I was a software developer in Arizona for a while, and it was very very difficult to find decent candidates. I suspect that great developers in Arizona find the

I was a software developer in Arizona for a while, and it was very very difficult to find decent candidates. I suspect that great developers in Arizona find the dearth of exciting companies a turn-off and leave, as I did. (You've got a GoDaddy, a handful of no-name startups, and ?) The strategy my company (employee, not owner) ended up using was to hang out in the IRC channel used by our web framework. We were a very developer-centric company, and I think that was attractive to good developers. We hired a couple of people from there on a contract basis, and then moved them out to AZ after they proved themselves. One thing I noticed in your requirements: > 4-year degree in computer science (or related field) from an accredited university I've worked with great developers who have CS degree and great developers who don't. At the very least, I would add "or equivalent experience."