Relocating to HOUSTON: No Lined up Job/Few $Thousands in my Pocket

[ABQ1]

Originally Posted by texas7

As many members of this forum have posted numerous times, houston is not a great place to move without a job. Telephone interviews are often empty promises. I have a relative who managed a medical office for about 15 years. She is highly qualified. She has been out of work for over a year now and she is a native houstonian, she didnt just pack up and move here without a job. Her days are spent on countless dead end interviews. She is now taking a minimum wage job just to have some money. Thankfully she is single with no kids to support or her life would be tougher. Not trying to be overly negative but realistic. You need to have a job lined up particularly when you have a family. And if you do move here and don't find a job the social services in Texas are very poor and you'll get a lot less assistance from the state than is given in other states.

For example, in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos area, a single parent with two children would need to earn nearly $42,000 a year, about $21 an hour, to generate the necessary annual income to pay for basic expenses, assuming their employer pays for their insurance premium and half the children’s premium and that the family saves nothing. Nearly one in three children lives in a single-parent family. About 65 percent of the area jobs don’t pay enough for this family to meet its needs at even this most basic level.
Texans work hard, regardless of their income. Only one other state has a higher share of poor families that work. Texans are working hard, but they’re not earning enough. One of every seven working families lives in poverty. Nearly one of every two Texas families working full time have no financial cushion and limited financial assets. In some areas of the state, that number is significantly higher. While a job is a critical component for economic stability, many families find that employment by itself is no protection against financial struggle or even poverty.
Certainly, we don’t have enough jobs. The job market in Texas is weaker now than it was five years ago, barely adding enough jobs to keep up with population growth. More than 250,000 more Texans are out of work today than five years ago, an increase of more than 50 percent.
But good jobs — employment with family-supporting wages, decent health coverage, and access to retirement savings — are in particularly short supply as wages continue to lose ground to the basic expenses of family life: housing, food, child care, education, and transportation.

Texan7,

Thanks so much! I don't plan to move with the family with me now. I plan to come to Houston alone and see if I get something before the family joins.

Yes, my experience with dead end phone interviews with Texas employers has baffled me too. That even makes think twice about coming despite my qualification and experience. But, it's better than I am leaving.

[mchan1]

@ABQ1

Please do update your progress.

I'm in a similar situation myself... recently laid off and read/heard of possible job opportunities in Texas, particularly Houston. Hoping that there are job opportunities in accounting as I worked as a public tax accountant for many years in New England area.

Planning on a short trip and stay in Houston by late April/early May to scout the areas and companies. Already posted my resumes to various companies with a Houston phone number from Google

Nowhere is safe from the recession as there's no guarantees in life. There's always hope as you keep trying!

[move4ward]

Originally Posted by ABQ1

Texan7,

Thanks so much! I don't plan to move with the family with me now. I plan to come to Houston alone and see if I get something before the family joins.

Yes, my experience with dead end phone interviews with Texas employers has baffled me too. That even makes think twice about coming despite my qualification and experience. But, it's better than I am leaving.

Please post your progress. Have you made it to Houston, yet?