7 ms·

If you are in IT then I would not worry to much about the job issue to much past the first job, there is still plenty of demand for skilled IT workers despite t

If you are in IT then I would not worry to much about the job issue to much past the first job, there is still plenty of demand for skilled IT workers despite the record net migration of the last few years. However, make sure you are comfortable with housing prices / rent, particularly in the Auckland area.

unknown_apostle 8y ago
Yeah it's a job in IT but what if demand drops? My feeling is that people in IT have gotten a bit arrogant about their employability (not just in NZ) I remember the 2001 recession :-) But I don't mind loosing my job for a while. We would mind having to leave the country and move back halfway across the planet after having brought over our family.
incompatible 8y ago
I left NZ decades ago due to lack of software opportunities. I'd be tempted to return, but getting a "first job" in NZ would be a problem if I returned, I think, given that I'm aged over 50 and haven't worked for years. P.S. Avoid Wellington if possible, it's an earthquake mega-disaster waiting to happen.
- robocat 8y ago
  > P.S. Avoid Wellington if possible, it's an earthquake mega-disaster waiting to happen. What, just like California? I would highly recommend Wellington if you do software, are entrepreneurial, or you are sociable. It is the most cosmopolitan city, the friendliest to foreigners, the friendliest to all ages (because so many people move there to work, and it is the only major city in NZ with a city centre based on walking). Just my opinion as a well travelled NZer. Yes, an earthquake would wreak havoc, but I think the positives well outweigh the risks.
  - incompatible 8y ago
    Wellington is a terrible risk, there's a major fault line running right through the city. But yeah, it's a decent place to live in the meantime.
    - incompatible 8y ago
      Although, it should be mentioned that the weather is also terrible. I'll never forget that wind.
      - robocat 8y ago
        And they regularly get cracking good days too. Personally I prefer the Wellington weather to Christchurch (nor-wester, hayfever, overcast, too hot or too cold), or Auckland (I really don't like Auckland's weather). For me the best places in NZ for weather are Nelson, or North of Kaitaia (the winterless North, although rains).
      - raffleslodge 8y ago
        Nothing beats Wellington on a good day.
        lostlogin 8y ago
        The less there is to celebrate the more we celebrate it! Wellington is my favourite city, but I like a good fire so may be biased.
    - robocat 8y ago
      And there are some simple ways to make sure your earthquake risks are lower than other risks in your life. 1. Don't work in old buildings - especially hipster brick ones. (Maybe if they have added steel structure that looks ridiculously oversized: see Dux Central, what was Twisted Hop in Christchurch). 2. Avoid living on hills with unstable geology. 3. Avoid living in old apartments that are not up to 100% earthquake code. Liquifaction really isn't as big an issue as you might think. Anecdote: my parents are on top of the 7.2 Darfield quake, my sister's is very close to the 7.8 Kaikoura epicentre, and I live in Christchurch.
  - bacon_waffle 8y ago
    >> P.S. Avoid Wellington if possible, it's an earthquake mega-disaster waiting to happen. > What, just like California? I tend to think like the parent, so am curious where our imaginations diverge. Basically, I'd worry about a violent enough earthquake that lots of people/supplies immediately need to be moved in/out, but their movement is impeded by the geography. It seems likely that the two roads out of town would be impassible (isn't one on land that lifted out of the water in a major quake?), and the airport and waterfront are mostly on reclaimed land so will likely need substantial work before boats/planes can operate. It's a lovely city though - second best in NZ to Dunedin! Wellington is hosting KiwiCon later this week too: https://www.kiwicon.org/ https://www.kiwicon.org/
- timClicks 8y ago
  New Zealand's software industry is significantly more mature than it was 2+ decades ago. Multiple firms with several hundred developers building their own products rather than just government consulting. Getting hired is hard, but not impossible. The unemployment rate is sub 4% these days. If you're concerned about your employability, perhaps email Xero/Vend/Flux Federation/Catalyst IT/Intergen/Datacom/Trade Me/Weta Digital/... and explain your situation? If you're willing to work with recruiters, the team at Talent Army are bona fide good.
  - incompatible 8y ago
    Thanks, if I get serious I'll look into it.
  - unknown_apostle 8y ago
    My main worry is that I'll effectively be a guest labourer. If I loose my job in Auckland, I have a grace period and if I fail to find another job within this period (e.g. because we're in the middle of a global recession cleaning out overinvestment in startups) I can ship my kids back home across half the planet...
    - toomanybeersies 8y ago
      Permanent residency is fairly easy to get in New Zealand if you work in tech and have a degree, especially if your job offer is outside Auckland or pays over $100k. Have a look at the residency points calculator and see how many you get: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/tools-and-information/tools/points-indicator-smc-28aug https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-...
      - unknown_apostle 8y ago
        Yep but they've toughened it up a bit in recent years (good for NZ to do so, in my humble opinion -- without wanting go into politics, I wish my own native country would do something similar). A few years ago I would have gotten permanent residency immediately. Now apparently it's really necessary, de facto, to have worked there before applying for it.
- toomanybeersies 8y ago
  One of the reasons I moved from Wellington to Melbourne was the earthquake risk. After the Kaikoura earthquake in 2016, I realised how vulnerable Wellington is if there's a similar sized, magnitude 7-8 earthquake centred on Wellington (which there is a significant risk of). There's only one highway into Wellington, and if that gets cut off after an earthquake (which is very likely, it was down to one lane after the 2016 quake due to a storm at the same time) then Wellington is only accessible by boat. The 2016 earthquake also showed that despite efforts to earthquake-strengthen buildings in the city, it's still very vulnerable to earthquake damage.
  - lostlogin 8y ago
    > it's still very vulnerable to earthquake damage. And tsunamis.
    - toomanybeersies 8y ago
      Wellington has enough hills that tsunamis never had me particularly worried.
      - Ono-Sendai 8y ago
        It also has some flat areas by the sea - Lyall bay / Kilburnie, Mirimar, Petone. The Tsunami risk to Wellington is, in my opinion, severely underrated.
toephu2 8y ago
IT != software engineering. IT is always one of the cost centers of a company. Every software company (Facebook, Google, Microsoft, etc.) has an IT department. IT is like doing desktop support or networking. Need a new laptop? Can't login? Call IT. The software engineers who write software are not part of IT. Not sure if that's what you meant though.

unknown_apostle 8y ago

Yeah it's a job in IT but what if demand drops? My feeling is that people in IT have gotten a bit arrogant about their employability (not just in NZ) I remember the 2001 recession :-) But I don't mind loosing my job for a while. We would mind having to leave the country and move back halfway across the planet after having brought over our family.

incompatible 8y ago

I left NZ decades ago due to lack of software opportunities. I'd be tempted to return, but getting a "first job" in NZ would be a problem if I returned, I think, given that I'm aged over 50 and haven't worked for years. P.S. Avoid Wellington if possible, it's an earthquake mega-disaster waiting to happen.

robocat 8y ago
> P.S. Avoid Wellington if possible, it's an earthquake mega-disaster waiting to happen. What, just like California? I would highly recommend Wellington if you do software, are entrepreneurial, or you are sociable. It is the most cosmopolitan city, the friendliest to foreigners, the friendliest to all ages (because so many people move there to work, and it is the only major city in NZ with a city centre based on walking). Just my opinion as a well travelled NZer. Yes, an earthquake would wreak havoc, but I think the positives well outweigh the risks.
- incompatible 8y ago
  Wellington is a terrible risk, there's a major fault line running right through the city. But yeah, it's a decent place to live in the meantime.
  - incompatible 8y ago
    Although, it should be mentioned that the weather is also terrible. I'll never forget that wind.
    - robocat 8y ago
      And they regularly get cracking good days too. Personally I prefer the Wellington weather to Christchurch (nor-wester, hayfever, overcast, too hot or too cold), or Auckland (I really don't like Auckland's weather). For me the best places in NZ for weather are Nelson, or North of Kaitaia (the winterless North, although rains).
    - raffleslodge 8y ago
      Nothing beats Wellington on a good day.
      - lostlogin 8y ago
        The less there is to celebrate the more we celebrate it! Wellington is my favourite city, but I like a good fire so may be biased.
  - robocat 8y ago
    And there are some simple ways to make sure your earthquake risks are lower than other risks in your life. 1. Don't work in old buildings - especially hipster brick ones. (Maybe if they have added steel structure that looks ridiculously oversized: see Dux Central, what was Twisted Hop in Christchurch). 2. Avoid living on hills with unstable geology. 3. Avoid living in old apartments that are not up to 100% earthquake code. Liquifaction really isn't as big an issue as you might think. Anecdote: my parents are on top of the 7.2 Darfield quake, my sister's is very close to the 7.8 Kaikoura epicentre, and I live in Christchurch.
- bacon_waffle 8y ago
  >> P.S. Avoid Wellington if possible, it's an earthquake mega-disaster waiting to happen. > What, just like California? I tend to think like the parent, so am curious where our imaginations diverge. Basically, I'd worry about a violent enough earthquake that lots of people/supplies immediately need to be moved in/out, but their movement is impeded by the geography. It seems likely that the two roads out of town would be impassible (isn't one on land that lifted out of the water in a major quake?), and the airport and waterfront are mostly on reclaimed land so will likely need substantial work before boats/planes can operate. It's a lovely city though - second best in NZ to Dunedin! Wellington is hosting KiwiCon later this week too: https://www.kiwicon.org/ https://www.kiwicon.org/
timClicks 8y ago
New Zealand's software industry is significantly more mature than it was 2+ decades ago. Multiple firms with several hundred developers building their own products rather than just government consulting. Getting hired is hard, but not impossible. The unemployment rate is sub 4% these days. If you're concerned about your employability, perhaps email Xero/Vend/Flux Federation/Catalyst IT/Intergen/Datacom/Trade Me/Weta Digital/... and explain your situation? If you're willing to work with recruiters, the team at Talent Army are bona fide good.
- incompatible 8y ago
  Thanks, if I get serious I'll look into it.
- unknown_apostle 8y ago
  My main worry is that I'll effectively be a guest labourer. If I loose my job in Auckland, I have a grace period and if I fail to find another job within this period (e.g. because we're in the middle of a global recession cleaning out overinvestment in startups) I can ship my kids back home across half the planet...
  - toomanybeersies 8y ago
    Permanent residency is fairly easy to get in New Zealand if you work in tech and have a degree, especially if your job offer is outside Auckland or pays over $100k. Have a look at the residency points calculator and see how many you get: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/tools-and-information/tools/points-indicator-smc-28aug https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-...
    - unknown_apostle 8y ago
      Yep but they've toughened it up a bit in recent years (good for NZ to do so, in my humble opinion -- without wanting go into politics, I wish my own native country would do something similar). A few years ago I would have gotten permanent residency immediately. Now apparently it's really necessary, de facto, to have worked there before applying for it.
toomanybeersies 8y ago
One of the reasons I moved from Wellington to Melbourne was the earthquake risk. After the Kaikoura earthquake in 2016, I realised how vulnerable Wellington is if there's a similar sized, magnitude 7-8 earthquake centred on Wellington (which there is a significant risk of). There's only one highway into Wellington, and if that gets cut off after an earthquake (which is very likely, it was down to one lane after the 2016 quake due to a storm at the same time) then Wellington is only accessible by boat. The 2016 earthquake also showed that despite efforts to earthquake-strengthen buildings in the city, it's still very vulnerable to earthquake damage.
- lostlogin 8y ago
  > it's still very vulnerable to earthquake damage. And tsunamis.
  - toomanybeersies 8y ago
    Wellington has enough hills that tsunamis never had me particularly worried.
    - Ono-Sendai 8y ago
      It also has some flat areas by the sea - Lyall bay / Kilburnie, Mirimar, Petone. The Tsunami risk to Wellington is, in my opinion, severely underrated.

toephu2 8y ago

IT != software engineering. IT is always one of the cost centers of a company. Every software company (Facebook, Google, Microsoft, etc.) has an IT department. IT is like doing desktop support or networking. Need a new laptop? Can't login? Call IT. The software engineers who write software are not part of IT. Not sure if that's what you meant though.