What cities are good for recent computer grads (employment, consulting, interview)

[kenmtb]

Hi-
Im stuck in upstate NY with a BS in computer science, no kids and no job prospects at all

Can someone older and wiser suggest some warm weather states that need developers/programmers. I am considering Colorado, California, Washington state and Texas first.
Are these good places?
Any other areas?
Thanks

[chet everett]

...if you have great skills and want to work on relatively challenging problems Silicon Valley is still top choice. Aside from a few firms in MA or the Carolinas, or specialized financial shops in Chicago, or NY/NJ the density of computer coding in CA is hard to beat.

Texas tries to have a high tech industry, but much of the work is standard business processing that is either their due to energy firms or simply the more attractive work / life climate / cost.

Washington St still has lots of MSFT and related employment, but iti is not as vibrant as CA.

CO is not much warmer than NY. It is a younger state, but not really a high tech Mecca. Folks are too into semi- dangerous sports, last thing some tech company wants is their lead development staff to break a wrist or worse out mt biking or snowboarding...

I gotta think if you had good skills and a willingness to travel a good placement office ought to have had some connection to IBM or other college recruitment oriented firms. Did you do an internship? That sort of experience is huge plus...

Moving out to a new state with zero experience is not really the way to land a good gig. Even if you have good skills you will be scrambling to showcase your abilities while struglling to pay rent. Does not make for interviews that make you seem confident yet eager to impress. Try to get a job lined up first...

[NJBest]

NJ/NYC (not so warm) and CA. I suggest CA if you want mild weather and good pay down the road ($150-$250k)

[houston_alex]

I would try San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin. With a degree like CS, you should be able to find a job relatively easier than others. You can try also the consulting firms like Avanade. I interviewed with them but they were looking for hardcore programmers, I was an MIS major.

The fact that you are single with no kids is also good for the consulting companies as some require you to travel quite a bit. And while you are job seeking, brush up on what you learned because you can bet when they interview you, you are going to be grilled on algorithms, logic, syntax questions, etc. Good luck.

[slackjaw]

Phoenix area.

(Granted anecdotal) I've been here 15 years and been employed the entire time, most colleagues I've worked with who moved jobs have had no problem finding work.

Plus we just got walloped by the housing crash so buying property costs half as much as five years ago.

Good luck whereever you go.

[Hesster]

I lived in Washington for 32 years, and if you're after a nice warm climate, I'd advise looking elsewhere. The winters aren't nearly as cold as upstate NY, but they are very long. The summers are beautiful, but short. It starts raining in September (October if you're lucky), and pretty much stays drippy and dreary up through late May. You'll get some nice days in the spring, but you can more or less count on not seeing more than a glimpse of the sun for weeks at a time.

[Svatos]

I read a little while ago that Boise, ID is a new hotbed of tech jobs.

I'd also look at:

San Jose/Silicon Valley
Austin, TX
Houston
Dallas/Ft. Worth
San Antonio
NYC
Chicago
Washington, D.C.
Norfolk, VA
Denver
Albuquerque
Billings
Lincoln/Omaha
Overland Park/Kansas City
Huntsville, AL
Most large college towns

[Hesster]

Originally Posted by Svatos

I read a little while ago that Boise, ID is a new hotbed of tech jobs.

That would be news to me. And I live there.

[NewHorizonz]

Seattle is the shiznit for tech related jobs. Tons of interactive development, software engineering, etc. The "Software Giant" up there has a trickle down effect on the entire regional economy.. Not warm though like another poster mentioned..

[roncorey1]

Bangalore in Karnataka, India!