David Delgado//The Daily Cougar
’Tis the holiday season; time to stuff our faces with enough food to feed a small developing country and wear so many layers of clothing one would believe we’ve never functioned in weather cooler than 50 degrees before.
With the end of this semester in sight, there are so many things to think about besides what Christmas presents we need to get. Students of every classification are beginning to stake claim on sections of the library in preparation for finals; upperclassmen are beginning to fester over applying for summer internships and registering for graduation.
For the seniors approaching graduation: I commend you. After graduation, the real world is going to be staring us in the face, so we better have something more to say to it than “You’re a lot scarier than I believed you would be.”
So forget the Christmas lists intended for Santa. It’s time to ask for the thing that we all desperately need, but are afraid we won’t receive: guaranteed employment after graduation.
Thinking of what job one may land after graduation is terrifying — especially when you hear of all the people who end up with jobs completely outside of their degree field.
According to the Washington Post, only 27 percent of college graduates are able to get a job related to their major; however, the chance of finding a job in your degree increases if you move to a big city. Big cities are known to have more job opportunities and openings for many different skill sets.
Luckily, UH is located in the fourth-largest city in the nation, which hopefully means we won’t have to travel too far to find our dream job. In addition, Forbes just named Houston one of the top four cities for middle-class job creation and economic strength.
According to an article on yourhoustonnews.com, Houston’s high economic standing can be credited to its business-friendly environment. However, Houston is not the only Texas city that has a high economic status. The state’s economy is reported to be seeing a growth in industries involving technical and mechanical mediums.
According to the article, Gov. Rick Perry credits Texas’ thriving economy on low taxes.
“We keep taxes low, maintain fair and predictable regulations and protect our citizens from frivolous lawsuits,” Perry said. “These free-market principles have created an environment that allows hard-working Texans to prosper.”
Largely because of the many resources within the city, Houston provides opportunities that range from medically driven to artistically driven jobs.
For each major and dream job, there will be different places students wish to go. This decision may be based on location, the specific desired company or other contributing factors.
Corporate communications junior Emelda Burton wants a job that offers good money.
“I want a job that helps pay my student loans,” Burton said. “I also want a job where I can utilize my skills that I’m going to acquire here.”
Burton said her dream job would involve marketing for a major oil and gas corporation, such as ExxonMobil or Halliburton. Statistically speaking, Houston is a good location for getting a job in this field.
“I’m going to try (to find a job here) first, but if at first you don’t succeed, look elsewhere,” she said.
Electrical engineering freshman Sebastian Aguirre also has his eyes set on the thriving oil industry. Although he recognizes the job opportunities available here in Houston, he said he would also look into options elsewhere. If he had to choose between Houston and somewhere else, he would pick somewhere else.
“I would want to go visit other places that aren’t humid,” Aguirre said.
It seems that when it comes to job opportunities, students will, if necessary, leave the city to get a job offer in their field, though Cougars are aware of the opportunities available in our own backyard.
Graduate school is another way that students are planning to keep up with the competitive nature of their fields. Other students want to see more of the world and are hoping their job will take them there.
Cougars seem to be well aware of the probable steps they will need to take to land a job in their career field of choice after graduation. Step aside, Santa; Cougars are determined to find a job for themselves this Christmas.
Senior staff columnist Kelly Schafler is a print journalism junior and may be reached at [email protected]
“maintain fair and predictable regulations and protect our citizens from frivolous lawsuits”- Total BS.
If your buying the tribe per the Perry spin machine regarding our robust economy thanks to low taxes and “friendly business environment,” I would direct your attention to some of the consequences to those policies. For example, Texas has the highest worker injury and death rate among construction workers in the country. The highest, thanks to an industry here — unlike every other state — where, there is very little safety oversight and NO requirement to provide workman’s comp, and where safety violations are among the worst in the country. That’s Perry’s idea of “business friendly.” Fraud in that industry alone is rampant. See NPR’s April article, “Construction Booming In Texas, But Many Workers Pay Dearly” at:
http://www.npr.org/2013/04/10/176677299/construction-booming-in-texas-but-many-workers-pay-dearly
wherein they make use of the Worker Defence Project’s excellent study, released this past January, itself a collaborative effort between themselves and UT. Bear in mind, that study only looks at one major industry in Texas. There are many other Texas-based industry-wide egregious offenses available thanks to Perry’s booming business model. Be careful who you praise, you may not like what’s behind their curtain of media rhetoric. Full 74-page report is available here:
http://www.workersdefense.org/Build%20a%20Better%20Texas_FINAL.pdf
I really don’t know where you’re getting your information from but you are incorrect. Maybe change your sources. And BTW, Perry has made Texas’s economy and employment much better than the rest of the country. Companies and workers are flocking to Texas.
Using the link provided in your NPR story, according to the BLS, TX in 2010 had a construction fatality rate of 10.7 per 100,000 workers. Looking at the same construction stats for our four neighbors we find:
OK had a 24.8 rate.
LA 11.9
NM 17.1
AR 23.3
All of which have a higher rate than Texas.
Texas is the second largest state in population (after CA) and in area (after AK), so we are highest, or second highest, numbers wise, in a lot of things.
Is the construction industry dangerous, yes, mostly due to the nature of the work and unskilled, many times illegal, workers. Is it the most dangerous? Not even close. Commercial fishing normally leads the nation as the most dangerous (deaths per worker). Overall highest injuries goes to State run nursing homes, far higher than private run nursing homes. So much for the “evil private industry doesn’t care for your safety” argument. With those stats, it looks like neither does the Govt.
Okay, if you didn’t read the WDF 74-page report which was a year-long collaberative effort between them and UT, maybe you’ll believe the U.S. Secretary of labor who was quoted in a February 2013 Science blog to wit:
“Texas has the most dangerous construction industry in the United States. Between 2007 and 2011, 585 Texas construction workers died from workplace injuries, compared with 299 in California, which had a larger construction work force. And between 2003 and 2010, construction accounted for about 6% of the Texas work force, but 26% of workplace fatalities. Given these hazards, it is surprising that Texas is the only state that does not require employers to provide workers’ compensation
for on-the-job injuries. Texas also lacks a state OSHA law to supplement the federal OSHA program and provides only one OSHA inspector per 103,899 workers, compared with 1 per 52,416 in California, which (along with 20 other states and Puerto Rico) does have a state OSHA law.”
Quote is here: http://scienceblogs.com/thepumphandle/2013/02/01/new-report-confirms-texas-abysmal-record-on-construction-worker-safety/
Again, if you’re cheering for the Perry job-creation rhetoric, you’re dismissing reality. You should contact the U.S. Labor Secretary and share your optimism.
Where should I start?
I’m sure you’re a college student, right? If so, I would hope you learned about credible sources. So, let’s compare our
sources.
Factual data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics vs. a piece
written by a freelance writer in the “Science Blog” website and/or a “report” written by a special interest group “Workers Defense Project.”
We both agree that the construction industry has higher than avg. injury/death rates. That’s factual. Can we both agree, before we start creating new Govt. agencies (TXOSHA) and/or new regulations, that we enforce the
laws/regulations already on the books? OSHA
already has a set of safety regulations specifically for the construction industry, and they’re actually fairly comprehensive. If illegal immigrants were not allowed to
work freely in the construction industry, as required by current law, we would probably see a decline in injuries/deaths. Will it become zero? No, due to
the nature of the work. But, there are plenty of skilled legal residents who would love to get their jobs back. Also, it would provide opportunities for apprentice training for the millions of young “legal” unemployed workers getting into the industry. Wow! We just solved numerous problems, including high unemployment among our youth, with just enforcing ONE LAW. But, I doubt your “Workers Defense Project,” who are supposedly “so concerned about safety,” would be on board with this proposal.
Since Texas is commonly compared to California I feel
obligated to reveal facts that are rarely mentioned in the media, and I’m assuming, sources you frequent.
California, every year, is rated the worst state to
own/conduct business in. It has the highest rate of food stamp/welfare in the nation. It has the highest, or second highest tax rate in the nation. It is in the top
three for highest unemployment rate. It has an exodus of residents, mostly middle class, at a rate of >200K a
year. It has the highest debt, a whopping $618 Billion. It’s so outta control that many large cities are going bankrupt, or on the verge (incl. Los Angeles). It has one of the highest
income inequality rates in the nation (the ruling class “have’s” along the coast vs. the “have not’s” inland). And,
since we’re talking politics with bashing “Perry,” all of the above dismal facts are the result of a majority Democrat legislature in California.
Do we (Texas) really want to follow California? I don’t.
Oh, and not to beat a dead horse re. sources, but your quote from “the U.S. Secretary of Labor” in your “Workers Defense Project” report was from Ray Marshall. Mr. Marshall was the secretary of labor for President Carter. Need I say more. (if you don’t get it, learn about Jimmy Carter’s economy)
CREDIBLE SOURCES!
Obvious if you’d read the Report which — for the 3rd time — was a joint project between the WDP and University of Texas, who designed and analyzed it, would have helped you out. From the Report’s Executive Summary in part to wit:
“Build a Better Texas is the result of over a year of research conducted by a team of researchers from Workers Defense
Project, faculty from the University of Texas at Austin, and faculty from the University of Illinois at Chicago. The
study examines the working conditions faced by construction workers in five of Texas’ largest and fastest-growing cities:
Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso. The report examines data collected from primary and secondary
sources, including surveys with 1,194 construction workers, 20 in-depth worker interviews, 15 in-depth interviews with
industry leaders, and existing government data. Taken together, the primary and secondary data collected for Build a Better Texas provide key insights into construction working conditions in Texas.” Yes, I’m not only a student, I’m also ex-press. Yes, I actually know about sources.
The report has been cited everywhere including the New York Times as well as numerous other media, including NPR which last time I checked were both fairly reliable sources, which is what got my attention to begin with. This is not some whacked-out activist group, but they are assertive. Also, if you’d visited the website, it’s clear they identify the quote as being from the “former” lLbor Secretary, which is rather besides the point since his claim is true. In fact, truer now than when he said it.
. As for the current laws, the report makes clear they are not very well enforced. Gee, I can’t imagine why. What business with entrenched safety issues and high accident rates wouldn’t welcome more OSHA inspectors coming around? Besides, employers know the state’s stable of OSHA inspectors in ridiculously low. The report also gives reasons WHY they are not enforced. And the argument that there are lots of good jobs waiting for legal residents is not borne out by the actual evidence which involved interviewing hundreds of workers, and others in the industry at numerous major job sites at 5 of Texas’ largest cities. The safety issues are a reflection of the low-skill worker labor pool from which employers more typically choose; higher skilled workers tend to avoid such environments. I will end by saying, if you understand how to read and how to write and aspire to be a working reporter, do yourself a favor and check out your own obvious bias toward Perry’s pro-economy machine before lambasting others trying show show it for the sham it is.
Sigh.
I don’t have to read a “report” by a group that has it’s own
bias and objectives when I have HARD, FACTUAL, DATA, prepared by the Govt. agency responsible for providing worker injury and death statistics, which disproves many of your groups claims (repeated by you in your comments). And just because NPR, or the NY Times, whom have their own biases, reported on the “report,” NOT THE FACTUAL DATA, doesn’t make it more credible.
You need to be more skeptical of your sources. A good example is the NPR story which repeats (not reports) the WDP claim that TX has the highest NUMBER of construction worker deaths. That statement, which is
probably true, when presented in the articles tone, has a lot of emotional power. BUT, TX, due to its size, and
population is highest NUMBERS WISE in almost everything when compared to other states. However, when we look at the RATE, which equals the playing field statistically, our rate is much lower than our four neighboring states. Also, there is no mention what-so-ever of the NATIONWIDE higher than avg construction injury/death rates, which would tell the reader that the construction industry,
in general, is more dangerous than avg, not only in TX. Instead it focuses on TX (bias). Any report, or media piece, that does not take these into account isn’t being intellectually honest. And if you’re going to cite them as sources in a college paper (not journalism) instead of FACTUAL DATA, then you need to expose these biases. If you do cite the WDP report (which I don’t recommend) then you must also expose who has special interest in that organization (labor unions and community organizers).
Speaking of bias, you seem to blame all of this on Gov.
Perry. So, I have to ask you three questions:
1. What govt agency is responsible for enforcing construction worker safety regulations in TX?
2. What govt agency is responsible for enforcing
immigration laws, including illegal immigrant employment in TX?
3. Is Gov. Perry in charge of, or responsible for
these agencies? If not him, then who (and did you vote for this person in 2008 and 2012)?
I’ll wait for your response.
You’re missing the point, but your disinclination to read a report in which a state-sponsored university played a critical role is telling. The reason I read it was because I wanted to see if the WDP was in fact biased, what I discovered was they went to the trouble of gathering actual field data by engaging in respected scholarly practices, which adds heaps of credibility, which is why they got so much attention from respected media. You, however simply dismiss it as “biased.” Do they have an agenda? Of course. Does any university which participates in or compiles such a study have an agenda? Pure intellectual advancement?. Only in part. Studies also win awards and bring in grant money. Look around your own campus? What’s behind the Tier-One push and why? Do state agencies have a political agenda when they cite stats? Yes. To think otherwise is the epitome of naivety and misplaced allegiances. As much as you suspect bias in a university study, you should suspect in a state-sponsored database. You also dismiss media such as the NYT and NPR (also hugely state-supported) as biased. Is Perry responsible?. Ultimately, no. Surprise, surprise. The citizens are by consent, (its called voting.) , and their media, as watchdogs are, if they do their jobs right.. When the media fails, they do the public harm. The Texas Tribune, also has carried quite a bit of coverage about the WDP activities which you no doubt think are “biased, so has Pro Publica, which you probably think is some socialist rag, despite their being Pulitzer. prize-winning. You’ll probably do well with your journalism training as a flack for some big corporation, creating spin in your little press releases but good luck ever working in a media environment where getting to the truth actually matters; where political cronyism and rewards is trumped by the public’s right to know. The media outlets of which you are so dismissive are not a collection of idiots, but made up of veteran reporters who know how to look past government-sponsored stats and get to the real story. I suggest you learn to do the same. I won’t be replying to any more of your post. Obviously your classroom experience far outweighs any work being done by those in the field with decades of actual experience. Peace.
It’s been proven, here in these comments, that liberals
truly can’t comprehend facts, logic or reason.
Instead they want to scream from the mtn tops “But read the report!!”
Facts: You’re incorrect in stating TX (with 10.7 deaths per 100,000 workers) has the highest construction worker death rate in the nation. You can’t accept the facts our four neighboring states have a higher rate than TX.
See OK rate here http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/rate2010ok.pdf
LA rate here: http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/rate2010la.pdf
NM rate here: http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/rate2010nm.pdf
AR rate here: http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/rate2010AR.pdf
Logic: You repeatedly blame Gov. Perry for the high rate of
injury/death among TX construction workers yet you can’t comprehend the rates are high for the entire nation (i.e. it’s not just a TX problem), a big part of the problem is illegal workers, or answer the important simple question of if
he has any power/responsibility over the govt agencies responsible for enforcing construction safety and immigration (the answers were OSHA and ICE, both of which Gov Perry has no authority, President Obama does).
Reason: You claim that TX having the highest NUMBERS of
injury/death in the construction industry is something we should be alarmed at, yet you can’t comprehend that TX , with an economy better than almost all other states, and by nature of being the second largest in population and size, is highest, or second highest in almost everything, good and bad.
And, you think just because a news source reports on the
“WDP report,” somehow makes “the report” more credible.
You have no problem about bias, citing a report written/critical about a segment of industry which is not unionized, in a right to work state (TX), by an organization (WDP) with strong ties/influence to the two largest labor unions in the nation (SEIU and AFL-CIO).
Finally. I honestly don’t think you (WDP) could’ve found a LESS CREDIBLE prior Secretory of Labor to quote than the one that was in charge during President Jimmy Carter’s term. Seriously!! The term where the U.S. saw record breaking inflation, job loss, an energy crisis, and the LOWEST JOB PARTICIPATION RATE in U.S. history (until Obama, but at least he can partially blame the baby boomers). And you’re quoting him with authority???? Be real!!
Your response screams volumes. I love your idea of facts. Not a single intelligent response to the several points I made. You mention liberals, (????) and then go into name-calling mode. Are you serious about journalism? Is this puerile reaction really the best critical-thinking level of skill you’re bringing to the task?. Higher job rate in Texas? I guess you’re easily dazzled by invented numbers provided by the state and have no clue how to extrapolate fact from fiction or that numbers — especially invented ones do not tell the whole story. You obviously have a chip on your shoulder against liberals which will serve you very well as a crack hack writer, but don’t expect that backwater nonsense to play well with the Big Boys — most of the major news outlets in the U.S. are liberal, which you probably liken to the Anti-Christ. Maybe you can get a job writing for Christian News Network. They like facts the way you do and they like to bash liberals, too, so you should fit right in. Thus, thinking past your juvenile comprehension ability won’t be a job requirement. I will leave you to your prepubescent rant and wish you the best of luck. You’re going to need it.
Amend my previous comment by adding liberals just want to “tightly close their eyes, cover their ears” and then scream from the mtn tops.
The fact that while I’m trying to educate you about “credible
sources,” and you keep implying that I’m a journalism student, makes me question if you’re a student at all? If so, you might want to consider changing your major and/or school.
You’re right, I should have spotted your non sequitur-isms as being below the grade of even a 1st year J student. Yes, I am a student, also a retired investigative reporter. My major is not in journalism though. I spent my 2 decades in the trenches and have plenty of publishing credits so now I’m going back to my 1st love. I’m sorry you dislike “liberals” so much. I hope someday you find a comfortable island where you can live out your days in peace and quiet, surrounded by whatever low-tech non-liberal lifestyle it will take to keep you isolated and happy..