The Worst US Cities To Work In IT

bdcny7927 writes with an excerpt from CIO.com to inspire some caution before your next job switch: "IT workers have their choice of many great US cities for work and play (Atlanta, Chicago, Seattle), but what are the cities that you probably should avoid? Here's a very unscientific, highly subjective and unapologetically snarky list of our least favorite US tech job locales."

Comments

Come on, Detroit isn't that bad.

[elrous0]

Okay, I don't really believe that. I just always wanted to see what that sentence looked like in print.

Re:Come on, Detroit isn't that bad.

[Jake Griffin]

Wow... I'm from Detroit and I laughed so hard when I read that. When people ask me what I thought about my time there I always tell them that "Detroit is a great place to be" then pause a minute and add "from."

Re:Come on, Detroit isn't that bad.

[gr8_phk]

Sure, they show a picture of some crappy neighborhood in the city. Just north, Oakland county is one of the richest in the nation. The other suburbs are just fine too. Let's set Detroit aside for a moment and consider Michigan in general. Some points:
1) We've got more coastline than California - and it's fresh water.
2) We've got 4 seasons (which is good or bad depending on your preference).
3) More second homes than any other state (most on the water).
4) We've don't get earthquakes, hurricanes, forest fires, termites, poisonous spiders/snakes.
5) We do get the occasional tornado, but far less than most of the midwest.
6) Education: we've got plenty of geek-schools.
7) Manufacturing. Does anyone care? We can build anything here - tech included
8) We've got an enormous set of technically capable people just waiting for companies to set up shop here.
Outside the 139 square miles of Detroit, Michigan is a paradise compared to a lot of places.

Re:Come on, Detroit isn't that bad.

[TheJorge]

As a commuter who rides the train that feeds Fenway, I can say that's a major detriment. Nothing like 30 minutes in a packed train with sweaty drunk fans to end your day in the office 2-3 times a week.

Re:Come on, Detroit isn't that bad.

[elrous0]

That should be Michigan's new state motto "Aside from Detroit, we're great!" ;-)

No way

[Stargoat]

I wish I would be transferred to Alaska. The hunting and fishing is great. There is room to breath. A man can raise a family in a manner more suitable to the American ideal. The commutes cannot be any worse than the suburbs of any major US city.

Sign me up!

Re:No way

[TeamSPAM]

I think the proper acronym is DINK - Dual Income No Kids. This led me to come up with the SINKING acronym for an old coworker. It stands for Single Income No Kids Incredibly Needy Girlfriend. :)

Gary Indiana

[JeanBaptiste]

makes Detroit look like Paris.

The complete list

[Whatsisname]

The list for people that don't like slideshows:

        1. Detroit, Mich. - Jobs available: 449
        2. Bentonville, Ark. - Jobs available: 81
        3. Cleveland, Ohio - Jobs available: 211
        4. Syracuse, N.Y. - Jobs available: 49
        5. Tie: Boston, Mass., and San Francisco, Calif.
        6. Anytown in Alaska - Jobs available: 24
        7. Orlando, Fla. - Jobs available: 235
   

What?

[qoncept]

What a worthless list. What did anything they talked about have anything to do with IT?

Alaska is nice - if you can keep a job

[heffy]

I wouldn't mind working in Alaska - lots of fresh seafood, cheap real estate, small town feel - if I can be sure my job is secure. Just like working in IT in some small midwest town, there aren't many options for switching jobs if you need to switch. How many large companies are hiring if you're an Oracle DBA in Alaska?

That's the beauty of Silicon Valley. I can work at a company for a few years and move to another, similarly-sized company at a higher position without much hesitation or worry. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of small companies looking at hiring IT folks. That kind of job security is what makes California much more appealing than a smaller city.

Re:Urban jungles

[mh1997]

Any ideas about which suburban or rural areas are good...to work in for IT jobs?

Yes, but I won't tell at the risk of turning it into

a very suffocating place, full of busy little bees who have no idea what it is to take the time to smell the roses

Missing

[waterlogged]

Washington D.C. The entire metropolitan area is one big mess. I have to plan my WEEKEND trips to the grocery store with severe traffic in mind. The area/weather/people are nice enough. However, with the addition of the commute times, I am basically holding down another part-time job just to get to work and back. I work 10-12 hour days just to avoid sitting in that mess for 3-4 hours a day.

Re:Highly subjective is right.

[An Onerous Coward]

Dude, it's a 2/3 majority, not a 3/4 majority. And far from "not listening to the People", the initiatives system makes California one of the most responsive to the will of the People. Which is exactly why they're in so much trouble.

People: We demand that $2B from the general fund be set aside for the education of small puppies.

Government: OK. That means that uncommitted revenue drops by $2B. We'll have to cut teacher's salaries by 14%.

People: Idiots! Why do you hate children? We demand that teacher's salaries be increased 5%, not cut.

Government: Okay, but we'll have to cut housing assistance.

People: Why do you hate the poor? You may not cut housing assistance.

Government: We'll raise taxes, then.

People: We demand that all tax increases be approved by 2/3 of the state senate.

Government: You do know that means taxes will never go up again, and that you're allowing a tiny, intransigent minority to run the state off a cliff, right?

People: Why don't you respect the will of the People?

Prop. 13 has butchered California. Prop. 13 was a conservative brainchild. Congratulations, bozo. You and yours just wrecked 1/5th of the the economy. But I suppose you think your state will be so much better once the schools shut down and Prudential is buying ad space on El Capitan.