INSUNABULA

I've been educated 9 years in art and design. At 16 went to college for a foundation in Fine Arts & Design in England where I graduated top of my class, used that as a spring-board for 6 years in university studying Graphic Design, Web Design and Product Design which was used as another spring-board into 3D Computer Animation which I also graduated top of my class. I moved to Canada 3 years ago with the hopes of a well-paid job and I am still looking for a full-time job in my broad field of expertise.

Last year working temp jobs and contract work I probably earned $20k.

That's right - I'm pissed !!! - but I keep trying none the less.

I also have to say that I don't begrudge anyone else here, in fact I would like to congradulate the majority of everyone else here for getting well-paid jobs - it's something I continue to aspire to have

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LuckyStrike

I'm in Radiation Protection at a Dept. of Energy site. I made 77k last year. Cleaning up nuclear waste left over from the Manhattan project and the cold war. Hanford. I've also worked at Nuclear power plants and superfund sites. I'm a permanent job now but have been on the road for years. When you travel they pay you per diem... which is tax free and paid 7 days a week. I miss the per diem

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Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

-Benjamin Franklin

ScratchMonkey

A price is information. If the price is wrong, it's because the information path is poor. "Conduction" between the consumer and producer is blocked or distorted. Eliminate the noise, shorten the signal paths, and you'll get the most accurate price (ie. what something is worth to those who consume it).

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Ferris Bueller

Based on your postulation, teachers should be paid nothing and police officers should bounce between making millions and having to pay the offenders they arrest. Children dont value their education as they have no concept of its worth until they're older. Citizens either love police officers for their services or they hate them because they're on the business end of a pair of handcuffs. The logic is flawed. People should be paid based on the service they render in accordance with its necessity, skill level and a multitude of other factors (risk being a big one).

Without teachers there would be no educated professions, ergo they should make more money. Police officers and other law enforcement should be paid on a scale based on education, risk in the field and experience (somewhat the way it is now, but to a much higher degree).

As far as military service being underpaid, to a degree thats true, but it's also a responsibility issue. 18 year olds shouldnt be making enough money to support a wife and two kids on their own unless they are savants in their field and are beyond their years in expertise. The military doesnt grant that. However, while the pay isnt exactly top notch, the benefits are amazing. Health, dental, housing assistance, etc, all free of charge (whereas in the civilian world they take a big fat chunk of your paycheck for any one of those things).

I'm lucky enough to be in one of those fields that the risk and time spent do equal the reward. For my nearly 100k a year, I work over 60 hours a week (usually closer to 80) in a facility filled with infectious diseases, at least half of which are potentially fatal. I deal with criminals, drug addicts, people that are JPN (thats "just plain nuts" for those not familiar with the clinical term). I've been vomited on, urinated on, had poo flung at me, stabbed with dirty needles, physically attacked and I get to bear the brunt of every sick patient's friends and family any time I need to take a break to use the bathroom because apparently I dont care enough about their loved one to "do my job instead of walking around doing nothing". So I have a job that could potentially kill me on any given day, but I love it. The reward that comes from knowing you just helped save someone's life is unparalleled in this world, and I can say that without any reservation.

The key to finding a profession is about one of two things: love or money. Sometimes (as in my case) you can be lucky enough to have a career which offers both, but you often have to have an iron stomach for those careers (medicine is a big one, I cant tell you how many people dropped out of nursing when I was an undergrad because they were just too squeamish). Otherwise, do the research and figure out what you're more interested in. If you want to teach because you love it, dont delude yourself into thinking its going to make you a millionaire. If you want to go into law because lawyers make huge money, be prepared to hate your job and all the people in it for a long time to come.

Your career, as with anything else in your life, should be based on the best information possible. Figure out what you want to do and go do it for the reasons you decide on, but make damned sure you're comfortable with the other side of the coin.

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|TG-6th|Ferris Bueller

† Disciple †

Ha just to make things more interesting mine will be in the Queens Pound.

Before last year I was Swim Instructing for between £8-13 an hour on hours that i choose, however after my operation i cant swim any more i guess, so am helping out a friend who has started somesorta IT buisness by research gathering for him while i build up my strength.

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ScratchMonkey

But children are not the consumers of education. Parents are. Employers are. You are. You want it for them? Pay for it! Just create a direct path between the people who want it and those who supply it.

While individual cops may feel loyalty to the citizenry, the organization is loyal to the government, the beast that feeds it. All large organizations work that way. (See "Public Choice Economics".) How poorly are private cops guarding gated communities paid? That's a fairly direct consumer-producer link, where the value of security is evaluated and paid for directly by those enjoying the result of what they pay for.

Value is subjective. Prices are best viewed in terms of opportunity cost. To pay for one thing, you won't be able to pay for something else. What you're paid is what the customer is willing to do without somewhere else. A price is just how you measure what's being sacrificed.

If you choose a risky job for a low price, that's your call. But no one is obligated to pay you to do that. (They can be compelled at the point of a gun, though. We call that "taxes".)

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Portable.Cougar

RF / AC contractor

I do mainly Cable TV back bones

$96k last year. I am good at what I do.

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|TG-X| Portable.Cougar

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P8riot

I think people would be surprised to know how little I make for the risk involved. In construction engineering we pay a fortune for protection from lawsuits (the friv kind) but it would take ONE real mistake to suddenly unemploy 20 people and leave 4 or 5 of us in permanent wage garnishment.

But I only take home about 35-50% the regional rate. The balance? We work far fewer hours on average (42-45 hours a week), have a totally flexible schedule when off-deadline, we had our own King Air and now we use a jet share when we want, if stress is up and things are crazy.. we don't even drive anywhere - a Town Car is a phone call and 10 minutes away at any time.

We do good work for being 'underpaid' and we have a happy staff for being 'underpaid'.. even if only 5 of us can use the jet share .

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Age of Conan: Tharashk (Taxiarchos), Thaumiel (alt), guild Ars Tactika - Cimmeria

MDFubar

Well, let's see. First to those of you who think you have done nothing with your life, BULL! You have plenty of time and if you think that you made a mistake, well at least you know it. Now you have to do something about it.
I have no college, except the time I spent partying with friends while they where attending. My experience is like a book, auto mechanic, truck driver, restuarant manager, body shop manager, at one point COO of a Limousine service in Baltimore. Now I manage an Auto parts store in Delaware, 5 years in and pull down a big $40k + performance bonuses. The best part of my compensation is that I get a company truck, full health benefits, I bring my dog to work with me, and I truly love my job.

The most important, be happy at what you do.

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"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."
- General George Patton Jr

Lorax74

Five or so years ago I was in the 6 figures as an IT consultant but also put 90k miles on my car. A few years back I took a semi-permanent IT consultant position for a loss of pay but no travel and steady work. This year, I took a staff position at the same company for another loss in pay but I no longer have to maintain multiple clients, I have full benefits plus a matching 401k and my office is only 8 miles from home. The real bonus is having my daughter's school smack dab in the middle of my daily commute. In the end I found out money really isn't everything and the pros definitely outweigh the cons.

My wife works in the medical education sector for around $80k or so with the profit sharing, which is hard to predict from year to year.

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TG-9th Lorax74

El_Gringo_Grande

I would take a significant cut in pay for that.

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Sen. Barack Obama (IL) For President '08
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I’m not racists, I have republican friends. Radio show host.
- "The essence of tyranny is the denial of complexity". -Jacob Burkhardt
- "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds" - Emerson
- "People should not be afraid of it's government, government should be afraid of it's People." - Line from V for Vendetta
- If software were as unreliable as economic theory, there wouldn't be a plane made of anything other than paper that could get off the ground. Jim Fawcette

Eroak

CircuitCity Firedog home installer computer/tv 38k
Penndell middletown EMS -$80.00 (volunteer, $80.00 for new boots)

Going to school this spring to become a nurse.

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aculle01

As a single O-1 in the Navy with less than 2 years of service stationed in Pensacola, FL:

43K before taxes

13.3k is tax free BAH and BAS

In about 2 months I will be at my 2 year mark and will put on O-2 while in Monterey, CA:

63k before taxes

22.6k is tax free BAH, BAS and COLA

TheFatKidDeath

I work as a inside sales rep for a bicycle company( www.giantbicycle.com ). Our bicycles are sold world wide through independent bicycle shops. I made alittle over 60K last year. My income fluctuates depending how well our sales are from year to year but that is around my average.

I certainly won't become wealthly working in the bicycle industry but I enjoy what I do and I like being around cycling culture. I worked for a number of years on the retail side of the business before moving over to the whole sale end. The industry can have many rewards (going to races, traveling, new products every year, healthly industry - fitness centered, turning a passion into a paycheck) but also cons (low pay, working with bicycle dealers).

All in all not a bad gig and living in So Cal I can cycle year round.

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|TG-9th| TheFatKidDeath
"Born to Party, Forced to Work."
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leejo

Any career path that takes you through Monterey can't be all bad.