Relocation / Electrical Engineer (Houston, Pearland, Spring: renting, homes, job market)

[averymaie]

My husband is in his last year of school for his BS in Electrical Engineering. What is the job market like for EE majors? We currently live in Las Vegas and there isn't much of a market at all. When I did searches on careerbuilder.com Houston came up as #1 city. Houston seems like someplace we could enjoy. We have an 8 yr old son and a new one coming next year so family is very important as is job security. I've also read about paid relocation, how common is this?
I like the idea of Northwest Houston but I also understand that job placement has a lot to do with where is best. What are recommended school districts? The only ones that I’ve seen frequently are Klein, Cy-Fair, Katy, and Tomball.
I guess I'm looking for an overall opinion on aspects of living in the Houston area and job market.

..........sorry for the rambling, but I'm curious about so many things.......

Thank you,
A

[hammer2000]

Welcome to the board. There really is a lot to love about Houston. I moved here 18 years ago for a job - and I really have enjoyed it.

I don't know about EE specifically, but most technical fields are doing very well right now in Houston. As you can imagine, oil and gas are exceptionally hot areas.

The first thing about Houston to realize is that it is a physically large city. There are many great areas around town - if you read this board you will hear about the Woodlands, Kingwood, Katy, Spring, Pearland, Sugarland, the Inner Loop, Memorial... all great places to live, but hardly right next to each other. For example, I love the Woodlands, but if I had to drive from there to my job each day I'd shoot myself. My job is out west, and the commute would do me in.

So the first step is to choose a general part of town, and for most people that means knowing where you will work. Working downtown is very different from working out west in the Energy Corridor or east toward the refineries. It doesn't dictate where you will live, but it certainly narrows it down for you.

From there, most people choose a general part of town based on schools (if they have children) and price range. For example, someone working in the Energy Corridor with a home-buying budget of 200,000 and young children might rationally look to a part of Katy known as Cinco Ranch. Lots of homes in that price range, plenty of other young families, excellent schools, not a bad commute to that employer. There are two or three other areas they would look at as well - but it's not an overwhelming task to get it narrowed down to a few.

On the other hand, if you work up by the airport, Cinco Ranch would probably be out of the question. That family would look at Spring or the Woodlands.

I know it's overwhelming - the main task is to start paring it down any way you can.

Have you ever been to Houston? If your husband interviews with a Houston employer, it will almost certainly include a trip to the office. You could tag along and the two of you could decide if Houston is a place you would like.

[Bily Lovec]

move to katy/cinco ranch or the energy corridor.
send your resumes to Fluor in sugar land, jacobs, stone and webster and mustang eng.

you can also try some of the contract shops such as GAS unlimited.

as far as relocation goes, it will vary case by case. considering your hubby has no job experience, his odds go down.

as ive learned thru the years, they cant beat you for asking...

[citizen_jane]

HP is located in NW Harris county literally at the intersection of Klein, Tomball and Cy-Fair school districts. I can't give you any specifics but I do know certain areas of the company are hiring engineers.

[San4ds]

We have lived in Katy for over 20 years. Over the years it has grown in to a community that we still like to call home. The Grand Parkway and the improvements to the Katy Freeway adds to that feeling.

Even with the growth it still feels a community...

[QKIBO83]

Well we moved from nw Indiana to Katy (cinco ranch) at the beginning of 2008 and we love it so far. We are fairly young newlyweds looking to start a family. I’m an EE and found employment first week we moved out here. The pay is way better compared to where i was beforehand, but then again it all depends on the industry your husband lands a job (i would stick to oil). My wife and i did a lot of research before moving out here on housing, schools, jobs... Anyway i hope that i was of some help, if you have any additional questions let me know. Oh and just one tip for your husband, make sure he knows PLC's as that can play big factor in the pay.

[StarkHack]

NASA contractors also hire engineers from time to time. NASA is great, and the nearby Clear Creek schools are amazing, especially for gifted students.

Cy-Fair is pretty good. NW Houston is a nice place for the most part. If you're going to relocate there and want a fairly affordable place to live, check out renting in the Heights area. Some properties are really expensive, but there are also some really great deals. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT move into the Washington Corridor. The roads are terrible, the neighborhood is sketchy, and traffic is a nightmare.

[Supermac34]

Find your job first, then come back and ask for advice on where to live.

[averymaie]

This gives us a good starting point, Thank you!

[EEstudent]

Try CenterPoint energy right now... the economy is in a really bad downturn but Centerpoint is still a very stable company that has very good job stability (the engineers i know have had their job for 10-15+ years!)

Houston for raising a family is ideal especially if your looking to be a suburbanite