In a nutshell, if you aren't born with connections here, you had better learn some fucking programming. Become as tech smart as you can. Learn C++, Ruby, Objective C, etc. And learn as many software dev platforms as well as you can (Qt, Rails, Cocoa, Eclipse). With those skill sets you might can find a job making 50K or you can be picked up early with a start up and have some real potential for growth. But if you ask me, you had better have some kind of business idea to use on your software skills and be ready to execute on it. I say this because tech is one of the last bastions of opportunity here. The only capital you can find around here is going to tech with the chief exceptions being biotech and energy.

If it isn't obvious, you'd better go to silicon valley or don't come at all. The southeast is a black hole and nearly impossible to escape without a generous family member ready to support you.

Northeast is vicious to business because of regulations and taxes as well as numerous other factors. There is a reason you don't hear of many startups coming from the NY/NJ scene like you do in silicon valley.

Midwest is interesting, Kansas City wants to poise itself as silicon valley number 2. I wouldn't bank too much on it though, the country population brings a heavy judge a book by its cover vibe that is poisonous to entrepreneurs. Silicon Valley doesn't have as much of that. Austin Texas is pretty good to tech entrepreneurs so I should throw that out there.

Pacific isn't bad, Seattle has a good scene, there is some opportunity lingering around there.

I am emphasizing all this entrepreneur talk because let me be straight forward, the job situation is somewhere between shit, shit sandwich, pure shit, and diarrhea delight. However this is still the best place to build a company as long as you are tech. Next in line would probably be London, England as I hear they have quite a tech scene (based on hearsay so any Brits, please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).