The right choice of city or economic hub to work in can be difference between having a long lasting and satisfying professional career and being stuck in a job with a bleak future in an uninspiring and demoralizing environment. Since its emergence, Silicon Valley has become a benchmark of better working environment. However, this is increasingly being challenged by various factors chief among them being the high cost living in the area. This has led to the springing up of new tech hubs in various cities and metropolitan areas around the country. Not all tech meccas offer the same job opportunities and job satisfaction. Moreover, the current and future projections of the growth of their job markets also differ across these tech hubs.

What Factors Drive the Growth of Tech Hubs?

Over the years, tech meccas have become central to the economic growth of many cities and metropolitan areas. Many tech hubs are increasingly challenging the world-renowned Silicon Valley. Proximity to institutions of higher learning is one of the driving factors behind the springing up of new tech hubs. These institutions provide rich ground for research and incubation of new ideas. Moreover, cities with well-qualified workforce are usually suitable for tech hub growth.

Tech hubs rely significantly on the growth and development of the startups sector. Startups, like many established tech companies rely on investment funding. Therefore, the availability of investment funding in various metropolitans and entrepreneurship have also driven the growth of these tech cities.

What to Look for in a Tech Hub

One factor to consider is the cost of living in the city or metropolitan where the tech hub is located. This is the primary factor that many professionals look out for. It would not make any economic sense to spend a significant portion of your hard-earned on bills leaving you with little for savings, investment and other expenditures. Even the high annual salaries paid by the companies operating in these tech hubs can barely sustain a high cost of living, which is the primary reason for emergence of new tech hubs away from Silicon Valley.

Additionally, suitability of these tech hubs is judged based on the work-life balance a jobseeker is bound to enjoy. Tech hubs without essential social amenities to help residents explore the social sphere of life are usually not suitable for jobseekers especially young professionals. Closely tied to work-life balance is job satisfaction. There is more to being employed than attractive salaries.

Top Five Tech Meccas for Job Seekers

The United States has seen an upsurge in the number of tech hubs over the past years. The following are some of the best tech hubs for job seekers.

St. Louis, Missouri: With a job satisfaction rating of 3.3, thousands of job openings and significantly cost of living, St. Louis is fast emerging as a preferred job destination for information technology specialist including IT project managers and software engineers among others. The city also enjoys low housing prices and lucrative median salary.

Seattle, Washington: This area is marked by low cost of living, thousands of job openings and a 3.4 job satisfaction rating.

Austin, Texas: The job satisfaction rating in this city is 3.4 while the thousands of job opportunities pay lucrative salaries. The cost of living in this tech hub is comparatively low.

Raleigh, North Carolina: With a median home value of $209,400, job satisfaction of 3.3 and over 30,000 job openings, Raleigh is the tech capital of the Southeast. It has numerous higher learning institutions and social amenities.

Dallas, Texas: The city has a vibrant tech and real estate industries that offer thousands of job opportunities. It boasts of numerous learning institutions and recreational opportunities.

Moreover, it has a vibrant services industry including home movers and real estate agencies. If Dallas is your preferred tech hub and you are worried about moving your stuff, consider hiring reliable Dallas movers. This combines with low cost of living to make it a suitable job hunting ground.

Before deciding on the preferred tech mecca to settle in, it is advisable to research further on the city and state. This will help you in understanding the industry regulations and all the factors that can help you find the city with right mix of factors.