Poll of the Day > I make almost 2.5x minimum wage

(+) Yeah! (+)

I start a new job on Monday (my first full time position) and Im being payed almost 2.5x the minimum wage. Its more than Ive ever made (or my parents made for that matter), and I dont have a ton of expenses, but it still feels like Im making basically nothing. keeping my hopes up that Ill get a better job in a few months.

still, Im grateful for the money to buy food, pay my debts, and still have enough to put a small amount into savings. and maybe now Ill be able to have a phone again. Woo

anyway whats up with you, potd? How much money did you make at your first full-time job? How much do you make now? Are you happy with what you earn? Do you deserve more?

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my first job back in 2002 paid me $5.10 which was the minimum wage at the time

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I make a little over minimum wage, plus hazard pay (which may or may not go away soon), for about 17.90 an hour. I'd be happy with at least 26 an hour with the current cost of rent, for which places ask we make triple what they want per month. <_<

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congrats! What is minimum where youre at?

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If you're not a C-level/VP you probably deserve more than you're getting

I make a decent enough amount to live but I'm still underpaid for what I do. I've seen what other places pay for a similar position and most of them are like 25% more pay minimum, some are nearly double

My first full time job was like $30k/yr, like $14 an hour in 2011

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Mead posted...

my first job back in 2002 paid me $5.10 which was the minimum wage at the time

Was this your first full time job and you had expenses, or was all of that mostly spending/saving money?

Entity13 posted...

I make a little over minimum wage, plus hazard pay (which may or may not go away soon), for about 17.90 an hour. I'd be happy with at least 26 an hour with the current cost of rent, for which places ask we make triple what they want per month. <_<

Most apartments here also ask that your monthly income is 300-400% the amount that rent costs. Its rough. Luckily Im not paying rent until next summer, otherwise Id have to find a roommate or two (my credit isnt great either, which doesnt help). Is what you do particularly hazardous?

DirtBasedSoap posted...

congrats! What is minimum where youre at?

Texas keeps minimum at a healthy $7.25. Im making $18.

CoorsLight posted...

If you're not a C-level/VP you probably deserve more than you're getting

I make a decent enough amount to live but I'm still underpaid for what I do. I've seen what other places pay for a similar position and most of them are like 25% more pay minimum, some are nearly double

yeah nearly everyone is underpaid for sure. My gf makes more than double what I do and I still think shes underpaid. Are you still in Colorado? Maybe the cost of living is lower where you are, especially compared to big coastal cities. Id say theres about a 20% chance that I end up in Denver in a year I kinda hope I do!

Clench281 posted...

My first full time job was like $30k/yr, like $14 an hour in 2011

how long did you have the job? Did you like it? Was 30k enough to comfortably live on in your situation?

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Mead posted...

my first job back in 2002 paid me $5.10 which was the minimum wage at the time

I remember making like $5.15 at McDonalds when I was 16. All my money went towards weed at the time.

my salary is going up to 19.25 within a couple months, and that isn't count my $2 shift differential
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MrMelodramatic posted...

how long did you have the job? Did you like it? Was 30k enough to comfortably live on in your situation?

About two years, I was saving up between college and grad school while living with my parents (rent free). I bought a used car ($8k) and built up an emergency fund of about $15k because I'd be living on the other side of the country without knowing anyone.

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I've been unemployed for nearly two years now. I'll be starting a part-time job next Wednesday.

It will pay a little more than minimum wage, but I am glad to at least have found a legitimate job that can help cover that gaping chasm in my r\'esum\'e.
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Clench281 posted...

About two years, I was saving up between college and grad school while living with my parents (rent free). I bought a used car ($8k) and built up an emergency fund of about $15k because I'd be living on the other side of the country without knowing anyone.

Thats a healthy chunk to have saved up! Im going to be able to save a little bit (200-400 a month), but Im putting a lot of money into paying off credit card debt and student loans. Hopefully thats the right move.

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EclairReturns posted...

I've been unemployed for nearly two years now. I'll be starting a part-time job next Wednesday.

It will pay a little more than minimum wage, but I am glad to at least have found a legitimate job that can help cover that gaping chasm in my r\'esum\'e.

thats great! I hope it gives you more opportunities down the road.

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MrMelodramatic posted...

I start a new job on Monday (my first full time position) and Im being payed almost 2.5x the minimum wage. Its more than Ive ever made (or my parents made for that matter), and I dont have a ton of expenses, but it still feels like Im making basically nothing. keeping my hopes up that Ill get a better job in a few months.

still, Im grateful for the money to buy food, pay my debts, and still have enough to put a small amount into savings. and maybe now Ill be able to have a phone again. Woo

anyway whats up with you, potd? How much money did you make at your first full-time job? How much do you make now? Are you happy with what you earn? Do you deserve more?

what kind of job is this?

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Arv doesnt wanna make under 20 dollars again he s to spoiled now

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MrMelodramatic posted...

Most apartments here also ask that your monthly income is 300-400% the amount that rent costs. Its rough. Luckily Im not paying rent until next summer, otherwise Id have to find a roommate or two (my credit isnt great either, which doesnt help). Is what you do particularly hazardous?

I remember and miss when the amount was double rather than triple, and feel there needs to be a legal cap to such requirements. It would help a lot of people keep a roof over their heads.

I work in a grocery store, doing food service work, so I am exposed to people at varying levels of health and risk every day. I'm vaccinated and wearing my mask, but the risk remains, especially now with the delta variant.

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first full time job i had was working as a sales associate for a retail chain making $7 an hour. that was almost 20 years go. im now doing basically electrician work at $29 an hour.

dunno if id call it "happy" work. can be stressful and backbreaking, but its decent money and i tend be left alone most of the time due to weird hours. where i live the money can go a long way so im free to invest and save most of what i make. i intend to retire within the next 5 years hopefully.

MrMelodramatic posted...

but Im putting a lot of money into paying off credit card debt and student loans. Hopefully thats the right move.

Credit card debt, yes, absolutely. Get that down as quickly as you can, because those interest rates are terrible. Carrying a credit balance long-term is very much not something you should ever do, if you can avoid it. In addition to costing you quite a bit of money, carrying a high balance (relative to your credit limit) will also harm your credit score, so try to keep your balance down (<35% of your limit is the advice I've seen). Conversely, if you get offers to increase your credit limit, it can be a good idea to take them just for the sake of giving you more breathing room on your credit rating.

Student loans, maybe not so much. Depending on what your interest rates are, you may be better off making minimum payments and saving your money or spending it elsewhere. Carrying debt like that long-term is actually good for your credit score (since it shows your ability to manage debts). On the other hand, if your debt:income ratio is too high, that may affect your ability to be approved for a mortgage or other big loan, so it may be worthwhile to take some larger bites out of it for that sake (I'd talk to a mortgage advisor to see what's best there).

There's something to be said for the peace of mind that comes from being debt-free, which won't be reflected in the raw dollars and cents, but for lower-interest debt like student loans, it's not that uncommon for it to be more sensible to take your time in paying it off. Do some math and see how your various options will play out long term. In particular, if you need to maintain a minimum balance in your bank account to avoid a monthly fee, it's probably going to be better to maintain that than to put that balance toward your student loan.

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If your student loan rates are under 5%, you might be better off making the minimum payment and instead investing the rest in a broad fund

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MrMelodramatic posted...

Im being payed almost 2.5x the minimum wage.

1) "Paid," not "payed." I know that you're alt-facts, but can you at least not be alt-spelling?

2) Federal or state/local? Because the federal is... $7.25, whereas some areas are as high as $15.20

MrMelodramatic posted...

Its more than Ive ever made

Which is understandable, since as your career progresses your money should going up.

MrMelodramatic posted...

(or my parents made for that matter)

...which is sad.

MrMelodramatic posted...

and I dont have a ton of expenses, but it still feels like Im making basically nothing. keeping my hopes up that Ill get a better job in a few months.

Well, if it's 2.5x the federal that's still under $40k which isn't terrible in most red states although it doesn't go nearly as far in most blue states (where the minimum wage is higher anyway)

MrMelodramatic posted...

anyway whats up with you, potd? How much money did you make at your first full-time job? How much do you make now? Are you happy with what you earn? Do you deserve more?

I'm never satisfied. If I was pulling in a million dollars each year, I'd be wondering how I could pull in two million instead.

Entity13 posted...

I make a little over minimum wage, plus hazard pay (which may or may not go away soon), for about 17.90 an hour. I'd be happy with at least 26 an hour with the current cost of rent, for which places ask we make triple what they want per month. <_<

Aren't you up in like Washington? Rent has to be insane up there.

CoorsLight posted...

If you're not a C-level/VP you probably deserve more than you're getting

Generally no, unless it's relative to workers within your field and area.

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Zeus posted...

Aren't you up in like Washington? Rent has to be insane up there.

In Olympia, subsidized housing alone, for a 1b apartment, is in the high 800s before washer and dryer. Average rent here is a few hundred more a month, and again that's before the 3x requirement. Min wage for a full 40 hours a week might barely touch a 2x requirement. Considering hw much employers love making it 35 or 37.5 hours a week, and again for the 300% thing? Forget about living alone with a suitable amount of space to store your stuff. :-/

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fucking Zeus man

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Yeah $20/hr doesn't go as far now as 6$/hr did in the 90's. Min wage is a literal joke but it's worse than that.

Even 10 years ago there were tons of jobs that paid a wide range from min wage to about $20/hr. My first electronic tech job started at $11/hr in 1991 for instance (min wage in CA was around $5 then). I then got promoted to Lead Tech in 6 months and was paid $14/hr.

Thing is min wage jumped in many areas so fast it ATE UP all those jobs that were paying up to 2x min wage, so they all make the same or near the same amount now.

Meanwhile rental prices and requirements zoomed. When I moved to Olympia with my wife, we bought a home so were not renting, but I had friends who ran the Carpenter Crest Apartments here, and the rent for a 1 bedroom was $700/month.

Last I checked (last year sometime), the rent for a 1 bedroom was about $1200/month. So within 5 years the rent almost doubled. It's freaking crazy.

Most jobs in this area that are not specialized etc pay somewhere between $14 and $20/hr. As you can imagine when you can't rent anywhere for less then $1200 unless you get on a gov subsidized program (some apartment complexes etc charge less) or have roomates, living on $20 or less with such high base rent, utilities, internet, gas, health insurance etc is pretty hard.

I live on much less. I aim to spend $900 or less a month. I started renting a basement in Tacoma almost a year before covid started, but they sold they house about halfway through. They liked me enough to have me move with them to steamboat island (which is 30 mins away from Olympia). I only pay $600 a month for the basement (basically my own apartment but I share the kitchen upstairs). It is a GREAT deal, but it's hard to find any work out here, so I have to drive into olympia for that (or for food etc) or drive to shelton (Which is closer but small).

If I had to actually rent an apartment I would just move away because I'm not paying that much. I would probably buy a mobile home somewhere (Forks washington has them for $10k or less and only 260$ a month lot rent). That is my current plan if where I rent stops being available (they want to AB&B it eventually).

As my eyesight gets worse I won't be able to work at all, so I figure I better get used to living on almost nothing now, while I still have the ability to adapt easier etc, before I'm eventually stuck on Social security etc. Even so, the future doesn't look great. On the positive side, my eyesight already sucks so bad, I can't really see it anyway:)

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My first full time (2006) I believe paid $8 an hour to start out. Minimum here was $5.15 at the time and is currently $7.25.

I'm at $19.83 on my current job today and I do well with it, but primarily because my pay structure earns me double pay after 48 hours and I typically work 56-60 a week.

It helps that my mortgage is pretty affordable.

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I'm making a little over 14$ an hour. No benefits.

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MrMelodramatic posted...

Are you still in Colorado? Maybe the cost of living is lower where you are, especially compared to big coastal cities. Id say theres about a 20% chance that I end up in Denver in a year I kinda hope I do!

Denver cost of living is not lower than anywhere in Texas to my knowledge, sorry to burst your bubble. It's not as bad as the coastal cities but it's still pretty ridiculous, lots of $1500 studios/1 beds, $600k houses, etc.

Congrats. My $4/hr raise kicks in on Wednesday

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Gaawa_chan posted...

I'm making a little over 14$ an hour. No benefits.

That's like minimum wage here.

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Modest_Mouse posted...

fucking Zeus man

Dude really sucks the life out of every topic he appears in. Nobody wants to hear his stupid opinions or argue with him. I'm trying to be in here like "hope everyone can get a nice payday someday" and he can't resist simping for corporations

I worked part time gigs throughout high school.. I think only 1 of them paid the legal minimum wage
I needed a job after losing unemployment (my brother made being on unemployment for years look easy) so I started at 2 nights a week - cash in hand - at a restaurant
It moved up to 4-5 nights, sometimes both lunch and dinner shifts (12 - 13 hour days) which was about $100 a day + $100 or so tips every week or 2
Free dinner was the only benefit I think as health coverage works differently in Australia

It was enough to help out my girlfriend with her rent and bills after her roommate up and ditched her, then when we split my costs where deduced, I managed to save and moved to the US

Over here I've worked a good paying job with few hours, a crap paying job with lots of hours and eventually a good paying job (started at $13, it's now about $21) with guaranteed 40 hours a week

Only issue I have right now is that like a lot of other businesses, we're short staffed which means more work for everyone else :/

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UT1999 posted...

what kind of job is this?

working at a pharmaceutical company doing some basic data entry and quality assurance stuff.

ArvTheGreat posted...

Arv doesnt wanna make under 20 dollars again he s to spoiled now

I would luv 20/h

Entity13 posted...

I remember and miss when the amount was double rather than triple, and feel there needs to be a legal cap to such requirements. It would help a lot of people keep a roof over their heads.

I work in a grocery store, doing food service work, so I am exposed to people at varying levels of health and risk every day. I'm vaccinated and wearing my mask, but the risk remains, especially now with the delta variant.

That does sound dangerous. idk what it's like where you are, but in my town (and all of Texas, it seems) I only see about 20% of people wearing a mask, and like 50% are vaccinated. You definitely deserve the hazard pay. Have you been working there long?

Dark_Spiret posted...

first full time job i had was working as a sales associate for a retail chain making $7 an hour. that was almost 20 years go. im now doing basically electrician work at $29 an hour.

dunno if id call it "happy" work. can be stressful and backbreaking, but its decent money and i tend be left alone most of the time due to weird hours. where i live the money can go a long way so im free to invest and save most of what i make. i intend to retire within the next 5 years hopefully.

Not too shabby! Retiring early sounds like a dream. I did a retirement calculator thing online and it seems like I'll never be able to retire <_< i don't understand how one can save enough to do it. Good luck!

adjl posted...

Credit card debt, yes, absolutely...

Student loans, maybe not so much...

There's something to be said for the peace of mind that comes from being debt-free...

If all goes to plan, I will be out of credit card debt by the end of January. Student loans are on pause until February so it works out nicely.

My current "plan" has me paying off my loans in 6-7 years, but you're saying it might be better to stretch it to the full 10 years my loan provider is suggesting? I don't have the numbers but I feel like the money I would lose on interest is killer, even if the rate is low :(

Clench281 posted...

If your student loan rates are under 5%, you might be better off making the minimum payment and instead investing the rest in a broad fund

some are between 3-5%, but a couple are 5-7%. I think my highest interest rate is 7.1%.

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CoorsLight posted...

Dude really sucks the life out of every topic he appears in. Nobody wants to hear his stupid opinions or argue with him. I'm trying to be in here like "hope everyone can get a nice payday someday" and he can't resist simping for corporations

people need to just block and not feed him

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CoorsLight posted...

Dude really sucks the life out of every topic he appears in. Nobody wants to hear his stupid opinions or argue with him. I'm trying to be in here like "hope everyone can get a nice payday someday" and he can't resist simping for corporations

there is zero chance he is a happy man


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Yeesh

Zeus posted...

1) "Paid," not "payed." I know that you're alt-facts, but can you at least not be alt-spelling?

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-was-only-pretending-to-be- r*******

2) Federal or state/local? Because the federal is... $7.25, whereas some areas are as high as $15.20

Texas keeps the federal minimum wage. $7.25. Texas has a lower cost of living than a lot or places with higher minimums, so I figured saying I made 2.5x minimum provided more context than "$18 per hour"

Which is understandable, since as your career progresses your money should going up.

I'd take a pay cut for better benefits tbh

...which is sad.

Yeah it is sad that this country has a lot of disparity in resources, education, and aid for minorities and women. But you get by with what you got. Or you die, I suppose. A lot of poor people die because they're poor. That's sad, too.

Well, if it's 2.5x the federal that's still under $40k which isn't terrible in most red states although it doesn't go nearly as far in most blue states (where the minimum wage is higher anyway)

It's definitely not "terrible". It comes out to about 36k, and in 2019, the median personal income in the US was about 36k. In Texas, it's closer to 31k. I just feel that I have a strong enough skill set to have a better job and be getting paid more. Maybe in a few months I'll find something better.

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tc did you need a college degree? maybe i should look in my area for this kind of work

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Entity13 posted...

In Olympia, subsidized housing alone, for a 1b apartment, is in the high 800s before washer and dryer. Average rent here is a few hundred more a month, and again that's before the 3x requirement. Min wage for a full 40 hours a week might barely touch a 2x requirement. Considering hw much employers love making it 35 or 37.5 hours a week, and again for the 300% thing? Forget about living alone with a suitable amount of space to store your stuff. :-/

why is living so expensive ;-;

Modest_Mouse posted...

fucking Zeus man

he hates me ever since I made the kek topic :(

Goldenguy posted...

My first full time (2006) I believe paid $8 an hour to start out. Minimum here was $5.15 at the time and is currently $7.25.

I'm at $19.83 on my current job today and I do well with it, but primarily because my pay structure earns me double pay after 48 hours and I typically work 56-60 a week.

It helps that my mortgage is pretty affordable.

that's a lot of work! I'm afraid of working 40 hours <_< like idk if I'm built to work that many hours a week lmao

Gaawa_chan posted...

I'm making a little over 14$ an hour. No benefits.

where do you work, if u dont mind me asking

Judgmenl posted...

That's like minimum wage here.

slightly less than double minimum here

CoorsLight posted...

Dude really sucks the life out of every topic he appears in. Nobody wants to hear his stupid opinions or argue with him. I'm trying to be in here like "hope everyone can get a nice payday someday" and he can't resist simping for corporations

l m a o


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My first "full time" was working with my grandfather at his business during the summer in middle/high school. Roughly 48 hours a week at $5 an hour.

My first on the books full time job was at a machine shop as a Hydraulic Press Operator, $7 an hour. Did it during breaks while I was in college.

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MrMelodramatic posted...

he hates me ever since I made the kek topic :(

i love how mad that made him

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My first full-time job was like $8.50/hr and maybe $10/hr when I quit.

I make much more than that now and am able to sock a lot of it away, so I'm content with it.

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MrMelodramatic posted...

why is living so expensive ;-;

Some combination of pride, avarice, and gluttony from the folks on top of the socio-economic ladder.

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MrMelodramatic posted...

That does sound dangerous. idk what it's like where you are, but in my town (and all of Texas, it seems) I only see about 20% of people wearing a mask, and like 50% are vaccinated. You definitely deserve the hazard pay. Have you been working there long?

Two years as of a week ago.

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i was making $9 an hour 10 years ago, now i make $18.no debts and brand new car is paid in full. i can move out of my parents house but im not in a rush, my parents are cool and im happy i get to help.

accord posted...

i was making $9 an hour 10 years ago, now i make $18.no debts and brand new car is paid in full. i can move out of my parents house but im not in a rush, my parents are cool and im happy i get to help.

Curious question: what region do you live in? 18/hr is wonderful in many places, but how is the cost of living in your area?

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Congrats TC

My first job was for my dad working in his restaurant when I was 12 for $2.30 / hr (and he took taxes out)

I've had a lot of different jobs since then. Roller Coaster operator, call center representative, sex worker, programmer, kitchen manager, bassist, and Corpsman-Apprentice have been most of my job titles over the years.

CoorsLight posted...

Denver cost of living is not lower than anywhere in Texas to my knowledge, sorry to burst your bubble. It's not as bad as the coastal cities but it's still pretty ridiculous, lots of $1500 studios/1 beds, $600k houses, etc.

If I move to Denver, it'll be because my SO got a job there. And she's a six-figure earner, so I'd be okay making rent haha. I myself might get a higher salary if we move, too! I'm sure CO has a higher minimum than TX, anyway.

Mensis posted...

Congrats. My $4/hr raise kicks in on Wednesday

ayyeeeee that's a solid raise! Congrats!

CoorsLight posted...

Dude really sucks the life out of every topic he appears in. Nobody wants to hear his stupid opinions or argue with him. I'm trying to be in here like "hope everyone can get a nice payday someday" and he can't resist simping for corporations

It's hard to address all his points on mobile, too.

JixHedgehog posted...

I worked part time gigs throughout high school.. I think only 1 of them paid the legal minimum wage
I needed a job after losing unemployment (my brother made being on unemployment for years look easy) so I started at 2 nights a week - cash in hand - at a restaurant
It moved up to 4-5 nights, sometimes both lunch and dinner shifts (12 - 13 hour days) which was about $100 a day + $100 or so tips every week or 2
Free dinner was the only benefit I think as health coverage works differently in Australia

It was enough to help out my girlfriend with her rent and bills after her roommate up and ditched her, then when we split my costs where deduced, I managed to save and moved to the US

Over here I've worked a good paying job with few hours, a crap paying job with lots of hours and eventually a good paying job (started at $13, it's now about $21) with guaranteed 40 hours a week

Only issue I have right now is that like a lot of other businesses, we're short staffed which means more work for everyone else :/

I'm glad you're making it happen! Being overworked and short-staffed sucks, and is unfortunately a thing a lot of places are experiencing right now. Have you tried asking for a riase? My mom works for a business that is short staffed and unable to fill positions, and she got a decent raise when management felt that employees were becoming frustrated with the increased workload.

Mead posted...

people need to just block and not feed him

DirtBasedSoap posted...

there is zero chance he is a happy man

+1

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MrMelodramatic posted...

I would luv 20/h

That would be enough for me to cover all bills. I'm going to have to borrow money since my electric company charged me twice this month instead of just waiting until September.
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If i ever move out id need like 50k to put down on a home. houses near me go for like 300k. I dont want to burn money in rent so i live at home with my parents

first job i had i started at 10 an hour. ended up at 11. 75 before i left.

job i have now i make 22 an hour. i think im worth more.

when i work side jobs i bill anwhere from 45-100 an hour depending on what im doing. thats where the real money is folks. work for yourself.

im 27 and still live with my parents and have just over 60k in savings. i dont know if ill ever feel like im making enough money. i could make 6 figures and want 6 and a quarter.

MrMelodramatic posted...

Being overworked and short-staffed sucks, and is unfortunately a thing a lot of places are experiencing right now.

Something that would be solved for the majority of places if wages were well above the poverty line for that particular area they're in, or for some places also a better practice of preferred schedules for all of the workers rather than some of the favorites (while the rest suffer). The right to taze the worst of the worst as far as customers go might help too.

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I've only ever had one full-time job. I started in 2013 at around 64k and now I'm at about 85k.

I would be happier if rent weren't so high (2100/mo) and if health care were included in my benefits.

There is a huge teacher shortage in my state (California), so it's a given that teachers need to be paid more. Every year, the cost of living has increased more our cost-of-living adjustments, so we're effectively taking a pay cut every year. The only reason my salary has gone up is because we have automatic longevity increases. But because cost of living is skyrocketing, those longevity increases are nerfed.

My school district has dozens of vacant teaching positions, and we're starting our third week of school tomorrow.

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