I also used to work at message control. The architecture to support all of the legacy and new technology for email was very hard. Also architecting a system to ensure that it would never go down completely was a large challenge.
You also have to understand how providers deal with email to make sure delivery is never affected. We had to ensure 100% delivery and never fail.
The company I work for has maybe 20+ of the 1st generation version in our office. We even have a few of the 84 inch models. I have to say they are great to work with when you are collaborating with people and need to use a white board, video conference, or just view a web application. I can't stand using one of the few conference rooms here that does not have one anymore.
Don't forget about Chicago. There are many great universities near the Chicago Metro area with a lot of great tech companies to choose from for a job. Cost of living is less than the coasts and the salaries are on par or above for cost of living in the city if you work in technology.