San Diego has about 8,000 job openings in engineering and IT. Some are for local businesses, others for larger, national firms, and recently multinational companies have been poking around, much as they're doing in Silicon Valley. Some companies are offering money to employees who find engineers for them. San Diego, which calls itself "America's finest city" also likes to think of itself as an "innovation center." It has a growing number of green jobs along with an established bio-tech sector. Plus, it's got great weather and a seacoast lifestyle. Median salary for these jobs is around $94,000. So, why the shortage? Housing prices, for one thing. The median home price is about $330,000. Tech markets like Austin and Durham, N.C., are about $100,000 less. And, though it's not a cheaper place to live, Silicon Valley isn't all that far away in the scheme of things, and tech professionals can have more visibility there and work in the neighborhood of companies like Google, Apple and Facebook. "The qualified applicants aren't coming here because they are trying to get that sexy Silicon Valley job," Ariana Faustini, who works for software startup NewBlue, told Fox News. She claims San Diego is "Silicon Valley South." That remains to be seen. But it does seem like the area's job market is worth considering if you're close-by or thinking of a move. Source: Fox News