6. Location

This can be a positive or a negative depending upon your perspective. If you love to travel, have always wanted to work overseas or want to move to another part of the US, then the fact that IT jobs are available almost everywhere is to your advantage. People are screaming for IT talent from the four corners of the globe. An IT career can be your ticket to a glamorous job in Paris, London, Madrid or Rome. Many cities that rarely spring to mind when someone mentions "bleeding-edge technology" are actually hot places to find an IT job. According to a new study from the University of Minnesota, rust belt cities such as Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Detroit and Minneapolis are all among the top 20 cities that hired technology workers in the 1990s.^xviii Looking for that Rocky Mountain high? A survey by the American Electronics Association in 2000 concluded that Colorado had the largest concentration of high-tech workers in the US, with an estimated 4,000 to 10,000 vacant technology jobs.^xix Perhaps you've always had a desire to live in the South and enjoy that fine southern cooking and hospitality. Sam Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce indicates that businesses in the Atlanta area have been hiring 22,000 to 24,000 technology workers per year.^xx

Let's not forget about the US government, which has offices and operations throughout the US. It is estimated that between one-third and one-half of government IT employees will be eligible for retirement in the next five years.^xxi Couple this with the US government's trouble competing with the private sector in IT salaries and you have a real crisis brewing. This translates into opportunities for IT workers. So make sure you investigate government opportunities in the locations where you would like to work. Because of the influx of technology into all realms of our daily lives, an IT worker should be able to work almost anywhere they want.

Therefore, you can get a job in a certain area of the countryƒbut do you want to live there? When evaluating a move to a new community, there are a number of factors you should consider. These include affordability of housing, lifestyle, climate, crime, schools (if you have children), proximity to family and recreational opportunities. Each person places a different weight on the importance of each of these issues. However, they are factors that need to be investigated before accepting a job in another community.

You may be able to find a job in Seattle, but you still need to decide if you can afford to live there. For instance, according to a survey by InformationWeek, the median base salary for IT staff in Chicago, Denver, Atlanta and Los Angeles is $65,000.^xxii So if you are making $65,000 in Atlanta and you are offered a job for $65,000 in Chicago, it's a lateral move, right? Wrong!! When you factor in the cost of living (mainly composed of housing and transportation costs), a $65,000 salary in Atlanta equates to $59,000 while the same salary in Chicago represents only $50,000.^xxiii Therefore, although you are earning the same amount of cash in both locations, your standard of living in Atlanta should be better than in Chicago.

The major cause of variations in the cost of living in the US is housing costs. Housing costs are a large portion of your living expenses and they vary widely from place to place. The four bedroom, brick colonial you bought for $60,000 in Beaver Snout, Montana is likely to cost upwards of $225,000 in Marlton, New Jersey. This is why you should investigate housing costs thoroughly before committing to a move.

Moving is expensive but often employees are left to bear the costs of a move on their own. Smaller companies may just offer to pay for your rental truck. Large companies are more apt to offer comprehensive relocation packages that would cover the following:

• house hunting trips (including airfare for your spouse)
• moving costs
• closing costs (on both residences)
• disruption allowances (additional pay to compensate you for the inconvenience of moving)
• insurance (things do get broken during moves),
• tax preparation (different states, different taxes)
• legal fees
• carrying costs on an unsold house (houses don't always sell immediately)

Make sure you get a written relocation agreement from your prospective employer indicating which costs will be reimbursed by the company. This will help avoid arguments and misunderstandings in the future.

Don't forget you can use the Internet to explore possible locations for your next move from the comfort of your current home. Many large cities (and even many small ones) have their own web sites with useful links to area businesses, schools, etc. Also, sites like www.monstermoving.com (brought to you by the folks at www.monster.com, one of the largest employment sites on the web) are springing up to assist you with planning moves. Monstermoving.com offers a wide assortment of information and links that will help you research cities, check housing costs, find a real estate agent, get a mortgage, locate a mover, and obtain insurance.

What if you are happy where you are and don't want to relocate? In some instances, this can be problematic. If you are living in one of those areas where talent is plentiful and jobs are scarce, you may need to move to another area just to land an entry-level job. Therefore, if you don't want to move, you should investigate the job market in your area before embarking on your career training.

Location can also refer to the setting in which you work. Generally, jobs can be office-based, field-based, project-based or home-based.^xxiv Not every situation is perfect for every individual. You need to decide what is right for you based on your personal preferences.

Office-based - Most people think of these as "traditional" types of jobs. You report for work to the same location each day and interact with the same people on a regular basis. Most office-based jobs require regular core hours of attendance (such as 9 to 5), but many IT jobs require working beyond "normal" working hours. Support roles, such as network administration, help desk and PC repair, often require shift systems to keep coverage for a wide part of the day (or 24 hours per day).

Field-based - Many support roles are by necessity field-based jobs. You travel from place to place, as needed, and perform jobs at each location. Usually this involves a great deal of travel and working independently. This is obviously not for everyone, but if you thrive on travel and limited supervision, it could be right for you.

Project-based - These jobs involve working for a company that sends you out to client sites to work on specific projects for varying lengths of time. As opposed to field-based work, you are often at clients for extended periods of time (weeks or months) as opposed to a day here and a day there. These positions can be very attractive to individuals who like workplace situations that vary on a regular basis. Another benefit is that if you don't like working with a certain client, you'll be off to another client before you know it.

Home-based (telecommuting) - Working at home in your bathrobe always sounds appealing, but is often harder than it looks. Working from home involves very little day-to-day supervision and requires an individual who is self-disciplined. Undisciplined individuals can find themselves distracted by children, pets, the laundry and the myriad of other household interests that demand your attention. Nevertheless, it certainly is an easy commute! Most people blithely assume that telecommuting opportunities must be very abundant in IT careers. Since it is IT technology that allows telecommuting in the first place, it is natural to assume that IT jobs would be a natural stronghold of telecommuters. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case. A survey by Techies.com, a recruitment site, revealed that 96% of IT workers would like to spend more time working from their homes.^xxv A surprising 39% of respondents indicated they would accept less pay for the opportunity to telecommute more often.^xxvi Based on these numbers, it appears that employers are not offering enough telecommuting opportunities to current IT employees.

You are the final arbiter of your preferred environment. You have to decide which type of environment you crave and then look for positions that work well in that particular setting.