TruthIsAll
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
|
Wed Feb-04-04 10:19 PM
Original message |
Would you change jobs to make a dollar a week more? |
|
Edited on Wed Feb-04-04 10:20 PM by TruthIsAll
The seminal year in my life was 1965. Viet Nam was just starting to heat up. I graduated college in February. Shortly afterwards, I had an interview with an large defense company just five minutes from my home. I didn't get the job. I was very dissapointed and resigned to being drafted.
A few weeks later, I had another interview for an Actuarial Trainee position with a large insurance company. This time I got the job. One hundred twenty five bucks a week. In the big city, too. I was excited. Free lunches and lots of girls.
The first day on the job, I came home from work and there it was: a belated job offer of Manufacturing Engineer from that defense firm. One hundred twenty six bucks a week. Almost uncanny, like they knew that they had to beat my salary, even if it was just by one buck.
But my pride said no, I won't take it. They turned me down once - so fuck 'em; I'll stay at the insurance firm. Besides, I liked the girls. Of course, my parents wanted me to take the job at the defense firm so that I might get a draft deferment building airplanes. Their better judgment prevailed and I decided to take the job. Any kid would have done the same. I was very lucky.
I resigned from the insurance company two weeks later and went to work in aircraft and aerospace manufacturing. It turned out to be the best job of my career. My co-workers were the salt of the earth, the nicest bunch of guys I ever had the pleasure of working with. They were mostly technical school graduates from suburbia.
I was a Cold War "Hawk" in 1965. I believed everything the government said was true: we were fighting the Communists in Southeast Asia to prevent them from taking over the world.
In 1968, MLK and RFK were assassinated. Each by a "Lone-crazed" gunman. Just like JFK. Right.
I left the world of the MIE in 1969. It took me a few more years before I lost my naivete. About the war. About JFK. About America.
I could not imagine, during that awful time, that things could get much worse. But they did. And here we are.
|
lcordero
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
|
Wed Feb-04-04 10:31 PM
Response to Original message |
|
every little penny counts. I don't see any jobs around that have pensions. Hell, I saw plenty of people that got screwed out of their pensions in the mid to late 1990s because of mergers. I have to look out for myself and make my life better because nobody is going to do it for me.
The only thing that is owed to an employer is a day's worth of work for a day's worth of pay.
|
styersc
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
|
Wed Feb-04-04 10:46 PM
Response to Reply #1 |
2. That's roughly $150 a week more in 2003 dollars. |
|
That's a week's take home for a minimum wage job after taxes in 2003.
|
Philosophy
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
|
Wed Feb-04-04 10:52 PM
Response to Reply #2 |
|
I don't think inflation ever hit 15000%
|
styersc
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
|
Wed Feb-04-04 11:18 PM
Response to Reply #3 |
|
compounded annually for 38 years is 152%. (and that is being generous considering the serious troubles in the early 70's Ford-Carter).
|
styersc
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
|
Thu Feb-05-04 06:21 AM
Response to Reply #4 |
|
math completely overlooked decimals.- Whoops.
|
BiggJawn
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
|
Thu Feb-05-04 07:40 AM
Response to Original message |
6. No. I did that shit when I was 17. Won't do it 30 years later. |
|
Edited on Thu Feb-05-04 07:43 AM by BiggJawn
What's a dollar a week? Hell, if I need an extra dollar a week, I'll just drink water with lunch on Wednesday instead of Sprite.
Brings back bad memories of "Hey, guy, we're giving you a RAISE! 5 cents an hour! Isn't that GREAT???"
And this was in the 1980's, NOT the 1930's....
|
Yupster
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
|
Thu Feb-05-04 09:28 AM
Response to Original message |
7. I just changed jobs and expect to make |
|
about 25 k less wit this job. Hopefully I made the right move. We'll see.
|
BiggJawn
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
|
Thu Feb-05-04 11:52 AM
Response to Reply #7 |
|
I know if *I* took a gig that paid 25K less, I should have my head examined.
That'd leave me about $12,000 a year, which is $5.76 an hour.
Of course, if I was making oh, 100 kilobucks a year, I SUPPOSE I could tighten the belt a little and "scrape" by on 75 kilobucks....
Good luck to you. I suspect you "found your bliss" but it doesn't pay that well.:-)
|
DU
AdBot (1000+ posts) |
Fri Apr 19th 2024, 09:44 PM
Response to Original message |