Community Chat

[boots fromcal]

to those of you who know nothing of california--stop pontificating!

[chrystaltree]

Fast food and grocery store checkout workers start at $18 or $19 here.  It's been that way since after COVID.  They have to pay to pay people well or no one will take those jobs.  My sister is disabled.  She has a homemaker through an agency.  The state pays for it.  Her Homemaker told her that in January their salaries go up to $25 an hour.  They hope more people will take those jobs.  

[catter70]

At the rate wages are going up, we won't be able to eat out, buy vehicles, groceries or anything else. Even if wages go up, with everything else going up, you're still in the same old place.  That means less cars made, fewer people eating out and  people losing their jobs.Does anyone give this a thought? BTW, I never made $20.00 and hour, ever. I just learned to live within my means.

[spumoni99]

I made 3 dollars an hour at my first job in CA in 1979, my parents house was worth 40k.  So if I times that by 7 to make the 20 dollars minimum wage for fast food you still couldn't buy that same house for 280k today, no way it would be double that so income has not kept up with cost of living at all.

[bikerbabe]

As of 2020, the federal minimum wage would be $21 if it kept up with productivity gains and inflation over the past 50 years.

It’s laughable that some think the minimum wage should still be under $10 because that doesn’t remotely get you anywhere close to that part time job you remember as a teenager in 1970. 🤨

[deepwaterdotter]

"What the market will bear."

[SandySparkles]

👏👏👏👏 With SO many people STRUGGLING to make ends meet in that state, I think it is absolutely necessary now!!! I have family there, and the stories they share are heartbreaking!🤔

~~~All we need is LOVE💖

[On It]

@cookie16 I absolutely agreed that skilled trades are the way to go. Electricians, plumbers, and HVAC technicians will always be in demand.

The myth of going to college to get a good job is gone. Going to college is far too expensive for most to get a return on investment especially for low-paying careers like teaching.

I am watching various reports about AI. It may decimate many lucrative careers. From what I have read, it seems attorneys who are not litigators, many real estate agents, a large number of accountants, and even some doctors are at risk of being replaced by Artificial Intelligence. Nurses who are the front line with patients appear to fall in the category of skilled trade and will remain in demand.

Choosing a career in this new environment has to be more carefully considered than ever before.

[Laura14]

@On It Amen. I have nieces going off to college shortly and I've been looked at with two heads when I tell them, unless they can get through college with the bulk of it paid for by scholarship or grants, don't go.

No one cares about the piece of paper unless you are going into a licensed career that won't grant a license without it. You'll get all the education you need on the job by diving right in and you get paid to enter the workforce as opposed to throwing money away on fraternities and sororities and mandatory overpriced dorms and meal plans. Go out on the weekends with friends and you'll have the best of both worlds. 

[bikerbabe]

Not everyone has the aptitude for college, but if they do, I will always be a steadfast proponent. I am not against blue-collar and trade jobs at all but neither will I ever dismiss the value of college and education for the sake of learning. It’s also obviously a requirement for certain professions.