CLEC Scorecard: Any Job Opportunities?

I have had a few people hit me up for jobs over $50k in telecom here in Tampa lately. I had to review the situation.

We have, oh, so many VoIP companies in Tampa Bay - Telovations, Inteligy, WorldACCXX, SipStorm / Proximiti, Comm-X / Reignmaker, VOX - just to name a few. None of these have the reputation or future of, say, Cbeyond or even M5 Networks.

CLEC wise the scorecard gets messy:

• SBC re-created Ma Bell by buying AT&T and BellSouth.
• Intermedia was acquired by MCI, now an addled division of Verizon.
• FDN purchased mPower and Supra.
• Nuvox bought FDN.
• Paetec ate USLEC.
• TWTC swallowed Xspedius, formerly e.spire.
• Xspedius Fiber Group spun off into FiberLight.
• KMC was acquired by Telcove.
• Focal was eaten by Broadwing.
• Broadwing, Telcove, Progress, WilTel, Looking Glass and ICG are all Level(3) now.
• ITC merged with BTI - now called Deltacom. (No one knows they own fiber in IFN).
• Z-Tel became Trinsic before being sold off in BK (bankruptcy) this year.
• XO purchased Allegiance and now wonders what it will do, with or without its wireless licenses.
• (Nice chart here).

Even in hardware there has been consolidation:

• Mitel buying Inter-Tel.
• Alcatel merging with Lucent.
• Avaya going private.
• Shared Technologies buying security software & hardware solutions.
• Cisco has purchased Linksys, Scientific America, and Webex.

All that consolidation doesn't leave many positions available. It also leaves fewer players in a duopolistic marketplace, whereby the competitors are burdened with debt and need to be creative and innovative, not something that has been a forte in this sector in the past. Everyone sells the same thing. So where to go work?

I don't know. There were too many realtors when the market was hot. Too many mortgage brokers when there was money available. Even the Pharmaceutical industry has slowed down due to patent expiration, thin product pipelines, and consolidation. Recruiting and MLM are big in Tampa Bay though. (Call center jobs as well).

To get the bigger paycheck, you have to produce huge returns for your company. If you have a track record of doing that, then getting a position that pays over $50k should be easier.

If not, a sampling of the job market shows IT sales at $24k base (with $50k max potential) or tech sales at the same or sales positions for smaller telecom providers with a $35k base plus commission and benefit package. Or Vonage is hiring!