is it possible to make 40K in GA and not be an Exec??? (Atlanta: find a job, to buy)

[Tab1975]

Hello All

I have been in GA for almost 3 years now and this question is really on my mind now more than ever.

When I moved from NYC I was making 40K working in the apparel industry in Order Management and Logistics. Now I work for a major bank as a bill collector. I started at 26.5K and now I am at 29.1K.

I had a debate and I was told that I dont need to make 40K a year here in GA as the cost of living is cheaper. I really dont see it that way. I just had to get a car and having a car payment is really scary. I was told that only execs make 40K a year here in GA. Now I am in college trying to get my degree so that I can be more marketable so that I can make that amount and more.

But seriously, is it possible to make 40K here in GA and not be an exec with BA, MBA, Ect?

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by Tab1975

Hello All

I have been in GA for almost 3 years now and this question is really on my mind now more than ever.

When I moved from NYC I was making 40K working in the apparel industry in Order Management and Logistics. Now I work for a major bank as a bill collector. I started at 26.5K and now I am at 29.1K.

I had a debate and I was told that I dont need to make 40K a year here in GA as the cost of living is cheaper. I really dont see it that way. I just had to get a car and having a car payment is really scary.

Depending on where you live, that salary can go pretty far. Since you had to buy a car, I'm guessing you either live or work somewhere (or both) not close to MARTA. If that is not the case, I say forgo the car and just take the train or bus. It might take you longer, but that's money saved for other things.

Originally Posted by Tab1975

I was told that only execs make 40K a year here in GA. Now I am in college trying to get my degree so that I can be more marketable so that I can make that amount and more.

But seriously, is it possible to make 40K here in GA and not be an exec with BA, MBA, Ect?

I'm not sure who told you that, but no. A lot of entry level jobs here (depending on the industry) start their pay around the 25k to 35k mark. With more experience to middle management, most jobs pay between the 40k to 90k mark. Exec level 80k to the six figure zone. It's really only in retail and service based jobs where the pay scale is much lower.

But 40k for exec level jobs? I've never been higher than middle management at any of the jobs I've held over the years (and have no desire to be), but if a recruiter offered me 40k for a non-entry level job I would mostly likely laugh in their face.

[Kansaichick]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

I'm not sure who told you that, but no. A lot of entry level jobs here (depending on the industry) start their pay around the 25k to 35k mark. With more experience to middle management, most jobs pay between the 40k to 90k mark. Exec level 80k to the six figure zone. It's really only in retail and service based jobs where the pay scale is much lower.

But 40k for exec level jobs? I've never been higher than middle management at any of the jobs I've held over the years (and have no desire to be), but if a recruiter offered me 40k for a non-entry level job I would mostly likely laugh in their face.

This is very accurate, to the best of my knowledge in knowing my salary when I was in Atlanta and other's.... I think having a degree will help you if you are not in the service/retail based industries. I know that my salary at my former employer was determined by what degrees I had.

[theATLien]

well maybe not in your field of work, but engineers make that much... for sure

the way I see it the per capia income post- recession for Atlanta is 29,913 (2010) whereas NY is 30,415 (2008) not that much different. So 30,000 is the average for both cities and you are doing ok if you can make that much. However with that being the average you have a lot of people making a lot more than 30,000 and a lot of people making a lot less that 30,000. I know a lot of people that are managers of a fast-food joint, IT analysis, and government guys that make over that. However the vast majority of people I think that make that much go in bussiness for themselves. If you look up and down the street at all the bussiness out there. I believe the guys who run those joints make more than 40,000.

by the way cost of living is a bit cheaper despite the car if you factor in living cost and grocery cost in my opinion.

[BobKovacs]

Having a degree will definitely help you break the $40k mark, but that doesn't mean you're an "exec" by any stretch. I've got a dozen guys working under me who make anywhere from $45-100+k/year, and none of them are even close to being "execs", nor am I. They do all have 4-year degrees, though.

[KevK]

Originally Posted by Tab1975

Hello All

I have been in GA for almost 3 years now and this question is really on my mind now more than ever.

When I moved from NYC I was making 40K working in the apparel industry in Order Management and Logistics. Now I work for a major bank as a bill collector. I started at 26.5K and now I am at 29.1K.

I had a debate and I was told that I dont need to make 40K a year here in GA as the cost of living is cheaper. I really dont see it that way. I just had to get a car and having a car payment is really scary. I was told that only execs make 40K a year here in GA. Now I am in college trying to get my degree so that I can be more marketable so that I can make that amount and more.

But seriously, is it possible to make 40K here in GA and not be an exec with BA, MBA, Ect?

I make more than that. Get a job at AT&T.

[WriterDawg85]

Whoever told you that was lying to you. I'm two years out of college and making $30k base + bonus + a bit of freelancing, and I'll clear $40k this year in total. I work in the low-wage creative industries and I think I'm paid fairly, based on my education, experience and skill.

I have a four-year degree in my field and there's always a little luck involved in getting a job in this sort of economy, but if you have a decent resumé and a degree or demonstrable skill set, you should be able to find a job that clears $40k. Often, switching jobs is a faster way to increase your pay than waiting for raises, which is not easy during a recession, but perhaps it's something that you should look in to for the future. Or, depending on the state of the business that you work for, maybe you should just be asking for a raise.

I worked at Best Buy in college (not even in Atlanta, in Athens, which has a lower cost-of-living and therefore a lower pay scale), and all of the mid-level managers in the store were making $50-$60k, and our general manager was in the six figures. Even hourly supervisors were in the 30s. Those are hardly jobs that anyone would define as "executive level," but they were relatively well-paid compared to a lot of jobs.

$40k is not what I would call "executive pay" in any field that I can think of. Some of my friends that graduated with degrees in higher-earning fields (accounting, finance, some types of science, etc.) make more than that in their just-out-of-college jobs.

[GALiberal]

What do you mean by exec? VP/Director level pay shouldn't be lower than 150k+ at the typical company. The C level execs of mid-level size companies will probably be 300k+, I'd imagine.

40k is no where near exec level compensation. Thats starting pay in a lot of fields.

[netdragon]

Yes. I'm going to rake in over $150k this year (full package) and I'm not an exec, but a middle manager (Director level) at a smaller company (I'm essentially a top-level software architect with a team of people). Granted my base salary is $100k but with bonuses and benefits included I usually pull in something in the $110k-$130k range on an average year (this was an extraordinary year).

I was making over $50k after 1 year of employment as a software engineer. Not sure where you got your info

If you are skilled, I think you could do $45k without a degree and even more if you had really valuable experience for some niche market, but you'll need to shop around a lot more. I, for instance, rarely hire people without a degree and when I do I usually ask them to start taking classes.

You may want to look into switching to the media industry without a degree.

[noah]

Many people start out where you are and then feel stuck there for a while until they get that promotion or job when they are not expecting it. If you apply yourself and learn all you can good things will happen. A degree really helps but it is no guarantee. If you want to be aggressive about your future how about going back to school while you are working full time. Its hard work but it most likely would pay off with a new career and a good pay job back into the $40k that you are wanting.

Luckily most people can live on 30k here without a problem. Car payments are almost always a choice, could always buy a cheaper car.