Ridiculously Priced Pittsburgh Properties (Penn Hills, Pitcairn: condos, credit, student loan)

[Copanut]

Soylent Green.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

What are we supposed to do all day in this future with no work? Hang out? Read? Yoga? There is probably room for a little more work/life balance for a lot of people, but I would lose my mind if I didn’t have a job and actually feel productive.

Porn. Lots and lots of porn, of course.

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by theta_sigma

The price of that house baffles me. The location is terrible and the house is plenty nice but it's still a modular home on a weird, ugly lot.

They are probably banking on the Lawrenceville name. People would pay this in the central or lower due to the garage.

[tyovan4]

Originally Posted by eschaton

If we reach the point when computers can do all work for free, and human work is worthless (essentially good for "hobby work") what are we for?

To be used as batteries for the machines while we live in The Matrix of course

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Porn. Lots and lots of porn, of course.

You and I often seem to see things differently on here, but I agree with your line of thinking on this

[BrassTacksGal]

Originally Posted by Merge

A lot of what you say might make sense, but then you drop a little nugget of overgeneralized nonsense in, and it casts a pall over the rest.

Despite your suggestion to the contrary, it seems like you might be the one stuck in the past. How might you be so sure that every "other college grad" today has a "real job" that affords a decent living?

Maybe you should tour the country and give seminars to the many dissatisfied millennials (and even some of the malcontent x-gen folks) who have completed college, yet fallen short of what they had been taught was "living decently"?

Having sons in their late twenties, and all their friends, there's not a one of them making $30,000 or under. They all have real jobs. It may have taken them a few years, but by their late 20's they're making decent money. Why would anyone bother to finish college if they could only make $30,000 in their late 20's/30's?

[BrassTacksGal]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

What are we supposed to do all day in this future with no work? Hang out? Read? Yoga? There is probably room for a little more work/life balance for a lot of people, but I would lose my mind if I didn’t have a job and actually feel productive.

Do whatever you most enjoy! Write, play golf, spend time with your kids, read every book you ever wanted to read, travel the world, invent something. There are millions of things you could do with a little imagination and sense of adventure.

[RogersParkTransplant]

Originally Posted by BrassTacksGal

Having sons in their late twenties, and all their friends, there's not a one of them making $30,000 or under. They all have real jobs. It may have taken them a few years, but by their late 20's they're making decent money. Why would anyone bother to finish college if they could only make $30,000 in their late 20's/30's?

This tells us more about your sons and their friends than it does about "anyone" out there in the country. Plenty of people finish college, and even graduate work, and still have a very hard time finding jobs. Just because you don't know those people doesn't mean they a) don't exist and b) didn't try their hardest to find good employment, and failed for whatever reason.

I know people with doctorates who make less than $30,000, and teach full-time at various college around the country. These are perfectly smart, hardworking people who pursued a dream, thinking that something would work out eventually, and it didn't. If they had a basic income and health insurance, they would love to continue teaching undergraduates about history, literature, etc. and doing what they love in exchange for just a modest standard of living.

Read this story and then ask yourself again if "everyone" with a college degree really does end up with a "real job."

Death of an adjunct | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[PreservationPioneer]

I have a bachelor's degree and make just a little over $30,000 a year, and it's plenty for me. My degree was in Social Work, so I never expected to get rich. I have two houses, one of which is paid off, and a good car, which is also paid off. It takes a long time to save money to buy the things you want, but if you have modest taste and are single, you can definitely make a good living on it. My parents paid for my college, so I didn't have loans to pay off, and that made a big difference. I know a lot of my parents' friends roll their eyes at how little I make, and people give me a skeptical look when I tell them what I have accomplished and saved by working hard for several years and putting my money in the bank, and into investments. The things that put me ahead: (1) my parents paying for my college, (2) buying my first row-house in Stowe for 10 grand in cash I had saved, and living there basically for free for 4 years, (3) selling the house and putting that money with the cash I had saved and buying more property with it. A lot of people have treated me like I was stupid for buying cheap old houses in depressed neighborhoods. It's a hobby for me, but also a way to save money. You can't save money by paying large amounts in rent and paying loans. A lot of people my age want a fancy apartment in a trendy area. They're also paying massive student loans for their endless educations. I say, if you have to rent, move to a dirt cheap studio in Pitcairn or Penn Hills and put all of your money in the bank. Cash is king, and you can have the life you want if you know how to save it.

[RogersParkTransplant]

Originally Posted by PreservationPioneer

The things that put me ahead: (1) my parents paying for my college, (2) buying my first row-house in Stowe for 10 grand in cash I had saved, and living there basically for free for 4 years, (3) selling the house and putting that money with the cash I had saved and buying more property with it.

This is brilliant. I really do think that a) truly affordable education and b) reliable access to healthcare that was not dependent on full-time employment would make it possible for many, many more people to pursue their dreams.

This is what I hear from my undergraduate students: "I really want to be a [teacher, artist, musician, community organizer, museum educator, or otherwise doing work for a nonprofit] but I have [a huge dollar amount, easily enough to buy a house] in student loans. So, I am going to move to [bigger city that is way more expensive than Pittsburgh] so I can get a job doing [something that pays well that I don't want to do] and pay off my loans first."

I honestly believe that if none of these people had student loans, they would either stay here or move to even smaller, more affordable cities, do creative, interesting work, and start contributing to a local economy that could use it, rather than crowding into DC/NYC/etc and spending 45% of their income on rent.

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by BrassTacksGal

Having sons in their late twenties, and all their friends, there's not a one of them making $30,000 or under. They all have real jobs. It may have taken them a few years, but by their late 20's they're making decent money. Why would anyone bother to finish college if they could only make $30,000 in their late 20's/30's?

Ask that of all the unemployed teachers.