Rio Grande Valley employment (esp. Brownsville) (Houston, McAllen: crime, job market, universities)

[suspirar]

I will be moving to the Rio Grande Valley, but it seems like there isn´t much employment there. Why is that? I haven´t seen any job postings asking for engineers, software developers, web page designers, database administrators, etc....There seem to be many jobs in nursing, but I´m not a nurse. Maybe I should study nursing? Physical therapy?

So which industries are hiring in the R. G. Valley? What skills are in demand?

Where do students who graduate from U.T. Brownsville find jobs?

I will be looking for work. Is telecommuting a realistic possibility?

[crbcrbrgv]

Generally, graduates of Rio Grande Valley universities come in three varieties: Those who get a degree, stay and become teachers, those who get a degree and leave and Mexican nationals who have a lot of money to begin with. The job situation in the Valley is never all that good, especially for college grads. There's tons of compadreism and light on dark/more Anglo looking on more native looking prejudice still exists. For example, Donna, which is in the mid-Valley generally has the worst reputation despite the fact that crime is about the same there as it is in the surrounding communities. The difference is residents of Donna are more native/less Anglo looking.

I wouldn't recommend starting any sort of life in the Valley. They are generally 20 to 30 years behind on most things, including social mores.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

I wouldn't recommend starting any sort of life in the Valley. They are generally 20 to 30 years behind on most things, including social mores.

In general the RGV is a pretty economically depressed area. The RGV historically has the highest unemployment in Texas. Industries there are manufacturing, import/export, and anything catering to the "winter Texans" such as healthcare, etc.

Back when I was in the telecom industry, my company recruited at UT Pan Am, and the students were SO eager to leave the RGV...

[bgrn198]

Have you tried looking in McAllen?

TheMonitor.com

[texan55]

jobs in brownsville = unskilled labor, health care, and teaching.

there is a push right now in media jobs (newspaper, online, tv and radio).

if all goes well there should be a lot of "green collar" job opportunities in the next 5-20 years.

[bgrn198]

McAllen Chamber of Commerce

[suspirar]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

I wouldn't recommend starting any sort of life in the Valley. They are generally 20 to 30 years behind on most things, including social mores.

I wasn't there long, but I didn't notice Brownsville being all that backward. I noticed green grass, palm trees, a short border-cross time, UTB, a breeze, low prices (sometimes less expensive than the Mexican side) and things being in walking distance. I am from and in San Diego, California.

When people tell me negative things about Brownsville or Texas, I wonder if I am blind/delusional, or if other people are blind.

Could it just be that other Texans are just majorly uncomfortable in a town where the majority of people speak Spanish instead of Englilsh?

Now I feel less sure of myself in leaving San Diego, California for RGV. People also said negative things about Houston before I was planning to go to Houston in 2008, to the point that I didn't go.

[doss1]

The thing is, suspirar, even the natives that were born in the RGV put down the RGV. That's when you know it's bad.

If you want to make some good money, get into nursing or physical therapy. There are bonuses and companies try very hard to retain their employees. My sister was hired straight out of college last year and they started her at 70k as a physical therapist. Now she's already up to around the 80k range.

[956kidd]

[Chelito23]

Suspirar,

Brownsville gets the bad rep out of the entire valley. In all honesty, it isn't a universal truth, just a perception or stereotype. It's ties to Mexico (Matamoros) are stronger than other border cities in the area...so there is less of an Anglo influence. This might be why some people consider it less "American."

Personally, I think Brownsville is not as well kept up and has not had the same kind of growth or jobs that McAllen has had. But that doesn't mean it is a cesspool either. It has a location closer to SPI, cooler summer weather and the other pros you mentioned. If you want to live there, go for it.

A lot of people have an inferiorty complex and dislike the Valley because it has a unique culture from mainstream America and they don't identify with it or prefer the image they see of America based on Laguna Hills or whatever dumb MTV show is on at the moment.

The Valley's job market has been summed up well in previous posts. That is the down fall, but where there is a will there is a way. People here are nice and helpful, especially with people who are receptive to the local area and not critical of it.

It is hard to find rude people or thugs here. Yes, you get people who don't speak much English or who prefer Spanish and they aren't as outgoing with someone they perceive to not speak Spanish. But if you make the effort, it will generaly be reciprocated. When you as an outsider or minorty go into a new situation, you are the one who has to be proactive and to adapt, not vice versa. This applies to moving to a msall town, New York City or to the Valley.

Some posters moved here or lived here and expected people to jump through hoops to sell them on their community and it doesn't work that way. No one forced these negative posters or ex residents to live here, so you can imagine their disposition when they were here. That undoubtedly added to their negative experience and opinions while they were here.

There are many Anglos that live in the Valley and love it. It isn't for everyone, but just because it is a personal hell for some does not mean that is a universal truth.

For me it has it's pros and cons, the worst being the job situation and low paying wages. If you can overcomes this and you like living in a semi urban semi rural, isolated metropolitan area dominated by Mexican American culture in a hot climate, this is the place to be!