u/LaughNowCryLater1914

I’m trying to make a career/life decision and wanted outside perspectives from people who’ve lived in either city.

I’m single, mid-20s, Black/African, and currently live in San Antonio making around 60K in tech/IT. I recently got another opportunity in Austin that would likely pay somewhere between 65K–70K.

Career-wise, the Austin role seems like it may have more growth potential and exposure to cloud/sysadmin/security type work, but I’m trying to figure out if the salary jump is actually worth the move once real Austin living costs hit.

A few things:

I’m single, no kids

I’d want to keep rent around $1,300/month max

I’m pretty financially disciplined overall

I’m more focused on long-term career growth than partying/nightlife

I do value quality of life and not being stressed financially every month

I’m also curious from a social/cultural standpoint too as a Black African professional. I’ve heard different things about both cities and would love honest perspectives from people who’ve experienced both.

For people who’ve lived in both:

Does 65K–70K in Austin actually feel noticeably better than 60K in San Antonio?

Is Austin worth it from a career/networking perspective in tech?

How different are the day-to-day living costs REALLY?

Which city did you prefer overall and why?

Would you personally make the move?

Trying to separate the “Austin hype” from reality before making a decision.

Hey everyone, looking for some advice on which role would be better for my long-term career growth in IT.

I’m early in my career and deciding between two opportunities in Texas—one in a college setting and one in banking. At this point, I’m less concerned about timing and more focused on which path will set me up better long-term.

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Option A: College IT (Solo, On-Site Role)

• I would be the primary/only IT support person on-site
• Very hands-on: user support, Wi-Fi, devices, account issues, basic networking
• Constant face-to-face interaction with students and staff
• Opportunity to take ownership of the environment early

Additional context:

• The institution is growing (currently ~20 users, expected to scale to ~60–80+ soon)
• I would be the only on-site IT person, with limited day-to-day guidance
• Some support exists remotely, but I’d be the main point of contact locally
• Most learning here would be self-driven

Cons:

• Limited mentorship and structure
• Lower exposure to higher-level systems (infrastructure, security, automation)
• Risk of plateauing if I don’t actively push my own growth
• Smaller environment overall

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Option B: Banking IT (Internal Team – Tier 1)

• Part of a structured IT team
• Company is transitioning from an MSP to building an internal IT department
• I would come in as Tier 1, but with exposure to systems, patching, security, and enterprise tools
• Opportunity to learn from more experienced team members
• Certifications and technical development are supported

Cons:

• Starts at Tier 1 (less autonomy initially)
• Larger environment, so less ownership early on

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What I’m trying to figure out

From a pure career growth perspective:

👉 Is it better early on to:

• Be in a solo, hands-on role where I touch everything but have limited guidance

👉 Or be in a structured team environment where I start at Tier 1 but get exposure to more advanced systems and mentorship

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Goal

My goal is to build strong technical skills and avoid getting stuck in low-level support early in my career.

I recently interviewed for an IT Help Desk role at a regional bank that is moving away from an MSP and building out their internal IT team.

The role involves:

• Ticketing and troubleshooting (hardware, software, network)
• User support and communication
• Documentation and follow-ups
• Helping improve internal IT processes as they bring things in-house

I’m currently making about 48k (~$1,500 take-home per check), and this would be my move into a more hands-on IT support role.

They asked for salary expectations, and I gave a range of 55k–65k.

I’m trying to sanity check this:

• Was that range reasonable for this type of role?
• Do candidates at this level realistically land in that range?
• Where would you expect an offer to come in?

Appreciate honest feedback.

I recently interviewed for an IT Help Desk role at a regional bank and got strong positive feedback after speaking with both the hiring manager and CEO.

The team is currently transitioning away from an MSP and building out their internal IT function, so this role would be part of that shift. From what I’ve been told, the position will focus heavily on ticketing, troubleshooting, user support, documentation, and helping improve internal processes as things move in-house.

For context, I’m currently making about 48k and looking to move into a more hands-on IT support role with stronger long-term growth.

They asked for my salary expectations, and I gave a range of 55k–65k.

From a hiring perspective:

• Is that range reasonable for this type of role?
• Where would you expect a candidate like this to realistically land within that range?
• Would a range like this raise any concerns on your end?

Appreciate any insight from those involved in hiring or building IT teams.

Hey everyone, need some quick advice—decision is coming up soon.

I’m early in my IT career and stuck between two options:

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Option A (likely offer this week):

• Small college IT role (solo support)
• Start immediately
• Mostly basic support (Wi-Fi, accounts, hardware)
• Lower pay/benefits, limited structured growth
• Stable, but not a ton of long-term upside

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Option B (stronger opportunity, but uncertain):

• Internal IT role at a bank
• I’ve already spoken with the CEO, hiring manager, etc.
• They’ve told me I’m their top candidate for when they hire in July
• Much better exposure (systems, security, infrastructure)
• Better pay + they invest in certifications

BUT:

• No written offer yet
• Start wouldn’t be until July
• I’ve had situations before where roles fell through last minute

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The dilemma:

Do I: 👉 Take Option A now for stability and potentially leave shortly if Option B comes through 👉 OR wait and risk ending up with nothing if the bank role doesn’t materialize

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I’m trying to balance:

• Short-term security
• Long-term growth
• Not making a bad call based on uncertainty

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If you were early in your career, what would you do?

A = take the safe job now B = wait for the stronger opportunity

Appreciate any input.