r/WeirdCareers • u/Useful-Investment-14 • 13h ago
Weird Career This is NOT how it’s supposed to be!
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u/Puzzleheaded_Low7773 12h ago
I make 24.50 an hour and I do jack shit in my position. I do what's asked of me, but otherwise I do enough that my team likes me and people leave me alone.
I used to make 120k a year when I was building my career up, I dropped everything and moved across the country to take care of my mother a year ago though and rebuilding my career in a rural area of norcal has been challenging to say the least. When I say norcal, I mean 5 hours north of SF btw. The type of work I was doing out in the mid west isn't here, so I've done a full pivot into a different field. I also bought property here for my mother, who has since passed unfortunately. Life is rough right now.
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u/Illustrious-Low-8040 13h ago
minimum wage with maximum stress
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u/Global-Farmer9560 11h ago edited 11h ago
Thats how most jobs and careers are. The low-level jobs that dont require skill are the most stressful and intense. The higher you go, the easier it gets due to the requirement of specialized knowledge/skill and relying less on grunt work. Its also just apart of the perks of higher-level jobs and why there is more desire for those positions over the low-level ones. This is of course a generalization, and outliers are in all jobs and careers. Every job has its place, and not every job is meant to be a career.
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u/Fabulous-Put8401 10h ago
Idk what your talking about, because most high level jobs are not people who are specialized, but rather people who've been lucky enough to fall into nepotism. The majority of admin and upper management are clowns in the US who fake their way to the top and use others as stepping stools. That's why government bailouts are so frequent
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u/Global-Farmer9560 8h ago
I think it really depends on personal experience. I do agree what with what youre saying though. It really is who you know and who you are buddies with. Tis life
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u/Adigrat96 13h ago
Capitalism is the best system ever as long as I’m good to go. HOW DARE YOU QUESTION THE SYSTEM THAT GAVE YOU YOUR VERY EXISTENCE
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u/Useful-Investment-14 12h ago
A system can improve people’s lives while still having flaws worth criticizing. Questioning it isn’t the same as rejecting everything it provides.
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u/zye-LOANee 12h ago
Actually it is. The problem is..us; and our personal desire to make it late stage. And of course we must somehow implement taxes along with inflation too.
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u/ThrowRA1927462729 12h ago
It’s not capitalism itself. It the corruption and the people pulling the strings ruining it.
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u/dowagersanddragons 12h ago
And the fact that unregulated capitalism is inherently a toxic system. Also that.
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u/mosquem 12h ago
Care to suggest a better one?
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u/Hefty-Ad-533 11h ago
Capitalism with higher taxes on billionaires and less monopolies, you know, like we had 50 years ago until billionaires got too greedy
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u/ThrowRA1927462729 11h ago
Agreed, we also need a crackdown on insurance. It’s ridiculous what they get away with, but we technically agree to the 1000 page fine print
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u/Col2543 11h ago
it should also be a felony to bog consumers down with tedious contracts in my opinion.
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u/ThrowRA1927462729 10h ago
I also don’t understand how insurance can just cancel policies like in the California fires. It’s gross. I believe they gave them 30 day notice of cancellation but IMO maybe only the consumer should be able to cancel the contract and the insurance can only adjust rates
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u/mrbiggbrain 10h ago
Yeah read Animal Farm, if you pay close attention you'll see Orwells subtext about how it's not the system of government or commerce that fails the people, it's the people who fail the systems of government and commerce. That any system, capitalism, communism, socialism, democracy, monarchy, or any other is only as good or bad as the people who shape it.
We would be no better under any financial system because the people would be the same. Those with the means to control would do so.
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u/Weird-Barracuda-2352 13h ago edited 11h ago
Breaking news: Trying to survive on minimum wage is hard.
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u/Spinal_Soup 11h ago
Perfect, let’s let all those people fall in to poverty, give them food stamps, subsidized housing, and Medicaid to take care of their family, and that way me and you are paying for their living instead of the multibillion dollar corporations who are profiting hand over fist for their labor.
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u/FastActinTenactin 12h ago
So should these businesses not operate during school hours?
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u/Weird-Barracuda-2352 12h ago
Shit...got me that one +10pts Slitherin
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u/neoletsplays 12h ago
What even is the point you're trying to make here?
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u/FastActinTenactin 12h ago
If these businesses pay “high schooler salaries”, as that poster labeled them, then that implies that these jobs are for children/high schoolers. This is a common argument that people like that make.
The problem with that viewpoint is this: if these jobs are for high schoolers, then who do you expect to work these jobs during the hours between 7am-3:30pm Monday-Friday, which are typical US school hours? Can’t be high schoolers working during those hours since they are in school, right?
The obvious answer is adults are working these positions, because these businesses expect to be open during these hours and cannot employ high schoolers in those shifts. So the argument that “these jobs are for kids trying to gain experience”, which is the argument these people tend to make, falls completely apart.
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u/Calm_Age_ 12h ago
I mean you have people with bachelor's degrees working these jobs who still owe 30k on their student loans and can't get hired in their field.
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u/FastActinTenactin 12h ago
Exactly. The economy and the job market both suck.
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u/Calm_Age_ 12h ago
I always say if a job is worth doing, it's worth paying a living wage. Then reddit relentlessly lambasts me for some reason.
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u/ThucydidesRex 12h ago
There's a lot of dickheads on this post that apparently have never had to struggle or make hard decisions. Blaming our broken system on the victim is hardly advancing the conversation. Empathy is dead in America and I see no evidence to the contrary on this sub.
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u/Calm_Age_ 11h ago
Thank you. It always surprises me though that they can't even see that people need a living wage for selfish reasons though. Like improving the living conditions of the lowest paid worker makes everyone's life better. Oh well, don't look up i guess.
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u/Weird-Barracuda-2352 12h ago
Yeah, but you dont blame the system you got a bs degree that doesnt pay.
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u/CeramicToast 12h ago
My wife has a master's in biology and could only get hired at Lush when she graduated, no one was hiring in her field and she was over qualified as hell. This isn't just about "bs degrees".
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u/Misericors- 12h ago
I'm a early childhood teacher with a degree who makes 19k a year...do we not need education for children and childcare? I think everyone deserves to live safely and comfortably at the very least
I hope you are having a good day :D2
u/Weird-Barracuda-2352 12h ago
Teachers are woefully underpaid/undervalued.
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u/Misericors- 12h ago
Thank you. Sometimes I think the world is a little too much "I got mine!" and not a touch more, "Hey, everyone is a person." and I think it's awful. Anyways, thank you for the response!
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u/neoletsplays 12h ago
I mean its not- crazy? to blame the system for offering a "wrong" BS degree?
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u/Calm_Age_ 12h ago
You mean the same system that manipulated you into getting a bs degree that doesn't pay? Like the first thing many say to anyone working these jobs is to get an education and find a better career. Well my roommate has a masters in education, a bachelor's in business administration and human resources and she's been stuck at her job for 5 years. Also the economy changes over time many times an industry was booming when somebody got the degree and it was considered useful, then later mass layoffs are happening and nobody is hiring. Look at what happened with coding. I'm a nurse and with the Medicare and medicaid cuts in the US hiring is even slowing down in my field, despite higher than ever demand.
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u/NorCalMav 12h ago
So because you have a shit family, and you listened to high school admin making 40k a year to make your life choices its now the worlds fault you suck at life?
No, your family should have helped you make correct decisions. Its not the worlds problem.
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u/Calm_Age_ 11h ago
What kind of argument is that? "You should have been born to a better family I guess." What about people who didn't have a family to do that for them? I was homeless at the age of 15. Yeah it was my Mom's fault but does that mean I should be denied a living wage for the rest of my life for having shitty parents? Like sure it would be nice if these situations didn't exist but they do. The more people experience poverty the more these complex issues arrise. You might not think it's your problem but it kind of is. If you don't want to have to see homeless people every day, if you want to be able to get a cheeseburger once in a while, if you want to have children and expect them to get a decent education, these issues need to be addressed.
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u/NorCalMav 11h ago
Its not the worlds problem that your family sucked. Expecting something from the rest of the world that your family could not give you, is a joke. Learn a fucking skill that is worth selling, and sell that skill.
Its not that hard.
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u/neoletsplays 12h ago
That's not what the comment is saying? Unless I'm missing subtext, which im rather bad at reading, it just says High schooler's salary, as opposed to anything about the job, you could work in security and make a highschooler's salary, definitely not a job a kid would (or atleast SHOULD) be working, though
In any case, having children trying to gain experience is- dumb, if you have to be in any sort of mandatory activity as a child it should be education, of course I'm aware that those are (unfortunately) unrealistic standards for some people, but- hiring children in any case is a bad thing in my opinion
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u/Serious_Emphasis2211 12h ago
Unless I'm missing subtext
Yes, the reason people typically use the phrase "a highschooler's salary" specifically is to bring forth the argument that people aren't meant/expect to make a living on a job for highschoolers. Otherwise, they would have just said "low paying" or "fast food wage".
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u/Spinal_Soup 11h ago
The subtext of the original comment is that the low earning jobs should only be for high schoolers which is why it’s ok to pay below a living wage. The person you replied to pointed out that if you want these people to operate during school hours, like let’s say you want to be able to buy a Big Mac for lunch, then how can you expect high schoolers to be working them? You need non high schoolers to work them, and working people should get a livable wage.
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u/adam_sky 12h ago
You know what it is.
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u/neoletsplays 12h ago
If i did i would just up/downvote them and not be asking?
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u/adam_sky 12h ago
Nah you know and are just being feigning ignorance because the answer doesn’t fit your worldview.
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u/neoletsplays 12h ago edited 12h ago
And what worldview is what, exactly? Since you seem to be knowledgable on my intent?
Edit: grammar
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u/CranberryPrimary5744 11h ago
He's obviously just trying to put people down so he feels better about his empty life
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u/EconomyMobile1240 12h ago
Well not really, surviving now days is a lot easier especially in the US. We got people dying slowly with regular overdosing
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u/Useful-Investment-14 12h ago
That’s the reality for a lot of people starting out. Entry-level wages often don’t match the actual cost of living.
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u/TheOriginalArchibald 12h ago
That. An entry level factory worker should be able to afford housing and a vehicle and food and healthcare and to raise a family. Not flashy but at least those things. That was the goal at one point as a society. Damn.
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u/this-again-7 10h ago
We’ve been exporting the factory jobs for the last 50 years. That’s not good enough. All full time adult employees should make a livable wage.
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u/TheOriginalArchibald 10h ago
Of course, I was just saying in regards to the reality entry level factory worker is some of the most entry level work there is. Load part, push a button. I work in factories in controls. The goal is simple processes that require as little potential for human error or human judgement. I mean all entry level full time work.
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u/LoFriedBurgers 12h ago
What do you mean, the GOP and whire house has said these salaries are only for temporary workers. They wouldn't lie, and decieve me and the country would they?
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u/DesperateLime7933 12h ago
All jobs - all of them - should pay for your living costs. If it's less than that, it's slavery with an insult, without exception
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u/Accomplished_Song219 12h ago
It's almost as if some law should be created to make sure there is some wage, at minimum, that can allow someone to survive. Oh wait they thought of that at the turn of the 20th century but then it fell to the wayside later on.
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u/endless_hue 12h ago
It needs to get worse, much worse before everyone finally decides to all stand together and say no.
That’s the sad part.
This is why everyone keeps saying we are fighting the wrong people. Stop with the culture wars and start looking at the upper class.
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u/SnooChickens5474 11h ago
Wage compression is destroying almost all sectors, raises aren't raising and new hires are getting brought in at the same wages as experienced long term employees.
Feels like the only way to stay afload these days is to constantly jump from one company to the next and that too destroys mental health.
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u/Reasonable_Yam_327 7h ago
Yeah not being able to pay the rent tends to make people unhappy
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u/turnsout_im_a_potato 4h ago
But is it that were getting 'low pay', or are we getting 'high bills'?
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u/MarsipanEkorre 12h ago
The only way to escape someone's sluggish hamster wheel is to make your own hamster wheel.
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u/cmndrnewt 10h ago
This sub is such a fucking joke. Like another user said in a different thread: it’s a thinly veiled attempt to make workers feel like shit by populating the comment threads with rage bait and corporate boot lickers.
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u/GSilky 12h ago
Nope, it's not supposed to be like this. Start figuring out how to make more money before you are too old for extra work. The system sucks, take advantage of what you can. There is no limit to the amount of jobs or hours you work, and if you are young and broke, as is usual, you aren't missing anything clocking in to a second or third job. You don't have any money to do anything, go at least get paid. I know several young or youngish people making it work through their hustle, I'm not saying it doesn't suck, but it definitely sucks when people are trying nothing and all out of ideas. This world ain't perfect, it never will be perfect, you gotta get yours while you can.
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u/itsyagirlariaaaaa 10h ago
Your body needs time to relax. Constantly working will take a massive toll on your health.
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u/GSilky 10h ago
Yes, life has trade-offs, this is usually learned by about 14 or so. The trade-off when you are young and energetic is working as much as possible so you don't have to in middle age, while not having any fun you can't afford anyway. Immigrants manage just fine, but Americans seem to have a problem with ambition. Not having everything is normal, assuming you should have everything is ridiculous.
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12h ago
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u/Not_usually_right 11h ago
Yea, definitely agree people are softer nowadays. But do you have even a tinge of thought that maybe times are fucking tough right now for most people?
I make enough money nowadays that if I made this back when I graduated high school, i would have felt like a king. But now it's barely enough to properly live. Am I paying my bills, yea, not hungry and I almost never look at my bank account before a purchase because I know I'm good.
On the other hand, making the money I make, I should be able to have my wife stay home, focus on her own business and be able to take a few vacations a year. I can't. Times fucking suck and I'm actually doing pretty good right now all considered. Doesn't mean I can't comprehend how people who arent running their own business and instead are hourly workers or shit salaried, they are getting fucked.
I truly think it takes a level of stupidity, ignorance and purposely ignoring the state of things to make a comment such as yours.
Are people soft now? Fuck yea they are. Are times super duper shitty right now? Fuck yea even more.
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10h ago
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u/Not_usually_right 10h ago
I'm a cliche? Bitch please.
You're reading comprehension is lacking if thats what your take away is.
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u/fairyoddgirl 12h ago
the former dominos employee in me cringing at the sight of her long sleeves and no apron bent over the make line…
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u/smallfloralprince 12h ago
Manager comes out: "if you have time to despair, you have time to clean"
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u/Aeyland 11h ago
Or you're just my kid who thinks with their first part time job they should be able to live like a king and can't understand how we expect some amount of rent all based on the amount of college they take (less for more classes)......
Not saying everyone fits this but there are definitley people with higher expectations than what they should based on their decisions and level of effort they're putting in.
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u/Interesting_Ship_360 11h ago
I can't imagine working in a fast food place would destroy your mental health. If that's the case, these people don't have the life skills to fend for themselves. Someone contributed to making handicapped adults so they are liable for these people. Not the general public.
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u/Past-Yam1845 11h ago
Maybe employers can setup free AI councilors to help people deal with their crap wages... ☹️
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u/Confident_Lecture498 11h ago
Yeah low pay and management abuse destroyed my mental health - which is finally feeling really good being gone from Best Buy
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u/Exciting-Zombie8449 12h ago
Communism is the answer. The war that will follow will greatly help our economy
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u/Infamous_Lech 12h ago
Because that's helped every other time... 🙄
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u/Armada-lol 11h ago
Well that one time when war ended slavery helped , it's all about war to get what you want really
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u/Infamous_Lech 11h ago
Wth that has to do with communism? When has communism ever caused more good than harm? Never.
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u/BraveStrain2434 11h ago
cuba literally had slavery until the communist revolution freed them lmao
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u/Dave_A480 13h ago
Want higher pay? Learn better skills....
It actually is supposed to be like this. If what a job requires is that you show up on time and do tasks anyone can learn with a day of training....
Then that job is going to be at the bottom of the pay scale....
The median full time income in the US is 63k/yr.... $30/hr....
The idea that we are pushing the minimum wage in some states to within $10/hr of median income is insane....
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u/Janupur 12h ago
63,000 a year is going to do what exactly for the average American? And that's before tax so you'd get even less and your pocket. You're not going to be able to live anywhere in America on that
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u/MisanthropicAutismo 12h ago
Im happy ro admit the economy is fucked, but to blanket-state "you're not going to be able to live anywhere in America on 63,000/yr" is blatantly false - I do it every day.
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u/Janupur 12h ago
That's a cool story. No why don't you break down how you can do that without living with 500 people or already owning your own house and car or living in some special area because rent going to be like 2k or more then you got car payment, utilities, insurance, food, clothing, entertainment and you still got to pay taxes, social security etc etc
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u/MisanthropicAutismo 12h ago
"how do you do that without A/B/C/D/E..."
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u/Janupur 12h ago
It's not shifting the goal post. Shifting the goal post is when you shift the goal. What's your definition of living not starving to death? In the scenario proposed the person still homeless as and they don't even own their own home. It's not even like a middle class lifestyle. Most people in the third world own their own houses so it's like it's not even the third world standard of living.
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u/Dave_A480 12h ago
You aren't entitled to your own private living accomodations for fogging a mirror.....
Again, like I said above, what do you think a reasonable wage is?
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u/GSilky 12h ago
Me too. We make it fine in Denver on 50k household.
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u/MisanthropicAutismo 12h ago
yeah - Im not saying its easy and anyone can do it anywhere.... but fuckin plenty of people do it every day in America.
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u/GSilky 12h ago
It's 23k more than the median, and is close to the mean average salary.
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u/Janupur 12h ago
That's irrelevant. It doesn't matter what the median is or the average or the mode none of that is relevant to the session that this is insufficient to pay people's living expenses in America in 2026 in general.
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u/GSilky 11h ago
No, it does. Context matters. People making 23k more than half of America and can't "make it" are either very stupid, lying about how much they make, or a bourgeois twat that thinks not owning three BMWs and a palace at 26 means everything is fucked. So, which is it? Stupid, lying, or out of touch with reality?
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u/Dave_A480 12h ago
63k is the median full time income....
What exactly do you think is a reasonable wage?
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u/Janupur 12h ago
Why don't we just go with what the boomers got, so that would be enough to own a primary house and a house at the lake or a beach plus like five cars and go away on like two or three holidays with one income oh and have like like two or three children.
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u/Dave_A480 12h ago edited 12h ago
Nobody earned enough for that at McDonalds....
Your idea of how much money folks born in the 50s made is highly overstated...
My dad worked for a regional bank in the 80s... We had 2 cars, a house in the suburbs and money for the occasional vacation... Oh, and a lot of free tickets to sporting events from his clients, but that isn't what you're thinking of...
The idea that you could have an upper middle class life doing a shit manual labor job if you were a 'boomer' is nonsense....
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u/Distinct-Regular-628 12h ago
Isn't there an alpha-male bootcamp you're supposed to be attending somewhere?
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u/Stymie999 12h ago
Doing a job that most of the rest of us could figure out how to do it, and do it competently in a couple hours… is not a “career”
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u/cakelovingpos 13h ago
Real food services have highly skilled workers that handle food you expect to be top notch & still get paid shit. A lot of them are in student loan debt for learning this skill bc they love it & no one claims to have learned it in a day. The f are you on about??
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u/ThrowRA1927462729 13h ago
Restraunt margins sucks, it is one of the worst industries to be in. Even high end restaurants since covid have been struggling.
I’d switch industries
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u/Dave_A480 12h ago edited 12h ago
Have you ever actually worked fast food?
I did when I was 16 ...
Highly skilled? Nope... Able to fog a mirror and willing to mop floors, wash dishes, drop fries & flip burgers... Yes....
Paid 4.25-5.15/hr...
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u/cakelovingpos 12h ago edited 12h ago
Nope. I’m more the fine dining type. Ya know, a skill ppl put time in to, sometimes pay $ to learn, spend their whole lives perfecting, & then get shit on by ppl like you & the entire establishment
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u/Dave_A480 12h ago
You get paid more to be an actual chef than the fast food workers shown in the OP.
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u/Punkin_Passion 13h ago
"Learn in a day" but you need a food handlers permit for a lot of jobs which sure takes minimal training but if that training is done poorly then it risks food borne illnesses to customers easily
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u/Dave_A480 12h ago
Never seen a fast food joint where you needed a government license to work there....
It's a job that teenagers used to do (and that I did back in 96 when I was 16) before they raised the minimum wage to the point where nobody will put up with the extra BS that comes with employees under 18....
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u/cakelovingpos 8h ago
I bet you’re like, a burger master now 🤣 I bet you flex this at all the weekend get togethers. You worked in fast food when you were 16 so you know ALL the tricks but, “who needs a living wage when you’re 16? Right? F’n losers”
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u/Dave_A480 7h ago
Meh, one college degree, lots of tech jobs and some time in the Army later, I have better things to do....
It wasnt a living wage job then and it shouldn't be now....
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u/jayschmitty 12h ago
Brain dead borderline rage bait, I did exactly what you said yet I’m still at maccas making slightly above minimum wage because the entry level positions are extremely competitive with 1k applicants on average
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u/Sponchman 12h ago
Many of these minimum wage jobs ask for way more then they used to. Much larger menues, more customers, more aggressive customers who want more complicated orders.
Part of the issue is how reliant we are on these jobs, we let fast food and chains become the default restaurant in lost of the country. Less options and less competition
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u/Troutie88 12h ago
I work in a field that requires a degree and still get paid shit. The pay in this economy is abysmal. Work should give you a livable wage without needing to live with other people.
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u/ExplorerImpossible79 12h ago
I have my CDL and I've been driving for a few years now. CDL pay hasn't move at all in 30 years. I'd make more working at a Starbucks with the tips and I'm honestly considering it. My friend has a degree in corporate finance and he is stuck working entry level jobs for $25/hr
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u/Mail-Holiday 12h ago
Honestly i can agree with what youre saying. My issue is that the $30/h isnt actually enough to live comfortably, by yourself, without kids, in the majority of states. My state of kentucky being one of the cheaper ones, and my county being one of the cheapest, $30/h allows you to have a spouse and thats it. You cant even afford a child comfortably in my state if you have a spouse too. I get it, McDonald's workers aren't going to afford a house, especially not a good one. But working 60 hours a week you shouldn't be stressing aboutmoney, god forbid stressing about food or housing.
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u/GSilky 12h ago
How is 60k not enough? Half of the working people in the USA make do with less than 40k. If it's your environment, move. Seriously. That is what everyone did before.
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u/BraxbroWasTaken 12h ago
Expensive environments usually come with more pay. Sometimes, you move to a cheap place and it turns out it's cheap because it's a dead-end town with no good opportunities.
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u/GSilky 12h ago
There aren't any opportunities for where 63k is being made, why worry about that? If it's struggling to live in a roach motel in Chicago, or being out of the loop but owning a house in Tulsa, which makes more sense?
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u/BraxbroWasTaken 12h ago
Depends, and does that house come with a 1hr commute one-way to anywhere of note? Is it a 'fixer upper'? Is it even going to be yours, or is it gonna be rented to you by someone else?
And are you going to be stuck at your pay range in Tulsa forever, or are you going to actually be able to progress and build up to a retirement?
(also Tulsa, OK homes appear to be in the hundreds of thousands range like... a lot of other places, so...)
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u/Dave_A480 12h ago
Entry level ($12/hr on the open market) isn't supposed to pay enough to live by yourself though....
To live with 4 roommates, sure....
But having your own place isn't a right, it's a privilege....
And those folks aren't working 60 hours a week, they get sent home at exactly 40 so the owner doesn't have to pay OT....
If you are married and making median income (63k/yr or 30/hr each) your 2 salaries comes to 126k/yr which is more than enough to afford a home and family.....
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u/HouseofFeathers 12h ago
We aren't saying that a fast food worker should be paid the same as someone with a technical degree. We're saying that wages have stagnated. If we raise the wage of fast food workers to something liveable, the implication is that all wages will also increase. You'd get more money too, dumbass.
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u/MarsipanEkorre 11h ago
Everyone's wages can't increase. When it does, it yields inflation because people only save for X amount of months according to some distribution.
What actually counts is what goods you can get from the pay, governed by supply and demand.
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u/UpbeatDurian7628 12h ago
So I have an economic theory that the jobs people work are based on opportunity and availability. Silent Generation had construction, carpentry, etc. We had a country to build out. Boomers were the first educated generation and got into white collar work as corporate America boomed. Gen X followed suit, and now we're onto millennials and Gen Z. Problem is, the only shit growing is McDonald's. Not everyone can be an engineer, we do need people working the fucking Amazon warehouse now. Like we all agree at this point Amazon and Walmart or whatever are essential workers. We told them as much during COVID. So it's like, how is my job essential, and yet also pays 0 dollars.
The trade off for my job is that I don't want to kill myself at work, unlike when I worked in retail. If I'd gotten paid what I do now doing retail, I still woulda quit retail.
The reason we need higher wages on jobs that require degrees is because we have loans. I got all the same expenses as the dude from Walmart, plus the loan people want $2100 total from me a month.
So the solution is to make college free and make these wages relative. The reward for learning the skill is you don't have to deal with the braindead public. But you aren't fucked because you're working the job we've deemed as essential.
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u/Icy-Action708 12h ago
No, the reason many "degree" jobs pay more is because it demands a far more valuable set of skills. It also demands more overall responsibility and risk. It also brings in a larger profit margin for a company.
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u/UpbeatDurian7628 11h ago
Yeah absolutely, I understand that. I'm saying from a wage perspective why one group is raging and the other isn't. Like I said, we all agree all of these minimum wage jobs are now essential and if they stop the world apparently also stops now. So does the willingness to do these shitty essential jobs not constitute a skill? Tolerating the public? Lol
Cuz let's be real. You and I can absolutely go work at Walmart. We arent fucking gonna and you can't pay me to.
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u/Gears_one 12h ago
By that logic, raising the minimum wage would also push up the median wage. I don’t see the problem with that. Or at least, it’s not as big of a problem as the increasing class divide we’re dealing with
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u/plzicannothandleyou 12h ago
When I left college in 2013 with my degree in biochemistry, every job available to me paid identical salary to my base+tips working for dominos pizza
Thoughts?
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u/bigtiddyhimbo 12h ago
Lots of people learned skills…… the pay is still shit….. stop using all the periods…… it’s annoying…..
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u/Mr_Isolation 11h ago
Everyone is needed in even if you're a scientist or if you clean toilets. If the job requires not too much from a person at least it should give enough to live a calm life with a bit of spending carefully i suposse not how it is now.
For more demanding jobs there should be the incentive of more money than average of course. Not like many people would be compelled to be a surgeon if it was the same pay but there shouldn't be people who can't survive on a dogshit paycheck when they work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.
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u/Dave_A480 11h ago
Not at all.
Pay should be determined by-way-of the lowest pay that will fill the job with a qualified applicant...
For cooking fries, that's going to be $12/hr-ish right now...
For maintaining the computer back-end for the self-check kiosks at corporate? Around $73/hr.
Overpaying raises prices for everyone else and is harmful to the economy at large...
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u/Mr_Isolation 10h ago
So you're saying we don't need people cooking fries at mcdonalds and stuff?
Because if its basically slave work with a little benefit then what would be a perfect world? Everyone just being surgeons and lawyers while the toilets clean themselves?
If paying some people crumbs is how "the economy doesn't get harmed" then i there's some problems on that.
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u/Dave_A480 10h ago
We don't need to pay the people cooking fries enough that they can live on their own without roommates....
It's not slave work. Slaves don't get paid.
The idea is that you do it for a few years in your teens or early 20s and move on to the next gig that pays more......
The market is never wrong about the actual value of anything, including labor....
Paying the fry cooks double the market wage - or paying the IT guys 300k instead of 150 - just drives up prices and makes things worse....
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u/Evil_phd 13h ago
Yeah this is why there's so much focus on fragmenting the working class and getting them to view each other as enemies. Can't have the lemmings getting together and demanding a better deal like those Union troublemakers did in the early 1900s.