Do you currently live in the Big Easy and need a job in software? You might want to check out General Electric, which announced that it will be opening its new GE Capital Technology Center in New Orleans.  Over the next three years, GE plans to hire up to 300 IT professionals who will work on developing "new software, processes and technologies to drive excellence for its financial services business, GE Capital."

From the announcement:

Today's announcement in New Orleans is part of a three-year trend of GE investing in technology centers in important American cities, similar to New Orleans, across the country. In Detroit, GE opened the Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center that employs roughly 800 information technologists and will bring 1,100 jobs to Michigan by 2013. In Richmond, Virginia, GE opened the Information Security Technology Center that will house 200 hi-tech IT security professionals. In San Ramon, California, GE's Global Software Center will hire 400 software professionals focused on increasing the pace of innovation, collaboration and commercialization of new technologies.

Dave Thier talked to Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal about the new center at Forbes, and explains how both the state of Louisiana and New Orleans are campaigning to bring in more IT jobs to the region.

From Forbes:

Governor Jindal hopes that a new wave of tech development can continue to lift Louisiana from the years of economic stagnation it experienced throughout the latter half of the twentieth century.

“The bottom line is we are indeed creating a new state, creating a new business development where our sons and daughters can stay home to puruse their dreams,” he said.”I predict that this day will be one of those inflection points we’re all going to look back on in the future. These are the types of jobs we want our children and grandchildren to aspire to.”