A few questions about San Antonio? (Houston, Austin: rent, income, maintenance)

[ChrisMP]

Sorry about the bad grammar and spellings. I am dyslexic and have to focus hard and when I don't, I just put it out there. My Bad.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by ChrisMP

Sorry about the bad grammar and spellings. I am dyslexic and have to focus hard and when I don't, I just put it out there. My Bad.

Understood and my apologies. I usually don't care, except when people are complaining about lack of education, etc.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by ChrisMP

Great example. I was in the mall the other day and notice some horrible woman getting her daughters ears peirced. The kid had to be less than one year old and was crying crazy. Who would do that to their child? Funny thing was, nobody seemed to care. I was about to say something, but it looks like the kid had it done all ready so I just walk away.

Why is the woman horrible for wanting to get her child's ears pierced? And what business of it is yours? In case you haven't heard, this is a free country and there is nothing against the law about having your child's ears pierced.

The solution is pretty easy. This is the way San Antonio is. Sure, it's not perfect, but I have yet to find anyplace I like better. If you don't care for it, then maybe you should look for someplace else to live where you'll be happy. For the large majority of people who do like it here, it is fine; and you can't expect the place to change just to suit a few individuals...

[Eleanor Rigby]

Great example. I was in the mall the other day and notice some horrible woman getting her daughters ears peirced. The kid had to be less than one year old and was crying crazy. Who would do that to their child? Funny thing was, nobody seemed to care. I was about to say something, but it looks like the kid had it done all ready so I just walk away.

This is a common comment I see from people who aren't familiar with Hispanic or Latino culture - piercing the ears of infants and toddlers is, like other people have said, a cultural practice. Because San Antonio and South Texas has such a strong Hispanic cultural influence, it is common to see little girls of all cultural and racial backgrounds have their ears pierced earlier than is customary in other parts of the country.

Done properly, and followed with good aftercare and maintenance, ear piercing a toddler or infant has little downside. It hurts about as much as getting a shot. In fact, my pediatrician offered piercing as a service, and my sister had her ears pierced there as a 12 or 14 month old. I, on the other hand, had mine pierced at 3 or 4 at the mall, and all I remember of the experience is momentary pain followed by my mother buying me a milkshake (also, I had no complications from getting mine done at the Piercing Pagoda as opposed to in a doctor's office, just to put that out there). My sister, obviously, remembers nothing.

I didn't realize until I was in middle school that people in the southwest get their ears pierced earlier than other parts of the country until a friend of mine, who had moved here from another state, announced she was "finally" being allowed to pierce her ears for her 12th birthday present, and wasn't she lucky to be getting them pierced a full two years before her sister had been allowed to.

I don't think that baby you saw is in any way shape or form irretrievably harmed by getting her ears pierced, though I do understand that it was at least surprising to you to see that custom in action.

ETA: I just mentioned this topic to a friend of mine who was born in Panama, and she says that in Latin America it's actually the custom to pierce ears before the baby even goes home from the hospital the first time.

[lemonfresh]

Originally Posted by sans ersatz modelisto

I'm sorry, but having a city made up largely of Mexicans is not representative of diversity or of having a large foreign born (ie more than from just one country or geographic region) population. There is no comparison between Philadelphia and SA in this regard...Philadelphia has more residents born in Asia, Africa, and Europe than does SA. San Antonio's foreign born population as is it's primary population is predominately Hispanic.

Sorry, that's not diversity.

Look kid, your claim wasn't about diversity, it was about foreign born population. Your claim was wrong, do not shift it now to diversity. As for your Mexican comment, Census figures show 24 percent of the foreign born population is Mexican.

I can't wait for your next enlightened post, maybe it'll be about the other 76% being some other type of Mexican or Latin based populous.

[skeet09]

Originally Posted by ChrisMP

Lemonfrest: I am just not talking about nightlife. I am talking about the culture that is all around San Antono. Sure, I would love to live in Stone oak or downtown, but truth be told, I can not afford it, and I do make a pretty good living.

I do live in Suburbia and in my mind, suburbia should be a quit place that is safe and nice with good people. I just don't see it. sure, most people are fine, but there are so many that are not. People who bought a house becaue prices were cheep, got married and had kids, but deep down they are children themselfs.

I see neighbors who have 3 generations living in the house with nobody older than their 50's. I see fathers and mothers with many tattos wondering if they have any money in their kids college fund? Now I could be wrong. But it is just my feeling.

What gets me is even though it is the suburbs, doesn't mean that it has to be cookie cutter with chains and strip malls. Where are the independent places. Fast food places are full at all time. Who is eating this crap and worst giving it too their kids.

I am hopeing I am wroing, but more and more I see this to be what San Antoio is. Some really great people mixed with people going through the motions in life.

I understand where you are coming from. I was born and raised in San Antonio and what you said is exactly what I see. I finished my Associates in the Computer field and I could not find anything making more than $9/hour when I could go to Austin and make $17/hr even with the cost of living difference. I finished my bachelor's and all I can get is $33k for my education, skills and experience? So now I'm back at school for my Master's (I should have left sooner) so I can have enough time to save up some money to relocate to Austin once I graduate in about 2 years. For the other folks who are reading this, I am moving from San Antonio because there are no decent upper level jobs for someone with a Master's degree here. Why should I stay here and make $33k when I can go to Austin and make $45k with my current experience and have more cultural events to go to? Culture here is Fiesta...boring! I'm a yuppie, can't you tell?

[perticusrex]

Originally Posted by skeet09

I understand where you are coming from. I was born and raised in San Antonio and what you said is exactly what I see. I finished my Associates in the Computer field and I could not find anything making more than $9/hour when I could go to Austin and make $17/hr even with the cost of living difference. I finished my bachelor's and all I can get is $33k for my education, skills and experience? So now I'm back at school for my Master's (I should have left sooner) so I can have enough time to save up some money to relocate to Austin once I graduate in about 2 years. For the other folks who are reading this, I am moving from San Antonio because there are no decent upper level jobs for someone with a Master's degree here. Why should I stay here and make $33k when I can go to Austin and make $45k with my current experience and have more cultural events to go to? Culture here is Fiesta...boring! I'm a yuppie, can't you tell?

Maybe you dont know how to apply for jobs and interview at the right places.....

[skeet09]

Originally Posted by perticusrex

Maybe you dont know how to apply for jobs and interview at the right places.....

I interviewed and applied for jobs at major corporations and the like and I would get interviews but they would decide to go with someone else who would want to work at $25k/year. There was also the problem that the computer departments back in 2002 were male dominated and the internet dot com bust happened. I applied at USAA but I wouldn't like to be an Account Representative on the phones all the time and their thought of a promotion is Representative Supervisor? That's not something I would like to do. I would also interview at other corporations who were looking for recent college grads but then said they wanted someone with more experience. I had about 4 years of administrative support experience working my way through my bachelor's. I'm pretty personable and everything, I just think it's a matter of many companies here in San Antonio not wanting to pay a fair wage for college graduates. Some college graduates here just decide to accept it instead of responding with a counteroffer and saying, Hey I'm worth more than that! I know of a lot of college graduates here in San Antonio that are making less than me, $24, 25k /year unfortunately. Their income level goes up when you guessed it, they move. Even with cost of living differences, they are happier making the move to a city that values their education and experiences.

[TXtrkgrl]

Originally Posted by skeet09

I interviewed and applied for jobs at major corporations and the like and I would get interviews but they would decide to go with someone else who would want to work at $25k/year. There was also the problem that the computer departments back in 2002 were male dominated and the internet dot com bust happened. I applied at USAA but I wouldn't like to be an Account Representative on the phones all the time and their thought of a promotion is Representative Supervisor? That's not something I would like to do. I would also interview at other corporations who were looking for recent college grads but then said they wanted someone with more experience. I had about 4 years of administrative support experience working my way through my bachelor's. I'm pretty personable and everything, I just think it's a matter of many companies here in San Antonio not wanting to pay a fair wage for college graduates. Some college graduates here just decide to accept it instead of responding with a counteroffer and saying, Hey I'm worth more than that! I know of a lot of college graduates here in San Antonio that are making less than me, $24, 25k /year unfortunately. Their income level goes up when you guessed it, they move. Even with cost of living differences, they are happier making the move to a city that values their education and experiences.

Maybe you shouldn't look at the big name companies here. I work for a small company, we pay our 'right out of college' engineers in the $50K's starting out, plus bonuses.

[sans ersatz modelisto]

I just think San Antonio is in a class all by itself. The culture here is just sooooo different from anyplace I've ever experienced....I mean, it's not even like anything else in Texas. It's just like a city full of lazy poor underachievers and fatties.

There is just no yuppie/upper class/upwardly mobile vibe here. For some, that's a good thing, for others, it's not.