Dear BoRB:

The Boston Globe recently published a list of the city's Top 100 companies. This is a great place to start scouting companies. Also, BostonWorks.com (bostonworks. boston.com) offers a trove of information about employment agencies and salary surveys. The median Boston salary for a network administrator is listed as $58,325.

I put your questions to Jim Mellos, CEO of high-tech recruiter Ki-Tech Executive Search. He says that having a green card will usually get a non-U.S. candidate's foot in the door, though not with defense contractors. However, Mellos warns that there is a glut of unemployed U.S. workers with skills equivalent to yours, making it difficult for U.S. companies to justify hiring a noncitizen. We strongly suggest that you line up employment before relocating. Good luck.



Dear Career Coach:
I hear a lot about H1B status and foreigners looking for U.S. IT jobs, but what about the other way around? I'm an American engineer employed in a telecom company and would like to find work in Ireland. Unfortunately, I have no family there so I have to start from scratch. Any tips? What's the tech job market like in Dublin?
Danny Boy

Dear Dan:

Begorra, but you've made a good choice! Ireland was voted most likely to be "the Silicon Valley of Europe" in an April survey of 147 senior executives by Eurocom PR Network. The survey also found that IT security, CRM and wireless telecommunications are the technologies most likely to push growth.

However, as a U.S. citizen you will require sponsorship from an employer in Ireland. Note that work permits are granted only for the duration of a work contract. Note that if you are of Irish descent, you may be eligible for dual Irish-U.S. citizenship, which would let you work anywhere in the EU. You can obtain further details from the Irish Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (www.entemp.ie). If you want to peruse job listings, you can find a roundup of Irish newspaper sites at http://www.world-newspapers.com/ireland.html.



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Dear Career Coach:
I've loved computers since I was a kid and will be graduating from high school in a few weeks. I'm not financially ready to go on to college, but I'm sure no one will hire me as a computer tech without more education. What does the military offer in the way of high-tech training?
Hacker Grad

Dear Grad:

The Air Force is generally considered the techiest of all the armed services. You can get a list of Air Force computer-related careers at www.airforce.com. To join any service you must pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Your score will help determine what careers you're eligible to train for.

My No. 1 piece of advice: When you talk to a military recruiter, get all promises made -- high-tech job training, station, bonuses -- in writing. Most recruiters try hard to accommodate enlistees, but you need to protect yourself in case one makes a promise he or she cannot keep. Remember that an enlistment contract is binding - if you have any qualms, run, don't walk, to a military-savvy adult who can look it over before you sign.



Send your questions to careercoach@nwc.com

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