If you’re a recent, or soon-to-be college graduate, you may be thinking about what type of company or organization you want to work for. You may be considering what type of work you want to do, and even where you want to live. And when you have a whole career ahead of you, where you lay down roots can make all of the difference. Here are five reasons why starting your tech career in Maryland makes sense.

1. It’s not one tech city. It’s an entire tech state. Many cities boast their tech prowess, but what about an entire state? In Maryland, you have several tech hubs within an hour drive of each other. IT and cybersecurity companies are congregating in areas like Columbia, Baltimore, and Fort Meade. The Maryland suburbs of Washington D.C., including Frederick, are known for attracting biotechnology firms.
2. You can afford it. You can rent an apartment in Baltimore for an average of $1,324 monthly, or rent one in San Francisco for $2,879, according RentCafe. Dramatically lower rent doesn’t mean drastically lower pay. In fact, Maryland has the highest median household income among the states. In other words, Maryland is a tech hub you can afford to love.
3. Jobs, jobs, jobs. Tech workers in Maryland have many options. If working for the federal government is something you want to pursue, Maryland has 20 military facilities, 60 federal civilian agencies, and 74 federal labs. That equates to many high-tech jobs at institutions like the National Security Agency and Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Lexington Park, which has the highest level of STEM employment in the country. If the private sector is more your thing, Maryland has plenty to offer there too, with a growing network of tech startups, and powerhouse IT and cybersecurity companies like Tenable and Dragos calling Maryland home.
4. It’s a great place for tech entrepreneurs. Speaking of startups, Inc. Magazine has written how Baltimore is a robust environment for founders, thanks to its lower cost, tight-knit community, and welcoming vibe.
5. Some of the best cybersecurity and tech training is here. If you want to keep learning and growing your tech skills, Maryland is the place to be. Local universities offer a variety of professional graduate programs for working professionals, including the University of Maryland, College Park, which offers programs in technology entrepreneurship and data science; and UMBC, which offers programs in cybersecurity, data science, engineering, biotechnology, and Health IT.

Want to know more? Dig deeper into our IT and cybersecurity industry and find out about living and working in Maryland.