merrickx
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Feb 10, 2026 2:12 PM
merrickx
22943
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Idontneedrealfacts
its almost as if putting limits and safeguards on capitalism was important or something, idk I am a poor
miklkit
The people in STEM never thought of this.
CylensTheDiscourse
Who the hell is making $165,000 at a tech job?! Most would be lucky making even half that. And for those faulting AI for this, uh, did you notice the article was written in **2021**? And was about offshore workers, not AI? I don't know why both of these are presented together in this post.
beaubrent
It's gonna get so bad. Prepare for apocalypse.
EternalStudent07
Booms and busts (no, not that kind). The SW/AI mania felt bigger than it should have been, so the FUD is going to be amplified too (the farther they fall). Be useful, reliable, honest, aware, improving, etc... And eventually someone with resources will want you to do something for them. Look for solutions to the problems you have, because you're probably not alone. The "who moved my cheese!" book was popular for a reason.
carlono789
The H1B visa article is from 2021. I hope the amount of outsourcing went down in 2025, but I don’t know.
PenguinNamedWobbles
Prob better off hosting your own site and building it up or trying your hand at building a small app.
IamAlbertPotato
You know what the world needs more of? Hackers, specifically those who can get into government departments.... and contract killers, specifically those who can get into government departments.
braddCommentSmuggler
One of my mates wives just started a job at microslop doing ai vibe coding. She's never worked a tech job in her life and doesn't know how programming works at all, they gave her access to 2 ais one that does prompt generation and one that does code
unannouncedguest
Maybe join anonymous and just completely wreck these companies
charondaboatman
Once we push the ability to repair and fix things by ourselves beyond the grasp of most people by making them more reliant on technology and complex systems, the higher the value that true tradespeople will have. I used to be able to tune and repair my vehicles - I still have one I can work on, but my truck has 3 different computer modules in it. Appliance repair, plumbing, hardware install / repair, network systems, mechanics, etc.. anything that requires hands on and judgement will be good.
Ohdearaudrey
This was a bubble before AI. Code camps were churning out students in as little as 6 months or less that were landing jobs during Covid when everything tech was exploding. Companies were over hiring and students were spreading the word. Hey man, go to a boot camp, make 6 figures. The Covid boom dried up and companies have too many employees. Senior and above level devs are being hired, but the market for entry level is almost non existent. When a company needs low level, they hire offshore
Rijacki
Aside from the 'salary' not being the entry salary, as implied, if you don't have entry positions, those later potential salaries will be gone, too.
RUFingKiddingMe
Did they not see this coming a long time ago?
SoftKleenex
Nope, everybody thought the gravy train would go on forever
DiracsDelta
Hi, I’m a lead engineer, with 2 direct reports, and about 15 years experience, working at a multi-billion dollar company that supplies cutting edge equipment to semiconductor fabs. Now, see I thought that would be considered a “high tech job” but apparently not, considering I’m nowhere close to that salary, still paying student loans, and can barely hold a mortgage on a condo. Pretty sure I’d only make that much if I got an MBA and switched from tech track to engineering manager.
EternalStudent07
Guessing CA or NY jobs (high cost of living) are what get headlines. Real estate "values" (costs) rise to meet local salaries, especially with that software that was doing the pricing collusion for rentals. Guessing only at FANG or finance, and all that. I can't speak about if manager tracks typically pay better than individual contributor of similar levels. But it could make sense... incentivize the job people won't want (less like original).
lezgetfukkinreal
They should start their own co-op owned programming studios and work on competing markets against these companies
grandestgrandeur
Even IF the AI bubble pops, do employers really think that people will willingly, go to Amazon and etc after being telling employees that "You're replaceable and we eagerly want to replace you"? Probably not. Then there will be this huge cycle of "no one wants to work anymore" or the media smearing people for being "entitled" and etc.
It's just a big stupid game and honestly? I want these techbros and CEO fools to suffer the most. It won't happen with THIS administration, but a bitch can hope.
VodkaReindeer
Both pictures tell us that American coders require too much money to work so they're getting replaced by AI and Indians.
Subsound
Thats like saying properly disposing of your trash takes too much money compared to shipping to china or throwing it in the street.
Educated and experienced programmers cost money.
VodkaReindeer
As if India doesn't have educated and experienced programmers.
Subsound
Of course they do, they just dont work for shit outsourcing companies trying to absolutely fuck over their workers for as little as possible.
At most they work at a shit company till it becomes too much, go next door or get an H2B to come to the US. I worked with a lot of people that did that.
intaglioguy
Microslop embracing slop is like cotton farmers embracing the boll weevil.
Vtoloier
the key point is that actually the AI isn't doing all the work, that's a farce. They are literally selling the idea as leverage over workers and using h-1b immigrants to make up for the difference https://youtu.be/WfjGZCuxl-U The ai tools even slow people down, and often require tech debt later. Along with other industries, this is just creating a shortage of qualified workers able to be hired within the country despite being qualified. the immigrants have less leverage so they are preferred.
HitandRyan
AI in 2026 doesn’t stand for Artificial Intelligence, apparently it stands for Actually Indians.
DaffydeDick
AI is replacing programmers/coders. It can do it faster with less errors, not bitch about deadlines, takes no vacation time off, works 24/7 for free.
chatawillybilly
There always will be naysayers. Silicon Valley has started cutting software jobs by the hundreds. LLMs like Opus 4.5 and GPT 5.2 pushed my 16 years out the door.
MirroredImage
Did you mean to type, "It can't actually be trusted to code by itself because it's guessing what bits come next without understanding what it's trying to make, forcing a paid human to sit and waste time triple checking an AI's work for errors that don't immediately stand out? Thereby slowing everything down despite what management needs shareholders to believe?"
https://metr.org/blog/2025-07-10-early-2025-ai-experienced-os-dev-study/
DaffydeDick
AI is already writing decent code. Tools like Copilot, ChatGPT, and others can: Generate boilerplate fast; Translate requirements into code; Fix common bugs; Refactor messy stuff. A lot of coding work is repetitive. Many jobs involve: CRUD APIs; Form validation; Config files; Tests that follow patterns. AI can do these easily.
0xDEC0DE
Easily, yes. Correctly? Sometimes.
Subsound
It can do it faster with less errors?
Citation?
Subsound
I cant see your comments after you mute me.
Do you have special needs or are you lying?
DaffydeDick
Examples provided above. Sorry to see you're having a difficult time with reading comprehension.
Ozimbah
Examples are not a citation. You made a claim that AI can do faster with less errors, where are you getting that from?
JackingMeHoff
Can you code? Run a sample on ChatGPT. Ask it to finish the job. That's your "citation".
Ozimbah
So your answer is "anecdotal evidence is enough for me!". Got it, safe to ignore then.
Gnerg
If you are transitioning to your secondary education - look around at what path is popular among your peers, then do something else. By the time you get your degree, all those people will be your competition, and entry-level jobs into promissing career that enticed them all will have dried up.
Gnerg
Also, if it's a popular degree, it will generally also be cost-inflated to account for that demand.
Gnerg
And whatever the fuck you do, don't go to art school.
NotSomoneElse68
The things about 'the trades' is you can't send a car or a house or a piece of factory equipment to India to get worked on. And things will always need fixed.
Filanwizard
I am not sure what specific trade path leads to it, but I have heard the US has a dire shortage of elevator repair techs.
NotSomoneElse68
Probably mechanical engineering. But that is a college degree. However, that is a valuable college degree for exactly the same reasons I mentioned for trades.
NaughtButOne
0xDEC0DE
Counter-point: ~90% of companies in existence right now have a five-year plan that involves getting acquired by another company, and turning headcount into literally Someone Else's Problem™.
They don't give a single fuck about long-term sustainability, because that's never been incentivized in tech, ever.
circlebreaker
Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyoink, putting this bad boi to work slagging AI at a later date.
bigguywhokills
Alberta has so many quotable clips: https://www.youtube.com/@albertatech
colderfish
As someone who has owned a little 5 person software company for 25yrs, I can tell you that it is going to get ugly for a while. I sat in a cafe next to an interview, where the interviewee was obviously clueless and the interviewer was even more clueless, but both we basically saying how nice it was that they could just spin up new changes without so much drama from "old school " programmers. Lots of experienced people gonna lose their jobs to "technical project managers" ...until it blows up.
iRecommendBooks
AI won't wait on legal.
MrOne2
Yes, it will be bad in the next years - people with experience will get fired, because of output imcrees with usage of AI. And for juniors, who will be unable to get jobs. But in 5 years, the shit will hit the fan : there will be no mid level engineers to use (because no juniors are hides now), and this will be a first in the industry.
Emjayen
The bar to entry for programming was dropped on the floor in the early 2000s to fill demand. The degree of ineptitude has already been shocking enough with the zoomers, let alone now with the advent of "AI" nonsense.
Luckily being a systems programmer working in a niche domain I'm personally insulated from the chaos for the most part.
Noahbalboa82
So you are saying we have more enshittification to expect from Microslop?
colderfish
Yes. It's gonna get really ugly
Bojovnik84
First, I've never met anyone being paid that amount, who didn't live in a high cost of living area, like NYC. If I worked my exact job for a company in NYC and had to live there, my salary would jump to that level. But I live in rural Florida and make 40k less than that. Second, AI will burst soon and vibe coding will fail and eventually they will be paying more, to get humans back in those spots. Just make sure you shame anyone using AI, to pop that bubble faster.
martineb72
You mean an expensive place like San Jose area where Apple, Facebook, and Google is located.
livingonagiantfireball
125k us in a rural area, thats like among the 5% top american pay
IconicM
Was just listening to a tech podcast (Hardfork) yesterday and they encouraged their listeners to try vibe coding. They talked about several websites and apps that people with no coding experience created. I'm sure they're flawed as hell but at my age I've seen "good enough" beat great way too often to think it's all going to go away. Our days as engineers are numbered.
crateo
Now do the same with corporate software and try to explain to your customer that the liability is on open ai xD
FusRoDer
It’s not going to burst. It’s not going away. We need to focus on forcing it to be more ethical.
schmonday
It will definitely burst, though it likely won't go away. Websites burst as well 25 years ago, but we're on one right now.
FusRoDer
I think you’re not fully grasping the scope of ai vs the internet. The dot com bubble and burst is not the same as the ai one.
schmonday
Being really big does not grant it economic immunity. And it's only this big because of one giant circle jerk. All the companies are themselves predicting they're failing. OpenAI doesnt even predict the possibility of profit until the 2030s at the earliest, meanwhile it projects billions of dollars of loss this year alone.
vorodar
Yeah, the title seems very clickbait-y. Do students really get $165k salaries? Sounds more like what somebody might get but only if they aren't a recent graduate. And even then, not even all of them would be getting that much.
iRecommendBooks
75% percentile in 2022 for salary for new graduates (does not include bonus and stock grants which are also typical) was $104,867
So definitely a small number, but it's not a tiny sliver. I'd say you'd have been at a tiny sliver if you were looking for starting salary + stock + bonus > $250k
loedout
I have been a full stack developer for a decade, and currently manage a full development team. I still don't make that much. I know developers who do, but they work for tech giants in high cost-of-living areas, have extensive experience, and they are very good at what they do.
UWAGAGABLAGABLAGABA
Hell. I'm a "senior" developer and i was only making $125 before i lost my job.
iRecommendBooks
Yeah, that number's real. I was hired at entry level at my current job at $145k / year back in 2017, and that wasn't top dollar (about 75th percentile in Seattle). Salaries got even higher by 2022 (when it peaked).
Def. largely concentrated to tech hubs like San Fransisco, Seattle, and New York, but also in places like San Diego, Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, DC Metro, etc. Remote pay can hit that too at companies located in those tech hubs.
Kehy
That said, there's a reason why Seattle min wage is so high. Not a cheap place to live
iRecommendBooks
I mean the reason is we demanded it. It's not a bad place to live on minimum wage (measured by hours required to afford a 2 bedroom apartment), I wouldn't want to try to support a family on it.
obijan
In many companies using AI for daily work is now mandatory. Usage is tracked, and pace of deliverables is unmanagable without it.
Employees have to chose between creating slop or making burritos for minimal wage.
wadatahmydamie
Forcing workers to do subpar work with inferior tools won’t make the bubble pop any slower
Bojovnik84
I actually think it will speed up, because when the bottom line starts dropping due to the crap that AI is slinging. My wife works for a large life insurance company as an underwriter and it took about 2 months for them to yank out the AI they were building. Ar most, they use it as a keyword search engine to spit out what page the word they are looking for is on. The AI was causing way too many issues and approving coverage for stuff that should be declined. I work for law firm and we're seeing
Bojovnik84
It get limited, because it just makes shit up that didn't happen and you can't use that crap in court. Its gonna go soon.
barontaint
Shit approving things that should be declined, get that AI slop in healthcare asap then. It'll be more effective than a mario sidekick. /s
Bojovnik84
Well, it is life insurance, but we do know companies like UHC, were using it. My wife's company was attempting to have it summarize medical records to slim time, as it can take a week to read through history to determine if they qualify for that coverage. It sort of made sense, until it kept trying to summarize things that are too complicated and just required MORE human intervention. This is what will inevitably cause it to fail, it will not cut costs in the long run.
Gnerg
You're deluding yourself if you think that AI is a subpar or inferior tool. As a developer of 15 years (f*ck I'm old), it is a MASSIVE productivity boost. You still need to use your brain, but it automates so many basic tasks, and assists with complex tasks, and it isn't going away. The industry is dependent upon it now.
wadatahmydamie
The industry depends on itself. AI is reducing work quality and forcing people to correct rudimentary mistakes. What good is “productivity” when the work isn’t done well, and has to be redone at a higher cost?
You can change the tires on a Yugo all you want, but eventually you need to face the reality that you’re never going to recover costs by relying on a slop generator
Gnerg
Engineers solve problems. With AI, the problem has changed. Designing, building, and testing are not the problem anymore. These are what AI has solved. Now, the problem is managing quality, and managing quality is a much smaller problem to solve than those other ones.
obijan
I got twice the years in :). Of course, it is handly to get a quick proof of concept implementation. It starts to break down if you use it to analyse requirements and write specificiations without "understanding the human".
TomahawkJackson
That sounds like Dotcom Bubble slop. Almost like you'd have believed that The Internet would just...go away...after the dotcom bubble burst.
The reality is that the path and the outcome is nearly identical. We're in the "ideas get funded" stage, but there's no Mundane Utility (1999-2001). Then bubble bursts (2002). Then we find the Mundane Utility and AMZ, Google, iPhone, Facebook, etc. land (2005-2007). The bubble will pop, but AI doesn't magically disappear thereafter.
Tarmaccian
That’s exactly correct. “AI” is a technology, allowing us to change one kind of problem (pattern matching and concept relation) into another kind (descriptive structured data).
What’s interesting is that a lot of real-world problems are pattern matching and concept relation problems, so now we have this awkward phase where everybody tries to figure out whether the new tech makes their work actually easier or not.
It’ll settle down eventually, and we’ll have a new normal with the new tech.
vanillarogue
So whats the Mundane Utility that saved crypto after their pop? VR? You seem to think LLM generators are destined for the winners list
thisisnotfineffs
Weren't NFTs were gonna be the next big thing too? lmao
Vtoloier
no where in that comment did they say it would 100% disappear, but the reality is actually seeming like yes, they are going to be hiring more humans cause they *already are* but they are using this leverage. https://youtu.be/WfjGZCuxl-U
Anfalicious
You really should go listen to the Better Offline series from about a month ago on why this is and isnt like the dotcom bubble. Data centres full of GPUs aren't cable networks. The cable networks laid in 2000 are still in use today, the data centres built this year will be useless by 2030. AI is a bad term. Machine learning is here to stay, there is no use case for LLMs.
TomahawkJackson
Conversely, you should read AI-2027.com - and their subsequent analysis of how much of their 2025 predictions actually happened (quantitatively - like benchmarks, and qualitatively - like news sound bites) in 2025. https://blog.ai-futures.org/p/grading-ai-2027s-2025-predictions
TomahawkJackson
"There is no use case for LLMs"
I'm not sure you could be more wrong on this point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKk77rzOL34
69Voltage
Been telling people for years, don’t go the traditional college route, go into a trade. No college debt and you’ll end up making a lot more than that $165K
EternalStudent07
How long until humans are just menial labor in the trades too? Biological appendages. Following the instructions from an AI app that has all the knowledge and theory inside.
JackieTreehornProductions
HVAC tech - they have to learn the new circuitry and features of each new model and how to configure the install or fix the install someone else messed up because they just ran with the defaults. The guy who worked on mine last just kept going on about how far behind they are on training because all the people in his company are 40-50+ years old and nobody young wants to learn the business. I've heard similar things from electricians and plumbers too.
MartianWeasel
I was an auto mechanic.
I was the engine guy, so I did all the recalls and engine warranty work. Id say a pretty important trade job. I made $23/hr. Flat rate pay (paid by the job, not the hour, on a tight timeline). My knees are shot, my back is fucked, I have carpal tunnel, and $165k was an impossible dream. The trade lore isn't what its cracked up to be.
iktome99
https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1cHh2ZWxwZXcwMmI3cjZqdnJrcTc3aTAwNWVqeTYyamhzc2s3cWNvdCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/fJMWN7XnZM0hO/200w.webp
copperdomebodhi
... until your shoulder goes out, and you have no education or relevant experience for anything else. Don't be afraid to major in humanities. What you learn will never go out of date. You have to get a master's degree to do most of the fun stuff anyway.
jammer909
If I knew then what I know now, I'd've gone into HVAC repair or plumbing.
azazyel
I say try out community colleges first, cheaper, the teachers know you, lots of variety and more up to date curriculum
poscduke
I know a few solid trades people, and while its possible, most don't make 165k+ a year, especially if you don't travel.
squirrelgirl86
Who the fuck is making that kind of money in trades OR in tech??? Certainly nobody I know.
EternalStudent07
High cost of living areas. Sensational headlines get people to look.
Longdickjohnson69
I am in tech and work directly with trades. Semiconductor factory construction is incredibly lucrative. We have several trades guys that make $150k off of 6 years of experience. As a contractor who assists the trades, I make $191k base $500 a month per diem for gas and car wear and tear. With overtime, I will take in over $225k with 9 years of experience in rhe industry
69Voltage
Check out wages for Journeymen Lineman in the Western states.
I retired early a couple of years ago and when I left our base pay was $130K a year. Since it was cheaper for the company(local utility) to pay OT than hire, train, equip, pay benefits more people, we worked as much OT as we wanted. Guys that took every call easily make $250K. I liked to have a life so I was picky about the calls I took yet still averaged $200K a year.
69Voltage
Boomers(guys that travel the country working high paying jobs and moving to the next one) can make way more than that.
YOURFRIEND2010
Ruin your body by 40 and live the rest of your life with chronic pain! All for money! Yaaaaay!
mairusupawa
You guys get money?
TheCryptid
yeah its almost like there's no best option as no jobs is completely safe, healthy or future-proof. But some people still claims "they knew whats best" all along
YOURFRIEND2010
White collar jobs are definitely safer than working around heavy machinery
69Voltage
I was a Journeyman Lineman for 30 years, climbing poles and towers and I’m healthier today than I was in my 20’s.
This is why you go union…..safety is #1. Companies understand it’s cheaper for them to make sure their employees don’t ruin their bodies and miss time. We always had the best tools, plenty of rest time, etc.
You’re doing it wrong if you’re beating up your body.
miserycones
That's a good solution in the short term but if enough people take that advice the trades will become saturated and labor supply will outstrip demand there too
69Voltage
There’s such a shortage of tradespeople that it will take a very long time to “saturate” the market. Plus certain trades can’t be replaced by robots or AI, unlike a large % of white/blue collar jobs
circlebreaker
Bingo, the irony that all of the push to divert students into the tech streams in the 90's & 00's only for many of them to graduate into a recession, creating a trades labour deficit, and now they're getting jump-shotted into the tech industry's wastebasket like used tissues. There's a massive shortage of traditional tradespeople, last I heard plumbers, but probably many other more narrowly specialized ones too.
miserycones
I think there's a shortage of tradespeople in small towns, and a lot of small towns in the country. But I don't know if the same is true in larger cities
69Voltage
Big shortage of Journeymen Lineman across the country. That’s why we can demand significant wages
bippityboppitybuttsex
The weird thing is the training for being an electrician is free... just find your local IBEW, here: https://electricaltrainingalliance.org/locateaTrainingCenter/Inside and they will train you and assign you to an electrician to get you on the job training under supervision... and you get paid the entire time (note, there are some fees, usually equipment related, some do charge a couple of hundred for tuition)....
And there is no way to outsource electricians.
FuzzBall87
I tried to join IBEW years ago, took the test, had the weird interview, and then never heard back.
vallejoattorney15
If they managed to outsource electrician jobs, I’d be shocked
wadatahmydamie
🥁🥁💥
69Voltage
Yep. And not only electricians but most any trade does the same. Plus being union guarantees benefits and protections against job loss
bippityboppitybuttsex
Every time I hear people bash unions, I am reminded of the fact that it is the unions that enforce the codes and make sure the staff is trained... and they offer easy gateways into their professions....
I know the IBEW (they have a training center down the street from my house); and Local 130 trains plumbers... these are high-paying jobs that won't go away.
69Voltage
Exactly. People bring up the union dues you pay…….you get those back ten fold in pay, bennies, etc.
Plus, it’s the union members who ensure the strength of their union by voting in/out its leaders, rules, contract negotiations, etc
yesdearmetoo
Retired IBEW here. 40 plus years. It was tough the first couple of years. Can confirm, my pension check clears every month.
Ikwilstroopwaffels
You get paid minimum wage. You will be hazed and treated like shit. The toxic machismo attitude in the trades is real, and it sucks.
[deleted]
[deleted]
endem1c
it's not a binary choice
69Voltage
wtf are you talking about?
RUFingKiddingMe
Just something the heard one time from a friend of a friend.
bippityboppitybuttsex
As I understand it, during training period, you are paid minimum wage in lieu of paying tuition... basically they are paying you a subsistence wage during training...
Is there hazing in the trades? Absolutely... I have found hazing for the people newly into the field in nearly every profession... even IT (and I am someone who went thru infantry school as a SP4, you have no idea what hazing is).
LespritDeLescalier22
Yeah, not for long if you’re any good. I’ve been in a non union trade for 27 years. A friend trained to be a union electrician. Within 5 years he was making as much as it had taken me 15 years to get to. So, the pay comment was kind of off base. But the culture I’ve heard can be challenging for those that lean left.
Ikwilstroopwaffels
"Challenging" is an understatement, but yeah.
LitterBoxKing
It's so weird to me that union trades would befriend anti-union politics.
LespritDeLescalier22
To me, you can thank the divestment from public secular education for that
Ikwilstroopwaffels
REAL MANLY MEN sorts do these jobs. It's a cesspool of hypermacho bullshit.
charliethewizard
Keep wondering how well this would go starting in my 40's. Current job has great flexibility and good benefits. However pay hasn't been increasing and our team has been shuffled around directors. Each time its the same, "we'll need to wait until next fiscal year."
RyvaTheRenamon
Worst thing that'll happen is it won't work out. Before you quit your job though look into things, ask around, maybe even visit the local trade schools and ask them that.
RUFingKiddingMe
You might be surprised depending on the trade. I work with lots of welders and electricians and, let me tell you, they make f'ing great money. It's dirty work but, hey, you're out of the office.
bippityboppitybuttsex
My local community college (COD) has a complete, 48-week, welding program for like $6500... start to finish and certified (it assumes you have no idea what welding is).
These are high paying jobs that can be learned reasonably quickly and cannot be outsourced to the developing world or replaced with AI (sure, CAM can weld, but it can't repair damage to existing equipment).
RUFingKiddingMe
With that cert you could go to your local welding union and you're virtually guaranteed entry. Or, and this isn't a bad option either, go to work for a large fabrication company and get paid much more for some "real world" learning. After a few years, go independent and start your own small business. It'll be +/- 5 years before the real money starts coming in but once you're there NOBODY can take that knowledge away from you. You'll always have the ability to earn good money.
Judgementalwizard
Depends on the trade, the area, the jobs, the union (or lack of). Most of my friends in trades make $14-20/hr and their knees are shot. Trades isn't a magic bullet, even if it is a good option.
69Voltage
It should be a union job. I wouldn’t recommend taking a non-union one
dohcohv
Also, I graduated with zero debt because my state doesn't charge much for tuition so it was covered by the federal Pell grant and my state's equivalent. I just had to show them my tax return.
Canoecrossing
Plumber / hvac is a good choice, if u dont mind the odd stinky pipe.
Im a general contractor in a small town, and they can charge whatever they want.
hwatL4bloopy
I kind of wish I did trades at this point because the jobs I wanted never materialized
williamshakesbeer
Where is your "area"? Laborers in Canada make more than that, kinda seems like they're being ripped off. Better question what trades are they in?
RUFingKiddingMe
I can see those wages first year but if they've been doing this long enough that their knees are shot and still making that money then something is very, very, wrong. You think you can hire a plumber or electrician or a welder for $20 an hour? Shit, even the roofers I know make $30.
Jimmah1
Idk man. Around here they aren't making all that much.
RUFingKiddingMe
I don't know where "around here" is. All I can tell you is the welders I work with bill at over $100 per hour and the electricians are billing at about $60. I do not live on either coast where I would imagine it's far more. This is an invoice I just paid for some steel stands I needed for a project - $150 per hour!
dohcohv
What they charge and what they make are two different amounts. I know a shop that charges $110/hr, but the techs make less than $30/hr. The difference is overhead, and building in a reserve for if the cost goes over the estimate or mistakes are made.
flail
Did you just AI generate an invoice to try to support your argument?
Jimmah1
The welder does not get 100 per hour.
My job also bills out at a high rate. I do not get anywhere near that.