The hype that Texas has produced so many jobs for years, under any governor, has completely disillusioned me.

After working the majority of my life; relocated to Texas; searched for work 1997-2005. Over 25 years administrative/secretarial, grew to over 33 years. Coveted skills include shorthand, dictation, and Dictaphone transcription; Administrative Spvr., Administrative Mgr. and Office Mgr. for various levels, up to and including Exec. Assist./Exec. Sect'y., plus 15 years of military administrative and 3 years of Federal Gov’t.

Driven by my job search and personal goals, I applied at numerous companies in person via private and public transportation. I lived in San Antonio, Austin, Houston and El Paso, Texas, applied for literally thousands of jobs during daily online searches, and utilized job services, occasionally placing me on temporary positions.

Desperate for work during early 2000, I visited a national agency, describing my dilemma. The Agent said, “Welcome to the club… welcome to Texas! You’re likely to find that everywhere you go, down here in this state.” He was correct. I encountered the same problems virtually throughout Texas. He referred me to the Texas branch of an international company, known for rarely hiring Blacks. They made every excuse to avoid interviewing me.

The Agent referred me to another manager in dire need of an Administrative Assistant. I was hired and immediately they proceeded to make my life at that position, absolutely miserable. A co-worker (qualified on paper only), accepted a new job, leaving me to perform all of his duties (which I often had to re-accomplish). Shortly afterward, my supervisor also found a new position, leaving me to perform my job, my co-worker’s job, and “Acting Supervisor,” for about six months. Added to my duties was training of the temporary help I requested, due to being overwhelmed, working the three positions.

Efficiently performing a supervisory position, I officially applied for it. Management refused to hire me. Instead, they hired a female with absolutely no supervisory experience, two years very low-level clerical experience in a one-person office, with no teamwork experience within a system, and no type of formal training. Guess who was assigned to train her for the same position I was performing with more than enough qualifications? You guessed it… yours truly!

She refused to be trained by me (a black female professional, more highly-qualified than herself). So she remained inexperienced, inundating me with her assigned tasks to conceal her own inaptness.

Still searching for a new position, while over-qualified for the one I held, I eventually acquired a position. But within a month, realized that my former manager, informed of my new position and salary, had contacted my new job and black-listed me, because I had left their company. My new employer suddenly found an excuse to terminate me from my Executive Administrative Assistant position. They felt so guilty that they paid me three weeks’ severance pay, promising approval for me to also receive unemployment. I’m sure they listed some reason for the termination, but had I been a poor employee, I would not have been entitled to such monetary provisions.

Usually I’d find out who was hired in a position I’d applied for. Typically it was someone without one-fourth my experience; never worked in an office, requiring training in the simplest clerical tasks, including message-taking. They lack all required skills, including spelling, grammar and punctuation (which were all atrocious) and most could not (or could barely) type. These are just a few inadequacies, always tolerated by management, since the applicant is hired based on race, looks, or who they know (obviously not based on qualifications).

In Texas, I was always forced to accept a very low-paying job, just to keep an income flow; while the inexperienced, which should fill lower-paying jobs, were always selected for higher-paying jobs. Hence, the low-quality administrative work in Texas!

Many Texas jobs barely pay minimum wage or slightly higher, resulting in high numbers of families with two, three, four jobs. Texans practically kill themselves from exhaustion, working main jobs while selling virtually anything on the side: whatever they can make, cook, bake, sew, crochet, plants they grow, products (cosmetics, herbal supplements, etc.); many cut grass, bushes/trees, clean and repair homes, baby-sit, etc. They sell to supplement ridiculously low salaries to make ends meet, leaving minimal family time.

Applying for a Medical Lab Technician position, for which I was also trained, the technicians at the Lab would peek out to see the new applicant, then go back to get others. Whatever they said to the supervisor, she came out to interview, saying, “We want someone who’s going to fit in with us.” I explained that we all get the same type of training, stating that I’m sure we’d work well together and make a good team. But she repeated her statement, emphasizing the words “fit in.” Well, you can’t get any clearer than that!

Many Texas residents (including several family members) have left Texas, missing out on goals; not because there are no jobs, but because the jobs are low-quality/menial positions; good jobs with insubstantial salaries (non-commensurate with the duties); prejudice is prevalent; many jobs are a combination of multiple positions, paying below the value of one position; poorly-qualified, obnoxious management and minimally qualified/unqualified co-workers, all of which diminish desire to seek a career in Texas.

A devastated Conservative radio talk show listener called the broadcast. Desiring to hold to Conservative policies, she could not agree with the claims of so many jobs in Texas, which had resulted in her relocation to Texas. Reportedly she searched relentlessly and was greatly disappointed. She and her family, nearing their wit’s end have learned the hard way, what millions of us already know… regarding the “many jobs” in the state of Texas.

Major Texas job increase since the year 2000? This is hard to believe since five of those years (up to 2005) were during the period when I so desperately sought a career job and wound up forced to accept menial jobs. Texas is definitely not leading the country in career jobs; or any jobs with salaries commensurate with duties or experience.

To avoid life-changing devastations and inability to fulfill goals, those relocating to Texas seeking employment/careers should think twice, tread lightly and reconsider their relocation options carefully. The excuse of low cost-of-living in Texas in no way compensates for the super-low salaries paid by many companies. Compare even positions requiring various levels of educational degrees against the same positions in states not considered low cost-of-living areas. When seeking employment, consider states with higher-paying positions, better quality jobs and greater advancement opportunities; not simply states claiming to have “lots of jobs.”

Settling for low salary/quality of work, may lock you into an unfavorable category. Potential employers tend to only pay the same (or very slightly more) than the salary at your most recently worked, lowest-paying position, regardless of your qualifications.

My bottom line… Be extremely cautious of seeking employment in Texas!