AHarvey7

Hi all,

I've spent a long time reading various threads and I'm unable to find enough information to make up my mind (in some areas).

In short, I am a 27 year old single male who will be moving to the US in the New Year. I am a dual national, already in possession of both passports. I have taken steps to arrange SSN, research car arrangements and bank accounts etc - all of this I'm happy with. Something that I have not decided on however is location!

I am completely open in terms of location, and in my mind the biggest factor is the job market being relevant to my specialism/background. I am a web developer turned project manager who specialises in Agile methodology and SCRUM practice. With 9+ years experience I am looking for a mid-senior level project management role in web/digital.

I have previously worked for Fidelity and I'm currently employed by Allianz (both UK). Both of which are represented in the US. Unfortunately a US transfer with Allianz isn't an option due to the current Agile practices and maturity in Allianz US. Fidelity is a possibility, although I quite like the idea of a new organisation with new challenges.

If you're able to offer any suggestions and have any exposure to the above then I would be really grateful for your input.

The obvious candidates in my mind are San Francisco and New York - not coincidentally two very expensive areas.

As mentioned above, I am completely open to suggestions. Some criteria which I've been able to settle on:

- I would prefer to drive to work with a maximum commute of 45 mins to one hour
- Switching London for the US, I think a change in climate is preferable. I do not mean boiling hot all of the time, but mild/pleasant would be great.
- Technology/Digital hubs are ideal
- It goes without saying affordable property is important
- Fitness: good choice of gyms, fresh local food, choice of restaurants etc are important

Thanks,
Anthony

Pulaski

If you're hoping for "better" weather than London, you may get an unpleasant surprise, because just about everywhere is either much colder in winter, or much hotter in summer, or in many areas, both! Even the moderating effect of the sea is often very localized, and on the east coast there is the annual threat of hurricanes.

FWIW I think the best place is where you find a good job. That is going to be tough enough without placing additional geographic restrictions on yourself.

Noorah101

I agree with Pulaski. Go where the job is, at least at first. Once inside the USA, you can travel around to see if you like somewhere else better, and know the job market at those other locations.

Rene

AHarvey7

Hi both,

Thanks for the comments.

Completely with you re: weather (worth noting I have been to the US lots of times meaning I am familiar with the climate)

I think following the right job is certainly a good way to look at it, and that is the overall aim once settled. The challenge I have is that noticed has been given at work, property contract terminated, car sold etc all in preparation to move in the new year. This still leaves me with an initial choice to make on location.

Thanks,
Anthony

username.exe

From your list of lifestyle 'nice to haves', it sounds like you would do well on the west coast.

I don't think there is necessarily a single location that would be better for you in terms of work, but certainly a city. Enterprise application development is pretty much in demand wherever the enterprise is.
Interesting that you mention that Agile is a mature model in your business, most of the projects I've seen at my work place are still being delivered waterfall style.

One thing that can't be stressed enough is education. Do you have a degree? That will be key to getting through the first 'sift' of applications.

hungryhorace

Sod New York. Horrid city with aggressive rude people, plus hardly any 'tech'. It's all finance (for the most part).

Personally, if I had a choice and was starting from scratch I would try anywhere within 30 miles of San Francisco. The place is just beautiful. It has a relaxed culture and is full of tech employment everywhere. Plus, the weather is pretty much 21c on average all year.

The main downside of course is that the cost of living there is off the scale.

AHarvey7

'Nice to have' - great reference, certainly picked up on that!

I think waterfall delivery in a proclaimed Agile environment is happening in 90% of businesses worldwide. In reality it's an iterative waterfall with different terminology for those waterfall processes. The maturity (in my opinion) will develop after a) time and b) the ability to scale and maintain momentum. This has been key to what we have achieved in my current role to date.

In terms of a degree, I don't have one. I joined a tech company as an apprentice dev straight from high school (2005) later moving up through the ranks before taking a technical PM role. During my webby years I did complete a web tech diploma on a part-time basis, with the rest of my academic/educational background being professional certifications eg Agile practitioner, scrummaster, SAFe consultant etc. Experience has always been the prerequisite in terms of job opportunities in the UK - is it that much different in the US outside of the larger 'tick box' organisations?

Thanks,
Anthony

markcst

OK I might be biased, because I am moving to Texas. Dallas Fort Worth, and Frisco (where I am moving) has a lot of (global and US) companies that are moving their (global or US ) HQ there to take advantage of low taxes and lots of cheap land. Its rapidly becoming a new silicon valley, but also has its fair share of Fortune 500 companies. Its a lot cheaper place to live than San Fran and New York. Texas would be the 8th largest country by GDP if it were independent...

AHarvey7

Earlier than that, in fact. No I do not, it's never been a requirement in the UK. I have been offered the chance to study a Computing and IT/Computer Science degree by two separate employers in the past but again it's never held any impact in terms of progression.

I'm surprised by the emphasis on having a degree, I am aware some of the larger global companies will 'require' this at paper sift however the majority of the time professional experience will outweigh a piece of paper. Technology moves very quickly, I look at degree material now and it's behind in terms of language and standards to what I implement at a project level. To that effect, when recruiting for back end developers more recently we hired 2/3 guys without a degree who have slotted straight in as senior devs. This is due to their experience on a particular framework whilst graduate level developers are still relatively under utilised due to their technology stack.

AHarvey7

Really good points to consider, thanks for that much appreciated.

nun

If you are in financial services Boston is a good place to work.

fozzyb

But he wants decent weather and traffic. Dallas is unbearably hot 1/3 of the year, and in the rest you have hailstorms that can kill, the occasional tornado, and ice storms that mean you need a hammer and chisel to get into your car in the morning.

RTP area of NC has always seemed to be to be a much better combination of decent weather, tech jobs and affordability.

Pulaski

If his "thing" is financial services, maybe down the road in Charlotte, NC would be a better bet?

MarylandNed

In the US, you will be at a great disadvantage if you do not have a degree. It will make it difficult to obtain a job because so many tech positions ask for a bachelor's degree at a minimum. Some will be more specific e.g. a computer science degree or a degree in a related field (which usually means science/math).

You are correct that technology moves fast but obtaining a degree is more than just about displaying aptitude in a particular field. There are many other skills that are developed and tested as part of obtaining a degree e.g. time management, communication, etc.

Also, many employers use the degree requirement simply to manage the number of job applications they receive.

Some may drop the degree requirement for developers with specific skills but that is much less likely to happen for project managers who don't particularly need to have the same technical skills that the developers possess.

markcst

A Lot of Global Banking and Financial Management companies run their IT in and around Charlotte.