This is an intrusive personal question

[NYCHitman1]

Well, I part company with you on that issue, NYCHitman. I work with them, cook for them, serve them and try to hook them up with healthcare, etc, mostly on weekends. Many of them have no addiction at all, but even the ones who do need us.

The ones who seem to be there by choice don't last long because they do have a support system they left behind and they eventually go back to it out of misery on the streets. They are a small minority of the "hobos" I work with.

I guess one bad apple ruined it for the rest. I've given money to those less fortunate than I am, but I'm still bothered by the one bad occasion where I offered food (which it looked like he could REALLY use), and it was denied with rudeness.

Either way, I commend you for supporting them (although I assume you are paid for your services).

 

[Frisco]

Either way, I commend you for supporting them (although I assume you are paid for your services).

Thank you, but volunteer work is highly lucrative in

currency.

But I don't do nearly as much of it as the rest of the staff there. They're full time, the only paid fellow goes around and gathers all the food (mostly super market "too near expiration date" stuff) every day. He makes about 10k per year and, of course, eats there.

 

[007shark]

My situation isn't really similar, but I kind of feel your pain. I'm a mechanical engineer (24 yrs old) ,(graduated college in december 2009 with a BS in mech. engr. ) , finally got my first engineering job (as an intern) in september 2010 making 15 dollars an hour. When they finally put me on salary in early 2011 (after telling me once they were going to do it a few months earlier, then finding out that my boss's boss, the owner of the company, didn't think they should... what a confidence booster that was... )

So currently i'm the only person with the title "Mechanical Engineer" at our company (we only have maybe 25 employees) my boss is one too, but his title is VP of operations,
I went into my yearly review with hopes of negotiating a salary (somewhere in the 50-60k range is average for starting mechanical engineers) , but instead, my boss tells me "You're making about 31[k per year] right now , so we'll bump you up to 33."
and that was the end of it.
(so, just for comparisons's sake, that's approximately 2750 a month before taxes , take-home pay being almost exactly 2000 after all is said and done) benefits include a 401k plan (my company doesn't have the money to match controbutions) , high deductable health insurance (3000 dollars I think?) , health spending account, and one week paid vacation per year (more after working there for like 5 yrs I think)




Our company designs/builds/sells outdoor products (outdoorrooms.com is the web address if you want to see specifically what i'm talking about) like fire pits, fireplaces, custom bbq grill islands, currently we're working on some new stuff involving gel fuel for indoor/outdoor portable fireplaces and tabletop units. Nothing super high tech, although we do have some unique products and patented technology.

Currently I do a lot of CAD drawings for new and existing products, I do google sketchup renders of grill islands for potential customers, create framing drawings to be used in a steel "roll former" machine (similar to those machines that make custom length gutters , except that this one does steel studs for building structures) , I write-up instruction manuals for new products and re-write crappy chinese ones from products we've outsourced to China, If I have time, I brainstorm ideas for new products and modifications to existing designs, as well as help out around the office with my computer knowledge (doesn't take much to know more than everyone in your office when you're the youngest person working there by a few years) , etc...

the hours I work are generally 40 a week, although its kind of expected that if they need more from me, I'll do it (sucks not getting overtime anymore...)


I'm currently living with my parents still (I know, lame...) so I can't really complain as far as money goes, but I'm moving out within the next few months and am not quite sure what that'll mean for my financial situation considering I already pay about just over 400 dollars a month to my student loans, among a few other bills I now have, such as car payments , insurance, cell phone, (and a few other bills that if it came down to it, I could probably cut out all together if need be)

I feel like maybe its greedy of me to want more than what I'm making, considering some people would be happy to be making as much, but it just sucks when you're making less than a lot of people who skipped college and just went into a trade such as heating and AC installation, construction, etc. Those people didn't end up 50 grand in debt, 4.5 yrs behind in making a steady income, and can now afford to live better than myself.


i feel like i'm starting to ramble here... this has been something that's been frustrating me for a long time, but the work keeps me busy and I do enjoy the people I work with , and , for the most part, the work I do there.

as everyone says though , (this is directed at you, OP)
if you don't like what you're doing , find something you do, becuase you spend too much of your life working to not enjoy it, considering , (depending on your religion I guess) you only get one chance to enjoy your life.


having said that, I realize how tough it is to just switch jobs in this economy considering a lot of companies are STILL laying people off and not a lot of new jobs are being created in any field (except maybe suicide prevention, but that might be a volunteer job...lol)


for a comparison though, I have an acquaintance from college who graduated a year after me, got offered a job straight out of college with goodrich (sensors and systems) as an electrical engineer starting at 68k per year.

I don't know if you have considered working for a defense contractor. They are always looking for engineers and usually cater to them. Salaries are not bad and the benefits are excellent. Of course, some are morally opposed to working for weapons manufacturers so it is personal choice.

 

[angldvl81]

I work as a data collector for a government test facility. I make approx 34K/yr not including overtime (which used to be pretty regular, now not so much). I live in the southwest. I make do with what I have while raising my 2 1/2 yr old daughter by myself. All in all I have learned to be frugal and keep bills down.

 

[n0ct3m]

I guess I can mention my stuff. I work as a Tech Support Associate for a defense contractor making $16.62 per hour (no salary for me ). I work 40 hours a week and get overtime for anything over 40 hours. My job isn't that difficult if you know electronics. When things are working, I just sit and watch hardware get tested on our test stations. When it doesn't work, I have to figure out what's wrong with it. I usually don't have to work over 40 hours unless really needed. Benefits here are pretty nice. We get a yearly raise that usually ranges in the 2.5-3% range for me. We also get a mid year and end of year bonus. This is down in Mississippi btw.

 

[007shark]

I guess I can mention my stuff. I work as a Tech Support Associate for a defense contractor making $16.62 per hour (no salary for me ). I work 40 hours a week and get overtime for anything over 40 hours. My job isn't that difficult if you know electronics. When things are working, I just sit and watch hardware get tested on our test stations. When it doesn't work, I have to figure out what's wrong with it. I usually don't have to work over 40 hours unless really needed. Benefits here are pretty nice. We get a yearly raise that usually ranges in the 2.5-3% range for me. We also get a mid year and end of year bonus. This is down in Mississippi btw.

We have the same job with different titles, lol. You must work for a competitor.

 

[n0ct3m]

We have the same job with different titles, lol. You must work for a competitor.

Quite possible

 

[Potvin63]

I am a licensed attorney working as a Contract Paralegal (for the past year) for a major global manufacturing corporation in their environmental division. I get no benefits and accrue 1 paid day off for every 10 weeks I work. Pre-tax I am in the low 50,000 range. I also teach two courses a piece in the fall and spring semester for an additional $14,400 pre-tax per year so overall I'm in the mid 60's range and work close to 60 hours a week during the semester. I live in a very expensive northeast state but I get by.

I hope to land an actual job as an attorney where I'll make more money, get benefits, but likely have to give up teaching, which I really enjoy.

 

[gallandof]

wow, i actually ended up appreciating this post a lot more than I expected. Made me realize how much I need to stop bitching about my current job.

I work at a authorized verizon wireless store. and on average (commision and salary) I make around 60k after taxes and other deductables from my pay checks. I usually work 35-37 hour work weeks, although there are times where we have to end up working 60+. Apart from dumb customer questions and annoying iphone users theres nothing to complain about with this job that isnt because of me.

 

[WarBird87]

I work full time 40+ hours for an electric cooperative company, I am a document control specialist. I have control of over 400k drawings of all our plants, substations, and transmission lines. I go to school full time at night to finish my degree in criminology, next semester ill be working 40+ hours a day, plus going to school, plus an internship with a local police department and starting the part time night academy at the local community college... oh and did i mention I have a 10 month old daughter? lol... I make around $16 per hr right now... as much as i would love to have tons of money and never have to work another day in my life, chances of that happening are slim to none. I have to work my butt off to be able to provide for my daughter so im willing to do what ever it takes. I dont get much free time and i dont have much extra money, and becoming a police officer isnt a high paying job by any aspect but its not all about money to me. I want to be able to help the community and be able to provide a good life for my daughter and hopefully be able to instill the morals and drive in her as my parents did for me.

 

[NYCHitman1]

be able to provide a good life for my daughter and hopefully be able to instill the morals and drive in her as my parents did for me.

At the end of the day, that is the only thing that matters.

 

[DaSchmarotzer]

I make $10.65 per hour with lousy benefits.

 

[lordofthereef]

In reference to my hobo comment, it bothers me that these people make zero effort to better themselves. I can understand the hardship they endured which got them in the positions they are in, but they are always in control of the outcome of their lives.

I remember once I attempted to give a homeless man some food, and he literally threw it at me as I walked away, and asked for money instead.

F**k that, man! Crap like that makes me sick. I'm definitely NOT going to assist your drug abuse.

I think this is certainly a situation that deserves some thought. As tough as it is to get a job in many markets, I would think it would be even harder if you had no resume, no home, no transportation, etc. It is also tough to know how long a person has been where they currently are. I am not saying there is no way out of homelessness. I am also not saying I know what the majority of the people in this situation do or think. But to make a blanket statement that none of them make an effort is hurtful, at the least, I think.

FWIW I have had the same thing happen to me. A man who looked homeless to me came up to a coworker and me asking for money for food. We offered to walk over to the subway across the street and buy him a meal. He said he really just wanted the money. That was my cue to stop caring and hop in my car.

 

[Roze]

I'm currently living with my parents still (I know, lame...) so I can't really complain as far as money goes, but I'm moving out within the next few months and am not quite sure what that'll mean for my financial situation considering I already pay about just over 400 dollars a month to my student loans, among a few other bills I now have, such as car payments , insurance, cell phone, (and a few other bills that if it came down to it, I could probably cut out all together if need be)

It's really sad that Westerners (Caucasians) have this whole independent mentality; where living with your parents is considered 'lame' when you're passed a certain age. I guess, being raised in a very traditional Asian family, it's pretty normal for (Asian) parents to have their children live with them until they are married. All of my friends live with their family and intend to do so until they get married or their jobs required them to move out.

Coldfuzion, I think if you want to move out, quit your job and find a higher paying job. Your current salary and expenses don't really give you much room to move out. If you do, you might see that the majority of your income will go towards rent and your expense. You will have very little in disposable income. Until you find a better paying job, just continue living with your family and pay off your student loan.

I agree with another person, that said you're being taken advantage of. You're being paid almost 1/2 of your expected salary upon graduation :/

On to Roze now : Graduated in '08 with an accounting degree (4 years in school+1 year internship). So you can guess my age from that. I've been going from one contract job to another. It seems that a lot of accounting jobs now-a-days are contractual. Which really sucks for me I love accounting but I don't really fit into the company I work with. Which sadly affects my work (I go on AF more than I should >_>;;; ) I've thought about quitting and finding another job...but the whole job prospect isn't the greatest out there and I hate job searching too . So I decided to stick with this company. I am currently making about $2475/month before tax or just under $1900 after tax. I will be changing to another role in my department in a couple of weeks and will be making slightly more ($3000 before tax). I'm almost done paying off my student loan. I have another year to go until I'm debt free

Oh...and I'm taking courses for my professional accounting designation too. I really do hate the work + school combo :/

 

[Saltine713]

I'm just a student right now, but I work at Outback Steakhouse part-time as a host. I make $13 an hour.

The servers in my Outback, (We are #4 in profit for all Outback's, with over 1.4 million in profit.) can easily pull down $2,000 a week.

 

[Caddyman]

i live in delaware, im 29, married, with 2 kids. I graduated from local a vo-tech high school, went to work in engineering designing fire protection systems. 8 years ago i left there and went to work for a large engineering company. we got bought out by pretty much the largest engineering company in the US, maybe the world a few years back. i work for them now.

for this company i do 3D mechanical piping and equipment design, i use AVEVA PDMS mainly, sometimes i have to use AutoCAD or Microstation for 2D stuff but that is not often. i make 75k a year, 40 hours a week. anything over 40 is time and a half and i get maybe 20 hours a month of OT if i want it...depends on the jobs we have at the time.

i also own a electric cigarette company, vaperdepot.com, its new but doing well.

I also do freelance web design for myself, and another large web developer, im chaseweb.biz, they are aarson.com. when we have lots to do, the money is excellent.

I also own and operate 2 online forums, talkdelaware.com and talkpa.net. income from these is minimal but giving back the community is priceless.

 

[APDell]

Thank you for responding everybody!

 

[Sue7M3]

Well I'm not going to discuss specifics in regards to my income, but I do okay. Well enough to have supported us here in NYC when my husband was laid off. I am a freelance writer/journalist and I also do PR and virtual assistant work. I work from home and put in about 30 hours a week. I also work 21 hours a week doing tech support for a developer of iPad apps. That's pretty easy work though. I can do it sitting in front of the TV since it's all email based support.

 

[Frisco]

Thank you for responding everybody!

You're welcome. Interesting thread idea.

 

[jjbova]

Here in Fayetteville, I just switched jobs and am now at $34/hour. I was making $27/hour working from home for IBM. I am a system administrator with heavy VMware and Netapp Experience..... and this might not be the place to say it, but Blackberry Server and Device expirience too (don't yell at me, it was for work). lol.

The down side is I am paying just over $2k a Month in Child support, and that's with me having my children every weekend. NC is not a nice place to have to go to court for child support, they have NO mercy.

 

[Sue7M3]

Here in Fayetteville, I just switched jobs and am now at $34/hour. I was making $27/hour working from home for IBM. I am a system administrator with heavy VMware and Netapp Experience..... and this might not be the place to say it, but Blackberry Server and Device expirience too (don't yell at me, it was for work). lol.

While I love my Android tablet I fully admit to still being addicted to my Blackberry.

 

[APDell]

Here in Fayetteville, I just switched jobs and am now at $34/hour. I was making $27/hour working from home for IBM. I am a system administrator with heavy VMware and Netapp Experience..... and this might not be the place to say it, but Blackberry Server and Device expirience too (don't yell at me, it was for work). lol.

The down side is I am paying just over $2k a Month in Child support, and that's with me having my children every weekend. NC is not a nice place to have to go to court for child support, they have NO mercy.

Its an unfair thing. Every man I know or have heard of who has fought for custody except for one, has gotten pummled.

A woman can get child support and welfare and never have to work and be making more than a person who has a job and kids and is single...

Unreal. How broken is the system...

 

[9to5cynic]

I agree. I cringe when I hear about college students entering the work force with so much debt, only to get $30,000 per year jobs. I feel like they have been bamboozled.

I definatly take some knowledge from you. Save when we get it. Because of course there are no guarantees...

As a college student with more and more debt every day, I sure hope I am not being bamboozled.

I don't know, every generation has its battles. Ours is financial.

 

[NYCHitman1]

Its an unfair thing. Every man I know or have heard of who has fought for custody except for one, has gotten pummled.

A woman can get child support and welfare and never have to work and be making more than a person who has a job and kids and is single...

Unreal. How broken is the system...

NY tends to favor the mother is those situations as well. The whole damn system is a sham.

 

[Potvin63]

I had previously responded to this thread several weeks ago and have an update on my job status, possibly for the better.

I currently work in the Legal department for a major corporation in NJ as a contract employee and have been here for over a year. My engagement with them will likely end at the conclusion of this month. However, I got a call a few days ago about a contract job for an even bigger company, based in NJ, that's closer to home and that will pay me $10 more an hour than what I make now for performing similar work.

Contract jobs aren't ideal but the staffing firm that would be paying me offers better and cheaper benefits than I have now and I enjoy working 40 hour weeks because it allows me time to do things I enjoy. Just thought I'd keep everyone posted and will return once I know for sure I have a new gig and boost in income...