Minimum wage

[Jazendar]

I make 28 dollars an hour regulating the autocad draftings of houses, apartment complexes, buildings, parking lots etc etc, it's good stuff and if you have a half decent portfolio, you can get the job without any college experience at all. I had some classes in HS way back in the day. But that's the market for civil engineers, demanding.

The laws and regulations on beems going across buildings, bridges, all kinds of neat shit. I hope you get your degree Harri, you'll have fun fucking around with different elevation plans.

[Jay]

It also depends on where you live. My wife and I make about 80k between the two of us and live very comfortable in College Station, Tx.

I'd imagine 80k wouldn't get you very far in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Orlando etc though.

In the bay you can still live pretty decently on 80k. There's parts of Sonoma, West Marin and even Marin county itself where you could probably get a nice house. Just gotta budget properly. Don't expect to live as comfortably as you would in College Station though.

[Gaazy]

Im having to agree with Taxx from a few pages ago, theres jobs anywher eif you just look hard enough. I got offered an electrician job in the coal mines starting at 30 an hour a while back, with a 5k signing bonus and 10k bonus after 3 years. Great money but no time to spend it, most mine electricians work close to 90 or 100 hours a week a lot of the time. Been there done that no more

[Tossica]

Im having to agree with Taxx from a few pages ago, theres jobs anywher eif you just look hard enough. I got offered an electrician job in the coal mines starting at 30 an hour a while back, with a 5k signing bonus and 10k bonus after 3 years. Great money but no time to spend it, most mine electricians work close to 90 or 100 hours a week a lot of the time. Been there done that no more

That's over $200K a year including overtime... it would be tough to turn that kind of money down.

[Gaazy]

thats extremely rare wages for most mine electricians, that company just was very desperate for good men, and actually the offer is closed now. Most of the time they average about 25 or 26 an hour, and start at around 22 an hour. also, each mine has a Chief Electrician who really is the boss other than the Superintendant and maybe the foreman, most of the CEs pretty much demand what their pay will be, and most I know bring close to a quarter mil in for the bigger mines, and normal hours too.

[Gaazy]

oh, and I guess the downside is the majority of mine accidents are electric related

[Tikker]

Im having to agree with Taxx from a few pages ago, theres jobs anywher eif you just look hard enough. I got offered an electrician job in the coal mines starting at 30 an hour a while back, with a 5k signing bonus and 10k bonus after 3 years. Great money but no time to spend it, most mine electricians work close to 90 or 100 hours a week a lot of the time. Been there done that no more

That's over $200K a year including overtime... it would be tough to turn that kind of money down.

There's a few jobs out there that are forced to offer huge money because of the type of work

there's a steel mill in town here that starting wage is like $18/hour, grade 8 education required

highest death/accident rate in the province, jeje

[Harrison]

Fortunately for him he decided to go to a vocational high school and not waste his time in a normal public high school.

That's pretty short sighted man. $16 an hour is jack shit once you start racking up serious bills like a house and kids. That's the absolute bare minimum to get by. It's extremely hard to make the money you need to make to retire on without some kind of education, being very charismatic or being hooked up through family, etc. Count on at least $35 hr to live comfortably and have money left over for retirement, kids education, vacations, etc and that's with 2 incomes. If you are a single parent, look forward to being poor, living in a small apartment, driving a shitty car, etc your entire life.

agree 100%

I was fucking rich until I had a family
now I can see the writing on the walls that my Jeep is the last new vehicle I'll have for 18 more years

Good thing I am not going to have a family anytime soon, right?

[Gaazy]

Yeah we just had another guy die underground yesterday down the ways from me, but it was his own fault, he screwed up a roof bolt and a piece of rock the size of a washin machine fell on him Personally, Ive only had a couple close calls, but they do happen.

[Jay]

My job is dangerous too. If I papercut myself it could get infected. Let's say I don't close the wound, contract hepatitis somewhere and die 20-30 years later. I've had a few close calls too.

[runamonk]

My job is dangerous too. If I papercut myself it could get infected. Let's say I don't close the wound, contract hepatitis somewhere and die 20-30 years later. I've had a few close calls too.

I hate it when that happens, right between the fingers. Yeowch.

haha.

[Diekan]

Fortunately for him he decided to go to a vocational high school and not waste his time in a normal public high school.

That's pretty short sighted man. $16 an hour is jack shit once you start racking up serious bills like a house and kids. That's the absolute bare minimum to get by. It's extremely hard to make the money you need to make to retire on without some kind of education, being very charismatic or being hooked up through family, etc. Count on at least $35 hr to live comfortably and have money left over for retirement, kids education, vacations, etc and that's with 2 incomes. If you are a single parent, look forward to being poor, living in a small apartment, driving a shitty car, etc your entire life.

agree 100%

I was fucking rich until I had a family
now I can see the writing on the walls that my Jeep is the last new vehicle I'll have for 18 more years

I was about to shout out against Taxx - I would like to know what fantasy land with leprechauns and teddy bears he lives, so I can move there too.

Here's a little information for some of you that think the job market is allll hunky dory.

The manufacturing jobs of the US are pretty much gone now. Technology in the forms of robots and automation have taken their toll... now add to that the fact that most other manufacturing jobs have been shipped to China / Mexico and else where. Ok, so those jobs are pretty out. What about construction / electrical work / roofing / so on? Well if you speak spanish and live in the US without a green card - sure! Face it, those jobs are now being filled by illegals and some legals who are willing to do it for much less. So, what's left? Colleges are now pumping out graduates at records rates and guess what? Despite the fact the US has hit the 300 million mark (which is NOT an indication of having more kids - because the count also includes immigrants as well) it is not because the population has increased. It's because people can't just graduate high school and get a some what decent job anymore.

What does that mean? It means that where once an employer may have had 10 resumes for one particular position (that by the way, required a at least a BS/BA) now have 1010 applications. Hmmm... "Hey why the fuck am I paying 20 dollars an hour, when I know I can get someone out of this four foot stack of resumes to do it for 15???" Yep, you guessed it... wages level completely off or in many cases start a downward trend because of the saturation of 4-year degree holders all competing for the same jobs. But, wait - what jobs?

Big business has found it more profitable to sell many of those jobs to lowest bidder over seas. Not only have all the manufacuring jobs been shipped abroad, but now we're seeing our science, technology and other type positions being shipped away. So, what's left? SERVICES. Yeah, we're going to become a nation of services!!!! What a crock of shit.

While I DO think the average American is a fucking moron, I also have to admit that I do not think they're all wanting to be Bill Gates. No, most Americans just want to make enough to, as the quoted post above states, make enough to live a decent life, send the kids to college, take a vacation once in a while, and maybe... just maybe retire some day. You try doing all that on a 9 dollar an hour fucking SERVICE job.

The government, and yes I realize the Demo's are guilty as well - just not as guilty as the GOP, has stood idly by and done absolutely nothing about it.

The republicans - who tout their support of the "family" do nothing while both parents have to work 10 hour days just to pay the fucking bills - bills that are only high, not because of the costs of generation, but because of corp. GREED. Do you REALLY think that apartment across the street from you really needs to charge $1,200 a month for a second rate apartment? Do you really think Exxon is going to go out of business if they lowered their prices so that gas costs 1.50 a gallon instead of 2.50? The answer is: FUCK NO they wont. But, the republicans support big business. They don't, however, support you... me... or any other American trying to make it.

Some of you can't seem to get it through your thick, GOP brainwashed heads that people demand higher wages, because higher wages are what it takes to get by in this over priced, gouging country we live in.

Oh, but unemployement is the lowest it's been in years! Again, I say pull your head out of Bush's ass for 5 minutes and take a look around you. Do you really understand how "it" works? Let me fill you in real quick - just incase you don't. You got a computer programmer who was happily making a life for his family on 50 grand a year. Suddenly, some fat tub of shit CEO desides he can buy a 5th summer home if he sells off his programming jobs to India. So, now the programmer is unemployed. Because other fat tub of shit CEO's got the same idea he can't find work in his field. After a few months of struggling he finally gives up and take a job at a Wal-Mart warehouse for 15 dollars an hour - and that cock sucking so called "president" of ours can chalk up "another new job created!!!" Yay - go GOP!!!

I hope and pray the Demo's take BOTH houses- even though I am not a democrat. Why? Because I know that while yes even though the demo's are some what friendly to big business - they will hold them more accountable for their actions. A LOT more so than the GOP.

Wake up people. The republicans are not on your side. And, you are NOT a republican - no matter what you think - unless you're making more than 6 figures a year - what you are is just a wanna be to blind to see the mass damage caused to this nation by an out of control political machine that should have never been put in power in the first place.

You want to take about weapons of mass destruction - how about we talk about the biggest WMD this country has ever seen... it's called the GOP.

[runamonk]

BREATH....

[Diekan]

I can't.... not till next Tuesday night - when I know for sure the Nazi's have lost power in both houses - I'll exhale... then masturbate several hundred times to images of Miss Zeta-Jones

[runamonk]

hehe.

[10sun]

I've seen similar situations lately.

I've got a former accountant, Wall Street Broker, and a few other former powerhouse guys all with 4+ year degrees... all working in my warehouse moving boxes and shit around for $12 an hour because its the best job they could get.

[Tikker]

move to canada then

Coffee shops are so desperate for workers, starting wage is over $13/hr

[Minrott]

All I know, is I've worked in manufacturing my whole adult life, in various positions and industries, and I've only moved up in pay. I've never made a lateral transition and never made a downward transition. I make more now than I ever have, some of the other toolmakers are making over $100k a year. ($100k is a hell of a lot different here than were most of you are, save your wage arrogance.)

Are the menial industrial jobs heading over seas? Yeah. Is there a chance I'll lose my job to outsourcing? Not on earth, unless the entire company moves to Asia, and I'll admit that is always a possibility. However, I'm a skilled tradesman, not someone with 8th grade reading and 5th grade math and 4 kids. I started out in menial labor and worked my way into the trade I'm in. I hold no illusions that the plight of manufacturing today rests in the hands of the American worker just as much as it does in American corporate greed.

Nobody is willing to do what I did anymore. They've been brainwashed into believing that they'll hit it big with a 4 year degree. Or, they've chosen not to do any schooling and take what they can get. I have little sympathy for people who do nothing to advance their position but whine, or who believe that a cookie cutter degree in a field with no real tangible value will get them a decent career.

[Darcler]

I'll move to Canada for the sole purpose of hearing "about" and "sorry" all the time. Throw in some "eh"s and I'm a happy camper.

[Tacks]

I'd like to point out this thread was about "minimum wage" where I then went on to say that you can easily get 3x minimum wage in any city. Deikan then went off on a political tirade which really has nothing at all to do with anything.

It's not my fault if you're worthless and can't get a decent job.