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Work is work and no job should really be beneath anyone. However, on the flip side, work should pay people enough to live and people should be at least able to afford food, board and healthcare.
Right.
I would add to that, though, that some people don't have the job skills to warrant being paid more than minimum wage. A kid who loafed through high school, and didn't bother to go to college, is probably not going to find a $75,000 job simply because he thinks he's better than to work at anything less.
I make the amount of money I do at my job, because I have the degrees necessary, as well as 25 years of proven experience in the same professional field. A kid right of high school could not do what I do, nor could a 30-year old factory worker. That's why I have the job and they don't.
On the other hand, there are many people who make a heckuva lot more money than I do, working jobs that I could not do. So why should I be jealous of them?
Also, health insurance is its own issue. A niece of mine, in her mid 20s, manages a convenience store/restaurant. She could more than afford health insurance, but she has chosen to not have any. I'm not sure why she has made that choice, but it is her choice.
One other thing that needs to be mentioned is that a lot of people have an extremely inaccurate view of how much it costs to live. Too many people believe that it's somehow their God-given right to buy a $450,000 home and drive a new SUV. But it's not.
I would add to that, though, that some people don't have the job skills to warrant being paid more than minimum wage. A kid who loafed through high school, and didn't bother to go to college, is probably not going to find a $75,000 job simply because he thinks he's better than to work at anything less.
I make the amount of money I do at my job, because I have the degrees necessary, as well as 25 years of proven experience in the same professional field. A kid right of high school could not do what I do, nor could a 30-year old factory worker. That's why I have the job and they don't.
On the other hand, there are many people who make a heckuva lot more money than I do, working jobs that I could not do. So why should I be jealous of them?
Also, health insurance is its own issue. A niece of mine, in her mid 20s, manages a convenience store/restaurant. She could more than afford health insurance, but she has chosen to not have any. I'm not sure why she has made that choice, but it is her choice.
One other thing that needs to be mentioned is that a lot of people have an extremely inaccurate view of how much it costs to live. Too many people believe that it's somehow their God-given right to buy a $450,000 home and drive a new SUV. But it's not.
Work is work though, at the end of the day. If someone busts their ass for 40+ hours a week, they deserve a living wage. Now, just to clarify, when I say "living wage", I do not mean a wage that entitles them to a $400k house and a new SUV! A living wage means a wage that covers people's basic needs, i.e. food, shelter and yes, dreaded healthcare (but that's another issue all together). If people want more than that, then of course, they have to work for it.
It's really not about jealousy either. I really don't care if someone earns more than I do. What an individual earns is really none of my business and I don't spend my time worrying about what other people earn, like many do.
While college is important, it is also not for everyone. Some people simply learn better by "doing", rather than in a classroom. Such people should not be condemned as losers, just because college was not for them. My brother in law works at a warehouse and busts his ass for his money. He's a very smart guy, but not really book smart. In reality, he probably works far harder than those who were born into wealthy families, had mom & dad pay for college and breezed into a top paying corporate job. Like I said, work is work and no job is "unimportant".
Work is work though, at the end of the day. If someone busts their ass for 40+ hours a week, they deserve a living wage. Now, just to clarify, when I say "living wage", I do not mean a wage that entitles them to a $400k house and a new SUV! A living wage means a wage that covers people's basic needs, i.e. food, shelter and yes, dreaded healthcare (but that's another issue all together). If people want more than that, then of course, they have to work for it.
It's really not about jealousy either. I really don't care if someone earns more than I do. What an individual earns is really none of my business and I don't spend my time worrying about what other people earn, like many do.
While college is important, it is also not for everyone. Some people simply learn better by "doing", rather than in a classroom. Such people should not be condemned as losers, just because college was not for them. My brother in law works at a warehouse and busts his ass for his money. He's a very smart guy, but not really book smart. In reality, he probably works far harder than those who were born into wealthy families, had mom & dad pay for college and breezed into a top paying corporate job. Like I said, work is work and no job is "unimportant".
Right. Again...
College educations are often extremely expensive and worth very little in the real world.
One of my sons "gets" computers & electronics. Didn't go to college for it, but he works IT & AV for a corporate training center. The punk makes almost as much money as I do, and he's only 23! But... There's absolutely no way I could do what he's doing, so that's why he gets paid to do it and I don't.
He also runs/mixes sound for bands at clubs some evenings. In fact, he could do that 4-6 nights per week if he could handle working 80 hours per week. He averages about $150-$200 per night mixing, so he could easily pull in an additional $25,000 per year doing that - in addition to his regular job.
Jobs are available, but sometimes their weird, unexpected and unknown jobs. And sometimes - as my son found out - those jobs find you crawling through dark tunnels in a huge building with fiber-optic cables & a tool kit.
Yep. There are groups of people who do this communal living thing, and do it extremely well. Clearly, it's not for me - and I'm sure every person in such a commune would grow to hate me before very long.
If there is no mind-control, or abuse of any kind, how could I sit & say it's wrong?
It wouldn't be for me, either. To her, it was like having a large extended family. They put her son through college and everything--he was there since he was an infant. People have come and gone over the years, but many have spent most of their lives in the group, like my SIL.
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But... There's absolutely no way I could do what he's doing, so that's why he gets paid to do it and I don't.
