Jeff Wentworth

With Labor Day now behind us, all signs point to a Texas that is filled with economic opportunities; however, job hunting often can be an arduous and disappointing experience.

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is doing everything it can to keep Texans working by using a well-designed Web site to offer more than statistical information and unemployment figures.

The commission’s Web site at www.texasworkforce.org includes an online free matching service for potential employees and employers; information for obtaining worker-training grants; a guide to hot careers; and, my favorite, a reality check for high school and college graduates.

“Students: Choose your occupation, reality check” on the TWC Web site allows users to choose the city in which they would like to live, the type of dwelling they would like to live in, the kind of car they want to drive, and other living expenses, such as clothes, phones and entertainment.  As the user chooses from the information provided on the Web site, the computer keeps a running total that shows just how much it would take annually to live in a variety of Texas cities.

Users also may choose careers to discover if potential earnings in a chosen profession would provide for the annual salary needed to afford the lifestyle the user selected.  Career choices include just about every conceivable profession and occupation from aerospace engineer to zoologist.

Choices are not limited to careers that require high school or college degrees.  For example, the average salaries for dishwashers, fast food cooks, fence builders and carpet layers are included on the list.            The reality check is primarily designed for students and newcomers to the world of work, but it should be useful to anyone who is thinking of moving to another city, changing jobs or getting married and starting a family.

Parents who want their teenage children to continue their education should find the site helpful in proving to them the value of graduating from high school and going to college.

The TWC Web site also provides information about hot careers, such as nursing and education.  Texas will need 82,000 new teachers by next year and 138,000 licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and nurses’ aides in the next seven to 10 years.

Texas’ phenomenal population growth is creating a record need for employees in almost all occupations.  High growth industries where employees are needed include hospitality, automotive, health care, transportation, petroleum engineering and education.

With so many job openings available, Texas truly is the land of economic opportunity for Texans who are willing to work.

Texas State Sen. Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) represents District 25, which includes part of Bexar County. He can be reached via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .