Looking for advice (Atlanta, Dallas: lease, home, job market) - Georgia (GA) - City-Data Forum

dwayne00 · 11-01-2011, 01:55 AM

I live in Atlanta right now and have been for about 3 years. I moved here by transferring with my job. I'm going to be real you. I moved here because of the music scene trying to get on as a producer and my job paid a bit more than it did back home and I wanted a change for me and my wife for the better. I am trying to get in the IT field and current;y have an Associates and working on a bachelors. My situation is my lease is coming to an end and the rent is being raised higher and bills(utility and rent) are ever increasing and our quality of life is decreasing. Atlanta hasn't been as cooperative with jobs and even the music. I really hate my job and trying to get my foot in the IT field. It's time for a change in my job and I need it bad. I am having to choose between leaving Atlanta and moving to Dallas and trying the market there as far as jobs and music to increase my quality of living. But I kinda don't want to leave because I still want to work on the music scene here so I'm torn between trying my luck here again for jobs and the music and I actually like it here but nothing is happening for us here. No jobs are coming through but I would love to move to Dallas but just not now. What is some good advice that you all could give if you were in this situation. I remind you the music is important BUT getting a job in the IT field is more important.

K'ledgeBldr · 11-02-2011, 11:20 AM

Think Austin, not Dallas.
Great music scene/industry. And Dell is HQ'd there (Round Rock). ANd because of Dell there are a lot of other computer related industries.

Caleb Longstreet · 11-08-2011, 07:05 PM

IT is way off in this town and probably overall no matter where you go. There was a glut of IT professionals over the last decade and they have steadily been decreased over time.

Dallas is cheaper to live and there seems to be a better job market but, at least you can live in a pretty decent area in Dallas for less. This may be crucial when you find out IT doesn't pay as much as you had hoped unless you are truly gifted.

Austin is much higher to live and the jobs tighter. Bottom line? Dallas has a better edge for your position and circumstance but, just don't expect a plethora of jobs there either. It's just a bit better with a cheaper place to live.

Good luck.

researchnerd · 11-10-2011, 08:52 AM

My advice is: Find the job you want (even one incrementally better than the one you have), and then decide where to move.

There's no point in moving to Dallas or Austin or anywhere else unless you have a paycheck. Otherwise it's a short trip to homelessness, which would be a real decline in quality of life. It sucks that you have a job you hate, but it's still preferable to having no job - which is a real possibility in this economy.

What does your wife think? What kind of work does she do, and can she take that with her if you move?

The music production has to be secondary. I applaud your desire to do it, but unless it currently provides you with a viable income, it would be irresponsible to focus on that first. And if you're good at it, you can do that anywhere.

hal2814 · 11-10-2011, 10:19 AM

It sounds to me like you have a job and are a student working on an IT degree on top of that. Do you currently even have time to work towards your goal of becoming a music producer? I disagree with the above poster that music production must be secondary. If being a music producer is your goal, then go after it. But if it is your goal, you need to be actively working towards that. Are you making contacts? Are you recording music? Are you marketing any performers? What jobs will help you achieve that goal?

On the other hand, why do you want to get into the IT field and where specifically do you want to be? There are a lot of things that fall under the IT umbrella. I just moved from Atlanta to Fort Worth and the job market for experienced software developers in the DFW area is ridiculously better than it is in Atlanta. But IT is a broad field and entry level jobs and/or jobs in other areas of IT may be just as scare as they are in Atlanta. I don't really know. What I do know is that a lot of people who are interested in getting into IT are just looking for a paycheck. Even in a hot field, that's a recipe for failure. (And I'm not saying that is you. I'm just warning you in case it is.)

I guess when it comes down to it, my advice is to pursue what you are willing to put significant effort towards. That may be your dream job as a music producer or it may be an IT career. If you're not going to pursue your dream job as a music producer full bore, then let it just stay a dream. If you do want to pursue that career and all of the hard work, effort, and hoping for lucky breaks that go along with it, an IT degree isn't going to do you much good.

researchnerd · 11-14-2011, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hal2814

I disagree with the above poster that music production must be secondary. If being a music producer is your goal, then go after it. But if it is your goal, you need to be actively working towards that. Are you making contacts? Are you recording music? Are you marketing any performers? What jobs will help you achieve that goal?

These are excellent questions. And 20 years ago I'd have agreed with you wholeheartedly: Find your dream, follow it, work hard and you'll make it. But since that time I have seen too many incredibly talented people chewed up and spit out by the music business, and one of them tragically lost his life a couple of months ago because he focused too much on PR and the lifestyle, and not enough on reality. There are a few extremely successful people in music production, and an enormous number of others who work their a$$es off and survive on frozen bean burritos and Ramen.

I'm not saying success in the music scene isn't possible, it's just that the odds are seriously stacked against it. Living hand-to-mouth is one thing if you're 22 and single, but the OP has a wife and perhaps kids, and I hate to see that intense energy black hole swallow a family. I believe the OP had his priorities straight when he said: "I remind you the music is important BUT getting a job in the IT field is more important." It isn't the IT field part that's important, it's having a job that pays actual money you can take to the grocery store. IT jobs are now harder to find and pay less than they used to, but they are out there.