Orlando

[MikeHull]

Hi,

I may be considering moving to Orlando next year. I am struggling to find information on renting properties out there and also cost of living.

What is the job market like for this area for IT?

Thanks.

[Saleen836]

MikeHull said:

Hi,

I may be considering moving to Orlando next year. I am struggling to find information on renting properties out there and also cost of living.

What is the job market like for this area for IT?

Thanks.

If you have no job or an American wife/ passport the chances of you being able to move there and work are slim to none!

[MikeHull]

Is it not possible to get a job there before moving then?

[Saleen836]

MikeHull said:

Is it not possible to get a job there before moving then?

If you are a specialist i.e a brain surgeon for example or so outstanding in your field that a US company will jump through the hoops and sponsor you because there isn't any US citizen capable then sadly no, you could start your own business and live there if you invest something like $500k!
Do a search on here there are quite a few threads on the subject of moving to the US

[Matt Harper]

As already stated - but I'll ask again, because if this is anything more than a pipe-dream, I may be able to assist, having done it myself.

By what means do you feel you would be eligible to 'move' here?

[EK993]

MikeHull said:

Hi,

I may be considering moving to Orlando next year. I am struggling to find information on renting properties out there and also cost of living.

What is the job market like for this area for IT?

Thanks.

You need to find an employer who is willing to offer you a job and sponsor you for a visa before you can think of moving.

Have a read of this thread for further information on moving to the US

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58...

[jeff m2]

IT........just hack into something Federal.

Gotta be the quickest way.

[Afroman]

Matt Harper said:

As already stated - but I'll ask again, because if this is anything more than a pipe-dream, I may be able to assist, having done it myself.

By what means do you feel you would be eligible to 'move' here?

Go back to school for another degree, and get a student visa. If you already have an IT degree; go get your Masters in IT. You will be extremely desirable, and have no problem having a company help you get a work visa.

[MikeHull]

Thanks guys for your responses. Its not a pipe dream as such, but it depends on several (personal) factors.

[MikeHull]

Afroman said:

Matt Harper said:

As already stated - but I'll ask again, because if this is anything more than a pipe-dream, I may be able to assist, having done it myself.

By what means do you feel you would be eligible to 'move' here?

Go back to school for another degree, and get a student visa. If you already have an IT degree; go get your Masters in IT. You will be extremely desirable, and have no problem having a company help you get a work visa.

I am assuming that I would need to complete said degree in the UK first? I'd be a mature student at my age (32).

[pasogrande]

Mike - two questions:

Have you spent much time in the US? I am surprised at the choice of Orlando for IT. If you haven't been here much, you should take a vacation in Orlando (cheap flights/vacations when the children are back in school) and use the time deciding if it is really what you want.

What exactly do you mean by IT? Just fixing computers isn't enough - for the price of fixing one it is cheaper to buy a new one. Designing websites is done by schoolkids. What is your expertise? Software development is one of the few lines where you can make enough to support yourself.

Wilf.

[MikeHull]

pasogrande said:

Mike - two questions:

Have you spent much time in the US? I am surprised at the choice of Orlando for IT. If you haven't been here much, you should take a vacation in Orlando (cheap flights/vacations when the children are back in school) and use the time deciding if it is really what you want.

What exactly do you mean by IT? Just fixing computers isn't enough - for the price of fixing one it is cheaper to buy a new one. Designing websites is done by schoolkids. What is your expertise? Software development is one of the few lines where you can make enough to support yourself.

Wilf.

Hi Wilf,

I do server side support at the moment, with mixed in VMWare ESX, Citrix and other bits and bats.
Orlando is for a reason.

I plan on visiting later in the year to see what it is like.

Cheers.

[Trev450]

MikeHull said:

I am assuming that I would need to complete said degree in the UK first? I'd be a mature student at my age (32).

Yes you would as it is highly unlikely that you could get a scholarship to study in the US.

[belleair302]

Nobody want to live in Orlando at this time of the year the weather is grim, and traffic etc is not great. A town with no identity beyond theme parks and lacking any historical or geographical culture. i would look elsewhere in the country re a career in IT, although the economy is tight and competition for these sorts of jobs is huge.

[Afroman]

MikeHull said:

I am assuming that I would need to complete said degree in the UK first? I'd be a mature student at my age (32).

For a Masters you would need a Bachelors degree. However older students are the norm for most college campuses, and tend to do much better than the 18-24 year old students.
Or you could get a Cisco certification, and that will open up numerous doors for you.
I am curious you picked Orlando for IT, because they only thing really there is Disney.
Check out Atlanta for IT or other major cities.

[MikeHull]

Afroman said:

For a Masters you would need a Bachelors degree. However older students are the norm for most college campuses, and tend to do much better than the 18-24 year old students.
Or you could get a Cisco certification, and that will open up numerous doors for you.
I am curious you picked Orlando for IT, because they only thing really there is Disney.
Check out Atlanta for IT or other major cities.

Thanks for your reply.

The only issue I can forsee with doing Cisco is that I have zero exposure to Cisco equipment as part of my current role.

Why Orlando? Its a person reason really.

[Matt Harper]

Afroman said:

I am curious you picked Orlando for IT, because they only thing really there is Disney.
Check out Atlanta for IT or other major cities.

What? Lockheed Martin and EA Sports (Tiburon) are two very obvious, very significant employers in the IT field. There are lots more.

The key question remains and that is, by what means do you intend to relocate? If it's marriage, you have negated many of the obvious obstacles.

Be wary of the "get a degree and employers will be begging you" bullst. That is unrealistic nonsense.

I live in Orlando and there are some very, very agreeable areas to live in, but I didn't choose the location originally and had I been given the choice I'd have relocated elsewhere - but the main reason isn't climate or traffic (which is an issue pretty much everywhere there is a commercial center (try going to Minneapolis in the winter). Orlando's commercial dilemma is that it's located in the SE corner of the country - I'd rather be closer to the middle. That said, you can get a direct flight to just about anywhere in the US from MCO.

[MikeHull]

Matt Harper said:

What? Lockheed Martin and EA Sports (Tiburon) are two very obvious, very significant employers in the IT field. There are lots more.

The key question remains and that is, by what means do you intend to relocate? If it's marriage, you have negated many of the obvious obstacles.

Be wary of the "get a degree and employers will be begging you" bullst. That is unrealistic nonsense.

I live in Orlando and there are some very, very agreeable areas to live in, but I didn't choose the location originally and had I been given the choice I'd have relocated elsewhere - but the main reason isn't climate or traffic (which is an issue pretty much everywhere there is a commercial center (try going to Minneapolis in the winter). Orlando's commercial dilemma is that it's located in the SE corner of the country - I'd rather be closer to the middle. That said, you can get a direct flight to just about anywhere in the US from MCO.

Hi Matt, its certainly not marriage! I dont think that would go down too well just yet! I'm hoping that I can achieve enough skills that will help me be more desirable to employers over there. I guess my other alternative is that I my dad has a good friend in California who has her own business, and last time I was contemplating a move stateside, she was going to see what she could do for me.

[Matt Harper]

OK - so if you're looking for an employment based route (H1-B, L1-A or B, or E1) then you're going to have some very significant hurdles to get over - even if you are highly qualified.

Not wishing to burst your bubble, but friends and family in the US willing to sponsor you - is usually a fool's errand also.
It is hugely expensive and you still have to satisfy all of the USCIS and DoL regulations and criteria - being family doesn't make a scrap of difference.

You're going to have to network like a motherfker to find an employer who is willing to go through the rigmarole of sponsoring you, even if you have letters after your name. They are pretty thin on the ground in these tough times.

I have sponsored a number of L-1 and H1-B petitions as an employer and the cost/benefit analysis sometimes makes it a non-viable proposition in my own experience.

Does your current employer have any US affiliates?

[EK993]

MikeHull said:

Hi Matt, its certainly not marriage! I dont think that would go down too well just yet! I'm hoping that I can achieve enough skills that will help me be more desirable to employers over there. I guess my other alternative is that I my dad has a good friend in California who has her own business, and last time I was contemplating a move stateside, she was going to see what she could do for me.

The US is one of the most difficult countries on this planet to relocate to either on a temporary basis or with intentions of immigrating permenantly.

Your two realistic options are via an intra company transfer from a UK employer relocating to US offices, or via marriage. The F1 student visa route as mentioned earler is another although you can't work on an F1 so that may be a challenge.

Quite simply no employer is going to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars sponsoring a UK citizen for a visa (that may or may not be approved) that only lets them stay in the coutnry a few years to do a job that plenty of US Citizens can perform. Server / storage / network technicians are in no short supply here. I work in IT for a large financial multi national (I ended up here via a transfer from our UK subsidiary) - IT skills shortage is not an issue unless its something VERY niche and specialist. Cisco / VMWare / EMC etc techs are plentiful.