On behalf of the Charlotte Tech Council

Kirsten Texler

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K. Texler Technical Writing Document 

 

The hits keep coming in Charlotte's vibrant tech scene. In just six months, Credit Karma, Centene, Lowes, Better.com, AvidXchange, and Robinhood all announced their move to Queen City. What’s happening in Charlotte now is indicative of the direction technology, finance, and project management sectors are heading: away from over-crowded, expensive areas to locations where their valuable workforce wants to live. Building on the local ecosystem that supports future growth in the tech and finance industry in particular, Charlotte has landed at number five on the list of the best tech towns by CompTIA. This enviable spot places the beautiful East Coast city above locations that have historically scored higher, such as Boulder, Seattle, and San Francisco. Charlotte’s thriving banking sector underscores how long-established companies like Bank of America still leave room for new FinTech players like RedVentures.

 

Companies re-evaluated their plans when the world changed in 2020. As a result, Charlotte came out a winner. A big reason is the significantly lower cost of doing business in the city and its proximity to other major East Coast hubs. When companies saw the opportunity to save money on real estate in the affordable spaces available, they realized they could spend more to snap up the brightest professionals the tech world has. In return, savvy tech pros saw the multitude of opportunities to be had with Fortune 500 companies, smaller niche businesses, and startups and moved to Charlotte. Citing that change brings new jobs, the city has made strides to help pave the way for fresh names to move to the city while still providing the structure long-established corporations appreciate.

 

According to the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, Charlotte’s pool of technology professionals nearly doubled in the past decade, in great part due to the giants of industry that call the city home. Legendary corporate names such as Compass Group, Bank of America, Honeywell International, and Duke Energy—all on the Fortune 500 list—all have roots in the area, and the pace of their growth continues steadily upward. Burgeoning and new-to-the-area companies are blooming in Charlotte, and all of this activity creates a small problem for big business, which is a boon for job seekers: there just aren’t enough tech workers to go around. Due to the shortage, candidates can write their own prescription for success, finding multiple offers that fit their goals. 

 

There are ways that companies are generating their own workforce pool, including offering continuing education in the skills they most need. Grants are also available from many organizations eager to build on Charlotte’s strong business, finance, and tech foundations. Helping add available tech talent, UNC Charlotte has invested heavily in its computer science program with grants and backing from investors eager to see the results. Already, graduates of boot camps and certification programs are being scooped up by big-pocketed companies in Charlotte’s key industries, including aerospace and defense, machinery, biotech and pharmaceuticals, business and finance, and energy. 

 

Entrepreneurs flourish in Charlotte, with a wealth of organizations and investors that are open and willing to all ideas. With a good proof-of-concept and some sweat equity, some of Charlotte's most recognizable tech-specific success stories include Levvel, Sitehands, and SmartSky Networks. A growing number of resources exists for new or scaling entities, one of which is Tabbris Innovation Hub, an incubator and coworking space in South End that offers guidance and access to capital, and Carolina Fintech Hub, a non-profit organization that functions as a mini-chamber of commerce for recruiting tech businesses.

Tech Careers in Charlotte

Tech isn’t just thriving in Charlotte, it's one of the few industries that is literally struggling to fill open jobs. Those with existing roles or just starting a career in tech in Charlotte could not find a better place to be, as the workplace landscape tilted globally in 2020. Charlotte's top employment sectors are finance, healthcare, research and analysis, manufacturing, and IT, and job boards post hundreds of jobs per week, searching for candidates to fill roles from entry-level through to executive positions. Companies cite their biggest needs are for project management, product design, and all engineering fields, and many are willing to help offset the cost of training driven, promising people. Charlotte-based technical training institute Tech Talent South has teamed up with the city of Charlotte to get people training in computer coding to help make them qualify for the plethora of jobs available. 

 

Those with tech experience don’t have to limit themselves to working in a company that is entirely technology-focused, either. Charlotte’s most in-demand roles include statisticians, credit counselors, operations analysts, and all levels of healthcare professionals. Within any business hiring for those roles, tech-savvy candidates can offer their skills with the confidence of knowing they’re working in a secure field. Seven employers in Charlotte are businesses that have made the Fortune 500 list and are an excellent source for careers at any level. Fortune 500 companies in Charlotte, such as MetLife, Lowes, Nucor, and Time Warner Cable are just a few of the best-known names that have announced they are pushing hard to find qualified and eager new team members.

 

Built In Charlotte is the one-stop shop for everything about technology in the city. The website provides real-time updates on job opportunities, breaking news, and chances to network. According to a report by the Charlotte Observer, tech job growth in Queen City has been outpacing the national average by growing 30% over the past five years. As the home of Bank of America’s global headquarters and Wells Fargo’s East Coast division headquarters, the city has a long-standing reputation as a banking capital, making it a mecca for those in fintech. Although finance is the most actively hiring sector in Charlotte, cybersecurity, robotics, and AI are all additional areas where there is a surplus of jobs available to tech talent. At Lowe’s new 23-floor center headquarters, 2,000 newly hired tech professionals demonstrate how much opportunity there is in the city.

 

The diversity of Charlotte’s tech scene is undoubtedly a reflection of the area’s movement into an innovative age. The city has witnessed a surge in startups over the past several years, and the region has been acquainted with the tech industry for decades. Companies such as LendingTree and Skookum were some of the first businesses to put Charlotte’s tech scene on the map, and countless more have followed in their footsteps. While many of Charlotte’s tech leaders are in the financial sector, other tremendous career opportunities can be found in big data and e-commerce. 

 

Charlotte is a town that embraces STEM diversity, ranking as the #2 spot for minorities and women to actively engage in the workforce. That spills over into the excitement of living in an incredibly diverse region, where cultures meld and share both their individual histories and combined futures. Although technically a big city, Charlotte has more of a small town or suburban feel, with many parks and more single-family homes dominating the cityscape. The pace of life is leisurely, and residents are well-known as welcoming, community-involved, and full of southern hospitality. The food and beverage scene is nothing less than spectacular, with toques vying to win the hearts of the foodies who flock to their establishment for farm-to-table delicacies. It’s a city that offers the best of both worlds, too, with plenty of mountainous escapes to the west and famous shoreline dunes and Atlantic Ocean sunrises to the east. 

 

One of the most treasured aspects of Charlotte lies outside of the glittering city that resembles a treasure chest when viewed at night: its proximity to the shore. The Outer Banks (OBX to the cool kids) are barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina that boast open-sea beaches, state parks, and shipwreck diving sites, along with some of the more unusual inhabitants locals love to see. Wild mustangs are often spotted moving through some of the dunes, descendants of those first brought over by Spanish explorers in the 1500s. These amazing animals have survived hurricanes and humans and have sparked many great stories and make for amazing backdrops against the seagrass and drifting dunes.

 

No matter what a professional earns, Charlotte has a flat tax rate, making it easier to consider how much a person needs to budget to live any lifestyle choice. A popular option is to customize a downtown loft-type apartment or to find plenty of room outside of the city center. One thing residents won’t find is a surplus of high-rise living. It’s not impossible to find an apartment that touches the sky, but most locals like their quaint and quiet neighborhoods. Community is an important aspect of life throughout the area, and Charlotte is one of the few places left where it’s not uncommon to find a place where every person knows the names of their neighbors.

 

Salaries in the tech industry in Charlotte are solid, and the city has ample availability to find a job in any job sector. Examples of earnings for professionals in the Queen City include Data Analysts, who earn an average of $74,000, and Product Managers, who can look forward to about $92,000 annually.