IT Jobs...

[SoonerDave]

I would strongly suggest applying for employment with the State. In all honesty, it almost never pays on par with the private sector, but it's one of the last jobs you can get with a pension. It also has good healthcare. Plus, once you get your foot in the door, if you don't like the agency you work at, you can apply for jobs at other agencies, and it makes the application/interview process easier if you are already a state worker. Here's the list of openings for state jobs; it's updated weekly, and there are IT jobs: OPM - Unclassified Postings

Yeah, pensions are a dying breed. I'm fortunate (at least for now?) to have put in nearly a quarter-century at a company that still does a traditional pension, but they've discontinued it for new hires.

[Jethrol]

Late getting to this thread but I think the market is pretty decent here. You've got large energy companies all with their own IT departments (Devon, Chesapeake, Sand Ridge, etc) you've got large hospitals with the same, you've got the State and Federal jobs and you've got loads of government contractors like L3 and others that are always hiring. And don't forget about LexisNexus, EDS, HobbyLobby, Sonic and other larger companies also.

With the cost of living here, low unemployment rate and climate, I think OKC is a great place to work and live. I would like to see more options for developers however. It would be great if we could get some game development companies to open studios here and perhaps even some large development companies.

Can someone earn $60/hour, most definitely. That works out to about $120k a year for a 40 hour work week and that's certainly possible but it's not going to happen by accident. Right now there is fierce competition between some of the larger companies because jobs in other cities are just paying better so people are moving.

I think 2010 is going to be an excellent year for tech jobs in OKC.

[stephy]

Late getting to this thread but I think the market is pretty decent here. You've got large energy companies all with their own IT departments (Devon, Chesapeake, Sand Ridge, etc) you've got large hospitals with the same, you've got the State and Federal jobs and you've got loads of government contractors like L3 and others that are always hiring. And don't forget about LexisNexus, EDS, HobbyLobby, Sonic and other larger companies also.

I would loooooove to know where you're getting your information from concerning these companies.

I've been job hunting for a month here and I've tried all those companies. The pay they offer is substandard, not that they're offering any jobs, unless you're an H1-B employee who will work for barely minimum wage.

I refuse to use a "staffing" employer, like TEKsystems; I'm not going to hand over part of my salary after working so hard for my degree.

The state of IS/IT jobs in this city is horrible.

With the cost of living here, low unemployment rate and climate, I think OKC is a great place to work and live. I would like to see more options for developers however. It would be great if we could get some game development companies to open studios here and perhaps even some large development companies.

The lower cost of living is only applicable if the salaries here are comparable to other states. They aren't.

On top of that is a push to build more and more "young professional"-style housing in the downtown area that is priced the same as other large cities, if not higher in some cases. This will never work if the jobs don't exist.

As for game development studios here? No thanks. My last boyfriend worked for EA. It was the worst 6 months of his life, and mine.

[BrettL]

I would loooooove to know where you're getting your information from concerning these companies.

I've been job hunting for a month here and I've tried all those companies. The pay they offer is substandard, not that they're offering any jobs, unless you're an H1-B employee who will work for barely minimum wage.

I refuse to use a "staffing" employer, like TEKsystems; I'm not going to hand over part of my salary after working so hard for my degree.

The state of IS/IT jobs in this city is horrible.



The lower cost of living is only applicable if the salaries here are comparable to other states. They aren't.

On top of that is a push to build more and more "young professional"-style housing in the downtown area that is priced the same as other large cities, if not higher in some cases. This will never work if the jobs don't exist.

As for game development studios here? No thanks. My last boyfriend worked for EA. It was the worst 6 months of his life, and mine.

Yeah I've been kind of half looking myself and there isn't much at all for IT jobs that pay well. And I completly agree about the recruiting places... thanks but no thanks. It's all about who you know... which isn't good for people like us.

[JohnDenver]

I work in Dallas and live in OKC. That is how awesome the OKC job market is.

[stephy]

I work in Dallas and live in OKC. That is how awesome the OKC job market is.

Bleh, how bad is the commute?

I know I'm going to have to deal with some sort of commute to find a decent job, but I don't think I could handle that far of one. Not for very long.

Its frustrating me to no end that in a "major" city, I'm having to look so far for a decent job.

[BrettL]

I can't imagine that... You'd have to stay in Dallas during the week and come home on weekends wouldn't you?

[venture]

Its frustrating me to no end that in a "major" city, I'm having to look so far for a decent job.

Well that is where people in this city need to get over themselves. This "Big League" and "Major" city BS is just PR junk from City Hall to try to boost the image of a town. Unfortunately, its going to take more than an NBA team to get us to that level. Could OKC become a major city? Sure, over time. We still have a long way to go in diversification of our economy and truly offering a wide variety of great paying jobs. However, we are young whereas Dallas and such are much more mature cities that have been established for awhile.

While I love it here, OKC is only a medium-sized or mid-major city that provides a little of everything but doesn't have the benefits (or drawbacks) of a city like Chicago, Dallas, or Denver. Some day, but not yet. One last point I will say, for us to get there though, requires less brain drain and a higher retention of the talent here to start up new businesses. Since this is about IT...look at programming firms. You are doing to see a roughly 4 to 1 margin in favor of a city like Dallas or Austin compared to OKC. That's mainly because people who grew up/went to school in OKC transplant down to Dallas or Austin doing a better job retaining kids after they are done at UT.

[JohnDenver]

I can't imagine that... You'd have to stay in Dallas during the week and come home on weekends wouldn't you?

Yep, that is what I do from time to time. I have an employer who let's me work at home mostly. Then for certain meetings I make a day trip down there... and when certain vendors are in town, I need to stay for the week.

For instance, I drove down this morning from my house in OKC at 6am and rolled into the offive at 9. I will leave Dallas ~6 and get home around 9:30. It isn't toooo bad. Just takes some getting used to.

[Jethrol]

I would loooooove to know where you're getting your information from concerning these companies.

I work for one of them. My pay is high considering my title. I'm usually on the high side of most of the salary survey's I've seen and if not above the highest, I'm very close to it. When you add in cash bonuses and other benefits, I'm paid more than every single survey I've seen. But then again, I have years of experience in the industry I'm in.

I've been job hunting for a month here and I've tried all those companies. The pay they offer is substandard, not that they're offering any jobs, unless you're an H1-B employee who will work for barely minimum wage.

I'm sorry you're struggling but I've found work even in other industries that wasn't substandard pay....something which is subject to interpretation. While the pay that I have may not be normal, it's still possible and it may take a bit of negotiating skill. I would say that govt contract work is the worst paying of all but I was still able to pull down $46k with one of the contractors and I only had a new CS degree to my credit for this industry....my previous industry experience (mentioned above) was not applicable.

I refuse to use a "staffing" employer, like TEKsystems; I'm not going to hand over part of my salary after working so hard for my degree.

Ok but I found all my jobs without these services. I wish you all the best in your job search. It sucks to have to look for a job but try to stay positive.

The state of IS/IT jobs in this city is horrible.

I disagree. My experience has been pretty good and everyone I know that works in IS/IT is employed and most are very happy with their positions. I'm sorry you're struggling.

As for game development studios here? No thanks. My last boyfriend worked for EA. It was the worst 6 months of his life, and mine.

Well EA is just one game company and I would much rather see a whole slew of game companies than just one but if EA decided to open a game studio here, they would not have any trouble staffing it.

Oklahoma is simply losing too many high tech jobs to other states.

[Lord Helmet]

I've been in IT for 7 years working with Peoplesoft. I ended up leaving OKC for Denver. The IT job market here in Colorado is substantially better than it was back in Oklahoma. Didn't want to leave but sadly had to. When you get an offer that basically doubles your salary, you go wherever that takes you

[rag451]

I'm looking to relocate to the OKC area from Fort Worth, TX. I have no certifications, and my degree is in the humanities! But, I have six years of experience working for a local college, where I am progressively getting involved in databases and the programming logic of our student information system. One of my major tasks is setting up and testing the trade of electronic transcripts between institutions, something I have now had success with in six states and over a hundred schools in all.

I would like to find a job at an OKC-area college or university designing and running queries and working with programmers to ease access to student records, but most of what I see requires a degree, certification, or many more years of experience than what I have.

I'd like to find a job that pays at least double minimum wage per hour. Any advice?

Robert

[BrettL]

Shouldn't have much of a problem finding a job that pays that low... I think you could get better for your experience

[rag451]

Shouldn't have much of a problem finding a job that pays that low... I think you could get better for your experience

Well as you said in an earlier post, it is all about who you know. And I know nobody...!

Robert

[Jethrol]

Well as you said in an earlier post, it is all about who you know. And I know nobody...!

Robert

I think you might find success in job hopping for a bit. Work at one place while looking for the next move to better pay and more responsibility. I think after a few hops you'll find a much nicer paying job. I don't think doubling minimum wage would be difficult...hell Geek Squad pays like $10 or $11 an hour.

In the meantime it might be helpful to start studying for some certs. I know that certs are often over rated and/or don't impart true mastery or even knowledge of a subject but they do help to lend credibility to your name and that matters a lot to HR personnel who are very often chicken when it comes to hiring someone without a degree.

However, you have over 5 years xp so perhaps you should look for some govt work. Post your resume out on the big websites like monster, dice, careerbuilder, etc and see what happens. You might be surprised to find companies come calling.

I have a co-worker that is regularly contacted for jobs by headhunters because he's worked with them for many years and they have a relationship which he's been able to milk for more and more interviews/job offers. They know that when they place him, he will work his ass off and in another 2-5 years, he'll get restless again and want to jump so they're constantly forwarding leads to him.

Anyways, good luck.

[stephy]

Yep, that is what I do from time to time. I have an employer who let's me work at home mostly. Then for certain meetings I make a day trip down there... and when certain vendors are in town, I need to stay for the week.

For instance, I drove down this morning from my house in OKC at 6am and rolled into the offive at 9. I will leave Dallas ~6 and get home around 9:30. It isn't toooo bad. Just takes some getting used to.

That actually doesn't sound too bad.

I had plenty of offers in Dallas, but chose to move here and be near my family.

The job hunt here is looking bleaker than ever. Maybe I'll give it a few more weeks then start thinking about a good commuter vehicle. Even with paying for an apartment in Dallas, and a house here, I'd still be banking more than double what I would with a job here.