I agree, but as coder trying to test, try as I may there is always a "conflict of interest". As much as I hate to admit it, the coder in me is trying to prove that it is solid, while the tester is trying to prove that it is broken. I can happily test until my visual apparatus exudes neural material - but is someone else tests my code, they will always find things I missed because my mind was to odeeply into the code - likewise I am quite good at breaking someone else's "well-tested" code. Trouble is, management usually won't give you the luxury of a dedicated tester (or test team).

I am a 4th generation Aussie. We moved up from Sydney to Brisbane 7 years ago. I would say the best place to get a feel for the IT industry here, in relation to your skillset, is seek.com.au, or careerone.com.au. However it is a few years since I have had to look for a job - they have come looking for me, which has been a nice change. I think there are more jobs in Brisbane than Sydney, but the rates are lower. There are not many IT jobs outside of the capital cities, even in big provincial cities like Townsville or Toowoomba - although there is always a chance to pick up something with a university, research outfit or something similar. The Gold Coast does have some software development, but I am not sure you would want to live there - it is very touristy, crowded and either sleazy or expensive, depending on where you are. The Sunshine Coast is more laid-back, but there is still a chance of picking up work there. Also you might find Queensland a bit too warm in Summer. I telecommute these days, so it does not really matter too much where I live (except the kids are all in senior school/uni here). If you do want to go to the country, or even live a bit outside a major city, make sure you check out the broadband and mobile phone access first. Broadband is rather expensive here compared to a lot of other countries - I am not sure about the UK. But it is a great country, and you are welcome here if you are not a terrorist. Visas are often not easy to come by, but there are ways around that. (The Government likes it if you bring lots and lots of money with you).

I'll never forget my 19 yo niece's reaction once when she saw me jump onto the dos/command prompt to resolve some issue. I think she did not know such a thing existed. She started giggling away and chuckling and said "Hey, that's cool, that's really neat. It's like you're actually ... talking ... to the ... computer!"