🚀 go-pugleaf

tracey12 wrote:
> San Antonio is a dying city. 

Hardly.

Yes, it's true that San Antonio is not regarded as a "high-tech" city. 
Very few cities are because there's more to the world than just
"high-tech", and I say this as someone deeply entrenched in IT (and,
yes, I live and work in SA).  Does anybody regard Phoenix, Orlando, or
Las Vegas as "high-tech"?  Probably not.  Yet they are three of the
fastest growing cities in the nation.

One of San Antonio's biggest current industries, and it's best long-term
growth industry, is health care and bio-medical research.  Most jobs in
this industry pay well, and the best thing is that when the national
economy goes into a recession (which it always does) and people stop
buying computers and companies stop hiring and start laying off, people
will still need medical care.

Aerospace is an up-and-coming industry here and, when NAFTA is fully
implemented, so is international trade.  Others include teleservices and
telemarketing (yes, it has a bad rep, but inbound teleservices pay
decent wages and is a growing industry) and professional services.

As for IT, there are lots of IT jobs here.  All of the aforementioned
industries require IT support personnel.  The military bases also hire
civilians to manage information systems.  In fact, there was an article
in the newspaper a few months ago about how SA is a "buyers market" of
sorts for those seeking work in IT positions.  USAA alone is hiring over
200 IT professionals this year.

Of course, one of the biggest businesses here is the misunderstood
tourism/convention industry.  Remember those three cities I mentioned
earlier?  They're all heavily dependent on tourism and conventions. 
Yes, many of the jobs in this industry are low wage, but there are lots
of high paying management positions, too, especially in the areas of
hotel management and event management.  And, every city has people who
need low wage type jobs.  I'd rather they work than get welfare.  If
conventions and tourism wasn't such a lucrative industry, why would just
about every major city in this nation be spending millions upon millions
of dollars building and expanding convention centers and tripping all
over each other trying to attract Final Fours, political conventions,
etc.?

San Antonio is like the tortoise.  We've always had constant, consistent
growth: 20-25% per decade.  When everyone's booming, we're trailing
along.  When everyone's busting, we're chugging along.

Those who slam San Antonio either don't know this city and its economy,
don't like San Antonio for whatever reason, or are pushing their own
agenda.  I'll avoid suggesting racism (oops, I guess I just did.)

If you really thing SA is dying, take a drive through the northern
suburbs.
 
--Brian Purcell
The Texas Highwayman
San Antonio, USA

E-mail:
  mailto:hiwayman@express-news.net
Web site:
  http://www.enconnect.net/greengrl
  Includes:
    -San Antonio Freeways/Texas Highways
    -Getting Around Germany