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https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/64710/what-are-some-good-it-cities-to-move-to

I have no idea why which cities are best to relocate for should be off topic IT, as there are specific answers to that

and yet a question about how to CONVINCE people to join a union is NOT off topic?

How can I convince my co-workers to join the union?

The former is a common problem that people have addressed with a clear path to take. It's NOT opinion based at all.

The second should so clearly be off topic as it is about convincing others to do something, that it should have been shut down long ago.

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  • The software test one is asking for a list of companies to apply to...
    – enderland
    Apr 4, 2016 at 12:30
  • The cities one is too. List types of questions are really not good fits in stack exchange. I think the test question could probably be edited, though.
    – enderland
    Apr 4, 2016 at 12:31
  • @enderland Oy vey! color me embarrassed! Deleting that one.
    – Old_Lamplighter
    Apr 4, 2016 at 12:32
  • @enderland There are some cities better than others, for example, anything to do with Oracle or Open office, Denver is your choice. Silicon valley is another area. If you're doing financial development, NY or Chicago, et cetera. There are some pretty clear lines of demarcation.
    – Old_Lamplighter
    Apr 4, 2016 at 12:35
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    That's a very American answer. What if I live in Germany?
    – enderland
    Apr 4, 2016 at 12:37
  • 3
    What are the asker's priorities? What else do they care about? If it just the job, what about family, cost of living and lifestyle, job security desires, it other factors? The reason "tell me what to do" questions like that are hard is no one besides the asker knows. What do they want to do, are they OK with boring companies? Do they need a hip startup? Etc.
    – enderland
    Apr 4, 2016 at 12:40
  • @enderland then I'd suggest moving to Poland, where all the IT positions in Germany are being outsourced.
    – Old_Lamplighter
    Apr 4, 2016 at 12:40

1 Answer 1

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As noted in the comments, a question like "What are some good IT cities to move to?" is difficult to address on (at least) two points :

  • Firstly, the best choice for the poster is going to be very dependent on things about him that we don't know enough about. In the question posted, the guy only suggests southern U.S. cities. So, should I suggest Boston? Or is it too cold or too far away? Silicon Valley? But maybe the guy won't like its political and cultural attitudes. Hamburg? Maybe the guy doesn't speak German. London? Maybe the guy doesn't want to leave the U.S. This could go on forever ... The point is that making a decision such as this is very personal and the answer for one person isn't going to help someone else; and creating a database for people facing problems is what the site is about.

  • Secondly, it is a "list" question - i.e. it could be re-stated as "List good cities for someone pursuing a career in IT." These types of questions have always been frowned upon in the StackExchange communities because they rarely provide insight that a search engine couldn't provide and there usually isn't clear criteria by which someone can judge one particular answer to be better than another.

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    Good answer. Even the premise of the question ("New Orleans&Baton Rouge don't really have a flourishing IT market.") is an opinion. A quick query in an online job site shows >1000 relevant jobs in and around Baton Rouge alone. That said, if anyone really wanted to help, they could always leave a comment.
    – Joe Strazzere
    Apr 6, 2016 at 16:34

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