He makes $12 an hour.....and he calls the job his career????

SPEEDY MCCREADY · March 2007

so the chicago sun-times had a front page story about 3,000 people losing their jobs at circuit city because they were being paid too much.These people will have the opportunity to re-apply for their old jobs in 10 weeks,but the jobs will now pay $10 an hour instead of $12.....

I dont know what puzzles me more....

the fact that these poor people are losing their jobs....

or the fact that some of these people have a career job that pays only $12 an hour......

how the fuck can someone survive on $12 an hour??

the man they interviewed in the article is 48 years old and has been working at circuit city for 8 years....

Milestone · March 2007

I don't get it either. I barely survive on $18/hour.

Ahnimus · March 2007

I make roughly $12/hour CAD and it's the best 'career' I've ever had.

My cousin works for The Source by Circuit City as an assistant manager and is at risk of being layed off, he makes shit change as well.

My old boss' monthly debt payments are greater than my monthly income. There is a huge gap between employee income and employer income.

There is also a huge gap between US and CAD wages. I used to work at Stream Intl. as a call centre rep making $10/hr CAD, my US counterparts doing the same job made $17/hr USD.

soulsinging · March 2007

yet people that say the minimum wage is too low are crazy socialist liberals.

tooferz · March 2007

$12.00 an hour is better than nothing, definitely higher pay and easier work than say restaurant work. people live within their means and make do.

surferdude · March 2007

A career is hopefully doing something you love to do. Maybe this guy liked working with the public and with electronics. Maybe he isn't motivated by money at all. You can be hugely successful without being rich or caring abot money.

angelica · March 2007

surferdude wrote:

A career is hopefully doing something you love to do. Maybe this guy liked working with the public and with electronics. Maybe he isn't motivated by money at all. You can be hugely successful without being rich or caring abot money.

I completely agree.

thatirwinfella · March 2007

My old boss' monthly debt payments are greater than my monthly income. There is a huge gap between employee income and employer income.

too right... a few of my friends are apprentices for a group training organisation. Their tradesmen pay the GTO $1000/week for these guys, but they only get paid $250-400/week back from the GTO.

And if the tradesmen don't need them anymore they can be sent back at anytime, and don't get paid for being inbetween jobs. Meanwhile, the GTO does fuck all for the apprentice... they have to pay their own school fees, buy their own tools etc out of their pay. Sitting in the car park of the GTO are half a dozen performance cars covered with logos.

Milestone · April 2007

Ahnimus wrote:

There is also a huge gap between US and CAD wages. I used to work at Stream Intl. as a call centre rep making $10/hr CAD, my US counterparts doing the same job made $17/hr USD.

What is CAD?

boxwine_in_hell · April 2007

tooferz wrote:

$12.00 an hour is better than nothing, definitely higher pay and easier work than say restaurant work. people live within their means and make do.

You can make a six figure income as a waiter or waitress if you're willing to pay your dues and work weekends at a nice restaurant. Most people want things right away, but you've got to learn the restaurant business and have some sort of brain before some restaurant manager sends you out to wait at a fine dining establishment.

Jeanie · April 2007

Milestone wrote:

What is CAD?

Canada maybe?

Cosmo · April 2007

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

so the chicago sun-times had a front page story about 3,000 people losing their jobs at circuit city because they were being paid too much.These people will have the opportunity to re-apply for their old jobs in 10 weeks,but the jobs will now pay $10 an hour instead of $12.....

I dont know what puzzles me more....

the fact that these poor people are losing their jobs....

or the fact that some of these people have a career job that pays only $12 an hour......

how the fuck can someone survive on $12 an hour??

the man they interviewed in the article is 48 years old and has been working at circuit city for 8 years....

...
Some people just end up in the job they're in.
I'm sure that there are no kids saying, "I want to work at Wal-Mart when I grow up"... yet, we see people working at Wal-Mart. Same goes for older people working at McDonalds or Sears or wherever.
Hell... when I was a kid, I wanted to play baseball for a living. Database Administrator is close, only in the fact that the word, 'Base' is in both of them.
...
Bottom line... give the guy a break. He lost his job... (and what sacrifices do you think the execs at Circuit City are making?)... and probably does not possess a set of skills to design a new missile guidence system. The guy still deserves to live, don't he?

crittables · April 2007

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

so the chicago sun-times had a front page story about 3,000 people losing their jobs at circuit city because they were being paid too much.These people will have the opportunity to re-apply for their old jobs in 10 weeks,but the jobs will now pay $10 an hour instead of $12.....

I dont know what puzzles me more....

the fact that these poor people are losing their jobs....

or the fact that some of these people have a career job that pays only $12 an hour......

how the fuck can someone survive on $12 an hour??

the man they interviewed in the article is 48 years old and has been working at circuit city for 8 years....

maybe the guy never had the opportunity to get a college degree. it's hard to get a decent paying job WITH a degree, can't be any easier without one.
i can't even imagine taking a two dollar an hour pay cut. that is a huge difference.

and if you think surviving on $12 an hour is bad, imagine folks trying to get by on minimum wage.

know1 · April 2007

You can definitely live on $12 an hour - especially if you're married to someone else who is making that much or more.

I know a single girl who lives in a decent apartment without a roommate and works for $11.50 an hour. She doesn't have much money left after food and utilities and doesn't have cable TV or new clothes, but she gets by.

Cosmo · April 2007

know1 wrote:

You can definitely live on $12 an hour - especially if you're married to someone else who is making that much or more.

I know a single girl who lives in a decent apartment without a roommate and works for $11.50 an hour. She doesn't have much money left after food and utilities and doesn't have cable TV or new clothes, but she gets by.

...
And if she loses that job... what happens to her?
...
I'm guessing it would be a lot tougher on her than you, right? I mean, you can afford to get fired from your job, because you can live off your savings or sell off some of your stuff... and... you own a home.
Her? She would need to find a job... immediately. She gets behind in the rent and the electric bill... she's in trouble. She has fewer options than you. She has to take whatever she can grab... you have the luxury of seeking out comprable employment because you retain your skills set. If you do not possess a desirable skill, you take whatever Taco Bell is will to pay you.

PJammin' · April 2007

surferdude wrote:

A career is hopefully doing something you love to do. Maybe this guy liked working with the public and with electronics. Maybe he isn't motivated by money at all. You can be hugely successful without being rich or caring abot money.

i also agree with your post, surferdude. nice work.

Songburst · April 2007

Cosmo wrote:

...
And if she loses that job... what happens to her?
...
I'm guessing it would be a lot tougher on her than you, right? I mean, you can afford to get fired from your job, because you can live off your savings or sell off some of your stuff... and... you own a home.
Her? She would need to find a job... immediately. She gets behind in the rent and the electric bill... she's in trouble. She has fewer options than you. She has to take whatever she can grab... you have the luxury of seeking out comprable employment because you retain your skills set. If you do not possess a desirable skill, you take whatever Taco Bell is will to pay you.

Who's fault is that, exactly? It sucks, but that's how economies work these days. Big box, cost-cutting, optimization, etc are now a way of life. That is why it blows my mind that people still drop out of high school. I know that school doesn't mean shit as far as ability goes, but it sure does provide an easy starting point when jobs are cut. The only people who get into trouble are people that get themselves into that position in the first place. If you don't have a marketable skill, that is your fault and yours alone.

Jeanie · April 2007

Songburst wrote:

Who's fault is that, exactly? It sucks, but that's how economies work these days. Big box, cost-cutting, optimization, etc are now a way of life. That is why it blows my mind that people still drop out of high school. I know that school doesn't mean shit as far as ability goes, but it sure does provide an easy starting point when jobs are cut. The only people who get into trouble are people that get themselves into that position in the first place. If you don't have a marketable skill, that is your fault and yours alone.

Hmmm......and what of those who go through an horrific adolescence?

And for your sake I hope you are prepared for all possible eventualities in your life. Don't ever get really sick.

Cosmo · April 2007

Songburst wrote:

Who's fault is that, exactly? It sucks, but that's how economies work these days. Big box, cost-cutting, optimization, etc are now a way of life. That is why it blows my mind that people still drop out of high school. I know that school doesn't mean shit as far as ability goes, but it sure does provide an easy starting point when jobs are cut. The only people who get into trouble are people that get themselves into that position in the first place. If you don't have a marketable skill, that is your fault and yours alone.

...
I'm not saying it's anyone's 'Fault'. I'm just making a statement that just because you can survive... that everyone can.
And as for 'Marketable Skills'... remember those highly paid software developers from the 90s? How do they compete with workers with the same skill sets in places like India and China? Even doctors... my X-Rays can be diagnosed by doctors in India for a hell of a lot less than a doctor in Los Angeles. Yeah... the surgeon still does the knife work... so more people should become surgeons?
I don't rely upon my skill set because they can become obsolete... just as the auto worker or shoe cobbler or Application Developer in America. And I don't blame other people for not becoming database administrators for Department of Defense export controlled data like me. I have a sense of compassion for their plight. I don't know their lives or experiences... no one appointed me as judge of what they did or didn't do in the past. They are in a situation today... I just think that the richest nation in the world would care more about their people than simply headcount numbers to a spreadsheet to cut in order to increase the bottom line. Each one of those 'Numbers' is a person.

know1 · April 2007

Cosmo wrote:

...
And if she loses that job... what happens to her?
...
I'm guessing it would be a lot tougher on her than you, right? I mean, you can afford to get fired from your job, because you can live off your savings or sell off some of your stuff... and... you own a home.
Her? She would need to find a job... immediately. She gets behind in the rent and the electric bill... she's in trouble. She has fewer options than you. She has to take whatever she can grab... you have the luxury of seeking out comprable employment because you retain your skills set. If you do not possess a desirable skill, you take whatever Taco Bell is will to pay you.

There is some truth to what you say, but I also think it would be easier for her to replace that income than it would for me to replace mine.

And yes, I could live off my savings for awhile, but that's because I've been diligent and saved up more than 6 months worth of expenses in savings. There are a ton of people making big money that are still living paycheck to paycheck.

polaris · April 2007

Cosmo wrote:

...
I'm not saying it's anyone's 'Fault'. I'm just making a statement that just because you can survive... that everyone can.
And as for 'Marketable Skills'... remember those highly paid software developers from the 90s? How do they compete with workers with the same skill sets in places like India and China? Even doctors... my X-Rays can be diagnosed by doctors in India for a hell of a lot less than a doctor in Los Angeles. Yeah... the surgeon still does the knife work... so more people should become surgeons?
I don't rely upon my skill set because they can become obsolete... just as the auto worker or shoe cobbler or Application Developer in America. And I don't blame other people for not becoming database administrators for Department of Defense export controlled data like me. I have a sense of compassion for their plight. I don't know their lives or experiences... no one appointed me as judge of what they did or didn't do in the past. They are in a situation today... I just think that the richest nation in the world would care more about their people than simply headcount numbers to a spreadsheet to cut in order to increase the bottom line. Each one of those 'Numbers' is a person.

here here

He makes $12 an hour.....and he calls the job his career????

Comments

Categories