Austin is short on Tech Talent... (Spring: headhunter, buy, schools)

[CptnRn]

I was interested to see this editorial in the paper today. This is good news for anyone with tech talent who is considering moving here.

Trammell & Warnock: Austin's long on ambience, but it's short on tech talent

We have an engineering talent shortage in Austin.
There. We said it.
Let's be clear. Austin has an abundance of so many things. It is absolutely the best place to live. In fact, many tech leaders will tell you they start their companies here because they like living in Austin. Our city is full of creative, talented people.
But for the 100 technology CEOs gathered Thursday by the Austin Technology Council at the 2011 CEO Summit, talent was a significant topic. While discussing how the industry can solidify Austin's place as a top market for technology, local CEOs shared their concerns about the shortage of engineering talent. The overwhelming majority of leaders said they need engineers, computer scientists, programmers and developers to accelerate Austin's growth in the industry.

...

...we also offer the following additional calls to action:

If you are an engineer, computer scientist, programmer or developer, come to Austin. Dozens of companies are hiring aggressively — 40 to 100 new employees per company, per year.

[Trainwreck20]

Oh, but they won't pay you much, and generally not interested in you if you are over 40 :P

[colombiunpride]

This is perfect news for me . Thanks for posting.

I just graduated with a Computer Science degree from Georgia Tech and I'm planning to apply to positions in Austin.

I'm hispanic, more specifically, Colombian. Do you guys know where the majority of the hispanic population is from in Austin?

I've heard things anywhere from Brazilian to Puerto Rican, but I'm unsure.

[achtungpv]

Originally Posted by colombiunpride

Do you guys know where the majority of the hispanic population is from in Austin?

I've heard things anywhere from Brazilian to Puerto Rican, but I'm unsure.

1. USA
2. Mexico
3. Tiny amounts from everywhere else

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by colombiunpride

This is perfect news for me . Thanks for posting.

I just graduated with a Computer Science degree from Georgia Tech and I'm planning to apply to positions in Austin.

I'm hispanic, more specifically, Colombian. Do you guys know where the majority of the hispanic population is from in Austin?

I've heard things anywhere from Brazilian to Puerto Rican, but I'm unsure.

Look at the charts here https://www.city-data.com/races/races-Austin-Texas.html

[HappyTexan]

Shortage ? Maybe in some areas. Two guys just left my place and both had to go through 3-4 waves of interviews/cuts. Another guy I know is going to his third interview at the same place next week.

There's enough talent that these companies can still be picky. This is in the area of computer science/software engineering/systems programming.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Oh, but they won't pay you much, and generally not interested in you if you are over 40 :P

I disagree. I am well over 40, have been hired and have hired many talented software people since 1992. Many senior developers are paid well above $100K (not equity based pay). The people who work for Motive, BMC, Sailpoint, Surgient (now Quest), Convio, CA, Nimsoft, etc. are very well paid. But they don't hire 5 yr. Java guys.

[FueledByBlueBell]

I agree- I don't see age as a factor at all. In fact, it can be an advantage if you have kept up with the latest language and are highly skilled. There isn't a depth of talent like in the bay area/silicon valley unfortunatly and some large companies are still being forced to keep teams in that area. Dell just opened a facility somewhere near San Jose for this reason, but would have prefered that it was located here. I hope the pool will grow in this area over time.

[Math Commando]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Oh, but they won't pay you much, and generally not interested in you if you are over 40 :P

Ditto. You beat me to it. It doesn't help a company to fill the executive ranks with the CEO's unskilled drinking buddies and pay them big money, then load up the bottom with multiple STEM degree holding workers with tiny salaries. They're smarter than the leadership and most will leave (or not take the job) unless they are in Austin for a very specific reason (such as being near a sick relative). If their motivation is the lifestyle that they can buy then that business model is unsustainable. If you go on linkedin you'll see that many tech companies have been playing musical chairs for years.

[Math Commando]

Originally Posted by colombiunpride

This is perfect news for me . Thanks for posting.

I just graduated with a Computer Science degree from Georgia Tech and I'm planning to apply to positions in Austin.

I'm hispanic, more specifically, Colombian. Do you guys know where the majority of the hispanic population is from in Austin?

I've heard things anywhere from Brazilian to Puerto Rican, but I'm unsure.

As a fellow Spring 11 GT (Masters) grad I have to warn you not to go to Austin. I left Austin to go to GT with the intent of never coming back. Austin runs on mediocrity not meritocracy.
Most don't know anything about Georgia Tech other than it's sports rankings.
When you put "Georgia Institute of Technology" on your resume most will assume that it's something like ITT or any other for-profit college that you see advertised on TV.
I remember mentioning that I was headed to GT to someone who was a headhunter and her response that she had never heard of it but that she had heard of Georgia Tech.
She represents the typical Austin headhunter who acts as a filter in the hiring process but is clueless as to what to filter for.
Outside of huge companies in Austin, your degree will receive little recognition. The downside about the huge companies is that there are so many other competitors exactly like you.
The first thing that many will filter is GPA and you know that is with Tech. Outside of Georgia where they know Tech's reputation you can't be anything but shortchanged.
If it's low they'll write you off as a bad student, if it's high they'll make you compete against other high GPA students from easier schools.