I live in Texas but don't know anything about Odessa -but I did want to draw your attention to this site, which I have used many times. My first link is general data for Odessa, but you will also find a forum where you can peruse questions/comments and even ask your own questions.

City Data Odessa, TX

City Data Forums

While wait for the Texans, congrats!

You are obviously really good at what you do and should be very proud.

If you plan to keep your current home and rent it out, I say yes to the possibility.

One big question for me is, how would your daily life look? What kind of housing can you afford?

It looks like the cons outweigh the pros.

But.....money and financial security is very important. Only you can decide if doing this move will really matter in the long run.

I would like to talk to other faculty. I like Bestyears’ links, I like to use BestPlaces.net for similar info, statistics are only part of the story.

What an accomplishment, congratulations!

Sorry I can’t be of help regarding that area — I’ve only ever been there once, when I was a kid. I don’t remember anything, and I’m sure it’s changed since then anyway.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

I've never even been to TX, so no help there, just swinging by to say that if you're looking to make a move, for money or whatever reason, if there's one well paying, interesting job in your research/teaching area, there are definitely more. Engage a headhunter or look on the academia job boards to see what's out there. I no longer work in higher ed, but my friends who do report that getting faculty (and TA's & post docs) to commit is difficult, they have huge expectations and demands that are being met and despite that, a decent % are flaking out and not showing up just a few weeks before they have to report. It's a brave new job market, and job seekers have a lot more options and the ability to throw their weight around like never before. And the (very real) age discrimination that is pervasive in our culture is easing, simply because employers need bodies, and they can't afford to wait for the hypothetical perfect candidate, so they are being more open minded and flexible when it comes to Gen X and Boomers looking to make a late career change.

Regarding the sick time, which I'm sure you won't get compensated for if you leave now, that's a hard one psychologically, so consider if there are any scenarios where you will get it paid out, and if not, try to let it go. If there is a scenario you get it paid out, say full retirement post age 65, do the math, figure out what it's worth dollar wise (and don't forget you'll get the ever loving taxed out of a lump sum like that) and decide how much you want to stay till full retirement, then divide the net number by the number of months you'd have to work to collect it, and decide if staying is worth that "cost", or, perhaps, "value".

Good luck with your decision.

It is a wild new employment world out there. I can confirm competition for "good people" (however you want to define that) is tight and recruiters and head hunters are out in full force looking for candidates.

I work in a niche and growing field, and literally just got another cold call from a head hunter 2 hours ago trying to drum up candidates for an opening. (I wished him good luck - I've got it good where I am at and am staying here for the duration.)

I also hire people onto my team, and have had people get a better offer and bail on us before they even start.

Triple your salary is hard to ignore. But it sounds like your SO would be giving up income. Would he want to re-establish something there, or is he ready to just be done and walk away? Would they cover moving expenses? Any housing relocation assistance? Do you think you'd be happy there? Five years is a long time to be miserable, whether that's because you hate the job or hate the area.

Native Texan here who was born in west Texas. There are some areas of west Texas that I love, but Odessa is not one of them. The town of Midland next door will have more cultural opportunities and likely better housing. Midland has been a more upscale, wealthy oil town for many decades.

If the move was that lucrative for me financially I might consider it, but it would never be my choice to live there. I don't know about now, but housing in both Midland/Odessa (and really the whole Permian basin) has been scarce in recent years. That may have changed now, though. There is a small airport in Midland where you can fly to Dallas or other hubs. I used to fly in and out of there to go home to southern New Mexico when I was in college in the Dallas area.

Politically, Texas is a red state and both east and west Texas are VERY red if that matters to you. Good luck with your decision, and congratulations on being recruited.Midland Cultural Opportunities

My son interviewed for a teaching position up there when he was graduating from college. Before the interview, maybe in the scheduling call, he was told not to worry about the cost of housing - the district had some possibilities. Salaries were higher because everything cost more and housing (at the time) was nearly impossible and very expensive -- prohibitive ona teacher's salary. I don't know what the district could offer -- he didn't go that route.

The panhandle is old farm and ranch land and oil country -- and it tends to have its ups and downs with the oil and gas industry. Between ranchers, farmers and oil and gas folks, it tends to be super conservative. My husband has been there for work and told DS he wouldn't want to live there, but the choir program and persone he would be working with might be worth it -- and SW flies to DFW, Austin, SA, Houston and New Orleans all an hour or so by air. You can get away and get different culture, but plan on flying. The drive to anywhere is long and pretty boring -- sometimes subject to the worst weather (and the area will have the most extreme of Texas weather -- only remnant of hurricanes, but tornados, when they happen, will tend to be larger than the ones we see down south.

I would look at housing options in the area as well as the chamber of commerce info. Talk to a realtor or two and see what sense you get -- and find out if renting is an option. If what you would have left from the greater salary would allow you to build up your retirement savings enough to make taking a chance worth it, then consider how you feel about an "adventure."

I have lived in Texas most of my life. My views were formed early and haven't changed. I understand the area (Midland-Odessa and Lubbock) has had a lot of growth since then, especially since they started fracking. Tech is a different, larger and more popular university. My views may be less accurate for living there today. I've had friends whose kids have gone to Tech (in Lubbock) and loved it, but it would take a lot to make me consider a move to that area -- and DH would say no anyway. You are looking at something kind of short term to enhance retirement, not retiring there. Investigate it. But do look at the cost of living, housing in particular, to make sure the salary is as great as it sounds.

Congratulations on being recruited, and I wish you the best in weighing your decision as you move forward. I'm a native Texan with a decidedly progressive bent, and while there is much to lament about my state, I also find much to embrace. The depiction of Texas as a decidedly red state is inaccurate. Things are changing and you can easily find your people here. I remain rather aghast at the number of very liberal folks I personally know living in far west Texas.

Midland-Odessa is oil and gas territory and you cannot and will not escape that reality. You might be surprised, though, at the responsible inroads being made even within this industry. It's where I have worked for decades, and I am incredibly proud of my current organization's responsible actions in light of the climate crisis. We certainly are not a bunch of ignorant bubbas burying our heads in the sand.

For outdoor enthusiasts, you would be well positioned with easy access to some of the richest natural playgrounds that Texas has to offer, including the amazing Big Bend region and New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment. Yours would be an opportunity that I personally would be quite likely to envy.

A quick Zillow search shows some variety of housing options. A pool would be a must!

That is a good point that there are other opportunities out there. I am certainly open to them. There is a new medical school opening here and there's got to be something for me as well. This would be in about a year.

Academics do move around like this. Many of us are at the the top of the pay scale for their rank and not getting promoted anymore, so a move to the "dark side", i.e., administration is the only way to majorly up the salary before retirement. I will get nothing other an a COL raise if and when we have them. Or i know some who retired from one institution and then went to another to spend their years before retirement. People make a conscious decision to go up the academic food chain. I know people who went to Dean or Provost or even a President of small college! But I don't have to do anything. I can just hold it out until retirement. I would consider a move overseas, so this is like another adventure.

I don't want to go into too much detail about DH, but 2020 and 2021 were very good for him, but 2022 was not. Not as good money by a long shot and many, many headaches. He would actually welcome an "out" if there was one. He is a little younger than me so he has more time to work. Could he sell his soul and work for Halliburton he joked.

Where do you live, now? Will you be able to take a trip out there to see it, before making a big decision? What would you do, what would be your losses if you made this enormous move and started the new job…..but ended up hating it?

My daughter lived in Midland, which is kinda the other half of Odessa. Everyone told her to live in Midland, much better quality of living than Odessa. That's oil money and there is lots to do if you have money. Also lots of good day trips. Big Bend National Park is well worth the trip. But it is the desert. Period. Schools are not real good, and it keeps many families from moving to that area. Daughter had her home built, it was a new area in Midlland, Rattle snake evening hunts were common in her area. Houses took the desert from the wild life. She has since moved to a Houston suburb with her job. Lived there 3 years. Enjoyed the diversity of landscape,

rhizo, I am in the Carolinas now, 20 min drive from a major airport hub, so very spoiled. If I apply I would need to pass a screening, a Zoom interview, and then in person visit, so they would eventually bring me out there if I was a final candidate. They usually bring out 3 final candidates for a higher level search. We had 3 for our Dean. So, applying is just one step. I just talked with the headhunter today. Many universities use search firms for top admin positions. We use them all the time for Deans, Provost (going on now), President, and VP of finance and budget, enrollment, etc.

Thanks, Ida, I was hoping to hear especially from you. I thought you had gone out that way a few times.

Go ahead and apply. It costs nothing but your time. :) If you are one of their top picks, then you'll learn a lot more about potential fit with the company as well as what the area feels like to you when you're there in person.

I truly don't think you would like Odessa or Texas in general, except the heart of Dallas or Austin area-of what you have described of your pros and cons and likes and dislikes. I do think it is a great state, however. We go there all the time. So many people have moved into Texas recently, but for very different reasons than you are contemplating.

Isn’t Midland less than half an hour from Odessa? Could you make your 5-year life in Midland and commute to Odessa?

I thought of one other thing - benefits and paid leave. Higher ed is so fabulous about both. Make sure if you get sick and need leave, or your so gets sick and you need to be with him that you have those options.

Odessa is an area I would not want to live. However, if I was making a lot more money and loved my job, I would consider it. If you have those two things then you can stiick it out for five years. I would def live in MIdland over Odessa.

It is a very conservative place. Thre is no getting around that.

Definitely apply and see what happens. If in the end, they offered you the job, I would make certain that it is one that is guaranteed for the five years. The last thing you would want is to make a big move to a place that Odessa and then somehow loose your job.

DH and I moved to Lubbock way back in Jan 1977 so he could attend graduate school at Tech. At that time it was a fairly small town compared to the MD suburbs we left. DH said the campus was beautiful and new because the old one was leveled by a tornado. I spent many a day sitting in the bathroom during the tornado warning sirens. DH said that when the wind blew, he had to walk at a 45 degree angle across campus. And the little piles of dirt that accumulated inside the closed windows was a nice touch. We left after one semester to go to AZ, and thought it looked green in comparison.

Triple your salaray for five years is a huge plus.

Does Texas still not have an income tax? Huger plus. (yeah, I really was an English major. In Texas. Denton.)

The work is interesting and something you could do. Interesting work is a huge plus!

Why not go out there and interview? Meet the people you might be working with/around? The politics of the area are not yours, but perhaps they don’t impact the personal interactions at work. Maybe the people are very interesting. Maybe they are transplants, too.

A Midland-Odessa commute can’t be that bad.

Five years of interesting work, for triple your salary, well, in five years they will be behind yiu and you can move in next to jinx, texanjana, ida (wherever she goes).

Perhaps you can rent out your current home, in case you want to move back?

I would carefully go over the financials of such a move/change, considering the security of where you are now.

However, if that part passed inspection, I would welcome a new challenge at 60. Congratulations to you for having this option. It's so hopeful!

FWIW, I have a liberal friend who moved from a blue state to Texas, and she has found her people there.

No state income tax here, but property taxes can eat you alive. Not sure what they'd be in the Midland-Odessa area, but something to look into if you're interested in buying a home.

Congratulations!!! I think that with the triple salary you can take little bunny hop flights to more entertaining cities for a weekend, and maybe bloom where you are going to be planted by taking up horsebackriding or other experiences that will give you good memories for those years.

Checking in. I had a busy weekend with giving an international talk on Zoom very early in the morning on Saturday and finally having MIL over for Christmas celebration. She is finally feeling better and more like herself. We did talk with her, and she was not thrilled so say the least, so that was a little demoralizing. She says she is not interested in moving. I’m probably still leaning towards applying and investigating it vs. doing a hard stop no.

I think that is wise gs! It is not like you are committing to anything. It does not hurt to check it out. I would. You just never know!

Please keep us posted!!

Interesting idea of renting your home and renting another in Midland. Then you do not have to worry about selling it or the high property taxes... if it actually came to that.

How can you know without checking it out? I love Texas, if not all of its politicians, and I hate telling a good person don't come. I have thought more about my response, and while that is my gut reaction for me ever going to that part of the state for years, it really would depend on the total situation. I have a friend who recently moved to a college town and she loves the energy and vibrance of the community. That really matters. If this would be tied to a college or university, you already have a subculture that buffers the oilfield and ranch folks. The cost of housing and living in general would still be something to explore. And the people you would work with day to day could make 99% of the decision. I think you would always wonder if you didn't at least check it out. And you owe it to yourself not to do that.

I did email back after much reflection as well as chatting with some other academics in Texas and other mentors, and said I'd like to pursue the application further. Still, I think it's a long shot, but I feel I need to at least investigate it. And I gave her the name of someone else I know who was in our region but took a position in Texas.

Get prepared for severe culture shock if you move there. I moved from San Francisco to Austin in 1985 and was severely depressed for many months, and Austin is not the worst place in Texas. However, in 1985, it was drastically behind San Francisco, and I missed all of my friends that I left.

I've only had bad experiences in Odessa, and I've been through it several times, although not recently.

I grew up in Texas and moved to San Francisco when I was 22 and didn't look back. I went to university in Houston and lived in Austin a few months, but I liked Houston better. There is no way I would consider working in Odessa, but Texas has never had any appeal to me. I hated growing up around cowboys and C&W music, which I found extremely depressing. I was very depressed as a teenager, but less so once I moved to Houston.

Try watching some Youtube videos about Odessa - I'm sorry but I cannot do that myself. I agree that Midland is slightly better than Odessa, but they do roll the streets up downtown on Sunday.

It might be livable if you own a private jet.

My whole family is from Texas originally, so I feel like I've seen most of it. There are reasons that I feel very fond of that state. Most of it is due to nostalgia and love for my family.

That aside, I would never live there in a million years, mainly because of politics (I skew liberal, but not extreme). I have zero interest in paying taxes or spending money in as state that is so socially conservative. Maybe I would find my community in Austin or some parts of the bigger cities? But it would be doubtful in Odessa. The second reason I'd never live there is because it's waaaay too hot in the summertime.

EDIT: was giving some thought to what I said and I feel like I need to add that all this depends on what's more important to you? location? social life? money? I have never been the kind of person who was ok with moving to a more remote area just so I could have a bigger house or be more comfortable financially. For me, location and access to a good social life is priority. I'd rather feel stretched a little thin, or live in a smaller condo instead of a house if it meant I could remain in a community I love. But I realize that's coming from a place of privilege. If you need the money that bad for a comfortable retirement, then maybe it's worth it to you? Five years can go by in a flash. Or if you really hate it, maybe you can move back sooner? It's a little hard for other people to answer that question for you.

Final update: The recruiter ghosted me a few times after I emailed her back, but finally responded the application window closed. However, they will keep my info on file for future searches. It would have been a long shot anyways to go there that far away.

There is a new medical school opening here in the next couple of years and I am really hoping there is something there I can do there. Non-teaching, more like director of student services, or else assessment/accreditation. They just broke ground. We were the largest metro area without a medical school.

Gscience, it sounds like the new medical school would be a wonderful opportunity for you— and since they’re staffing it from the ground up you may have your pick of positions in your area of expertise. It will be done sooner than you realize… good luck!

Kswl, the new school will be a partnership through Atrium Health and Wake Forest Med, so great quality.

Ahhh, the ghosting recruiter is so unprofessional and incredibly frustrating for those who are on the receiving end of such treatment! I'm sorry that happened, but sounds like it may have been for the best. The medical school sounds promising. Keep us posted!

Gscience, I got my tie-for-best job before they knew they were hiring for my position. I knew they were moving an office to the area where I wanted to live, and expanding its functions. They had taken out a full-page newspaper ad in the Chicago paper that I picked up on Sundays in Texas, describing the projects and the positions they were interviewing for, and none of them were for what I did. But I knew they’d need me. So I wrote and basically said ”when you’re ready to hire for this position, keep me in mind, here’s my resumé”. It worked. So definitely be on the lookout for any announcements on department heads or other HR activity in the areas you might want to work in.

Yes, I have made appropriate LinkedIn connections to the HR and other people involved. But a personal note to them would probably be a good idea.

Ghosting is to recruiters as eating is to humankind.😡

Gscience, Sorry....yet I am really not. To honest, this location sounded awful, for you.

Good luck in finding bettet possibilities, that I am sure are out there.

Just a side question. Could ghosting be somthat they can say that X people are interested in this position to make it more appealing for ones they are actually considering?

Thanks, 1929Spanish, and eld, yes, it could be to inflate their metrics. My friend who's a VP in the tech industry texted back "Recruiters are like men in bars. They are hot and heavy until they are not." LOL! Lesson learned!

That is really bad business. I would never hire a recruiter who ghosted prospects. Plus, it is dumb. Today's recruits are tomorrow's clients. Relationships are all recruiters bring to the table.

Your Plan B sounds even better!