[Centaurmyst]

Originally Posted by mustmove

OK employment wise the upper valley is apparently better than Maine. I hope that you expect better with your college degree than running a CNC machine on the night shift. VT and rural NH are appalling for pay and working conditions compared to the Boston/NY metro areas. COL about the same.

Of course the pay is going to less than a metro area...because the cost of living is way less. There also is no sales tax because everyone shops in West Lebanon.

I'm not really expecting a huge salary with my degree. I'm going into Social and Human Services, lol. But my ultimate goal is to change the world for the better, not get rich.

Oh, some of those CNC set up people make over $25 an hour and have excellent benefits. There is nothing wrong with doing a more physical job. It keeps people in far better shape than sitting at a desk all day getting that ol' middle-age spread, lol.

[Centaurmyst]

Originally Posted by MRVphotog

Thanks for posting and providing what I consider a learned and objective look at work in the upper valley.

Gypsy, as far as working with visitors it's half of Vermont's GSP so if you can't handle that kind of work Vermont might not work for you. In the hospitality business lots of management positions you can work your way up to. Many have started on the bottom rung and done this.

I work in the tourist business, sure you get some jerks, but overall they are respectful, friendly, fun to work with and thrilled to be in Vermont. This weekend is going to be both crazy and fun.

You should also check out some of the ski resorts. There are a lot of those in the area. I'm glad I was helpful to you. If you are open to doing different kinds of work there are more than enough job opportunities for people in the Upper Valley. Employers are more willing to hire people with little or no experience and it's a very good place to try out different types of work. I waitressed for awhile and at one place I averaged $30-$40 an hour doing that. I didn't get benefits, of course, but I was extremely happy with the income, lol.

[Lilybeans]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

At my last job, I sat at a windowless desk serving people who 'played' where I worked. I listened to them plan their fun days and nights. Their fun was OUR work...

Their fun was the reason for your job. You never took a vacation anywhere?

Jobs are tight all over. In this area of Florida, we have double digit unemployment.

[Centaurmyst]

68vette...if you have specialty training and want a very high wage then you are not going to find that in the country. You will only find something you are happy with if you relocate into a large city. Typically you take a less wage in the country as a trade off for the quality of life.

I follow politics very closely. I'm really pulling for Obama to win. I don't like everything he has to say but he's a calm, rational and reasonable man. I'm scared to death that McCain would jump into another war with yet another country and this country can't afford to keep spending money in places like Iraq when the people right here at home are in dire straights. Obama was raised by a single Mom and he knows what it's like to struggle as a family. I think he's more in touch with what American families are going through. On top of that, Democrats are always better for helping families when they are down. Bush got this country in a huge mess and I am really not trusting the Republican Party at all right now. I'd feel a lot more secure with a Democrat in office for awhile. Obama isn't going to tax anyone who makes less than a quarter of a million a year. He wants to target the same people who are so bloody greedy that they pay themselves millions in bonuses while ripping off the regular people. I don't see anything wrong with that at all. Republicans will argue that those people create jobs but they are so darn greedy the majority of the jobs they create are in third world countries where they can pay virtually nothing for labor. I don't think we need to keep giving breaks to people who send jobs overseas. I just pray people will vote their own best interests this time. I don't talk about politics a lot at home but I watch the news. My 8 year old is even talking about the election. She wants Obama. Her 3rd grade class had a mock vote and all but 4 of the kids in her class voted for Obama, lol. When 3rd graders pay attention to politics you know the election is really important. I hope America does the right thing this time...I really do. I don't have anything against McCain. I just think he is too gung ho to fight with other countries and I feel much too uneasy about him as president. I would have voted for him in 2000 but not this time...Democrats will look out for regular people better and I really think that's something we all need to make sure happens first and foremost.

[vter]

Hey guys...lets try and not take this thread off topic. This is about what living in Vermont is like, not presidential politics. Thanks.

[NYLIER]

Originally Posted by Centaurmyst

68vette...if you have specialty training and want a very high wage then you are not going to find that in the country. You will only find something you are happy with if you relocate into a large city. Typically you take a less wage in the country as a trade off for the quality of life.

I follow politics very closely. I'm really pulling for Obama to win. I don't like everything he has to say but he's a calm, rational and reasonable man. I'm scared to death that McCain would jump into another war with yet another country and this country can't afford to keep spending money in places like Iraq when the people right here at home are in dire straights. Obama was raised by a single Mom and he knows what it's like to struggle as a family. I think he's more in touch with what American families are going through. On top of that, Democrats are always better for helping families when they are down. Bush got this country in a huge mess and I am really not trusting the Republican Party at all right now. I'd feel a lot more secure with a Democrat in office for awhile. Obama isn't going to tax anyone who makes less than a quarter of a million a year. He wants to target the same people who are so bloody greedy that they pay themselves millions in bonuses while ripping off the regular people. I don't see anything wrong with that at all. Republicans will argue that those people create jobs but they are so darn greedy the majority of the jobs they create are in third world countries where they can pay virtually nothing for labor. I don't think we need to keep giving breaks to people who send jobs overseas. I just pray people will vote their own best interests this time. I don't talk about politics a lot at home but I watch the news. My 8 year old is even talking about the election. She wants Obama. Her 3rd grade class had a mock vote and all but 4 of the kids in her class voted for Obama, lol. When 3rd graders pay attention to politics you know the election is really important. I hope America does the right thing this time...I really do. I don't have anything against McCain. I just think he is too gung ho to fight with other countries and I feel much too uneasy about him as president. I would have voted for him in 2000 but not this time...Democrats will look out for regular people better and I really think that's something we all need to make sure happens first and foremost.

How about keeping the discussion about Obama in the Political portion of this forum. Vermont is the topic discussed here.

[GypsySoul22]

Originally Posted by Lilybeans

Their fun was the reason for your job. You never took a vacation anywhere?

Jobs are tight all over. In this area of Florida, we have double digit unemployment.

I said things were tight all over in a different post. I suppose I am allowed to not like a type of work. It was a job, not a vocation. I believe there are better things out there FOR ME (no offense to anyone else) than serving people.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

I said things were tight all over in a different post. I suppose I am allowed to not like a type of work. It was a job, not a vocation. I believe there are better things out there FOR ME (no offense to anyone else) than serving people.

I hear you. My husband and I have a couple of careers/vocations, one of which is our small bodywork business. Our clients are mainly locals seeking pain relief or stress management. Since we're near Killington we also see a certain amount of tourists. We're certainly glad for the extra business but I think that working entirely for leisure travelers would become very tiresome for us.

Most of our out-of-town clients are very nice and don't treat us like servants who should be meeting their whims. However, we've certainly encountered our share of those who reek of entitlement: "What? You can't treat my entire ski party starting 20 minutes from now?" Or, "Why won't you make a housecall to see six of us at 9 pm, after we've finished skiing and had a leisurely dinner?"

I feel for you and hope you eventually find work that meets your need for respect as well as livelihood.

[GypsySoul22]

Thank you Sheryl.

[Centaurmyst]

Originally Posted by vter

Hey guys...lets try and not take this thread off topic. This is about what living in Vermont is like, not presidential politics. Thanks.

Sorry...got on a little tangent. Living in Vermont is also a lot about politics too, though. Of all the places I've lived I have never seen people so educated and informed about even minor local political issues.