Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Sure there are good paying jobs out there- no doubt Pop_Rivet will be along to inform us that if we had only lived a life of hard work, clean eating and went to college to study hard, we too would never make less than a lowly $20.00/hr. There is truth to that statement, but no too long ago it wasn't too hard for high school graduates to work a skilled/non skilled labor position and with some smart spending, live a good life. Those jobs are getting fewer and farther in between.
The world changed while you were asleep, Rip.
I can't imagine anyone with only a high school education, especially as poor as the education system in the US has become, to expect much more than minimum wage. In order for someone to expect a higher wage, they need to invest in themselves.
There are a lot of higher paying jobs available. Not too far from here Facebook just began putting their newest facility on line, staffed with people who all earn well over $20/hour. They are people who invested in their education and became extremely skilled at what they do. They are reaping the benefits of investing in themselves. In a year or so Facebook will double the staff when the 2nd data center opens. Facebook located here in part because Iowa was able to supply them with wind energy, a field that has a high demand for technicians to keep the wind towers serviced. Those jobs pay well over $20/hour, but also require post high school education.
There is also a huge opportunity in the skilled trades. But again, to suggest that people can or should be able to step into a high paying job without post-high school education is pure ignorance. The days of graduating high school and stepping into a job assembling widgets for a living wage are long gone. Even the skilled trades require post-high school and apprenticeship training.
You can spend your time lamenting about how it used to be, or you can keep up and change with the times. In order to be successful people have to invest in themselves beyond a high school education. Whether they choose a skilled trade career or a career requiring a college degree is up to them. But they'll never get anywhere without some sort of additional education.
Originally Posted By: 04SE
American's don't have an income problem. They have a spending problem.
Agree, to a point. When you look at some of the posts on here and see people leasing/making payments on cars they can't afford, and buying the latest cell phone gadget every few months, it's clear that many do have a spending problem. But some of them could well afford more if they took the time to invest in themselves and further their education. Instead they feel the need to keep up with the Joneses and waste their efforts on material things rather than things that will make a real, financial difference in their lives.
Originally Posted By: Kruse
A lot of people will be getting salary raises in the next few years because the people of their state voted in mandatory minimum-wage pay hikes during this last election. I don't know if it's something to be happy about or if it's something that pathetic.
Anyone who depends upon a politician to give them a raise deserves to be working for minimum wage.
