The cost of living in 2024....

[alarmguy]

Not a dig, but I think there are a ton of healthcare worker jobs where the amount of credits needed far exceeds the job requirements. I got a set of x-rays on my neck just this morning, I'm sure the nice lady that was operating the machine required at least a couple of years of schooling, maybe more. Literally all she did was had me stand where the X was on the board and push a button after I was standing still enough.

If I were in the medical field, I would be asking myself what my fallback plan is after all the boomers are dead. The boomers are at end-of-life treatment so it is booming right now with the hip & knee replacements, cardio, cancer care etc., but then what happens in 10 more years when you patient population drops in half?

If I were going to school today, mortician is where I would be looking.

I have to be honest, that lady x-ray technician position probably could be had for one year, possibly two years of a technical school.
Furthermore, if that technician wants to advance her career in radiology it’s almost a sure thing, actually it is a sure thing a healthcare network/hospital would pay for it

 

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

I'd be surprised if she wasn't eligible to receive other forms of pay such as shift differential, shift differential OT/ regular OT /holiday OT, weekend pay & weekend OT, etc.

There is no other differential than what I stated. There is no holidays or weekends in a hospital. It's a workday. Regardless of what you've heard, people that work 7-7 in a hospital don't get "holiday" or "weekend" pay. They know that going in.

What she needs to do is what I said in the OP. She needs a year of experience, she needs a couple more certificates than what she has now (I can't remember them, maybe NICU related, something else; she has 3-4 now before graduating). She will get a small raise at the 6 mo mark, after a year is when things really open up.... literally every ad from every hospital says "1 year experience and RRT".

There's few RTs with Bachelor's Degrees; many are Associates-Degreed. AAS Degreed respiratory therapists are allowed to sit for the Registered Resp Therapist License in most states. They might not pass as quickly, they certainly don't have the in-depth schooling. My daughter has worked side-by-side with AAS students from other schools while doing clinicals at hospitals in GA and AL. She tells me those students don't know very much compared to her and her counterparts at her school.

What the advantage is for my daughter is the ability to move up to management sooner/better with the Bachelor's Degree and it is preferred at many hospitals in GA, especially CHOA.

 

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

Not a dig, but I think there are a ton of healthcare worker jobs where the amount of credits needed far exceeds the job requirements. I got a set of x-rays on my neck just this morning, I'm sure the nice lady that was operating the machine required at least a couple of years of schooling, maybe more. Literally all she did was had me stand where the X was on the board and push a button after I was standing still enough.

If I were in the medical field, I would be asking myself what my fallback plan is after all the boomers are dead. The boomers are at end-of-life treatment so it is booming right now with the hip & knee replacements, cardio, cancer care etc., but then what happens in 10 more years when you patient population drops in half?

If I were going to school today, mortician is where I would be looking.

You are sorely misguided at what's coming in society for your generation. I take it you've never been in a hospital...

You're sorely misguided at what skills and tasks are performed by an X-ray tech. Just because they spent 7-1/2 seconds telling you where the stand and press a button doesn't mean that's all there is. If it was, the hospital would have had YOU do it.

Pro tip: There's not just "boomers" in the hospital. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) is currently building a multi-billion dollar campus in Atlanta. Multiple buildings. Multiple doctors offices, clinics, parking decks. It's massive. This is in addition to the already multiple campuses already in the Atlanta area.

 

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

Let me restate my main purpose of me starting this thread -

Most of you either have kids at or near college age or possibly grandkids. I'm suggesting you guide these kids in a manner to an economical college "experience" or like many have said, like many have been saying for years, to another path that might include a trade school/etc.

I'm not against education. In fact, I think the trade schools need to boost their programs up and offer robust business classes; maybe not as a requirement but as an elective; maybe the state schools could do some co-op with the colleges and trade schools where the trade school students can enroll/audit business classes at a 4-year school.

Yes, College is expensive for none other than "everybody's doing it".... Another thing I've seen is parents write a check with no questions asked. I see parents spending $5-10k decorating a stinking 1/2 share of a dorm room every August for their new precious freshman. Many times, that freshman isn't even a student at that prestigious university a year later.

Stop clowning with money on an appearance for a kid at college; demand quality from the university and your student...

 

[Dave Hess]

I’ve spent 35 years in healthcare (various roles) and it seems like everyone starts off making less money than they were expecting. It takes years to build up your training and skill set to make the money you’re worth.

I recently had a Physical Therapist tell me they are underpaid for having a doctorate degree.
I also had a Pharmacist tell me they are underpaid for having PharmD degree.
Both people have $150K of student loans.
They are praying Uncle Joe takes care of it……..

My daughter was thinking about nursing and I convinced her to do something more specialized. Clinical nursing is very difficult and high stress dealing with so many problems and issues out of your control.

She became a perfusionist (open heart surgery) and really enjoys her career, she is also a medic in the Air Force Reserve. Perfusion is a lesser known career field and pays very well once you get the hands on experience and knowledge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfusionist

https://college.mayo.edu/academics/...eers/careers-a-z/cardiovascular-perfusionist/

.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

There is no other differential than what I stated. There is no holidays or weekends in a hospital. It's a workday. Regardless of what you've heard, people that work 7-7 in a hospital don't get "holiday" or "weekend" pay. They know that going in.

What she needs to do is what I said in the OP. She needs a year of experience, she needs a couple more certificates than what she has now (I can't remember them, maybe NICU related, something else; she has 3-4 now before graduating). She will get a small raise at the 6 mo mark, after a year is when things really open up.... literally every ad from every hospital says "1 year experience and RRT".

There's few RTs with Bachelor's Degrees; many are Associates-Degreed. AAS Degreed respiratory therapists are allowed to sit for the Registered Resp Therapist License in most states. They might not pass as quickly, they certainly don't have the in-depth schooling. My daughter has worked side-by-side with AAS students from other schools while doing clinicals at hospitals in GA and AL. She tells me those students don't know very much compared to her and her counterparts at her school.

What the advantage is for my daughter is the ability to move up to management sooner/better with the Bachelor's Degree and it is preferred at many hospitals in GA, especially CHOA.

Ya I don't know exactly how it works but I've seen it hundreds of times on the paystubs of RN's CNA's etc from all over the country. I guess your daughter is on a different structure.

 

[John105]

I’m in the Phila metro area. Pork chops have been $1.99/lb for 3 years, every week. This Sun, I noticed $2.99.

Problem is I don’t know want them, too dry. Oh really? Yes, I can choose.

My buddy in Jacksonville said pork chops have never been $1.99/lb where he lives. Sent me a pic from Publix $4.99/lb.

I noticed that for most of 2023, steak never went on sale. I’m good with choice t-bone/rib eye/my strip at $6.99/lb. I missed the only time it went on sale in Feb for that. I generally do shop what’s on sale. It helps.

The grocery store has become window shopping. If I want to go where I cannot afford anything, I go to Whole Foods.

 

[Al]

She doesn't have any student debt. Do you believe that every college student has student loan debt because the media and a certain WH Administration is so fixated on it?

I financed her college education. Where do I apply for my free stuff?

First of all congrats to you. You had the foresight to do things right. What you did through your planning is done perhaps 5% of time.
And yes the Government is throwing money bags aqt the "problem" And we all know why.

Too many merely decide to go to college with no endgame in sight with respect to careers or fimance. Collegeges raise their rates bc they can and many are structured like the government. Meaning bloated payrolls with limited accountability. It will end when enrollment declines. They will adjust or go the way of the doo-doo bird.

My post is just a rehash of what people with a bit of savy already know.

 

[SeaJay]

It's because there are too many people going to college. This has been the case for decades now, and only recently has the message gotten out there.

Great, great point. When I graduated from high school many, many decades ago I suspect well under half of graduates enrolled in college, with maybe a quarter of grads ending up with the requisite degree to get a white collar job with decent, or better than decent pay.

Since then, the vast majority of parents get all their kids enrolled in some college even if the kids abilities are somewhat remedial. With loans and plenty of private for profit schools there is an open slot for most all of them. There ain't that many white collar jobs with decent pay for these grads and by then they missed the boat to get into a non-white collar jobs being 4 or more years behind those kids that have been doing that since the day they got out of high school, if not even earlier part time and summers.

Inflation just adds to the misery.

 

[John105]

First of all congrats to you. You had the foresight to do things right. What you did through your planning is done perhaps 5% of time.
And yes the Government is throwing money bags aqt the "problem" And we all know why.

Too many merely decide to go to college with no endgame in sight with respect to careers or fimance. Collegeges raise their rates bc they can and many are structured like the government. Meaning bloated payrolls with limited accountability. It will end when enrollment declines. They will adjust or go the way of the doo-doo bird.

My post is just a rehash of what people with a bit of savy already know.

People who attend elite colleges have zero debt. It’s by design. For some odd reason it doesn’t seem to be common knowledge. That’s how I catch parents in lies. Oh my gosh, junior went to xyz college and it’s $68,000. Yeah but it was free with aid, scholarship, and student work (I know I know if > $250k starts to be a tiny anoint and there’s also a calculation on assets that I was told in the 4% range). So be quiet . I had a coworker whose son went to PENN he said they paid nothing. That told me he made at the time < $60,000.

It’s when kids go to mediocre colleges that parents are murdered. My ex boss had 2 kids at $27k each per year back in 2016, and a really mediocre college.

 

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

Ya I don't know exactly how it works but I've seen it hundreds of times on the paystubs of RN's CNA's etc from all over the country. I guess your daughter is on a different structure.

The hospital where she is going to work doesn't really have to recruit RNs and RTs, they generally have a line of fresh graduates and experienced girls wanting to work there. Pretty much the same with CHOA, but CHOA does pay a few dollars more because of the increased cost of living in the Atlanta metro area.

The attached hospital at where my daughter will be working pays RTs a few dollars less than what she is getting.

It's just hard to realize the pay for these positions isn't much more than what Bucee's is paying cashiers....

 

[Dave Hess]

I’ve met many senior leadership at various hospitals (profit & nonprofit) that started on the bottom and worked their way up.

Yes, bachelors degree will help get into management, masters will help get into upper leadership roles.
Take advantage of tuition reimbursement through your employer (healthcare system).

I know a hospital CEO that started as a basic X-ray tech 30 years ago, I also know a nurse that worked her way up to a CEO. Big $$$$$ and lots of responsibilities at all levels.

 

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

First of all congrats to you. You had the foresight to do things right. What you did through your planning is done perhaps 5% of time.
And yes the Government is throwing money bags aqt the "problem" And we all know why.

Thank you. I'm not sure we had a plan, but I did try to expose my daughter to stuff early on and teach her there were other jobs out there other than a teacher, doctor, etc., what she had seen in her early years.

My wife and I chose to sacrifice some expenditures and savings the last 6 years to pay for this, I don't regret it. I am not happy about how much it cost and I don't think most of the people going to college can really afford this nor can they afford to finance it. No one with any financial sense can make sense of amortizing the true cost of college today on many degrees. Not even most STEM majors.

Generally, Electrical and Mechanical engineering students coming straight out of college are starting at $60-70k. If they earn their EIT, they are looking at $80k and PE about $100-110k. That's a LOT of hard work and continuing education to get that that level and it's generally a 5 year post-graduate plan to get your PE.

You are looking at $150k+ for an engineering degree from an accredited school that will enable you to have the most reciprocity across the US.... Now if you work really hard and choose to go towards the industrial route and/or higher end pay scale where you're working for a large company designing parts, rockets, etc., sure, your earning potential is greater sooner.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I’ve met many senior leadership at various hospitals (profit & nonprofit) that started on the bottom and worked their way up.

Yes, bachelors degree will help get into management, masters will help get into upper leadership roles.
Take advantage of tuition reimbursement through healthcare system.

I know a hospital CEO that started as a basic X-ray tech 30 years ago.

What do you mean - we pay 3X more for standard health services compared to the next closest country. You mean that money isn’t going to the providers? I am shocked.

 

[Dave Hess]

Most hospitals were paying Respiratory Therapists during the height of the chinese biological warfare games $50-60/hr. Yes, this was generally subsidized rates because there was a shortage of RTs versus the number of ventilators in operation around the country.

I tell ya what - the next time you need some emergency medical, life-saving assistance for you or a family member, I bet you want to make sure they are the best trained, have a deep desire to be there and are willing to come in and work all hours of the day and night for peanuts.

I take it most of you have never spent months in the hospital beside a loved one who is dependent upon these nurses and RTs who are literally saving their patients lives hour by hour.

Here in Florida they were paying $1000 bonus….. plus your normal hourly pay to take on an extra work day (12 hours). Yes, it was that bad down here.

Some RT travelers made crazy money during Covid.

 

[JTK]

Here in Florida they were paying $1000 plus your normal hourly pay to take on an extra work day (12 hours).

Some RT travelers made crazy money during Covid.

I've been told average pay for a 12hr shift RN in the Buffalo area is $45-50/hr to start.

 

[svtrit]

I have 3 adult sons, 2 yet that are children

Son #1 went to university on his own dime (loans) because he made decisions that caused him to lose my willingness to foot half the bill. He graduated with debt and has a job he hates. He also doesn’t make enough to be able to afford owning a house, and he is married with one child. His wife won’t work. He understands the bed he made and hates he won’t be able to move forward. I pray for him a lot.

Son #2
He is about to start his residency as a pharmacy student. He is also married with one child and another on the way. I’ve provided him with two cars and paid for some of his pharmacy school tuition. He will have large loans to pay, but he and his wife will both work once they settle into where ever home is after he graduates in a year. In 10 years he will be just fine.

Son #3
Got a job in the trades (HVAC) 5 years ago and now makes more than Son #1. He rents with friends and is close to having his 20% down payment saved for his house. He also built a 4Runner for Overlanding and travels doing that while owning a second 4Runner as a winter beater. He is waiting for the perfect girl to marry and loving life at the moment.

Only Son #1 had no vision and chased after empty paths. He is the unhappy one. The other 2, though different in their paths are satisfied and doing well.

Daughter #1. Knows she wants to be a hairdresser and will start working full time for a couple years to save for 50% of hair academy tuition. I’ll pay the other half. She will live at home until out of academy.

My fear is we live in a world like the late 70’s and 80’s were it will be hard to move forward. I’m lucky to have been a 90’s kid.

I have 3 more kids to train, ages 4-10

 

[Dave Hess]

I've been told average pay for a 12hr shift RN in the Buffalo area is $45-50/hr to start.

Sounds about right for a state like NY with higher COL & taxes than FL.

Bottom line…… everyone starts at the bottom pay scale in ANY career field.

 

[RDY4WAR]

There are way too many examples, but how about $1000 for a family of 4 to see a NHL game, or $600 concert tix. My way is boycott. But lots of people partake. I’m ok as being perceived as a have not. The divide is large.

That's true. I bought concert tickets recently and cringed when putting in the card information. It was over $700 for 2 tickets that aren't even close to the stage. Front row is $1,500+/ea. A good chunk of that is stupid Ticketmaster fees. However, when they sell out in less than 24 hours, what's the incentive to make them cheaper?

 

[zzyzzx]

Agree.

Is the message really out there?

Mike Rowe tried to get the message out, but yeah he is often censored for doing it.