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You’ve heard of Silicon Valley, but do you know the Silicon Forest? That nickname refers to the cluster of high-tech companies located in Portland, Oregon and the greater Pacific Northwest region. You may not have previously considered Portland to be a tech powerhouse, but this hub provides a home for innovative organizations large and small. The one-of-a-kind culture of the city, combined with a highly educated workforce, has created the perfect conditions for companies to relocate or expand their presence, and led to a hiring boom with no signs of slowing down.
An important aspect of Portland’s tech ecosystem, especially for job seekers, is the area’s proliferation of tech bootcamps. These programs take students from amateurs to experts in a matter of months, with instruction in topics ranging from coding to data analytics to UX/UI design. This type of immersive instruction, combined with the networking and career services offered by bootcamps could land you any number of exciting job opportunities in Portland, like the ones we’ve listed below.
The professional outlook for those who complete bootcamp programs in Portland is excellent and only expected to rise in conjunction with industry demand. The Silicon Forest has carved out several niches, with a special focus on hardware, like computer chips and electronic displays. So it’s no surprise that manufacturers like Intel, Hewlett-Packard and Xerox have a heavy presence in the area. You can explore current openings at these firms for roles like data analyst, software engineer and cloud software project manager.
As one of CBRE’s top 20 hotspots for tech talent in the U.S., you’ll find many other major corporations across a wide cross-section of tech industries. The “Big Five” are represented by Apple and Amazon, who recently announced the creation of 400 new jobs in addition to the 3,500 they already support in the area. Beyond the major brand names, Portland is home to many firms invested in technology solutions for the future like augmented reality software developer Torch, and fintech mobile payment platform PayRange, to name just a few.
No tech ecosystem is complete without startups thriving alongside the tech titans, and Portland is no exception. Portlandtech.org lists more than 5,000 jobs across 674 employers, spotlighting some of the smaller, but no less innovative firms in the city. Job seekers can look to organizations like cloud-native security platform Twistlock or remote team management tools developer ChatFox as targets for future expansion. Whatever the interest or skillset, bootcamp grads are spoiled by choice within Portland’s high-tech sector.
Portland’s culture has been described as quirky, edgy and even “hipster,” but one signifier that is undoubtedly true is unique. Fortunately, the city also offers relatively affordable housing costs compared to other cities for tech talent. We’ve compiled a list of the average salaries for technology jobs in the city from Indeed.com. High demand roles may average out at a starting salary of six figures and/or receive additional perks, like cash bonuses.
| Career Field | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Software Designer | $103,597 |
| Data Analyst | $70,552 |
| Java Programmer | $115,191 |
| Back-end Developer | $112,935 |
| Full Stack Developer | $111,059 |
| Software Engineer | $110,745 |
| IT Security Specialist | $98,727 |
| Software Developer | $110,745 |
