PepperoniAndFingernailPizza
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This was funny, but also made me sad to know that at one time you could afford to work minimum wage and still buy a house.
Jul 14, 2023 12:40 AM
PepperoniAndFingernailPizza
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This was funny, but also made me sad to know that at one time you could afford to work minimum wage and still buy a house.
Shaodyn
I might have already mentioned this, but I had an online conversation with somebody who didn't believe that one income was enough to own a house and a car and support a family. They actually thought it was made up for sitcoms and cartoons. And I couldn't convince them otherwise. It's been so long since that was a thing that some people don't believe it was ever real.
IlluminaBlade
boomers definitely had AOL and kept it alive for decades by their families forgetting about recurring billing.
EroticZombiePants
As a Gen-Xer, I suppose I can take solace in knowing I was alive during the 90s, the last decade that didn't complete suck for the rest of anyone's lives.
RevolutionOnHerLips
I'm a millennial and I had ICQ, Napster and Winamp!
avastmehearty
I’m a boomer who worked minimum wage before college and I don’t think I could have afforded a house at that wage. But things have gotten a lot worse since then, for sure
justthissideofnormal
It’s almost as if the kids born in a post-war society living in the largest industrial country that wasn’t decimated got to rebuild Europe and Asia and somehow benefited from decisions they didn’t make. Boomer’s ruined nothing.
RayneOfSalt
AOL? Nah, we got Usenet, IRC and the BBSes.
beevos
is he fisting his mouth?
doctorId
Boomers got Qanon
Skywarp5150
As Gen X we got kick the can, and flashlight tag.
trekxtrider
Reganomics is what did it...
Stumpkiller
No. Back then you worked for six months and got a raise if you showed promise. Then annual increases thereafter. Companies used to reimburse tuition & books and advance internally. So after 10 years of bag lunches and no cable TV you could get a mortgage. I got my bachelors degree going to night-school and had no student loan.
SodomySnake
Alpha will inherit the smoking shell of the internet after Google, Twitter et al. implode.
OliverOtter
Nobody I knew was able to afford a house on minimum wage. Their kids were able to afford gas and drive-in diner money for the weekends on minimum wage.
Strangeboke
Boomers went to college at lower rates and graduated into an awful economy and in many cases got drafted and died in the vietnam war. They owned houses at the same rate that millenials do, but smaller houses on average. They ended up being rich because the 90s were good, but they had a rough start too.
Erad67
That's nonsense. It was NOT possible to buy a house, support themselves, etc. on just a minimum wage job! Then again, nobody expected adults to still be working a minimum wage job as adults! It was mostly high school kids and people's short term first jobs that were minimum wage and done so at an age most were still living with their families.
Strangeboke
yeah exactly. Millenials own houses at the same rate boomers did, and they're more educated. Those things cost more but millenials also earn more.
obiwanscape
It isnt boomers! It’s the greedy billionaires exploiting the system and the people - boomers was just the last gen. To be lucky enough to own a house! The system is rigged to keep people in debt and uninformed so the 1% can stay in power #revolution
Strangeboke
minor quibble but home ownership rates are not actually that much worse for millenials than Boomers. Its just a meme.
MexicanHandOff
I just want to be able to afford a car that I'm forced to need.
PlayingInGraveyards
Hold up, I get the point but I’m millenial & had AOL & Myspace. Though I was like-12/13 on AOL & Myspace was after Highschool. We also had Live Journal which I recently found out is still active 😹
sgch51
I’m a boomer and I was able to finance my college tuition in the day, by working summer jobs. It is so sad what has happened for young people and the failure to reduce student debt and free them to build a life.
swattyKnotts
"The Boomerz" didn't do this. The billionaires and the banks did.
Strangeboke
I don't think things are so bad as people say but if I were to blame someone it'd be the silent gen and gen X, who voted in Reagan and made trickle-down the norm for 30 years until Obama killed it.
PepperoniAndFingernailPizza
Boomers voting for political candidates that create policies that benefit the 1% instead of policies that help people who need it more. That is why Boomers are responsible
gelos
Tbh this looks more like a timeline where internet ruined the lives of those who got stuck with social media.
BasinStreetDesign
Not in the last 60 years could you buy a house on minimum wage pay. I started working in 1970 (part time) and still had to marry a wife with 20K in savings to get a down payment together by 1991. It's a nice fiction but only that.
Strangeboke
yeah its just a lie. A lot of boomers got fucking drafted into the vietnam war but to hear us millenials talk you'd think every boomer got a free house and 4 kids after graduation. Millenials are rich compared to any other generation at the same time.
mycatwontletmeclosemybedroomdoor
ASL?
RevolutionOnHerLips
14/f/cali hbu
PepperoniAndFingernailPizza
Jamerperson
American sign language
PepperoniAndFingernailPizza
104/Yes/Antarctica
gtollie
The Greatest Generation! Did you serve in WW2 ?
PepperoniAndFingernailPizza
I fought in the Canadian American war
justthissideofnormal
Other than professional degree programs, four years of college is often a rehash of four years of high school. We spend billions on secondary education and yet most incoming freshmen college students have to take remedial classes. Burn it down. All of it.
Strangeboke
college admissions are dropping and so are college prices! Likely due to a tight labor market allowing people to drop out of the credentials rat race. Happy to see it!
justthissideofnormal
Last year some college regents literally stated fall 2023 tuition prices were dependent on the SCOTUS ruling. If debt had been forgiven, you can bet tuition would have increased. The ruling also played a part in the demand curve.
Strangeboke
Yeah you're correct about the effect of policy on demand curves - the high prices of colleges were made way worse by making student loans immune to bankruptcy as one example, and loan forgiveness would have had a similar if lesser effect (in addition to being a cash transfer that provided some relief)
Strangeboke
but overall the bigger driver of price has been simple demand. Unemployment and wage growth from 2008-2021 was pretty bad and loans were 'cheap' so people had took out loans to get credentials to boost their wages, leading to a rat race that left a lot of people with degrees worse off than they expected. That's reversing now and thank God for that. No way would my kids have been able to go to school if prices had kept rising.
forResearchPurposesOnly
Gen X, AOL? When that happen?
Iwasoutedbyatroll
I still have AOL
HowdyLynn
Me too
evilDoug
Damn I'm a boomer but I missed out on that sweet boomer lifestyle. Instead I get to fully understand the depth to which we fucked everyone else.
Aimlockbelch
I’m halfway between because I have some savings, but NOTHING like I should have, according to every metric
dohcohv
Homeownership rates are higher today than the 60s-early 2000s(subprime mortgages boosted it in the mid 2000s by loaning money to people who couldn't afford a house). More than half of millennials own their own home. However, if you live in CA or NY, good luck ever buying as they have the lowest homeownership rates in the US.
Strangeboke
shhhh you'll scare the millenials with statistics that reveal they're one of the wealthiest generations in history.
dohcohv
Well, behind boomers and gen X they are the wealthiest, even adjusting for age.
Strangeboke
Yes, correct, Boomers had a larger share of the pie when young than millenials do currently. But they had a share of a small pie, whereas millenials have a share of a large pie, meaning that although fractionally they have less, in absolute terms they have more.
Strangeboke
I'll go even further - wealth is less important than income. Millenials have a lot of college debt which drags down their wealth, but they also have relatively good income, which puts them in a better position in the long run.
mateo25024
GenX here, late 40’s. Bought my first house last year. I have a six figure income, no kids, and minimal debt. Some months, my mortgage payment is still a bit daunting. It shouldn’t be like that.
dohcohv
Millennial here, 30s. Bought my home in 2015, never had a six figure income and my house barely cost six figures. Wife, three kids, approaching the halfway point on my 15yr loan. Paid my way through college starting 5 years ago and graduated in May this year. However, I am an accountant, so take that as you will.
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
Sounds like you live in a cheap area. Houses for barely six figures were never a thing for me, and I'm older than you. My brother bought a tiny place in the crap city where we grew up - $189k. He could have gone to the middle of nowhere and gotten one cheaper, I'm sure. But then the job market is extremely limited. The people who are in the right place at the right time to get a well-paying job in an incredibly cheap area are lucky. Not everyone can do it because if people started flowing to /1
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
that area, the prices would all go up. A few can do it, but it's never going to be a solution for all. There's only so many of those positions available. /2
dohcohv
People have been moving here because of the cheap housing and wages are still pretty high(I was making $34/hr driving a forklift). If they leave the expensive places, the prices will drop there as well. One of the best ways to lower housing costs is to raise property tax and have an exception for primary residences(often called a homestead). This taxes the wealthy landlords and makes investing in real estate less attractive, which lowers prices.
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
I'm just pointing out that yes, a handful of people can move to the cheap areas. But *everyone* can't. It happened in Ontario during covid. Everyone left Toronto for cheaper places. It drove up housing costs an insane amount everywhere. This is why it's not a solution. It can help a few lucky people who get in ahead of the crowd. It can't help everyone. I didn't downvote you btw, you were already at 0 when I replied.
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
Same. Late 40's, 6-figure income with a spouse that also has one. Took me 20+ years to work up to a detached house, starting with a condo that was in bad repair, in an area with gang activity, and still cost $120k. That was in a big city, sure, but still insane back then. I don't even know how people do it now. I guess they don't. We still have to do about half a million of renos on the house, which means we'll have to sell it when we retire, because we can't pay it off in time. Yes we could /1
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
move to a less-nice area, but we like where we are for the kids. Not that they'll be able to afford to stay when they grow up. :( It's fucked. /2
Strangeboke
Respectfully, what the hell are you doing? I support a wife and 2 kids on less, have a house in a nice city, and I'm ten years younger, and this is in spite of having almost 80k in student debt when I started.
mateo25024
You choose your life, I’ll choose mine
Strangeboke
Fair enough, people make their choices, I just can't fathom what people are talking about when they talk about 'hardship' like this.
mateo25024
I wouldn’t call it a hardship. I’m just trying to balance it with home improvements and ‘life’. Sometimes choices have to be made.
mateo25024
Sorry for the quadrupled post. Not sure what happened there
mateo25024
I wouldn’t call it a hardship. I’m just trying to balance it with home improvements and ‘life’. Sometimes choices have to be made.
mateo25024
I wouldn’t call it a hardship. I’m just trying to balance it with home improvements and ‘life’. Sometimes choices have to be made.
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
Most likely same as I ran into - the city where my well-paying job is is insanely expensive. That's usually what it is. Also they could be planning on retiring early so are investing more in that than other people do.
Strangeboke
sure but saving aggressively to retire early isn't a hardship, its a privilege.
mateo25024
I wouldn’t call it a hardship. I’m just trying to balance it with home improvements and ‘life’. Sometimes choices have to be made.
myth1250
It’s as though we live in a severely outdated system controlled by those who benefit from the inequality and have no desire to change it. If you want to see change, please look in to my 2024 POTUS campaign. Patsy 2024, Unfuck America
PlanckEraWasMyBestEra
I truly appreciate the determination and taking "go out and do something" seriously. However, with as fucked as our system is, it's still sharply a two party system and with one of those parties actively killing and discriminating against people, we cant afford to not vote for their actual opposition. Right now, any vote not for Biden just divides our vote against fascism and helps the fascists win.
myth1250
1) It remains a two party system because we allow it to. Take a step back for a moment, the “if typo don’t vote for this party the other will win” tactic is something both parties use as a fear tactic. That’s not me “BoTh SiDeS”ing the issue, that’s a fact. Look at things that are said in rallies. “We need to unite or else the other side will win,” and the like. It’s a scare tactic that helps keep anybody outside the two parties from getting a leg up. Now, I do agree that Republicans are an
myth1250
2) extreme threat, but I also know their base is dying and they are struggling to stay relevant. Young voters are more liberal and recent generations aren’t becoming more conservative as they age. Their party is dying and they are getting desperate to survive. That’s why they’re getting more extreme. They are one step away from publicly executing their opposition. We need to stop that! Now look at the Democrats, they aren’t evil, but they are complacent. Rep do something terrible, the Dems
myth1250
3) don’t enact swift justice to punish illegal action, they instead issue a written letter condemning the action. Politicians and the rich go unpunished for their crimes because of the inaction of all. We can continue to vote for complacency (at best) or we can finally take a stand for justice. I’ve watched my nation crumble more and more with each election and I’m damn tired of empty promises and useless leaders. Both side arguments usually get shot to hell pretty fast because nobody wants to
myth1250
4) feel like they are a part of the problem, but if we settle for mediocrity, then we are part of it. One side is without any doubt evil, but voting for those who allow evil to reside is doing nothing to address the problem. That is what many mean when they say both sides. We aren’t calling the sides equal, we are acknowledging that neither is good. “Why vote for the arsonist or thief over the pedophile or murderer when there are non-criminal options available?”
Zeterai
Okay, but are you going to promise everyone a pony? Because Vermin Supreme was running on a pony platform and you're going to have to at least do that well.
myth1250
I can’t promise a pony, but I do promise to pursue Justice and equality for all American. If elected, everything I do will be with the working class in mind and every decision I make will be trying to turn the American Dream in to the American reality.
Zeterai
Sorry, you lost me at no ponies.
myth1250
I’m thinking it’s all for the sake of sarcasm (but honestly it’s impossible to know in the modern era). Even worse because that are likely a great number of people who would choose trivial things over things such as universal healthcare, universal secondary education, and a functional IRS that targets the rich (among numerous other things).
Redisia
Ohh.... yeah this is an issue (to lesser extend) outside the USA also... so we need a POTW to unfuck the world
myth1250
Unfortunately, I don’t think human society is at that point for the most part. There are nations that are ready for world peace and accept all people as equal. But unfortunately, there are still far too many who hate over petty differences. One example, a person’s skin color doesn’t change who they are, but some hate because of that difference alone. Until society matures, we won’t be ready to unify. I’m making my bid at POTUS hoping enough bigots have died and enough open-minded people vote.
OMFGWhatHaveWeDONE
Thekindofkindlyman
Happy Thanksgiving…
maxpaxman
Obesity is highest in Gen X, followed by Gen Z & Y. Boomers are the lowest. Source: nih.gov
PeebRow
shouldn't the millennial (gen y?) have some avocado toast on their plate?
G0MeatCube
I'll put that avocado toast up my ass if it would make me some money
JohnnyLawlessEsq
Don’t know why you’re getting shat on; this is legit funny.
PeebRow
Thanks, glad someone appreciated it 😉
ionlyregisteredtosavelinks
Imgur as a community is pile of sticks, that's why.
Kreviathan
Ah yes, the best way to vouch for someone, by throwing out a slur. Classy.
ionlyregisteredtosavelinks
I stand by my words.
JohnnyLawlessEsq
I revoke my previous upvote. Get yourself some chill, cuz.
ionlyregisteredtosavelinks
Cool, 'cuh. Bruv. Brother.
PeebRow
That wasn't me, fyi.
Strangeboke
a million memes won't change the fact that boomers dealt with vietnam and multiple huge recessions and only made their money well *after* they were older than most millenials are now.
theesegeeeey
But you didn’t need as much period.
Strangeboke
Not really. People didn't own cars because they couldn't, even if it was really inconvenient. People lived in small homes because they couldn't afford more (and fewer boomers had houses at all). People lived with their parents longer because they had to. Women didn't work because they were barred from high paying jobs. People went to college less. People were just overall poorer then.
derschweiz
The data do not support many of your claims.
Strangeboke
Ah yes "the data." Tell me is "the data" in the room with us now? People really are just going off vibes and ads and claiming wild things about what life was like 30 years before they were born. Read an actual article sometime. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/05/millennial-generation-financial-issues-income-homeowners/673485/
theesegeeeey
Poorer? Lmao you didn’t need a high paying job to afford a standard of living that is barely attainable at 6 figure salaries now
Strangeboke
That's not even remotely true. Healthcare and education has gotten more expensive relative to median income, and housing too depending on where you live, but literally everything else (food, cars, televisions, shows) has gotten cheaper.
CactusFantastic0
Women didn’t work because the husband could support the entire family on his own.
Strangeboke
38% of women still worked in the 60s, 47% work now. There was a peak in the middle there around 60%, but overall women simply had poor job opoprtunities. Traditionally female jobs like nursing were paid horribly.
WellThatsOriginal
Boomers didn't go to college. They didn't have to. They were able to work at Xerox, Kodak, General Motors etc. and make a great paycheck. I am from the generation that was told that we needed college to earn a good living. That was a fucking lie. To this day you don't need college. There! I said it. If you go to college and don't have a guaranteed job, you are fucking stupid. Join a union. Go to trade school. Those jobs are the ones that let you buy a house.
Bacxaber
*paycheque
slayston
Why the absolute fuck is this boomer/republican sounding comment getting upvoted? College is and should be about more than just getting a good job. It's about learning new things, broadening your knowledge, making new diverse friends and becoming a better person. Which is why it should be nearly free for everyone, this comment sounds like the type of person who is mad about college debt relief. College isn't the issue, tuition fees are...
WellThatsOriginal
I knew there would be a few people like you. I live in NY. Where college is free. When I went, there were many gray haired people broadening their knowledge. Of course, I'm pretty sure that they put food on the table and saved a little money. So they wouldn't be a burden on society. Here is a cold hard fact for you. This world doesn't give a fuck about your "knowledge". It will eat you up and spit you out. This is what I taught my kids. They are both in their 20s and doing great.
ArcaneM37
College is a perpetuation of adolescence. I never would have become a functioning adult without those extra 4 years. Doesn't matter that my degree never made me money. College made me me.
Heninthefoxden
I got a music degree which I loved, then worked some other jobs for about 5 years, then became a teacher. But I really wasn't mature enough after only four years to pursue that career fully, so I was glad that life gave me some other experiences first. So I'd say what's most important it to have some sort of plan, even if you don't have a "job" specifically.
Publiusdg
I have a biochem degree (and did end up using it) but I realized this message 2 years into college. Cause multiple friends (GED only) were making like 60k or more already (back in like 2012). But they had skills I just don't have. I'm raising my lil girl with this message but also still reinforce her education at home...hopefully she listens
Alango10
No. Companies are stupid for requiring a college degree that will have no effect on the actual job. Maybe college shouldn't be needed but it is for a lot of the high paying jobs out there.
ThatBobbyG
College can be amazing, but shouldn’t be so damn expensive.
Piccolini
You're right! I only got GCSE level. Run own company now. Modest, but beats working for shitheads. Learn what you can from those who know what they are doing. Take an interest in the mechanics of your workplace. And treat workers, providers, everyone well.
WellThatsOriginal
This is what I did...lol. Many people on imgur will say that I am lucky and that is not the norm. It's not the norm for people that don't work for it.
yeah222
I was told you could start in the mail room and work your way to CEO
DamagedDingo
I didn’t go to college nor even finish high school and I now earn over 100k doing IT.
WellThatsOriginal
My son did graduate highschool but didn't finish college. He works IT too and started at $63k a year. When he becomes a network engineer, he will be over 90k. He wanted to work for me. I didn't want him killing himself until he's 70. Like I will be...lol
FreemansRedHotRebar
I didn't go to trade school or college & worked my way up to a respectable wage by sacrificing all of my free time, doing wildly unhealthy and unsafe things for ungrateful companies & jumping ship for a better wage every few years to undermine the trash raise system applying for jobs at other companies who liked to underpay & had to realize the value of that position after they'd arrogantly let them leave. All it really cost me was my hairline at a heart attack at 30 & my 2bdrm just hit 2.5k/m
aaroneugenefleming
Trade school is college.
whatspaulplayingtoday
Look up "The Man Who Broke Capitalism". A book about Jack Welch, who absolutely fucked everyone over. Period.
AccountCreatedToUpvoteDogs
The white collar jobs were college based, so our blue collar parents wanted us to have "Better". Then they voted for pro-business GOP who 1/
AccountCreatedToUpvoteDogs
screwed over unions and passed laws like right to work and at will employment, 2/
AccountCreatedToUpvoteDogs
plus repealing the Fairness Doctrine allowing propaganda on the airways 24/7 (Fox calling itself News). Now the college degree pays less 3/
AccountCreatedToUpvoteDogs
than the blue collar made relative to the economy and housing, and we're a service industry where people can't make ends meet.
darkstarmc
I went to trades school and it was a fucking waste I regret every day not going for comp sci.
WellThatsOriginal
My son has zero college and works IT at a local school. He started at 62k a year and will be a network engineer in about a year. That pays 90k a year.
darkstarmc
I'm happy for him, I unluckily live extremely rural and haven't found such an opportunity.
WellThatsOriginal
He has to drive an hour. Our town has 6,000 people in it. There are no excuses in the United States.
rIOsK
MAGA likes this comment. Do not study, you don't need any knowledge to get a good job (that will soon be replaced by a machine). Seriously speaking, you americans should reconsider university fees, not university education.
WellThatsOriginal
I just love the ignorant people that have to throw that "maga" thing around. It sounds fucking childish. I am in NY and maybe maga is a thing in the south, but it doesn't mean shit here. You can keep blaming maga or take your life into your own hands. That's on you. Maga isn't stopping you from achieving anything.
rIOsK
I'm in Europe and your comment sounded populist af. That's exactly the strategy that gave Trump a way to become potus. I'm not blaming maga here, I'm blaming people who follow the same populist ideas.
WellThatsOriginal
There are idiots everywhere...lol
rIOsK
Awareness is a good start, glad for you.
swattyKnotts
Both of my parents are silent generation and both held advanced degrees. MORE members of the boomer generation went to university than was the case for previous generations. But you're right: many boomers were able get jobs that paid well (thanks to the strong unions their parents and grandparents built) until the neoliberals started destroying the economy.
wailbait
It probably depends on where you live. In my area, a lot of boomers went to college and then worked at DuPont for 50 years.
Roqinn
There are good and bad unions. I've been a part of 3 different ones in my life. Two of them were crap and one was good. Not all unions are created equally. From what I've seen they are a lot like politics, there can be corruption. Look at the police union for a good example.
Roqinn
Don't get me wrong, I am totally pro-union!
Erad67
No, most boomers went to college. When most of them were in their 30s (possibly before) to get most white collar jobs a diploma was required. It was the generations before them that mostly didn't go to college and could still do well. But yes, great idea to go to trade school for an in demand, well paying job. Training probably costs less and takes less time, then the salaries are more than most other jobs.
PorneliusHubertII
College teaches people how to think critically and source information properly. College should be free to all and honestly should be required.
LaughingInTheFaceOfDanger
And you don't need a gd degree to do most of these jobs that require you have a degree to apply. More companies should have apprenticeships. I know so many people that have a degree but do nothing remotely close to the field their degree is in but needed to have a degree to get the job.
WellThatsOriginal
This right here is the biggest problem with our society. I dare say that the only edge a degree gives you in most professions is proof that you will follow thru on something.
LaughingInTheFaceOfDanger
I once did a social experiment because i was looking for a job in computers. I only have a diploma in computer information systems and could barely get in doors to get an interview so I added a degree in philosophy and listed it from years ago at an obscure university and guess what started getting interviews. I never ended up taking a job because I'm sure I would have lost it had they found out. Philosophy! And while it can be argues that it shows an ability to critically think. The CIS diploma
LaughingInTheFaceOfDanger
Also shows that.
wurth
A local utility company theoretically posted a meter reader job at 70k salary. Big asterisk on that, since I only heard it through word of mouth.
wurth
Finally found the job posting. 33/hr, so slightly less than what I had originally posted.
WellThatsOriginal
That's more than I make and I own my own business....lol.
Pats0r
I guess it's the us you're talking about? The 3th world country as we the EU look at you now? My studies helped me on getting a better job from start. I earn more than those who didn't studie..
Pats0r
Then again. Studying here is as good as free...
WellThatsOriginal
It's free here in New York too. Look up the Excelsior Program. You can get a degree 100% tuition free. Unless you come from a wealthy family...lol
Arbitrarynamehere
I mean it's generally good advice to say not everyone needs to go to college but don't delude yourself into thinking nobody does. What's required to get hired is different from what's actually needed, of course, but there is still plenty of value in higher education. And secondary to all of that is like, college is still a good experience that everyone should have (if money wasn't a factor). Good for society.
WellThatsOriginal
I never said that nobody needs college. Most people need college but there are options that won't cripple you in debt.
idiotsonfire
Then what it sounds like we need is a guaranteed job in the field we are educated in. Guaranteed job, maybe we should add that to like...a bill of rights...but for workers...like a worker's bill of rights! What else would be on there...like...a guaranteed retirement, or, or, like...oh...a right to a living wage! Shame FDR died before he could do that.
idiotsonfire
So, offense fucking taken. You sound like a dipshit. Fuck your take.
WellThatsOriginal
You are definitely living up to your username. There is a small percentage of the population, like you, that think that just because you exist, you deserve what I have. Sorry cupcake. This world doesn't give a fuck about you. You can either do what it takes to succeed. Or live a life blaming the rich people. BTW... I am no where near rich. You don't have to be to be happy.
IrishPub
No thank you and also wrong.
WellThatsOriginal
Do what makes you happy. If you aren't happy, that's on you.
PepperoniAndFingernailPizza
I didn't graduate from college, but I'm making what should be considered good money. But California I make what's considered lower middle class. Stupid
Mittenfrisker
Bro. I am a doctor in California and can’t afford to buy a house. Fuck this entire system
PepperoniAndFingernailPizza
I'm sorry. I know people joke you're driving a Bentley and living in a mansion. Reality is more likely that you've paid $100k towards your student loans, but only paid it down about $25k.
Pistolstar86
Dude can you tell America it needs to get cancer treatment lol
aThingWithTheStufAndTheJunk
Unions are gutted. Still better than not being in one if you're in one of the fields that has them, but they've got a fraction of the leverage they used to have and the quality of life is very much not what it used to be.
WellThatsOriginal
My brother happens to be a business agent in a local Laborers Union. They are the lowest paid of all of the trades. They still make a fuck ton of money and get a few months off in the winter. I think entry level is around $25 plus benefits and they pay you to learn. Much better than doing 4-6 years in a college and hoping you can afford to live afterwards. It's not for everyone though.
MoxieCat17
I went to college, loved the experience and feel like I learned things I find invaluable and never could have known without it. And my job makes me incredibly happy and fulfilled. I may not have money, but I know I'm not "fucking stupid" just because I'm not in a union or at a job I hate that supports me better financially.
Salticido
While I agree, I still wish I could be in a union. Collective bargaining would give me better raises at my pleasant, important, but low-paying college-degree-requiring job.
MoxieCat17
I grew up witnessing how shitty my parent's union was, so I've been pretty skeptical of wanting to be a part of one even though my job would be a shoe-in for that sort of thing
gallopinggoldfish
Folks who happen to live in California could look into state civil service. Most of the permanent positions include union membership. I like the work my union does.
MoxieCat17
Although, to be fair, I wasn't trying to shit on unions, just point out that I don't feel like my path was "fucking stupid"
Salticido
And that is fair
MoxieCat17
I'm glad you have a pleasant job ^^
RawSugarPackage
So. Don't take this the wrong way. But I don't want to go to trade school. I don't want to do those jobs. The jobs I want require a college degree. It is arguable whether a degree is actually needed for these jobs. But there is no apprenticeship or trade school option left for office jobs. They just expect you to get a degree to prove you can commit to a 4yr program and pay your debts.
Bobbobbobobbananafanafobob
As someone in one of those degree requiring jobs for 20 years, the degree requirement is a joke. I don't give a shit if people under me have a degree. It's systemic racism. It's saying we only hire people who can afford college and can get into college. What they want is someone who excels in a classroom setting because those skills can transfer to a corporation, but a degree doesn't assess that. We need trade unions for STEM. I want to have people apprentice under me to learn coding.
Bobbobbobobbananafanafobob
I could probably teach someone my 4 years of university in a year of solid apprenticeship, and they'd get paid while doing it and I'd have someone who can write boring unit tests for me.
RawSugarPackage
(I didn't want to go to college, I tried some trade stuff I was interested in, Ultimately I did not like work style/atmosphere of trade skill jobs. And I suffered through college to get the atmosphere I enjoy)
Daeyelle
I feel that. I love the construction stuff that I’ve been doing over the last couple of years but it seems like that job attracts so many more wankers and assholes than other places.
Ionico
Seems fine to me, you do you if you can! We all should! I did trade school and in 2 years worked my way to a desk job in an office doing stuff on PCs. There's many pathways to success. I own a home now thanks to trade school knowledge. Millenial here.
Ionico
A lot of my friends my age complain there is nothing they can do. I disagree, you may have to work harder than boomers did, but what matters is getting it done regardless of the difficulties boomers and billionairs have installed. My advice to my generation is try anyways.
vonHoopla
I understand where you're coming from but I think they're coming from a survival and financial stability viewpoint which is only gonna be valid for so long as inflation keeps outpacing earnings and billionaires keep hoarding a bigger percentage of total wealth. Trades are surviving, but they don't have it as good as they use to either. This is a case of him being the equivalent of non Nazi Germans who didn't speak up when the Nazis came for the Jews not realizing once the Jews are gone he's next
PaintedSlate
If I'm parsing your argument correctly, I think you're right about the issue but the analogy doesn't work. Going after college-related fields of work is myopic and actively detrimental if you value trades *or* livable work situations in general. The narrative that everyone must go to college to earn money is false but also far less common now than the reverse false narrative against college education and pro-trades. Which is the same kind of mistake. We need people in all.
vonHoopla
You aren't. You literally took the opposite meaning. I agree with you. I'm saying the ppl saying ' just pick up a trade' are being myopic just because their trades are keeping them afloat for now, but that'll change soon enough
Goldensands
There may or may not be a halt or at least a slowdown to greedflation, but the world is not like to ever be similar to the boomer's situation again. It's not hyperbolic, it's not dramatic, it is the abject reality that we are in a losing cultural class war with the rich. That hyper moronic manchildren are amassing enormous amounts of power. We will live and die under the tyranny of industrial powers.
HisDudness
Ladies and gentlemen, we've hit Godwin's Law. Thank you for coming.
vonHoopla
America is literally going down the shitter while burning in record breaking heats right after almost freezing solid, you gotta react BEFORE the fascism takes complete control, and Hitler is pretty much the modern shorthand for facism. You should literally expect Godwin in any political post related to the far right.. Calling Godwins at this point is like pointing out the people swimming got wet
meauho
My F-I-L owns multiple companies that are considered "Trades". Starting wages have been stagnant or decreasing every year since I first started dating his daughter 15 years ago. A/C, Electricians, & mechanics. There's been a big push in some areas to push people into trades so many are also getting fewer hours reducing total compensation
Ionico
Machining is a good alternative. There aren't enough of us and no one is learning how. For now.
meauho
Average pay for a CNC machinist in Houston is $45K a year.
Ionico
Yikes, I'm at about 75k. In Minnesota.
Kehy
Where I live the local unions are quite strong. Slightly outdated, but here local 46 journeyman electricians are making $65+ an hour, with union health care, with 401k contributions, with pension, and union representation in case of conflict with an employer
meauho
I live in one pf those states run by the people most likely to criticize you for going to college instead of the teades - and one with at-wwill employment and multiple deaths due to the heat each summer (with this one having more than average). Our Governor also recently signed a law saying cities couldn't require employers to give a 10 minute water break every 4 hours if their employees work outside because it's s unfair to steal that time from the employer. (aka: Texas)
Kehy
In the last few years WA actually passed laws requiring water breaks and cooling stations when working during high heat
plainoldfool
A buddy of mine is in a HVAC union that is infested with nepotism. You have to be family or very close with members to even be considered to be part of it. I'm not anti-union at all but let's not ignore that they have their own problems that need to be sorted out as well.
Kehy
I suppose location is the most important thing. This is a boom town area, so many trades have been begging people to join. There's even programs specifically to get minorities and low-income people (particularly women) into the best paying trades