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> By anyone's best guess, what are the the hottest job markets in the US
> these days i.e. in what geographical location are companies the most
> desperate for employees?
I don't question that other parts of the country are looking hard for technical
people, including technical writers. However based on what I've seen up close
and personal in the last six months, I'll nominate Silicon Valley as the
hottest job market in the US. Anecdotal evidence includes:
1. Every technical writer I know of in this area is employed.
2. I get about six calls a week from recruiters asking whether I'm available,
and if not do I know someone who is?
3. About half of those recruiting calls offer a cash incentive for providing
them the name of someone who gets hired.
4. The technical writing listings on Monster.com and DICE.com for Silicon
Valley are HUGE.
5. Salaries for senior technical writers in Silicon Valley are now in the
$80,000+range, sometimes with signing bonuses, stock options, and other
benefits. I know of some technical writers who are making over $100,000 in
salary alone. [The mind boggles, I know.]
And that's just for technical writing.
In other areas of technology, the Greater Bay Area, which includes Silicon
Valley, San Francisco, the East Bay, Santa Cruz, and the Marin/Sonoma areas is
so hot you simply can't find statistics to contain the listings. Companies
here are hiring every reasonably qualified technical body they can find. One
company just hired one-third of the soon-to-be graduating senior class of Santa
Clara University's Engineering Dept. - and hired them en masse to staff a
single project. Generally the greybeards who found their old COBOL skills
useful in working out Y2K bugs have now found that they acquired enough
up-to-date experience while doing Y2K stuff that they are being rehired for
other IS positions - and they laughed all the way to the bank when Congress
lifted the earnings limits for those collecting Social Security.
Granted, there is plenty to grumble about in Silicon Valley. As there is
elsewhere. But I've previously described this marketplace as white-hot, and it
shows no signs of cooling off.
