I want to move to Austin,tx....jobs there?

[lukas86]

Hey all,
I came back from the U.S. in July after living in chicago for 3 months then touring around. I loved chicago, but can't do the winters. Coming from Australia, Im used to warm weather. I only visited Austin for 3 days last november, but loved it. The vibe, climate, food was great, manageable size for a city and thriving music scene. Not to mention the cool dive bars. I can't get that place out of my head.

My question is, what are the job prospects like and (despite the downfall of the economy), what industries are thriving in austin? I have completed 4 years of psychology at university, but the U.S. now requires a masters minimum for most psych jobs.

The other factor is that Im an aussie, so I would basically have to have a job offer to be granted a visa (which is a long-shot, unless your a 'specialist' in something), or return to university and perhaps get the J1 one-year work visa. I liked the place that much that Im thinking about coming back to austin towards the end of the year to rent a place for a month or so without working to immerse myself and make sure its really as good as the vibe I got. But for now, I can't fault the place.

Cheers,
Lukas

[Jim Nazium]

The largest employers are the state government, Dell Computer, and The University of Texas. The unemployment rate is 9%, just a bit lower than the US overall. I think there's a lot of high tech, engineering, etc. Hope that helps.

[SoonerMatt]

Austin is considered the "tech hub" of Texas with employers like Dell, Texas Instruments, Facebook, Blizzard, etc. If you decide to stay and get a masters there are two universities there, the University of Texas, which is widely considered one of the best public universities in the country (something I hate saying), and St. Edwards, a private liberal arts university.

[Pilgrim]

If you're a practicing psychologist, that's one thing...and the Masters will probably work. If you have the idea of teaching, nothing less than a Ph.D. will compete. Remember that in Austin, Ph.Ds are darn near as common as BBQ.

[LiquidMidnight]

Wonder what Gard would say about moving to Texas.

[LiquidMidnight]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

If you're a practicing psychologist, that's one thing...and the Masters will probably work. If you have the idea of teaching, nothing less than a Ph.D. will compete. Remember that in Austin, Ph.Ds are darn near as common as BBQ.

+1

Though I'd ad you can still find teaching jobs with a Psy.d, though academia views it more as the applied psych doctorate as compared to the research-oriented Ph.D.

[MJ5150]

You could always get on at Outback Steakhouse, Austin has two I believe.

-Mike

[lukas86]

Outback steakhouse could work!
What about cafe's/coffee shops, is coffee as popular in Austin as everywhere else?
I come from a family who have always owned restaurants, pubs, cafes, take-away shops. Hospitality etc. Perhaps buying a little cafe in austin could be my ticket?