HOUSTON – A young man is taking his future into his own hands by bringing his dreams for a job to a street corner with just a poster and big hopes.
On Monday morning, DeAndre Matthews stood on the corner of Beltway 8 and Wallisville Road in northeast Harris County.
Seven months after graduating from trade school, the 21-year-old had no job offers.
"No offers. I applied everywhere. No calls," he said. "I had a lot of emails months later."
So Matthews made a sign and brought his resume to advertise his desire for employment. After posting his job search and spending three hours at the intersection, other people posted Matthews' story, and it was shared thousands of times on social media.
Afterward, his phone wouldn't stop ringing with job offers from across the Houston area and the country.
"Virginia, Baltimore, Boston, Louisiana, Alabama and there was one in Arizona," Matthews said. "They were impressed."
He said the potential employers were impressed with his desire to do what it takes to find a good job. His effort was rewarded after he was hired by a local electrical company.
Matthews believes his simple, honest plea for a job is what made the difference.
"I really spoke to people," he said. "And to be honest, I just put my heart on the sign and hoped that it worked, and it worked."
Matthews has his electrician's apprentice license and hopes to one day become a master electrician.
