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I work as a software engineer. A few months ago, I was looking to for a job switch and got TONS of calls from companies both big and small in CA and NYC (mostly

by jbail 16y ago

I work as a software engineer. A few months ago, I was looking to for a job switch and got TONS of calls from companies both big and small in CA and NYC (mostly CA though). No offense to either place, but for me, neither is somewhere I'd want to live. Visit? Sure. Live, no thanks. Just me personally, but I settled on Denver for the work/life/outdoors balance without crazy amounts of traffic/crime/people. Fits me best. Maybe not you, and that's cool. We're all different. All of those offers from CA and NYC were conditional upon me moving. I wonder if that's what's hurting the hiring in some of the bigger markets. Maybe telecommuting is the answer for these companies? Opening satellite offices in other locations? If you recognize (as does this article) that good engineers can more or less write their own ticket and work and live wherever they please, it seems counterintuitive to try to herd them all to the west or east coast.

rwhitman 16y ago
So true. Maybe part of the 'problem' is the pool of talent living in places that aren't the Bay Area are discovering that telecommuting can pay the bills and are comfortable staying put (or conversely, traveling the globe as a nomad). I know thats been the case for me, and a good chunk of the guys I work with.
- lusis 16y ago
  This has been my problem with all of these articles of late. Companies need to face the fact that, regardless of relocation package, people don't want to relocate. The only option is to either deal with job hoppers in your inbred local talent pool, hire from overseas or start looking at ways to make telecommuting work. On the overseas part, I know some seriously talented ruby developers who would love to come work in the states. My h1b experience is fairly ancient (2001) but I can think of one guy right now who has serious chops and has the code to back it up.
- kls 16y ago
  I agree, and a lot of companies, even high-tech are still not comfortable with telecommuting. IBM is probably one of the better ones I have seen for encouraging a telecommuting workforce, but anyways I am getting off on a tangent with who does what. As a freelancer in Florida and soon the be based in the Florida Keys (which has no tech whatsoever), telecommuting is my lifeblood. I have a strategy that I employ extensively when I really need a gig, my network comes up dry and I cannot find any postings for telecommute freelancing. What I do is try to get a meeting with the decision maker and sell them on telecommute, this generally revolves around things like a money back guarantee if they try me for 2 weeks and do not like me. They get to walk, no pay no questions asked. the only stipulation I place on it is that they have to give me feedback on what I could have done better should they decide to walk. I have landed quite a few gigs this way and as of yet have never had to eat 2 weeks. I only do this for 3-6 mo+ gigs that way I don't risk providing 60-70% of the work for them to take and have someone else wrap up. I also try to get them on a Skype teleconference ASAP in which I do a screen share and run them through a presentation, so that they can see for themselves, rather early on, that the technology is there to easily collaborate. For a few of them, I have changed the entire dynamic of their organization. I remember a call with a hiring manager (now a good friend of mine) in which he said "You have really opened my eyes, I am no longer constrained to the best available in my market, but can find the best available in many markets". This is only my case, so take it for what it is worth and I caution that while I do take a lot of generalist contracts I also have a specialization that I am know for. That specilization is web Accessibility development for persons with disabilities as well as Javascript / REST based web applications. There are not a lot of people who do Accessibility for JS based web apps, so the phone rings a lot from people looking for me. But I do still have to get out and pound the pavement now and then. Anyways, some people don't know that an alternative exists and somethings it just takes some confidence for people to give you a chance. It has worked for me.

by jbail 16y ago

rwhitman 16y ago

So true. Maybe part of the 'problem' is the pool of talent living in places that aren't the Bay Area are discovering that telecommuting can pay the bills and are comfortable staying put (or conversely, traveling the globe as a nomad). I know thats been the case for me, and a good chunk of the guys I work with.

lusis 16y ago
This has been my problem with all of these articles of late. Companies need to face the fact that, regardless of relocation package, people don't want to relocate. The only option is to either deal with job hoppers in your inbred local talent pool, hire from overseas or start looking at ways to make telecommuting work. On the overseas part, I know some seriously talented ruby developers who would love to come work in the states. My h1b experience is fairly ancient (2001) but I can think of one guy right now who has serious chops and has the code to back it up.
kls 16y ago
I agree, and a lot of companies, even high-tech are still not comfortable with telecommuting. IBM is probably one of the better ones I have seen for encouraging a telecommuting workforce, but anyways I am getting off on a tangent with who does what. As a freelancer in Florida and soon the be based in the Florida Keys (which has no tech whatsoever), telecommuting is my lifeblood. I have a strategy that I employ extensively when I really need a gig, my network comes up dry and I cannot find any postings for telecommute freelancing. What I do is try to get a meeting with the decision maker and sell them on telecommute, this generally revolves around things like a money back guarantee if they try me for 2 weeks and do not like me. They get to walk, no pay no questions asked. the only stipulation I place on it is that they have to give me feedback on what I could have done better should they decide to walk. I have landed quite a few gigs this way and as of yet have never had to eat 2 weeks. I only do this for 3-6 mo+ gigs that way I don't risk providing 60-70% of the work for them to take and have someone else wrap up. I also try to get them on a Skype teleconference ASAP in which I do a screen share and run them through a presentation, so that they can see for themselves, rather early on, that the technology is there to easily collaborate. For a few of them, I have changed the entire dynamic of their organization. I remember a call with a hiring manager (now a good friend of mine) in which he said "You have really opened my eyes, I am no longer constrained to the best available in my market, but can find the best available in many markets". This is only my case, so take it for what it is worth and I caution that while I do take a lot of generalist contracts I also have a specialization that I am know for. That specilization is web Accessibility development for persons with disabilities as well as Javascript / REST based web applications. There are not a lot of people who do Accessibility for JS based web apps, so the phone rings a lot from people looking for me. But I do still have to get out and pound the pavement now and then. Anyways, some people don't know that an alternative exists and somethings it just takes some confidence for people to give you a chance. It has worked for me.