I know what I did when I arrived in Houston, & wanted a job: I went through the phone book, calling publishers, asking if they needed proofreaders. I had exactly zero experience, but I love to read, and finding [other people's] mistakes is easy, so why not? Most said a degree in journalism was required, but I finally got one editor who agreed to let me test out, instead - and I got the job!
I hated the proofreading, not having known that they publish such fascinating mags as Hydrocarbon Processing, & Petrochemicals Unlimited, but there was one great joy: proofreading articles by the world famous Dr Micheal DeBakey, for The Texas Heart Institute, and correcting errors! Just the idea of a high school drop out [me] correcting his words would make me laugh out loud sometimes. It was a joke I couldn't share with the journalism school graduate snobs there, though, so I didn't stay too long. Just long enough to get a copy of the only interesting book they published: Emergency & High Speed Driving Techniques, lol.
None of which I've ever been able to actually use...
It is definitely possible to get a job in Houston - it can even be fun! I almost feel sorry for those losers who don't even try...
