If you have the desire to move, no matter what the reason, there are many resources that will tip you off about the weather, cultural activities and lifestyle you can expect in other regions. Before packing your bags, though, it's wise to research the job and technology markets at your proposed destination. That means learning what skills are in demand, the local pay scales, the strength of the economy and the business terrain. The best way to determine the skills that are in demand and pay that you can expect is by looking at actual employment advertisements, according to Cincotta. Both Web-based job sites and technical magazines can offer some guidance on the pay you might expect.
Some publications even have yearly salary surveys that offer a national perspective.
Online Want Ads The Web sites of the newspapers in the area you're investigating will often have job listings that parallel those in their Sunday print editions. This can give you a concentrated view of the jobs and salaries you can expect. If job listings aren't available online, call the newspapers and have them send you a Sunday edition. The wizard takes national salary averages for that type of position based on information from human resources professionals and then weights them by location. It's far from perfect, because IT salary patterns can vary from those of other fields.