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So, I can save a whopping 3k to give back a chunk of my warranty, and get a 2 year old model with 17k miles on it, and who knows what other damage from its previous owner, which probably includes but is not limited to, tire damage, damage to power window mechanisms, damage to the interior, damage to lights or other electric systems, damage to the battery, damage to the hoses and belts, and damage to the paint and body.
The classifieds and car lots are stuffed with this kind of "deal". I dont care how much you negotiate, you arent driving off the lot in that Veracruz for 14k.
Oh please. You are just showing how bad a car shopper you are. Your description of the possible damange to a used car sounds like warranty clause. Most used cars of that age do not ahve damage to their power windows, interior, hoses and belts, etc..
Buy a 2008 Ford Fusion 4 cylinder for $14K instead with 20K miles on it. Great car for the money.
But wouldn't you pick a vehicle made by UAW labor?
How many jobs per week are you applying for? I'm not saying there aren't issues with the economic composition of our country today, but I believe there is still some opportunity out there. With some diligent job searching and applying, I think you could get at least one or two interviews for better paying jobs within a matter of a couple months. I'm about four years younger than you and I've had at least three other job offers in the last couple years, and those were the only jobs I applied for.
I actually havent had much problem getting interviews, Im getting interviews for about 10% of the resumes I submit.
Problem is, nobody wants to pay. I try to avoid the salary question as much as possible, but inevitably when they ask me how much Im making now, I can see their face drop, and the interview is essentially over. I am already making top end money for the area and my skill set (even though nationally, my pay is on the low end for my skill set), and its nearly impossible to find anyone wanting to pay any more.
Oh please. You are just showing how bad a car shopper you are. Your description of the possible damange to a used car sounds like warranty clause. Most used cars of that age do not ahve damage to their power windows, interior, hoses and belts, etc..
Damage begins immediatley when you start using crap. Most "bumper to bumper" warranties either
A. Dont cover many breakable parts, like power window mechanisms, and cover almost no maintenance parts.
or
B. Are finished at 3 years/30k miles
I have replaced each one of the window mechanisms in my car at least once, and one of them I have replaced 4 times. Only two of those happened during warranty. One is broken right now, but I dont feel like paying $300 to fix it.
I actually havent had much problem getting interviews, Im getting interviews for about 10% of the resumes I submit.
Problem is, nobody wants to pay. I try to avoid the salary question as much as possible, but inevitably when they ask me how much Im making now, I can see their face drop, and the interview is essentially over. I am already making top end money for the area and my skill set (even though nationally, my pay is on the low end for my skill set), and its nearly impossible to find anyone wanting to pay any more.
Stupid question. Are you applying for jobs that are above your current role? If they are, I don't understand why they act surprised about the salary requirements. If they are legitimate organizations, they should realize what the payscale is for someone with X years of experience and a college degree.
I think you said previously that you had 6 years of post college experience. So it seems like you should definitely be out of that entry level category. If you haven't already, I would suggest checking out the jobs that are available with your local and state government. I'm not sure what the salaries are around there, but here in Denver, a government job is typically far more lucrative than any private sector job. I'm in the process of applying for some right now, as a matter of fact. It seems like you're in an ideal place for government jobs (VA-DC-MD area). I hear there are tons of government and tech jobs in that region, but I may be misinformed.
So, I can save a whopping 3k to give back a chunk of my warranty, and get a 2 year old model with 17k miles on it, and who knows what other damage from its previous owner, which probably includes but is not limited to, tire damage, damage to power window mechanisms, damage to the interior, damage to lights or other electric systems, damage to the battery, damage to the hoses and belts, and damage to the paint and body.
The classifieds and car lots are stuffed with this kind of "deal". I dont care how much you negotiate, you arent driving off the lot in that Veracruz for 14k.
Oh please. You are just showing how bad a car shopper you are. Your description of the possible damange to a used car sounds like a legal clause. Most used cars of that age do not ahve damage to their power windows, interior, hoses and belts, etc.. All of those items are readily discernable when you evaluate a used car.
Buy a 2008 Ford Fusion 4 cylinder for $14K instead with 20K miles on it. Great car for the money. Or a Mazda6 or Mazda3. Or a Ford Escape.
But wouldn't you pick a vehicle made by UAW labor?
Stupid question. Are you applying for jobs that are above your current role?
Actually, they are mostly at my same role, or something similiar but there are few above my current role if I meet the listed qualifications.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcb1025
If they are, I don't understand why they act surprised about the salary requirements. If they are legitimate organizations, they should realize what the payscale is for someone with X years of experience and a college degree.
Well, a few things come in to play, primarily geographic region and supply and demand of your particuliar talents. I am in a region swimming with college graduates from an AACSB business school, and there are few good accounting jobs and almost no finance jobs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcb1025
I think you said previously that you had 6 years of post college experience. So it seems like you should definitely be out of that entry level category.
Ive technically been out of an "entry level" position for a while. No way would the job Im doing now be handed to a fresh college grad. Problem is the wage scales for my job are down adjusted grossly. Entry level people in the field are frequently being offered $11-$14 an hour.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcb1025
If you haven't already, I would suggest checking out the jobs that are available with your local and state government. I'm not sure what the salaries are around there, but here in Denver, a government job is typically far more lucrative than any private sector job.
Which is generally the case here as well. The only problem is the competition is fierce for the government jobs whenever they come open.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcb1025
I'm in the process of applying for some right now, as a matter of fact. It seems like you're in an ideal place for government jobs (VA-DC-MD area). I hear there are tons of government and tech jobs in that region, but I may be misinformed.
There are a ton of government and government contractor jobs in that area, but typically, their demand for accounting and finance functions are not nearly as high as production and operations roles.
I have been offered to interview for a few accounting jobs in northern VA. Frankly, the money was not good enough to justify the COL increase and the headache of DC. I would have actually had a downgrade in my standard of living.
So, I can save a whopping 3k to give back a chunk of my warranty, and get a 2 year old model with 17k miles on it, and who knows what other damage from its previous owner, which probably includes but is not limited to, tire damage, damage to power window mechanisms, damage to the interior, damage to lights or other electric systems, damage to the battery, damage to the hoses and belts, and damage to the paint and body.
The classifieds and car lots are stuffed with this kind of "deal". I dont care how much you negotiate, you arent driving off the lot in that Veracruz for 14k.
but why spend your time looking for bad deals, when it could be used looking for good deals? here are some I'd look at if I need a new car right now:
That's like $2710 after taxes and medical coverage here!
I pay $925 for mortgage/prop tax/insurance on a brand new $136K house. My electric is around $70/month and water/trash is $35/month. Phone/TV/internet is $130/month. Car insurance is $58/month and motorcycle insurance is $6/month. I spend about $40/month on gasoline.
And that is about it. If I made $41K/year (I actually make around $65K/year and bring home $4000/month) all of the above would leave me with around $1446/month for food, short term savings, retirement, buying things, and entertainment. Granted, I have no debt, no car payment, no kids, etc.
But am I such an outlier that $41K would be "hardly livable" for "most of the country" while it's more than enough here? My salary is pretty typical amongst people I know in my age range. I just don't see that we're suffering through some kind of horrible down-waging.
Of course we are. Perhaps we should look at the entire country rather than your area. Recent graduates, most, cannot get jobs. Capitalism dictates that more people vying for fewer jobs brings salaries down. Jobs are being outsourced overseas. Illegals are taking jobs and lowering salaries for all the lower paying non-skilled blue collar jobs that used to be a stepping stone for the poor. Look at your neighborhood strip malls. At least over here there are many storefronts just sitting empty. That means people are not spending. People don't spend when they don't have the money. That usually happens when there are no jobs or they are getting only subsistence wages. This is not rocket science, but merely common sense.
We are being 'worked' over by a government, both parties, that caters to international mega corporations and not the public. They have to in order to get the money it takes to get re-elected. We need only public funding for elections, which will never happen.
Those of us who invest, during the last several presidencies, have done well because those mega corporations are on the stock exchange. We get rich. Those who don't have that discretionary money, or not in great amounts or are living from hand to mouth practically, are actually losing in the money game. Their jobs are outsourced. This is middle class and downward, mostly, in the income brackets. Many are taking on two lower paying jobs to replace the good one that they left.
What's going to happen to them when inflation kicks in, which it must do, when you witness the national debt?
The middle class and poor are getting poorer and the few with bucks are getting richer. We are turning into what has happened in so many Latin American countries.
Poverty is relative, and so is connected happiness. If the average Joe can afford a Disney vacation, and you cant, that ticks you off. It does not matter if you have a can of beans in the cupboard and some Haitian kid doesnt. Relatively, the Haitian family without a pot to **** in, may be doing better then you are.
We are not a "global" melting pot. A person should be able to aspire to have all that his economy can generate for him, not aspire to have what the Chinese economy is generating for the Chinese guy. Being happy that you are not starving is a race to the bottom wrong way to look at things.
Well said.
The U.S. used to see each generation doing better than their parents. No more.
Part of our problem is that schools are not graduating kids as skilled as those of some other countries, but even if they were, the salaries people are getting in other countries are bringing us down.
I can see a day in which our loyalties will no longer be to our countries, but to the international mega corporation that is kind enough to employ us - the new slave owner.
I have seen people drop 40-50k miles on a car in a year.
Outliers, man, outliers...
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Originally Posted by Randomdude
As well as dangerous and terrible for any area that experiences bad road conditions.
Complete ignorance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randomdude
In other words, most people take the haul in to Fort Worth or Dallas.
Some do, some don't. There are plenty of jobs along the Alliance corridor, 170, Solana/Westlake, DFW airport, Irving, etc., all of which are pretty accessible and often not as far as FW (which again is 16 miles away to downtown).
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Originally Posted by Randomdude
I think its like 50+ bucks a month for trash now.
That sucks, but I still don't think it explains $250/month. But I digress.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randomdude
There are no restrictions on how the world can work
You don't say. Well, good luck with that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randomdude
Im actually talking about a system that provides to each according to his labor output. Period. This would result in a huge upgrade in salaries for low wage workers.
Why? Because low wage workers have a currently unrecognized huge labor output?
Do you feel entitled to be paid more than you are?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randomdude
No, I think everyone should be paid what they earn, not what they are arbitrarily assigned.
Arbitrarily assigned, I guess that's about the funniest thing I've heard all day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randomdude
This is 100% wrong.
Did you just run out of steam at the end or what?
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Oh good grief! 
This is possibly hopeless. 
