Archive for the ‘Austin’ Category.
2012-01-21, 00:19:09
I am always looking at articles that I come across about different cities in the USA to help me decide if I should stay in Chicago or leave for some other city.
Main Street came up with a list of 10 cities that they think will do well in 2012. For the most part I can agree with some of their findings. Some of the cities on the list are Chicago, Austin and Houston. So it is pretty interesting.
The positives for Austin are the usual: the University of Texas, state government, and increasing employment in the private sector. The positives for Houston are the energy sector and a more stable housing market.
The reason that Chicago will do well in 2012 is because the next G8 meeting will be here. So there will be a lot of spending on security and because of all of the people coming in for the meeting. So while that means Chicago will see an uptick in 2012, there is no long-term trend as we see for Austin and Houston.
Many of the other cities are also on the list because they are the sites of one-time events: the Super Bowl (Indianapolis), the Democratic nominating convention (Charlotte) and the Rescumlican convention (Tampa). So what happens to all these cities in 2013? Will they rise or decline? If I leave Chicago, it will not be a short-term change.
2011-08-22, 23:57:41
Originally posted on 2011-07-26 21:56:05
As I said in my intro post, I am a software developer. There is a programming language called Ruby that has gained popularity in the past few years. I am learning it in case I need a Plan B for my life.
There is a Ruby conference happening in Austin from August 11 to 13: The Lone Star Ruby Conf. As soon as I am done crying over the cost, I will sign up. I will also visit Dallas. Perhaps I will see my cousin. Perhaps I will have more tres leches cake at the Guatemalan place my roommate from college showed me.
So in addition to pictures of Texas from my trip last year, I will have even more pictures.
I will also write a post before I go about the job markets in Chicago and Texas. There was an article on Yahoo Finance today that echoed some thoughts I have had on the subject. Also yesterday Governor Quinn signed a law that may help technology start-ups here in Illinois. I was there when he signed it. Perhaps I will post a picture.
Image from Wikipedia
2011-08-21, 23:12:02
Originally posted 2011-04-19 02:03:06
According to this article in Austin Business Journal, Austin added 9,300 jobs. It said that most sectors added jobs, “except for the information industry, which lost 200 jobs.” The article also said that the information sector lost 100 jobs for the past 12 months.
As a software developer, that worries me. One of the reasons that I am looking at Austin in particular is that it has a reputation for having a strong technology/software scene. Based on this article (which is only one data point), is Austin’s software industry losing momentum?
