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Right now there's a effort in Hawaii to get school kids to go into "STEM" fields - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. But it seems to me that the people pushing STEM are out of touch with reality and the fact that education and white collar skills just aren't valued in Hawaii. Sure, you can go into STEM and if you're lucky get a job in your field instead of waiting tables, but it will pay LESS than waiting tables, or building cabinets, or digging ditches, or whatever. I really don't understand why.
Why isn't anyone telling kids to forget about college and get low-stress better-paying jobs as laborers or tradesmen or hula dancers?
Oh, and here's what really bothers me-- the government is promoting STEM, but government jobs pay the lowest of all. An entry level IT tech at the state or any of the counties makes $2600/month, which probably comes out to $1600 take home pay after taxes, pension, union dues, and insurance. Compare that to an entry level electrician, who earns $4000/month! Even a parks & rec sprinkler repairer makes $4000. But the guy who went to college and learned the supposedly important STEM skills? He's worth barely more than minimum wage. Why? In this case it's not the free market at work. The state and county governments, and by extension the voters, decided that jobs that require higher education and tech skills are not worthwhile. Is it a matter of the culture just not valuing education?
Wink - there are plenty of "STEM" positions in Oahu that pay in the 6 figures. However, those jobs won't be comparable in compensation to the San Francisco Bay area - you will indeed make 30% or more in that area. On the outer islands, high paying positions are elusive and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Your experience with public sector compensation does not mirror that of the private sector.
Wink - there are plenty of "STEM" positions in Oahu that pay in the 6 figures. However, those jobs won't be comparable in compensation to the San Francisco Bay area - you will indeed make 30% or more in that area. On the outer islands, high paying positions are elusive and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Your experience with public sector compensation does not mirror that of the private sector.
According to the Census data, Hawaii is near the bottom for science and tech pay. It could be that the large number of government jobs brings that number down, but the total number of workers is pretty high for such a small state- "Hawaii had 2,501 businesses in the sector, with a total of 21,283 employees, who earn an average of $52,800 per employee."
FWIW, my job when I lived on Oahu could be considered STEM-related. I was hired at $47K and by the time I left almost 2 years later, I was only making around $48K. They had originally offered me $45K, but I countered because I didn't think I could afford it with that salary, so they bumped it up a little bit. The office manager said that he had talked to other offices on the mainland and that was around what they started at (but failed to consider the fact that Hawaii was much more expensive). When I left Hawaii for my current job on the mainland, I instantly made about $8K MORE than what I made when I left Hawaii.
"Hawaii had 2,501 businesses in the sector, with a total of 21,283 employees, who earn an average of $52,800 per employee."
From a tech perspective - that number looks a little low - but not dramatically so. I'd peg our average software developer makes closer to $60K where I work and gets healthcare with no deductions if single. That same person would probably make $100K in the SF Bay Area.
From a tech perspective - that number looks a little low - but not dramatically so. I'd peg our average software developer makes closer to $60K where I work and gets healthcare with no deductions if single. That same person would probably make $100K in the SF Bay Area.
That average probably includes a lot of IT people which are lower paid than software developers. I don't know anybody in the private sector in Hawaii with those jobs, but at the state and counties they're at $2600/month ($31k/yr), and paying $120 for health insurance because the mandate doesn't apply to government. Another 7% of the salary goes to the pension.
Last edited by winkosmosis; 10-10-2012 at 12:16 PM..
Students from Hawaii are not permitted to leave the islands and go to the mainland, or Germany, or China to take high paying jobs? They are not allowed to start up their own company that is based upon science or mathematics?
Hula dancer? How many 65 year old, nearing retirees are making a generous living wage dancing the hula?
Students from Hawaii are not permitted to leave the islands and go to the mainland, or Germany, or China to take high paying jobs? They are not allowed to start up their own company that is based upon science or mathematics?
They're permitted to go wherever they want, but these STEM promotion programs have to be honest with kids and say "We want you to go into these fields, but we don't want to pay you a living wage so you'll have to move away from Hawaii".
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Hula dancer? How many 65 year old, nearing retirees are making a generous living wage dancing the hula?
Probably more than are making a generous living wage working in tech and science.
Students from Hawaii are not permitted to leave the islands and go to the mainland, or Germany, or China to take high paying jobs? They are not allowed to start up their own company that is based upon science or mathematics?
Hula dancer? How many 65 year old, nearing retirees are making a generous living wage dancing the hula?
I'm a U of Hawaii grad and I work in San Diego in the tech industry.
Hawaii has never been able to sustain much commercial tech. Veriphone was founded in central Oahu, but they have never been able to grow substantially there.
Keep in mind, while you are looking at low paying state/city & county jobs, the benefits are huge at retirement. Life time medical and pension. You also get 21 days vacation and 21 sick days, plus most of the holidays.
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