt
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PS - Although Austin is
PS - Although Austin is startup-land, from what I'm seeing most of them are in the SaaS / Internet area, and much less are related to the semiconductor industry.
While your chances probably
While your chances probably improve by looking at any number of places besides Columbus, I'd second what John said: Do you job search from there, then, with an offer in hand, decide where to move.
There have been some pretty massive layoffs here in the semiconductor industry (among others) in the last few months, as a result of which, the market is crawling with very well-qualified but unemployed electrical engineers, computer scientists, and other technical specialists. Meanwhile, startup jobs are pretty hard to find because venture capital is so tight. The few startups of which I have direct knowledge have either closed shop or gone into a non-hiring holding pattern while waiting for conditions to improve.
Think San Antonio, Harsha.
Think San Antonio, Harsha. A little further South (75 miles), currently more jobs and lower cost of living. You give up the 6th St. but then again, its only 75-90 minutes away.
JMO
Thank you all for the
Thank you all for the response.
I am into digital/analog design. My peers who graduated before me are still in Columbus and are still applying online without any luck. This was the main reason why I was thinking of shifting somewhere else to improve my chances.
I shall look in to phoenix and the other places mentioned. Couple of my friends stay at Dallas (Univ. of Texas, Dallas) and that's why I was thinking of shifting to Texas, staying with them and commute to Austin/San Antonio to search.
But I guess, If applying online is the best and the only way now, I might as well stay here in Columbus.
Harsha
Online applications only
Online applications only result in 20% of placements, according to something I recently found. With the down economy, I estimate that number is now much less, as more people now seem to use the "shotgun" approach, flooding online channels with noise by sending their resumes where they don't really fit.
If you want a job, I think that it's now more important than ever to get your boots on the ground and meet people face-to-face, compare what you're both looking for, and try to help each other. Most people I meet have networks that extend into many states, some into many nations.
Most schools have a career development (job placement) office, so check with your school to see what it can do for you. All major cities have state workforce development offices; though you probably don't qualify to collect unemployment insurance, these offices have all kinds of resources to get people working. (In a worst case, you might find sustenance work in another field, which could open up other opportunities!)
- John
Unfortunately "commuting"
Unfortunately "commuting" from DFW to Austin really isn't practical at all. Its a 4+ hour drive from just about anywhere in the Metroplex to even the Round Rock (north of Austin) area. 1/2 of your day would be taken up by the drive and gas expenses of the 300+ mile round trip would kill a fair portion of the savings of staying with someone else.
I have to agree with everyone who says not to move unless you've got a written job offer in hand and that things are tough all over. You may have to start in a more entry-level job to get your foot in the door. Unfortunately when there are huge gluts of experienced people who have been laid off competition for those jobs can be fierce. Your friends are having no luck because there just aren't enough opportunities rather than they aren't qualified.
FWIW, although they may not exactly be in your field, there seem to be a lot more jobs in the DFW area than down here. If you've got a support network of friends up there you may find it better to pick that as your "hibernation cave" until there is some sign of a spring thaw in the IT job market ice age. By that I mean take whatever job you can find that will get you by and hopefully something that builds general experience and then use that as a base to continue your search at a more leasurely pace.
Hi Harsha, I echo some of
Hi Harsha,
I echo some of the other comments, congratulations!
As a fellow Ohio State Alumni who has lived in Austin for over 9 years I'd love to offer to help. Could you provide some additional information/background on the type of digital/analog design you could support. I apologize for being somewhat of a neophyte on this area of expertise, but I do have some pretty good contacts in the industry itself.
Teemu
@teemu Hello Teemu, I am
@teemu
Hello Teemu,
I am into CMOS VLSI Design. Took related coursework, concentrating mainly on Digital Hardware Design. I have project experience in memory (SRAM) design and Cache Design. Since I am a new grad, I gained experience mainly by doing projects in these areas. In Analog, I am comfortable in designing ADC's and Low Noise Amplifiers
.
I initially joined OSU to research in the area of Analog but shifted towards digital.
I hope I have given you the information you were looking for.
Harsha
Harsha, I'll put out some
Harsha,
I'll put out some feelers and let you know if anything pops up.
Thanks,
Teemu
Teemu, Thanks a lot for the
Teemu,
Thanks a lot for the help.
Harsha
You should not move for a
You should not move for a job that may not happen.
But you may find it useful for your job search to come out to Texas to meet people. Rather than moving, plan a trip to Austin. Schedule some interviews, if you can, and also plan to attend user groups, workshops and seminars, meet recruiters, etc.
Good luck and congratulations on your graduation!
Jane Prusakova
Software Architect & Developer
My blog
Hello Jane, I am actually
Hello Jane,
I am actually trying to get in touch with the people working or staying at Austin. I was also thinking on similar lines. I think there is no point in going to Austin without doing any research first.
Harsha
I would have to say no being
I would have to say no being a 15 year veteran of the semi industry. Actually, most of the work is being transferred offshore unless you are in marketing, sales, or product development.