[Hawkeye_a]

I'm thinking of moving to the US for awhile. It's been about 10 years since i graduated and left.

I'm not sure where to start though. Been going through Monster.com, but almost everything on there is just from recruitment firms and headhunters. I's a software developer.

Any suggestions?

Cheers

[Waragainstsleep]

Talk to Freudling!

[Athens]

Washington State is still pretty good economically wise, and software developer positions are big there. Look at Bellevue, real nice city, high tech firms, not far from Seattle. Friend from Chicago recently got a software developer job in Bellevue and it was a quick search.

[imitchellg5]

Lots of tech jobs in Washington State. And Bellevue is a great city, mightkenney (forum member here) lives there and commutes to his tech job in Seattle.

[Thorzdad]

Avoid Indiana.
Though, I suppose that goes without saying...

[subego]

Where are you now, and where did you live here before. I'm asking because I'm assuming you want to shake stuff up.

The SF region is the most obvious pond for your type of work, but it's got some fish already.

[Athens]

The Seattle area has moderate temperatures all year round. Summer time is mid 20's with higher range days being low 30's and in the Winter its in the 2 range for lows with averages closer to 6 and hardly ever goes below zero. Not much snow in the Winter but it does snow a few times a year. Just lots of rain in the Winter and Spring months with pretty dry summers. Just enough rain in the summer to keep the grass green. Friendly intelligent people, lots of out door activities from boating, skiing, hiking, camping. Lots of Vacation options like the scab lands, the Cascade mountains. In a 6 hour drive you can go from lush temperate rain forest to the most scenic mountains into real desert. Got Vancouver and Victoria to the North in a short drive, the launching point for Alaskan cruises which are by far the best cruises. Great Air quality most of the year, only a couple bad air days here and there. Has the only Level 1 hospital in the region for Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana and one of the best burn centers in all of the US. The back country is the best though, off roading, mountain climbing, caving.

SF is nice but I would take Seattle over SF any day. Just to hot in the summers and the Air didn't seem as fresh. More traffic, more crowded. San Jose is just all flat and ugly.

Seattle, WA Jobs on CareerBuilder.com

http://jobs.monster.com/l-seattle,-wa.aspx

See a bunch of software engineer jobs, .net developers off the top page.

[imitchellg5]

Well, traffic here sucks too, but is easily avoided with the excellent public transportation.

[Hawkeye_a]

Thanks guys. I was in South West Michigan. Was thinking of trying in Chicago cause i really like that city. BUt judging from what you all have said, WA might seem a better choice. The reasons i'm thinking of moving are:
-Shake things up a bit(and travel)
-More interesting work
-Cost of living(it's astronomical here)

I'm in Australia. Currently a .Net developer.

Will check out the links you guys posted.

Cheers

[subego]

Well, I can tell you anything you want about Chicago, but I'm not really hooked in to the IT community here (such as it is).

[finboy]

The Texas economy is going gangbusters. If you stay up around Dallas (big for IT) you might even see some snow this winter, what with global warming and everything.

[freudling]

I need developers. PM me. In Canada though. The bacon is better.

[Athens]

freudling, IT is a area that is easy to import foreign workers from, its in the skilled class that is actively sought by the federal government. Additional BC has programs to encourage it too.

Hawkeye_a everything I said about Seattle applies to Vancouver too. Though traffic is better then the I5 during rush hour lol. We are basically twin cities and Vancouver is on the US border. Can enjoy a similar life to what you have in Australia here and be only a 30-40 minute drive to the US. Seattle is only a couple hours away. I'll even give you a tour to help you get settled in if what freudling has to offer you appeals. One additional advantage is way lower medical costs up here. Disadvantage slightly higher taxes. Software Developer jobs are in high demand here as well.

[mduell]

Tons of software jobs in Houston... energy companies and those that support them need a lot of programming and are making great revenues.

Everything from in-house business vertical apps to geoscience, etc.

[finboy]

Originally Posted by mduell 

Tons of software jobs in Houston... energy companies and those that support them need a lot of programming and are making great revenues.

Everything from in-house business vertical apps to geoscience, etc.

Yes, and the housing market here is incredible. Plus, Houston has some great cultural stuff.

[Hawkeye_a]

freudling, thanks dude. Although, after braving the winters in MI, i'm not sure i'd be able to handle the Canadian winters. still thinking about it.

WA State eh? Microsoft territory...... i'd like to be near Seattle.

Texas is sounding much better. Dallas/Houston.....will look into it. And links to job sites or adverts?

The house prices down under are unreasonable (median house prices are 10X the median income...and it's not like we're running out of space). I would like to be located in a more 'reasonably priced' housing market though.

Cheers for the tips guys.

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

WA State eh? Microsoft territory......

and Nintendo Of America, which I guess you like more.

[Atheist]

Washington, DC. It's a no-brainer. Money grows on trees there... jobs for anyone that wants one.

[-Q-]

If you want a mild winter, Atlanta fits the bill. Seems to be a good market for developers. Cost of living is good. Traffic is a nightmare, however.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Atheist 

Washington, DC. It's a no-brainer. Money grows on trees there... jobs for anyone that wants one.

You are joking, right?

[Athens]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

freudling, thanks dude. Although, after braving the winters in MI, i'm not sure i'd be able to handle the Canadian winters. still thinking about it.

WA State eh? Microsoft territory...... i'd like to be near Seattle.

Texas is sounding much better. Dallas/Houston.....will look into it. And links to job sites or adverts?

The house prices down under are unreasonable (median house prices are 10X the median income...and it's not like we're running out of space). I would like to be located in a more 'reasonably priced' housing market though.

Cheers for the tips guys.

Vancouver does not have "Canadian" Winters. Our weather is Seattle's weather. We are only 135 miles apart. But as for housing prices lol don't come to Vancouver, its similar here about 10x the median income but due for a big crash real soon.


The region on a whole has a lot of Developer jobs between Seattle and Vancouver, on top of the ones listed by rgkgraphix Nintendo Canada is based in Vancouver, EA, Radical, Rockstar, relic, Inlight, Hothead just from the gaming industry alone.

https://www.rockstargames.com/jobs/o...star-vancouver 0 Postings
http://relic.com/work-at-relic/ 3 Postings
http://www.radical.ca/careers/ 11 Postings
http://www.inlightentertainment.com/flash/index.html 1 Posting
http://www.hotheadgames.com/about/jobs/ 1 Posting
https://performancemanager4.successf...eer?company=EA 61 Postings at EA

As of 2007 there was 86 Game Studios alone here.

Creo / Kodak, Accpac, Sage, Absolute, Sophos.

http://www.sophos.com/en-us/about-us...rs/canada.aspx

That's just Vancouver, Seattle has as many or more. (I listed Vancouver companies because I know of them off hand, just illustrating the regions potential for developers) Most of the bigger companies have branch offices in either Seattle if based in Vancouver or in Vancouver if based in Seattle. The official office is listed in one or the other places but they have satellite developer/operations locations in both locations to attract talent from both countries. This is what makes the Pacific North West so good for developers. You can work for a Canadian company from Washington and a US company from Vancouver. I think the key to finding a place is hunting down the companies and checking the web sites for job postings. Every one of these companies has a jobs section. Most of the bigger companies offer insane perks too because the competition for employees is fierce in this region. The top companies to work for in both Washington and BC are filled with software developer companies.

General Idea of housing costs
Seattle http://www.trulia.com/real_estate/Se...market-trends/
Bellevue http://www.trulia.com/real_estate/Bellevue-Washington/

[rgkgraphix]

I moved to Seattle from Dallas about 6 months ago. You would have no problem finding a developer gig up here. Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, Nintendo, ...isn't Bungie and Valve Software up here too? That being said there are a ton of dev jobs in Texas. My 2 cents is stay away from Houston. Texas summers are bad and Houston is even worse. 100+ degrees F with 90% humidity... no thank you! But Austin has a good tech community and just as hippie as Seattle, plus you money will go a long way in Texas. Also both Texas and Washington do not have state income taxes... always a good thing but I don't know if that applies to people here on visas.

and I second Athen's vote on Vancouver...one of my favorite places.

Edit: Ouch missed that part about Vancouver's housing... bummer!

[Atheist]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

You are joking, right?

Not in the least... why would you think so?

[mduell]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Texas is sounding much better. Dallas/Houston.....will look into it. And links to job sites or adverts?

BP

Cameron

Exxon

KBR

Shell

Those are just some of the majors, tons of other support companies. Probably look at Monster/Craigslist/etc for those.

[Hawkeye_a]

Cheers for the info guys, really appreciate it.

I'll shift my focus to Texas and see how it goes. Michigan (at least on Monster) doesn't look too promising, and i'm not keen on Detroit.

I must say, Monster seems to be swamped with ads from HR/headhunting firms, and its getting harder to sift through that crap.

mduell, cheers for the links! Lets hope something works out....

[BLAZE_MkIV]

Yeah the headhunters are so crappy at filtering candidates these days the most businesses are fed up with them.

[davemchine]

Job requirements are probably your number one priority to match up. You might also consider the social/political climate of where you move to also. I'm no expert but from what I've read Australia is generally very conservative politically. The Seattle area is famous for being liberal while Texas is famous for being ultra conservative. Not saying one is better than the other but something to consider when moving. You want to feel comfortable in whatever place you land.

[mduell]

Originally Posted by davemchine 

while Texas is famous for being ultra conservative.

The rural parts of Texas are conservative, but the urban parts where the jobs reside are not. For example, Houston has a gay liberal female mayor.

[ghporter]

I concur with mduell; the places with tech jobs are anything but "extra large conservative". Take Austin, for example. It is full of high tech everything, yet the unofficial motto of the city is "keep Austin weird". Conservatism? Yes, you'll find it in lots of places, but you won't feel like you're cast in "Footloose" or something.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

Avoid Indiana.
Though, I suppose that goes without saying...

Aww, don't hate! Indiana's not bad if you like suburbia and a low cost-of-living in a large city (it's still the 12th largest city by population in the United States). It is bad if you like population density and lots of variety.

+1 for the DC metro area. I moved here from IN in 2009 and have not regretted it once. Everyone says the traffic is hellish, but (a) there are a lot of alternate routes to get where you need to go aside from the actual bridges connecting VA to DC, and (b) I've definitely been in worse traffic in the Chicagoland area.

The cost of living is kind of high if you want to live inside the beltway in Virginia. If you don't mind living in the hood, Maryland is cheaper. I wouldn't ever recommend living in DC - the crime rates are high, and I really don't like the idea of living in a city that has no federal Congressional representation.

[tacticalguy]

If you're in the Technology business, I would suggest getting your feet wet in Silicon Valley, especially in San Jose. In San JoseSanta Clara area, you're dealing with a lot of great companies like Nvidia who are always looking for talent, especially in software development. They have a lot of perks too and very easy going working atmosphere. The weather is not too bad either. Very moderate and so is the housing. Very diversified culture in that area. I used to work there for two years and I regret quitting my position there.

I actually downgraded to an IT Firm in Fresno, CA which is the absolute pit of despair. This place, nothing is good here. The weather is rancid, smoggy, and hot, almost unbearable. Traffic is that of Los Angeles x 10. People here hardly every acknowledge a "hi" from a stranger. I just have nothing really good to say about Fresno besides it's a hop, skip and away from Yosemite

[glideslope]

Make sure they will have an abundant supply of Fresh Water that is affordable 10 years from now.

[Athens]

Originally Posted by glideslope 

Make sure they will have an abundant supply of Fresh Water that is affordable 10 years from now.

You know even if that was intended for humor, it should really be a serious consideration when moving. A lot of areas are going to be affected by lack of water, expensive power and so on.

[Hawkeye_a]

It looks like it could be Texas.

Need some advise and suggestions:
-which bank would be best to bank with?
-whats the best company and deal for mobile phone? I would prefer prepaid with voice calls, text and data for my iPhone 3GS. (wouldn't want a contract)
-whats the best value broadband?
-what would I require to buy a car? (I have an international DL issued from Australia).

Cheers

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Where in Texas, out of mild curiosity?

I've heard great things about Austin; the rest of the state, not so much. The only area I've visited is Houston; it was just painfully ugly, with absolutely no character whatsoever. Of course it's a great place to make money, but in terms of being happy where you live.....yeeeeeeesh.

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

Where in Texas, out of mild curiosity?
I've heard great things about Austin; the rest of the state, not so much. The only area I've visited is Houston; it was just painfully ugly, with absolutely no character whatsoever. Of course it's a great place to make money, but in terms of being happy where you live.....yeeeeeeesh.

Uhhhhh actually, it looks like it could be Houston. Care to elaborate?

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Hahaha.....well, first off, it's one of (or possibly the) best places to make money in the US, I'm told. So, congratulations. Also, keep in mind that I'm from Canada, so I probably have a totally different perception when it comes to weather.

But, Houston is ugly. I mean, ugly: it just feels like concrete urban sprawl, incredibly spread out, completely suburban, designed for car commutes only - no foot/bike/etc. transport, which is just as well because for 4+ months of the year it's almost ludicrous to consider doing anything outside that's not pool-related. I spent some time there last year, and came away totally unimpressed with the city - I would, personally, never want to live there, at the very least from an aesthetic standpoint, but also from a weather standpoint.

YMMV. I have close friends who work there and consider it a great city. I'm sure there are a ton of positives, not the least being the money and its central location as a vacation hub (none of which apply to my current spot ). Just not my cup of tea, that's all.

[knifecarrier2]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

Avoid Indiana.
Though, I suppose that goes without saying...

Avoid anything not Colorado, Washington, or Oregon.

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

-which bank would be best to bank with?
-whats the best company and deal for mobile phone? I would prefer prepaid with voice calls, text and data for my iPhone 3GS. (wouldn't want a contract)
-whats the best value broadband?
-what would I require to buy a car? (I have an international DL issued from Australia).

Anyone?

Cheers

[Laminar]

Be prepared for terrible traffic and ungodlly hot summers. My office has a branch there, many of the (white collar) employees work a 5am-2pm schedule because driving at any other time means 3-4x the commute time.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

-which bank would be best to bank with?

USAA. Period.

Anyone (non-military) can have a savings account, checking account, and/or credit card with USAA. They have the absolute best perks of any bank ever - things like being able to use your ATM card anywhere and not pay any fees (they refund up to $15 a month in ATM fees, so even getting cash out at a sporting event or an airport doesn't cost you anything) and stellar customer service.

USAA does not have physical bank branches except at their HQ in San Antonio, TX, but that's really not a big deal - you can mail in checks you need to cash, or do what I used to do and have a local bank as a backup for check cashing.

But when it comes down to it, USAA really is as good as customer reviews say they are.

If you don't want to go that route, stay away from Wells Fargo and Bank of America at all costs - you'll have a better customer experience by going with a local credit union.

[BLAZE_MkIV]

As a USAA member via my parents, they're great. There was some issues with the third party mortgage people. When my nice little local bank got bought the third time I got sick of it and switches everything over. You can deposits most checks with the iOS apps or the web site. You can also go to ?ups? stores to deposite.

[Athens]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Anyone?
Cheers

I have a preference for Chase. https://www.chase.com/

Look at Virgin Mobile for prepaid cell service, its there hallmark in the cell phone market in North America.

The only opinion I have for broadband is Cable over DSL. I don't know enough about US broadband companies to offer a opinion over providers. Chances are you will only have a choice of 2, one for ADSL and one for Cable with a lot of other companies reselling re-branded service from the main two.

You need money/credit to purchase a car

[Athens]

PS when you move look into Medical Insurance options from Australia that give you 3-6 months of out of country coverage while you setup the medical coverage in the US. We can do that in Canada when moving to the US, I am pretty sure you can from Australia too. Gives you time to shop around for private medical coverage in the US. More important if you get hired by a US company that offers medical insurance, it some times does not kick in from day one, but 6 months after the start of employment. You don't want to go 6 months uninsured, and getting temporary private insurance in the US is going to be way more expensive then getting something from home to cover you during that time.

[Laminar]

Shit you're still here.

Originally Posted by Athens 

Look at Virgin Mobile for prepaid cell service, its there hallmark in the cell phone market in North America.

He wants to use his iPhone.

[Hawkeye_a]

Cheers for the advise guys. The flight across the pond is friggon 15.5 hours!!! *sigh*

[Athens]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Shit you're still here.
He wants to use his iPhone.

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/shop/cell-phones/iphones/

[Hawkeye_a]

Mobile phone plans are f****d in this place. I can get so-n-so-plan, but i can't use it with these phones, etc. WTF?

I just want to buy a SIM and charge it up with credit for talk, SMS and MBs, as i need it.

[el chupacabra]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Texas is sounding much better. Dallas/Houston.....will look into it. And links to job sites or adverts?

Cheers for the tips guys.

If you move to Houston you can probably work for big oil and get one of the highest salaries in the nation with a fairly low cost of living. The catch is Houston, like many TX cities, is mostly one big slum. If you're into the settle down with family lifestyle, it's ok. But unlike other cities there is no central meeting place like a downtown with restaurants, museums, music, entertainment, culture etc.. Houston has all this stuff but its spread out all around town which creates a culture of boredom and isolation. Houston is a place where people prefer to shop at walmarts, kroger and chains rather than small business or anything with variety/personality. I think Austin would be more up you're alley; a lot of tech stuff there too. CO is nice but from what I hear it's hard to find jobs there because everyone wants to be there... and companies work you to death.

As a software developer I think you can find a job in any place; you just have to decide what you're willing to put up with.

[Hawkeye_a]

@el, Cheers. Just got into Houston a couple of days ago. This city is really spread out and huge. I don't think i'd classify it as a "slum", but at times it does seem a bit iffy. I hear they bussed in a bunch of people from the wake of Katrina and that lead to a drastic increase in the crime rate.

I think, strategically Texas seems like a decent choice as the economy seems stable and strong(er) (thanks to oil, no doubt).

I got onto T-Mobile as their prepaid seemed the best fit. And i could use their SIM in my iPhone with no problem and no contract. Only problem is data is limited to 2G (which seems faster than Vodafone's 3G network in Australia).

Cheers