Re:Soaring Student Debt Prompts Calls for Relief
by joesmo on Tuesday September 13, 2016 @02:48PM
(#12491132)
They aren't good jobs. The average salary for plumbers is around $50-55k or so, right around the median for the US. Ok, but certainly not good. For roofers and mechanics, you're significantly below the median around $35k, basically in poverty especially if you have a family. I don't think encouraging people away from education is the problem when salaries are this low (poverty levels).
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Re:Soaring Student Debt Prompts Calls for Relief
by Broken_Hippo on Tuesday September 13, 2016 @04:18PM
(#12491859)
Here is the thing: A lot of jobs after college are bad jobs if you go by income only. The average teacher's salary is around 40-45k, beginners make much less. Preschool teacher with degree? Barely over minimum wage if you are lucky. Sure, you get summers off, but you also don't have a paycheck during that time.
Business degree? You might be a retail store manager because that is what you found that you actually have experience in... because you worked retail through school.
It is bad all around.
Re:Soaring Student Debt Prompts Calls for Relief
by aianus on Tuesday September 13, 2016 @02:57PM
(#12491197)
The median you quoted is for a household (usually more than one person). 55k is well above the median individual income.
Re:Soaring Student Debt Prompts Calls for Relief
by danreedx86 on Tuesday September 13, 2016 @02:58PM
(#12491212)
not to split hairs, but that's median household income... usually made of 2 incomes these days.
plumbers, electricians, and plenty of other blue collar vocations do pretty well imo.
Re:Soaring Student Debt Prompts Calls for Relief
by gnarcoregrizz on Tuesday September 13, 2016 @03:48PM
(#12491601)
Hah, i bet its way higher. Anyone that owns their own business like that is probably fudging their income numbers and writing off as much as they can. I wouldn't be surprised if the income was 2-20x higher for established self employed people.
Re:Soaring Student Debt Prompts Calls for Relief
by joesmo on Tuesday September 13, 2016 @04:06PM
(#12491752)
The owners are a minor percentage of the workers in these fields and therefore what they make is irrelevant.
Re:Soaring Student Debt Prompts Calls for Relief
by santaclaus on Tuesday September 13, 2016 @03:29PM
(#12491431)
35K is def not poverty. I managed to get by in Manhattan on less...
Re:Soaring Student Debt Prompts Calls for Relief
by HalcyonicStorm on Tuesday September 13, 2016 @03:50PM
(#12491617)
pray tell how you managed to do that
Re:Soaring Student Debt Prompts Calls for Relief
by akgerber on Tuesday September 13, 2016 @04:10PM
(#12491787)
Not too complicated an equation— one can find a basic room in a share for $1k a month uptown or in Chinatown, plus $110/month for a Metrocard or $10/month for Citibike, plus a reasonable amount of money for food like $300/month (cook a big pot of something a couple days a week, pack lunch from that, and have a few meals out for a $10/day diet).
That's about half of $35k for basic expenses while living in Manhattan, which leaves plenty of room for taxes/savings/going out/travel/etc. And there are a lot of great free events in NYC, too.
Re:Soaring Student Debt Prompts Calls for Relief
by santaclaus on Thursday September 15, 2016 @12:36AM
(#12503445)
Almost exactly this. Cheapo room in a two bedroom up near the 125 A stop, monthly metro card, not eating out too much and once a week stocking up on staples from Trader Joe's. Left plenty of overhead for hitting up bars with friends on the weekends, travel for the holidays, etc. I wasn't living lavish by any means, but I also wasn't struggling to make rent.