Jobs in San Antonio (Lacking Good Jobs) (Dallas, Converse: transplants, school)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband has never had a problem finding "good" jobs based in San Antonio. We're not rich but he makes enough for me to stay home with the kids and live in one of the middle class areas of Stone Oak. The majority of his jobs are for companies based elsewhere and SA is in his territory. His jobs require lots of travel and alot of self motivation. He has never had a basic go to work by 8 home at 5 type of job but on the other had he has never had a problem finding something to pay the bills. I know alot of people don't want to make those type of sacrifices but alot of people are living well out here doing just that.
Yeah yeah yeah, still no one even remotely qualified has applied for the open positions at the company where I work, and we've been trying for a good while. We're not looking for necessarily the guy from the Dos Equis commercials either, we're just not getting many applicants for whatever reason. It's a professional job, decent salary, and not military, government, or contract. OH MY GOSH, it's in San Antonio too, and is at my company's global headquarters, and it ain't goin' nowhere. Keep searching and you will find something!
I admit that some people aren't very good at searching for jobs. Some people with degrees complain that their degrees are worthless when I regularly come across job ads asking for their degree or just any degree, period. A lot of people would tell me my degree is worthless, but I have managed to find hundreds of jobs to apply to. Maybe, ktulu7, there aren't enough people in San Antonio who are qualified for your opening. In which industry do you work?
It's the IT industry. Specifically, we need object-oriented programmers, Java being preferable to .NET. Technically, we'd even take these folks in Atlanta, but would much rather have them here in San Antonio. As badly as I tried to get to this area, I am shocked at the dearth of people around here trying to get these jobs. I know Accenture is starving for Java people too. It's crazy.
Location: I live south of San Antonio in a place called Atascosa.
855 posts, read 884,910 times
Reputation: 472
If this was 1975 I could tell you where to find a job. Technical jobs were everywhere. Datapoint, Southwest Research inst. and Kelly airforce base were alway's hiring. Turbine Support on WW white was another place alway's hiring. Printing shops were alway's hiring. Kwik Kopy, Copy Shop, American Printers and more. Paper companies needed people to drive delivery trucks. Nationwide and Monarch Paper and at least one more. The HEB warehouse was alway's a place to go. Unloading trucks. The Airport was alway's needing help. I worked for a small company that built room additions. I worked the medical centers, just janitorial mostly but alway's hiring. There was Man Power. They could alway's put you in a job at least temporary. I threw "The Northside Recorder" for extra money. Guy's were making 100 dollars a week doing that. Most of these were not "career jobs" but they were there when you needed money. There was also things like TV repair and rebuilding VW engines ( I still got a bunch of parts if anybody is interested). Some of the lucky guy's got jobs at the radio or TV stations. The San Antonio Zoo was alway's hiring ( if you didn't mind shoveling animal ****!) I made money painting houses and spray painting cars. I knew guy's that did Auto body work and replaced windshields going door to door. I guess it is a different world now. Most of those companies are long gone.
I sincerely appreciate the comments. Here is what I've noticed, though:
The assessment that San Antonio, Tx has many low-wage jobs is true. Cheap-labor, low-technical skills are all around here. Making less than 40K is not a middle-class way of living for our family..not with current inflation and standards of living. It's POSSIBLE, but not a comfortable way to live.
As far as moving: That seems like the most reasonable thing to do. I've done extensive research with job opportunities with corporations and government all over the US. Many of the good jobs right now are definitely in medical, IT, and management (that is, management with 10+ years) and pay very well in other sites, other than San Antonio.
Speaking of IT, I've seen comments about .NET and JAVA developers. I've had my share of writing code while sitting in a cubicle like a banished human being and quite frankly, programming isn't the most prestigious job anymore. I think that's why we outsource those jobs to India. Programming and owning my business online seems to be a more rewarding, 'satisfying' gig. I'll explain later...
@ddeal: This is what I may end up doing. Just move and get a job that will require me to travel (which I love anyway~ wife will hate it though, and so will kids) and become a consultant. Consulting seems to be the way to go, at least in my area.
I guess my point here is: Why work for the man for chump change when you can work for yourself and make a lot of money. That's what I've learned so far. And despite feeling very sad at what other people are doing to make money (escorting, stripping, drug dealing, scamming, or even standing outside by the sidewalk and holding a business sign or even dressed like the Statue of Liberty and dancing around, which is pretty funny to watch!), I know that without risk, there is no reward.
My wife was forced to retire as a teacher after 7 years due to budget cuts in Edgewood ISD and I was forced out of my job at USAA (some people think USAA is the only great place in San Antonio). After all said and done, we've come to the conclusion to either: Move or keep doing our own business.
I think right about now I'm going to drink some green tea and ponder on what to do next.
San Antonio is a poorer, less developed city with a less educated workplace. It simply is. It has not helped that for many generations, the economic engine of San Antonio was found in the sloth and inefficiency of military civil service, and not in the mid-sized businesses that mark a place like Houston or Dallas. San Antonio does not have a major research or professional university, but rather a constellation of "continuing education" universities that do not attract a critical mass of talent. When you combine a lack of education, enterprise, infastruture and a non-central location, it is amazing that the city has quite reached this size at all (which I attest more to being near Mexico).
The very thing it can offer - low priced American labor - is the very thing that we are complaining about. I really do not see any way to get over this hump and become anything other than a first class second class city; and that especially includes your mayor's asinine "green energy" push. If you are serious about a job, go to Dallas.
The "City" doesn't have jobs. Companies have Jobs. Companies pull the best people from the best places to fill their need, wherever they may be. My company hires locally, we also relocate people here.
The BEST people have the BEST jobs everywhere. Try to figure out how to improve yourself and you won't be looking for "the city" to provide for you, you will be sought out.
San Antonio is a low-wage city is hog-wash. San Antonio may have lots of low wage employees, but the most talented people I know that live here are paid very competitively. Conversely, those I know with low wage jobs here would have low wage jobs anywhere they decided to move to.
Anyone who says SA has a "good" job market is living in "La-La" land.
I love SA and I'm born and raised here but it doesn't take a genius to know that the majority in this city are composed of the working-poor and many who live at or near the federal poverty level.
Location: I live south of San Antonio in a place called Atascosa.
855 posts, read 884,910 times
Reputation: 472
Quote:
Originally Posted by ktulu7
Holy unnecessary apostrophes, Batman! I still don't understand why people randomly put friggin' apostrophes on plural words these days. The damn newspapers can't even get it right sometimes. We're losing our ability to correctly utilize English... (Subject-verb disagreement is rough too.)
Thats funny! To quote Frank Zappa " The Crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe." I think it makes me look smarter.. I can use ALL those keys (Key's? better play it safe!) Just looks better. Punctuation was never one of my best efforts (effort's?) I remember nouns and verbs and especially Adverbs but I have trouble with commas. I usually just use a -- see? What about the really weird ones--like the upside down question mark or the weird symbols over German words. If I was driving down the road I wouldn't know what to do.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
